# tattoos - THINK FIRST! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952 "2012-04-16T14:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/1 "2012-04-16T14:58:14Z")
An object lesson in tattoos… 56 stars on the face is not the best look. > **[Still starstruck: Young Belgian's misery three years after she had 56 tattoos...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2128662/56-stars-tattooed-Belgian-womans-face-visible-year-planned-laser-surgery.html?ICO=most_read_module)** > > Kimberley Vlaeminck, 21, was set to pay £9,000 to reverse the disastrous mistake she made at a parlour in Coutrai, Belgium. An otherwise attractive young lady with a disasterous choice she now regrets. But don’t scroll down too far - the tattoo artist is also shown. Let’s just say 56 stars on the face is tame. He’s also rather pierced up. NSF easily scared people. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/2 "2012-04-16T15:32:00Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > But don’t scroll down too far - the tattoo artist is also shown. Let’s just say 56 stars on the face is tame. He’s also rather pierced up. NSF easily scared people. YIKES!! You have to look closely to see that there’s actually a _face_ under all that crap! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/3 "2012-04-16T15:38:22Z")
I remember this story. I feel some pity for her, but lying about the tattoo artist was a horrible thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/4 "2012-04-16T15:45:25Z")
Yes, the girl seemed unstable in many ways. Still, she looks nice and the tattoed stars actually look quite sweet and elegant. And I say that as someone who generally dislikes facial tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/5 "2012-04-16T15:47:46Z")
I remember when this story broke 3 years ago. While I can see how an 18 year old would feel her life was ruined by her decision to tattoo her face, the truth is that her life is just changed. She can still find employment, although perhaps not in the mainstream areas that she once envisioned. And she can still have a personal life, although she might find that some of the people she knew can’t handle her new look. Personally, I think she’s a terrific looking young woman, and the stars on her face don’t detract at all from her appearance. In fact, when she smiles and looks happy, I think they enhance her appearance quite a bit. But yeah, the tattooist is a freak. A glorious, unrepentant freak! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/6 "2012-04-16T15:51:21Z")
If you think that it’s a good idea to tell people you fell asleep at the tattoo parlor and were tattooed against your will, it’s probably not a good idea to go ahead with the tattoo you were planning to get. You’d probably be better off with some way of expressing what you want to express that can be worn in some contexts and not in others. Or even a tattoo that can be covered by clothing. ---
**Author:** ![justrob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@justrob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justrob)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/7 "2012-04-16T15:51:39Z")
You know, the stars on her face don’t look nearly so bad now that they have had a chance to fade a little bit and the skin is not so raw from a new tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/8 "2012-04-16T15:55:09Z")
I think they look pretty nice, too - “sweet and elegant” is a pretty apt description, especially for facial tattoos, and she’s quite pretty to begin with; it’s hard to mess up a pretty face. Still, who the fuck falls asleep during a facial tattooing? Nobody, that’s who - so it was a pretty shitty lie on her part. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/9 "2012-04-16T16:00:14Z")
> [@justrob](#): > > You know, the stars on her face don’t look nearly so bad now that they have had a chance to fade a little bit and the skin is not so raw from a new tattoo. The article says that last summer she was planning to get laser surgery. Not sure how much she has had, but that does take time. But that would explain the fading. The other thing that helps is her not having that frown. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/10 "2012-04-16T16:14:53Z")
My thoughts while reading this story: “Fifty-six stars on a face? What kind of tattooist would agree to do something like that?” “Oh.” ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/11 "2012-04-16T16:16:23Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Still, who the fuck falls asleep during a facial tattooing? Nobody, that’s who - so it was a pretty shitty lie on her part. Agreed. Tattoos f-ing HURT. I say this from experience (not even on any extra-hurty body parts, either.) This woman is a complete moron. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/12 "2012-04-16T16:27:25Z")
I know some tattoo artists won’t tattoo faces, necks, hands. I wouldn’t either. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/13 "2012-04-16T16:33:13Z")
[56 stars when she’s 65.](http://www.flickr.com/photos/7604613@N04/7084357981/) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/14 "2012-04-16T17:03:15Z")
