Do you have a tattoo? If so, what motivated you to get it? What was your thought process?
If not, have you ever considered getting one but then decided against it? How did you come to that decision?
As for myself, I have never contemplated the idea, mainly because my first thought when I see someone with a tattoo is “Idiot”. Then, giving it a bit more consideration, I think that maybe it’s a desire to be noticed, societal rebellion, or even a noble personal display of support for First Amendment freedom of expression. But the last thing that comes to mind is “Idiot”.
Is it really worth having a needle jabbed into your skin hundreds of times just so you can have a butterfly on your ankle?
I personally would never get a tattoo for the aforementioned reason and because I can’t think of a single image that I would want to look at for the rest of my life and never get tired of.
But hey, if that’s your schtick, go for it. I have a friend with a sort of firey tribal ring around his upper arm and I’ll admit, it looks pretty neat.
There’s no better way to judge a person than by how they look, is there?
I am not going to justify why I have chosen to modify my body to someone who assumes I am an idiot for doing so. Maybe next time you would like to gain some understanding from someone, you shouldn’t start out by insulting them.
Perhaps, but one day, you’ll be a saggy grandma. (ick)
Tatoos are an expression of basic human tribalism. I don’t think you can say that people get them as a way of expressing themselves or in rebellion to societal norms. For the most part, they’re not not symbols of individualism. If anything, tatoos are a symbol of conformity to a close knit group - whether it be the Marines, a motorcycle gang, a frat, or your drinking buddies. Just a point of view from the un-tatooed crowd.
(I want a tatoo to be different! Just like everyone else)
Yes, I have 4. Thought process: Hey, I like the way that design looks. I’d like to have it on my skin. All of them are in areas that can’t be seen unless I want to show them. Even if they were visible to you, you can bet your last buck that I would sleep just fine knowing that you think I am idiot.
Now I am trying to think of the first and last things that come to mind when people misplace threads. What could that be?
I’m sure you can guess.
Dave (I am not, and have never been: a marine, motorcycle rider, or a fratboy, and none of my drinking buddies have tattoos)
Hey man, I don’t even put bumper stickers on my car, because they’re so hard to peel off and what if I change my mind? Then how much more reason for not getting a tattoo?! How can you be so certain when you’re getting it that someday you won’t become sick of it and wish to be rid of it?
I got mine done over a period of 5 to 7 years ago, and I have never regretted it yet. It’s not like I woke up one morning and decided to get one, I thought about it for at least a month before hand. I’d say being happy after 7 years is a good indication that I am probably not going to change my mind.
If I do change my mind, then I get them removed. Yes, I know that the removal process supposedly hurts worse than getting them. However, I didn’t think they hurt when I got them, so I’m not really worried about maybe facing some pain someday IF I suddenly decide I don’t like them anymore.
I have a small tattoo on the back of my right shoulder. It’s a very simple black question mark about 3cm high and no one but me and my SO see it (I don’t wear strappy things). Yes, it hurt like buggery to get it done but i’m glad i did. It was for my 21st birthday and i thought about it for years before i got it just to be sure that it really did want that and wouldn’t end up kicking myself for it. And i do mean years - it’s not something i would just go ahead and do.
I got it because a question mark is my favourite thing. Not in a oh-look-at-me-i’m-so-mysterious way, but in a straightdope way - always remember to think about things because almost everything has a question mark after it. It’s my own little reminder that i really don’t know much and it’s perfect because it’s in a place that i rarely see, so when i do catch a glimpse of it, it’s like a little prod to remind me who i am. And as for getting sick of it - it’s a question mark… how can you get sick of a question mark?
I wouldn’t get another one simply because i don’t have a need for any others. I think they can look great on some people but terrible on others - i have a difficult time understanding girls who get a rose on their upper arm, or a butterfly on their ankle - it’s meaningless, everyone has one and it’s uninteresting. But then, that’s nothing to do with me or anyone else really.
Stepping up and admitting that I have a butterfly tat on my ankle. Many people seem to like to say it means nothing, maybe not to them but to those who have gotten the tattoo it means a great deal to them. It’s easy to make a blanket statement when you have no idea what your talking about. Why did I get a butterfly on my ankle? To me it’s a symbol of all the hard times I have overcome. It’s a symbol of all the pain behind me. I had been beaten by my first husband, raped by a friend and had countless other horrible things happen in my life. My sister had discovered her husband’s affair and gotten through that pain and betrayal. Together we got through all of the bad times and became stronger better people from it. We put the past behind us and got matching butterfly tattoos on our ankles to remind us of that change. Why did I choose something so permanent? So that every day I could remember how far I have come. Why did I choose to put it on my ankle? Because I am not ashamed of it or trying to hide it. When I am an old saggy granny I’ll show it to my great grandkids with pride and say, See this? It’s there to remind me that the world can be cruel but if you stay strong you can overcome anything.
