“So… this is always going to be considered classy, right?”
“Huh? Oh. Sure thing, sweet cheeks.” <bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>
Jesus, how many of you were 20 years old in the 1950’s? Lighten up, they’re just tattoos. It’s sillier to think generally about anyone who has one of these tattoos than it is to be the kind of person who gets one. As has been mentioned already, it isn’t really the image the person puts on their body that offers the kind of stereotype being offered here but rather the way that person carries themselves. You can’t speak uniformly about it.
And if you’re the kind of person who says “if my daughter came home with one, [negative reaction],” you’re basically just a crappy parent. The “I hate tattoos” people are always the most annoying kind of uptight judgmental.
No, I’m not.
I see these things and think of the needle going into the skin and damaging it. I think of how nice smooth clear skin looks, and to me, a tatooed skin looks unpleasant. As I said before I try very hard not to judge the person, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy looking at it. BTW I prefer vanilla over chocolate cake or ice cream; that doesn’t mean I’m a racist.
Male tattoos as a message of masculinity sort of has a long tradition and that is what prompted me to get my tattoo when I was young. Mine says “love” and caused ribald comments from my Marine DI when I was at Pensacola.
Women with tattoos were almost unknown in my generation (born in the late 40’s) except fetishists and some exotic performers.
Now they are common as he// in women as in men. Not sure what the women get out of it, but maybe this: in a sense, a tattoo is a message to the world that “I own my own body and destiny.” Maybe women feel they need to make that statement too nowadays?
My wife is from Ukraine and very few women there tattoo themselves. Men do so if they have criminal backgrounds. Maybe some women in the porn or modeling industry do and sure enough, they are seen over there as advertising their wanton nature. No self-respecting Ukrainian man would marry a woman with tattoos…unless she was an American trophy wife. Who would be seen that way in Ukraine.
Personally, I don’t mind a small tattoo on a woman like on the ankle or hip. The trend to tattoo one’s lower back just seems like crass advertising to me, but that says more about me than it does the woman.
General Rule #1: Most things people say about others, reveal more about the commenter, than about those commented upon.
Geeze dude, lighten up and stop being so judgmental yourself. Some people find some hairstyles unattractive. Some people find some clothing styles unattractive. Some people find tattoos unattractive. Live with it. If you got a tattoo with the notion that everyone would like it you were living in a fantasy world.
I don’t think of it any differently from any other tattoo. It just happens to be on the lower back.
Seriously. People hate tattoos, and it’s OK. And I say this as a tattooed person (although you’d probably never see it unless I showed it to you).
It’s a choice we make. I also make a choice because my nose is pierced. Well I did it for a connection with seven thousand years of heritage. I wanted a clear mark of being Indian; similar with the tattoo. I live in an adopted country and wanted a connection. But I know people look at the diamond in my nose and think “Uh, that’s disgusting, and how faddish.” So?
THIS.
I love nice ink on women, a big fan. But the tramp stamp’s always rubbed me wrong.
A well-done stamp on a perfect body can be hot as hell, but geez, talk about something rare. Some women can pull it off, but far too many can’t, and as noted, it’s one of those places that you have to intentionally dress in more revealing outfits in order to display the tattoo-- and far too often, these are women who should NOT be wearing revealing outfits.
Plus, there’s the poseur aspect at play-- the TS lends itself more to the “look at me!” tattoo wearer versus the “I got this art for myself” tattoo wearer. It’s up there with tribal armbands, non-sensical Chinese characters and ankle cartoon characters in the “I got this at the beach after margaritas” category of exceptionally poor decision-making.
Plus, if it’s casual ink, i.e. you’re the type of woman who only gets one or two tattoos in their lifetime, selecting the tramp stamp instantly suggests that you didn’t think matters through, seeing as it’s one of the two absolutely WORST spots to put something permanent on your body, given the inarguable potential for sagging/stretching in that region (the other being anything on your abdomen… okay, I’d include breast tattoos, too, but mercifully those are far more rare than either the lower back or the belly).