If you think, rightly or wrongly, that facial tattoos are going to ruin some aspect of your life, **why on earth would you get one**? It’s not like they’re mandatory. > [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > Agreed. Tattoos f-ing HURT. That’s what I thought. I didn’t think anybody could fall asleep while being tattooed unless they were really drunk, or something like that. Which may be our answer, here… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/15 "2012-04-16T17:06:06Z")
Pain sensitivity varies very widely, though, and that was probably a _long_ session. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/16 "2012-04-16T17:18:50Z")
On the one hand, I actually think those stars look pretty good right now, though of course that might change as she ages. On the other hand, they certainly don’t project a professional, business like image. And on the gripping hand, I think that perhaps if I wanted to get a tattoo, I’d go to someone who didn’t look like the tattooist. It looks like he did a good job, and apparently he’s learned something from this (he now wants people to sign something before he works on them). Still, if I saw him, my first thought would not be that he was someone who had good judgement. I have to wonder why this young woman didn’t try some temporary tattoos, or even use a Sharpie and a stencil before she decided to get a permanent design. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/17 "2012-04-16T17:25:03Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And on the gripping hand, I think that perhaps if I wanted to get a tattoo, I’d go to someone who didn’t look like the tattooist. I wouldn’t want to get a tattoo from that guy either because he makes me want to run screaming in the other direction. But as a general rule, people who work at tattoo parlors have a lot of tattoos. You get started by praciting on yourself, and you probably wouldn’t choose to tattoo people for a living unless you are _really_ into tattoos. > [@](#): > > Still, if I saw him, my first thought would not be that he was someone who had good judgement. Me either. At some point I might wonder if his parents have the same kind of tattoos and piercings - maybe he’s the conservative one! But I will point out that he’s doing the tattoos his customers ask for. Otherwise he’s not going to stay in business. And I agree her tattoos don’t look so bad. I’d never get a tattoo on my face, but even as face tattoos go, it could be worse. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/18 "2012-04-16T17:52:04Z")
I don’t particularly care for tattoos. That said, her current look isn’t horrible. It could be a lot worse. Certainly, a tattoo like that on her face is going to turn off potential employers in mainstream lines. If she’s not looking to be an artist, musician, performer of some type, or work in less rigid environments that typically also have lower pay scales, she could be okay. But I don’t think she thought through any of it. I suspect she was drunk. She certainly wasn’t planning this out ahead of time. “Hmm, I think it would be cool to have a tattoo. Hey, let’s put it on my face, that’s the best spot, that way everyone can see it. What to get? A small symbol? A smiley face? How about a star or two. No wait, 56 stars - one for each of the states. Yeah. But what will I tell me dad - he’ll be pissed. I know, I’ll just tell him I went in for a small tattoo on my shoulder and fell asleep, and the guy kept going. Yeah, that will work.” I’m not sure if she has any better sense than she did, but maybe she learned a lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/19 "2012-04-16T18:02:47Z")
I remember when I first saw that story, I saved a copy of the article to show my eventual kids under the heading “really stupid obvious lies.” I just have to wonder whether she made the original decision while she was drunk or something. They actually don’t look too awful now - they’re certainly distinctive, and very noticeable, but not unattractive, nor do they really overwhelm her rather pretty face. I have to wonder how much of her current distaste for them stems from all of the drama and unhappiness that was caused by the circumstances of her getting them (and then lying badly about getting them) in the first place. If she’s had all these really negative associations with them from the very start, then she’s not going to be able to see that they are fairly pretty on an objective scale. Also, we don’t know what she wants to do as her career - if she wants to be an accountant or a politician or a lawyer, she’s just screwed. I think the most schadenfreude-esque part of the update is that even if she does get laser surgery and it’s totally successful, it’s still going to leave little vaguely star-shaped white marks on her face. So she’s going to be marked for the rest of her life regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952/20 "2012-04-16T18:22:45Z")
When asked for comment the tattoo artist responded “BALSHFERGHAAARRRGUGGLE!!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-think-first/618952.md?page=2)