I have a gargoyle tat on my lower back. It’s a little larger than I wanted or expected, but it doesn’t bother me. Why a gargoyle? Well the way I look at it, gargoyles were placed on buildings as rain spouts, as art as well as to “ward off evil spirits”. People tend to look at it as some demonic statement on my part, but in fact, quite the opposite is true. It’s “watching my back” symbolically speaking.
Will I get sick of it. I doubt it. What will my grandkids think? I think they’ll like it, if they even see it, and I’ll divert a little heat by telling them to go look at grandma’s back. What about what other people think? Who gives a rat’s ass?
Tattoos hurt for the first couple minutes, and then your body’s endorphines kick in and it no longer hurts. I have one on my back (shoulder blade) and at first it felt like somone cutting into my skin slowly with a scalpel. But after a while, I couldn’t feel anything and it felt like someone had numbed the spot with novacaine, although there was an occassional pinch.
Now as for the reasoning behind the tattoo, I got it because it is something that is and will forever be a part of me. I have waited over a year before actually getting it so it wouldn’t be an impulse thing because I know I will have to live with it forever. I still wanted it just as bad as when I thought of it.
My suggestions to anyone who wants to get a tattoo…
Wait a signifiacant amount of time before getting the ink done, unless you’re a tattoo artist or something. If you still want it, go for it.
Design your own tattoo, or have someone you know draw it up if you can’t draw yourself. The tattoo will mean much more to you then. Don’t get something generic out of a book. Mine is of a Leo symbol which in itself is generic, however, the design inside the lines is original.
Make sure your tattoo is about something that you never want to forget…because you won’t be able to if you have to look at it every day.
I run triathlons and I’ve always thought that if I ever finish an ironman-distance race, I’d get a periodic table of the elements entry for iron as a tattoo on my shoulder blade. I’d leave the atomic weight and number in place, but I’d replace the shell configuration numbers with either the distances (2.4, 112, 26.2) or my finish time.
I don’t think I would ever actually get this tattoo though because the fine detail involved would probably blur and fade with time, and I doubt I’ll ever run an Ironman anyway.
The GQ forum is for questions of fact. This question is more of a poll of the users’ opinions, which goes over in our “In My Humble Opinion” forum, so I’m moving it there.
I’m too much of a wuss to get my ears pierced or wear contacts, so there’s no way I’m gonna get a tat. And even if I wasn’t such a delicate creature, I can’t think of any marking I’d want for the rest of my life - I get bored with clothes after a year or two.
My youngest sis has 4 - she decided to get one for every even-numbered year in her 30s. I also recall seeing a tat on an old, old man - it was so saggy and blurry it looked more like a bruise… I bruise easily enough naturally, thanks very much.
As for other folks - I’ve let my sweetie know I don’t want him to get one, and my daughter knows better than to even bring it up until she’s an adult living her own life out of my house… Personally, I don’t find them attractive, but each to his/her own, ya know?
I have four tattoos myself - back of the neck, right breast, left hip, and outside of right calf. The first one was over 20 years ago - before it became fashionable. The newest is just over four years old.
I’ve never regretted getting them, and none of my friends have any - nor do I belong to any biker gangs. All are placed so that they can be hidden, although most people I’ve met could care less.
They’re just a decoration. I like them. And if you think I’m an idiot without ever speaking to me, then the feeling is mutual. Would you judge me based on a haircut, having my teeth straightened, or any other cosmetic choice? Those are external only, and the cover may or may not reflect the book within.
If you don’t like them, or think you might get tired of it, then don’t get one - you should be sure before you move forward. But then the same thing is true for people who get nose jobs. In both cases, check the qualifications and aesthetic abilities of the practitioner first, and may you be delighted with your decision.
As the original poster I now admit it was declasse of me to reveal my disparaging thoughts about other’s preferences. However, I now have a new appreciation about how excited, committed, and even personally attached (no pun intended … really) people can get about these body decorations. When I posted I didn’t expect to learn anything, but now I feel that I did.
Well, I wear two earrings in each ear. And I used to wear contacts before laser surgery a few years ago. I don’t have any tattoos, but I HAVE contemplated getting a Superman logo on my arm (I know, I know…Jon Bon Jovi has one. BFD ).
