Monkey see, monkey do.
No harm in the case of tattoos, but I’m leary of that mindset.
Poll options too confused to be able to answer. Tempted to choose the last one on the snarky basis of spelling error.
Not for me. Besides the risk for hepatitis, the inks are potentially toxic in my opinion.
On others, a little one here or there isn’t enough to put me off. For me when the tattooing is the very first thing you notice about someone, then it’s too much. On women, I want to see your skin as it was created. For men, too much and you look like a biker or a convict.
Nothing wrong with them. It’s none of my business.
But someone who has a TON of them, along with that disgusting giant hole in both ears, just looks like a freak to me.
If you observe the tattoos become animated and start to act out Ray Bradbury stories, RUN.
Otherwise, not MY bag but what you do with yourself is your business. Though as with all art/fashion/bodymod I’ve seen some that look very good and some that look horrible.
Where is “I don’t like them”?
Legally, I believe that everyone should be allowed to get a tattoo when and where they want.
On a personal aesthetic level, I think they’re ugly and they make people ugly. When meeting someone for the first time, for instance at a job interview, the presence of a large and ugly tattoo would probably take my opinion of them down a small notch.
Eyeball tattoos (as in, getting the whites of your eyes tattooed*) is an entirely different story. There are indeed body mods that go waaaay too far and are down right fucked up.
That being said, regular, ordinary tattoos, who gives a rat’s ass?
*Yes, it is a thing.
With the understanding that all other humans exist only for my viewing pleasure, I am pro tattoo, but against most people’s aesthetic choices when it comes to design and placement. A friend of mine is an artist/tradesman with ink, and he is quite often asked to place very well done renderings of frankly ridiculous concepts in very unfortunate places.
Of course, some may not enjoy my body art, and those people would be wrong, and shall be first against the wall come the revolution.
I picked the ‘spouse’ option on account of I think any drastic change should be vetted (though not necessarily approved) by one’s significant other on the grounds that they are the ones who will have to live with that scale portrait of Tom Brady’s face you put on your right shoulder.
Where’s the option for ‘They look f###ing horrible in all cases, but, hey, your body, none of my business’?
Different time different culture. I’m not dissing the Maori either, I’m talking about the here and now.
I know this is not what you’re talking about, but last year I went to an ophthalmology conference and there was a scientist there whose poster was about eyeball tattooing. Except the term was “scleral tattooing”, because this is science!
It outlined tattooing of the sclera (the whites of the eyes) for people who have medical conditions that cause permanent discoloration of the eyes. Pretty cool, huh?
I’m a live and let live guy, but I will say I’m surprised how many really crappy tats I see - something that permanent, I would want really good art. Then there’s the stuff that’s sort of pointless. A cousin of mine has her three kids’ names and birth dates tattooed on her. It’s not art. It’s information that’s readily, easily available. But hey, it’s what she wanted.
I don’t have any tats, but I like them well enough. There are certain tattoos and locations of tattoos I have to admit I’m not much a fan of, but, overall, I think they’re pretty cool. I can’t see myself getting one anytime soon, but I wouldn’t count it out. I just don’t have anything right now I’m willing to permanently engrave on my body but I can see myself getting one as a remembrance for someone, for instance.
Reading through the thread, a couple of points pop up:
- Yes, no face or neck tattoos. Are you crazy? Or just high? Either way, none of that unless you brought enough drugs for everyone.
- Please, please get them professionally done. Can’t afford it? Then don’t get a tattoo. It is unbelievable to me the kinds of hack “artists” people will allow to permanently mark your body.
- If you must get it done in another language that is not your own, please, please research thoroughly. Don’t just believe someone that that kanji means “hope” or “love”. We have the Internet now, you have no excuse.
- If you get it professionally done, you don’t need to worry about hepatitis or anything like that (or at least, very little). I had a great artist. I went to her, spoke with her, showed her the art I wanted, went through her books to look at her art, saw that her place was spotless and well-maintained. I deliberately didn’t go downtown where tatting was considered a macho thing and there were signs in the windows to the effect of “If you can’t handle the pain, get out of the kitchen.” I found a nice, simple artist who was kind and understanding and very good.
- I also think they should be vetted by your SO, that’s a very good point. They don’t get the final say, but if you love them, why wouldn’t you at least include them in the discussion?
All that being said, I love those tribal tattoos on men. I love seeing strong muscular arms and then the bands or the weaves down the arm, and those can be covered up by a button down shirt. It is damn sexy to see a proper gentleman and underneath the shirt he’s got NEAT, WELL DONE tats on his chest or arms. Not scribbles!
I have nothing good to say about tattoos.
I don’t have any tattoos but I like looking at others who have them if they’re truly beautiful works of art. For example I love this one, someone I met virtually on a greyhound forum. I love the vivid colors and the detail of how all four seasons are represented on the tree, and the way the dogs are integrated into the tree. I think it’s just stunning.
Wow. I’m not even super-into greyhounds and I think that’s beautiful. It makes me see what greyhound lovers see in them- that lithe and graceful form. One tattoo I saw recently that impressed me was someone who got one of Otzi the iceman’s tattoos in the same place Otzi had it. I did a double take and said “Wow, Otzi had a tramp stamp? That’s awesome!”
I don’t much care about tattoos, one way or the other, but I do have this question.
Is there any significance to having one on the side of your neck ? I see this a lot and wonder about it. I’ve heard several different things about it.
A buddy of mine has a devil-Homer on his neck whispering into an ear, and an angel-Homer on his neck whispering into his other ear. I assume the significance is something to do with temptation and his love of The Simpsons.
(They are his only tattoos, and he’s a pretty clean cut dude)