Oh yeah, and you have to get used to people asking you to explain the tattoos significance.
I’ve had mine for over fifteen years, it can be covered but most often I don’t bother – it’s never been a problem, either professionally or socially. The thing is, though, that while I still like the design, I don’t pay very much attention to it. I hardly notice it. I forget that I have it. At work, someone asked, in a group of people, if anyone had any tattoos, and I said no, and the person next to me pointed and said “But I can SEE IT!” I felt sort of dumb after that. “Oh, right, I meant ‘yes’. Er, yes I do have a tattoo.” :smack:
I guess the one thing I would throw into the mix is cost. If you get one, you should spend the money to get a good one, which is what I did. However, if I sussed it out now, say comparing the price of my tattoo to my paycheck when I got it, and then that relative cost to my current paycheck … well, that’s more money than I would likely care to spend on something I can’t even remember if I have or not.
When I do remember to look at it, I’m happy with it, so there’s that.
I always tell people this. If you still want it a year later, they you’ll want it forver.
Don’t have one, but I’ll give you the regret my girlfriend expressed…
She had a vision (she’s an artist). She knew a lot of tattoo artists, found one who she admired, worked careful to sketch her vision, communicate her vision and…
it wasn’t what she wanted. It just didn’t turn out like she thought it would.
She has several tattoos, that is the only one she regrets.
Well, despite Hampshire’s recommendations, what I’m thinking of getting is a couple of kanji characters. I figure if anyone asks, I’ll just tell them it means “Mind your own business.” 
What I want is a simple design. It’ll only be one color, probably black. I’m not too worried about the artist messing it up, although I will do research.
I do admit although when I wrote the OP I was tempted to say “Don’t just tell me I’ll have it forever; I know that drawback” I’m glad people DID say it. It reinforces it and it *does * give me pause. I have a temporary tattoo of what I want in the place I want it right now, and I think it’s pretty cool. I don’t know that it’s be-there-forever cool.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never seen a twenty-five-year old tattoo that looked good. They’re faded and blurry. Only the blues and blacks stand out. They’re saggy, deformed, dated and just downright unattractive. I’m sure there are people who have old tattoos that look great, but I bet it takes some work. Cripes, if you’re thirty now, think how it’ll look when you’re 55. The average North American male puts on a pound a year from the age of 25 to 45. That’s the average. Add another ten years and then factor in gravity and loss of skin elasticity.
I probably have no idea what I’m talking about. A competent tattoo artist maybe takes all of these things into consideration. Good luck.
Ask yourself if you think it would look good on your mom or dad. Because in 20-30 years, you will look like your parents.
I’m curious about this also. I’ve seen tattoos on old veterans of things like anchors and such and they are hardly recognizable. They kind of turn into a greenish blob on their arms. I’ve somewhat attributed this to what the quality of tattoos were way back when.
But I’m still curious about how those guys are going to fair who’ve had highly detailed, multi-colored tattoos that run up and down both arms where you can’t see any more of their bare skin. In 25-30 years are all the colors and lines going to bleed together and the guy is going to be left with two discolored blueish-green limbs?
Before you get any tattoo, you must ask yourself:
“When I’m eighty years old, and I’m in the shower, will I look at my hip (belly button, ankle, or whatever) and ask, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’”
Well, I’d definitely only go for kanji that I’d know the meaning of. You wouldn’t want any to mean “Chinese Mob”, or “Hail Mao”, no matter how pretty the symbols look.
Perhaps the 19th way of writing ‘Sword’ could be a nice one.
Many people with tattoos have no regrets. Many had wish they had never gotten it.
By contrast, I have never met anyone who does not have a tattoo, and regrets never getting one.
In fairness, a lot of the war tattoos were done on the fly (meaning probably not by professional artists- not to mention the ink and tattoo-er-making style has changed).
As far as fading goes- well, that is my pet peeve. If you get a tattoo, take care of it. I don’t care what your multi colored tattoo is of (none of my business), but for the love of Og and all things holy: GET THE THING TOUCHED UP. As people have mentioned, tattoos fade in the sun. Shocking, no? Every few years, spend the $50 (or $100 or whatever) and get the darn thing cleaned up.
And that was my rant for the day.