I just wish women would have something tattoo’d there that was interesting to read. Cause I’m going to be there awhile and I don’t know what the hell these symbols mean.
Maybe Google can put up a news page there that changes every so often. So I can learn something during the encounter.
The only thing that bothers me about so-called tramp stamps is they are clearly intended for other people to view. I mean, you can’t even see it without the aid of a mirror! My tattoo is predominantly for myself and only distantly for anyone else.
A girl with a tramp stamp is capable of making bad decisions, and that usually works out in my favor. So yes, like 'em.
Eh, shut up and run your Tilt-a-Whirl, carny!
That’s an interesting point. It seems like they must be intended to make some kind of statement to other people, and only certain people.
That’s one of the things I don’t understand about tattoos, especially big ones in an intimate or semi-intimate place. It’s making a statement that can’t be unmade. It can’t be undone (at least not easily). What if you decide one day that you don’t like it? What if you meet someone you really like and they find it unattractive?
I know what I was like in my twenties and I know what I’m like now and… thank god tattoos weren’t a thing at the time. I hate to think what statement I’d have pemanently emblazoned on myself. :smack:
Maybe that’s why people who’ve been around for a few years longer don’t understand it. We know how much you can change over the years and we know that there’s going to be a lot of regret (and already is considering how long it’s been popular now).
It would seem to make more sense to use temporary tattoos. You could use them when you’re going out dancing or whatever but you’re not stuck with them for life regardless how your situation and personality changes.
That said, too each his own.
I didn’t address this part of your post before but, you talk as if having been 20 in the 50’s is some sort of horrible, evil thing. Then you call others judgmental.
I’m nowhere near that old but honestly, I can’t see how being 20 in the 50’s is any more sinful than being 20 now.
I’m 36. I’ve wanted essentially the same tattoo since I was 18 or so. I was just afraid of tattoos for the longest time. But as I said, it’s a cultural symbol.
But perhaps I shouldn’t speak here, since my tattoo is small (1 inch square), easily covered by my watch, and one solid color (copper). I do agree a big colorful dolphin on your leg might be annoying after a while.
What always amazes me is the people that get really outrageous tattoos. Like, a huge skull, or a zombie, or something. Ugh! I want to look at something that ugly for my whole life?
Or how women that have tattoos around their genitalia? A palm tree! A cockatoo! A sign “one dick at a time”! Ok, ok, I’ve gone too far. But you get my drift. WHY?! The vulva is beautiful naturally.
I’ve strayed far from the topic now. Sorry.
Small, cute tattoos are fine. But I don’t care for loud, large tattoos. They seem low class.
“I heart” tattoos strike me as being juvenile. I mean, we all know that your love for Rick transcends all other love, but with the divorce rate at over 50%, why not proclaim your all-burning love in non-permanent ink? Or, I don’t know, just buy a t-shirt that you can burn after you find Rick in bed with your best friend.
There are a few exceptions to this. Manly men donning a “I heart Mom” tattoos can be kind of cute. We can safely assume that one’s love for his Mum will last til death.
A small tattoo is kinda, eh… I don’t get it, but no big deal. But this thread is talking about something much diffierent. Too each his own, but I sure as hell don’t get it.
You’re missing my point. I wrote that to suggest that some of the people’s opinions here are so lame and outdated as to suggest they are too old to get over little things like people having tattoos. But I take your point there, not everyone who is older will have a problem. That was a naughty generalization based on the idea that younger folks are generally more tolerant to non-issues like tattoos.
I know a woman who had a man’s name tattooed on her chest…broke up with him…got the tattoo covered up with something else…started dating someone else…and you guessed it, got his name tattooed on her. Yup. We’re not even going to TRY to learn a lesson here, children!
Young people are just judgmental in other ways. Believe me; I’ve been in both places.