But doesn’t that line of reasoning lead down the path of never taking *any * chance? Granted, that’s more a philosophical discussion than what I was hoping for, but what the hell, I’m the OP.
I think that’s worth repeating. I cringe every time I see someone get a tattoo of a cartoon character. My mouth says, “Hey, that’s great,” while I’m thinking, “Taz? Are you f-ing kidding me? That’s going to look great when you’re 50!”
Those I know who regret their tatoos did not adequately think things through.
The friend who got hers when I got mine chose her design less than a week before having it done. Hers was about 8" long down the side of her thigh. She passed out while it was being done. The top of the design, but not the bottom, is covered when she wears shorts.
A nephew got a big ugly one on his upper arm the day he turned 18 (mostly an act of young rebellion I’d have to say). It didn’t turn out at all like he thought it would.
Even if you’re getting a small tatoo (like a Kanji character), insist that the tatoo artist draw it out so you can see exactly you’re getting. I believe they can draw the design on special paper and then transfer the drawn outline to your skin as a guide. You want to make sure that there is absolutely no miscommunication between you and the tatoo artist.
No, there are lots of chances people regret missing. Not taking that girl at the bar, who flirted with you madly, home and trying her out may be a regret. Not taking a certain job offer over another or when someone was wooing you away from your current job. Deciding not to buy a particular stock when it was absurdly low(this one is my biggie right now).
There are lots of times when not doing something will lead to regrets. I don’t know anyone who regrets not being tattoed.
Enjoy,
Steven
I’ll second the “be prepared to take care of it” sentiment. Most of the horribly faded, blobby tattoos I’ve seen on older guys are on people who spent lots of time in the sun with no sunscreen and never got their ink touched up.
Also, bear in mind that some parts of you will sag and/or stretch more over time than others. I’m contemplating my third piece (which I’m reasonably sure I will get, but I like to take my time pondering), and I realized along the line that my first choice for placement is not a good choice – my slightly thickening middle causes it to wrinkle in an unsightly way when I slouch on the sofa.
Finally, consider how easy or difficult it will be for you to see it yourself. My first piece is on my back. I love it, but it takes a great deal of effort or a couple mirrors for me to be able to see it. My second is on my upper arm, and is much easier for me to admire.
If all you’re looking for is Kanji characters, consider having a henna tattoo for a bit. A Kanji character or two could be pretty easy and should look decent with henna. A henna tattoo is not permament but it can last several weeks if you take care of it. Getting and maintaining a henna tattoo may give you some sense of what it takes to deal with a real one. You could learn if the spot you get it in is easy to cover up in all circumstances. Plus it gives others in your life a chance to see what it may be like if you do it permanently.
Just beware “black henna” because a lot of those mixtures contain hair dye which should not be used on skin and can cause reactions like poison ivy does. A good henna artist will be able to help you find a nice dark color for your skin composition and tone which will be fairly close to the dark inks used for permanent tattoos.
Enjoy,
Steven
Oh, and in addition, choose a well-reputed place, but a short while out of your city. Why do I say this? At the time I got my first tattoo, there weren’t any places in my small city, so I had to drive an hour and a half to get one. Pick a special day - you don’t want to be driving in a blizzard, so preferably closer to summer. Plan it out, take someone special with you and do some shopping beforehand, maybe have a nice lunch. This will ensure you have something else to look forward to and that the day will stick out in your mind, and you’ll think of it every day. You’ll be forced to evaluate your design. In addition, it gives more time to think about it. My friends and I did this, and if ever I regret getting a tattoo in my teens, I’ll never regret the great day I had with my friends.
Unless the design is small and simple, I’d insist the artist stencil it on first. You probably know the whole ‘take out the clean needle in front of me’ thing.
And in a month, you’ll forget it is there. Seriously. People make such a huge deal, but in reality, most of the time you won’t even realize you have one.
Maybe they don’t regret not having been tattooed because they know that if they still want the tattoo, they could get it. When I think of “regretting something I didn’t do,” I think of that as something for which the opportunity has passed. I’ve met a lot of people that say they want a tattoo, but for some reason or another haven’t gotten one yet. Of course you’re not going to meet someone who says, “I regret never having gotten that tattoo,” because if that person decided he/she wanted the tattoo that bad, presumably they’d go ahead and get it.