# Who is your tattoo for? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398 "2005-07-07T02:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/41 "2005-07-08T02:56:08Z")
I have a plain wooden cross on the inside of my left ankle, with a white rose and a yellow rose around it. Got it shortly after I turned 18. It’s meaning for me is to remind me that Jesus is always with me. I like it because I’m not a strict Christian but the idea of having “a friend in Jesus” is pretty darn comforting. The yellow rose is my parent’s rose (their wedding rose, meaning friendship) and the white rose symbolizes me - purity 🙂 8 years later I have still not regretted getting it. I love it every day. I do want more - I want to get a “group tattoo” with my cousins (the word “cousins” in Slovak) and an addition to my current tattoo the text “2 Corinthians 12:10” for a very inspirational Bible verse. I got it on the inside of my left ankle so it would be least noticeable but noticeable enough (I think it looks beautiful) so that not everyone would miss it. Also it’s the one part of my body that’s not stretched from fat 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/42 "2005-07-08T02:57:58Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Then why tattoos? 'Cause I think tattoos are attractive too. Body art is just adornment,meaning or not. Some people wear rings on thier fingers because they like gold or silver, others wear rings that symbolize their commitment to another person. But I do admit the whole pain aspect was a small factor. Not the pain itself, the proving that I’m not a wimp. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/43 "2005-07-08T03:47:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Glory > My tattoo is for me. It’s on my upper back, down my spine and is not normally visible. It is 4 traditional Chinese characters, a Chinese proverb that means “Dripping water can eat through stone.” I got it a couple of months ago to celebrate my 55 lb weight loss - it’s very meaningful to me, it’s a reminder not to mess up. > > > [@Misnomer](#): > > > > How often do you see it, though? When I was figuring out where to put my wolf a friend suggested my shoulder blade, but I thought I’d hardly ever get to see it if I put it there. I almost never see my own back. I catch glimpses of it all the time - but I don’t need to see it, I know it’s there. Of course, after a bingey weekend while my parents were in town, I joked I should have put it on my fork hand 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/44 "2005-07-08T04:17:26Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I get what you mean, but I don’t think you should be ashamed of anything that you got (or did) with pure intentions. Just my $0.02. 🙂 True, and I don’t feel TOO badly about it because of that, but I still don’t want a politically fishy (as far as my politics go) tattoo on me forever. I’ve been thinking about just covering it with a big black heart with an arrow going through it, as the shapes kind of match up and I like blocky tattoos in easily recognizable shapes. No detailed linework for me! Plus I saw this girl with a black heart on her wrist and I thought it looked really cool, the combination of a “girly” image and thick black ink. So I think that may be my next skin project, after the typewriter. As for why I got/want to get tattoos… I just like them. I think they look cool. It’s just like asking why I wear my hair shoulder length or why I like pink or why I like shirts with certain images on them. Tattoos don’t have any deep spiritual meaning for me, nor do I get them to mark passages in my life; I want to get them because I like the way they look, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Obviously, it’s not to make a fashion statement to other people, since none of my tattoos are or will be visible. Maybe it’s a bit weird that I want to get one on my back since neither I nor anyone else will see it, but hey, there’s always mirrors for that. Actually, seeing as how I am such a perfectionist it’s probably best I don’t have a tattoo I see all the time, since I would be constantly looking at its many inconsistencies and touching it so much all the ink would rub off. Out of sight, (mostly) out of mind. ---
**Author:** ![Improv\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b3f665/32.png) [@Improv\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Improv_Geek)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/45 "2005-07-08T04:51:31Z")
It’s the darndest thing. I swear I replied to this thread earlier today. So very weird. But apparently I only looked at it and thought about replying. I don’t have the tattoo yet, but it is in planning. And it will be for me. The plan is for me to lose a fair bit of weight, (healthily and safely). The amount of weight I need to lose according to the government is ludicrous, but I do admit for health reasons I need to lose weight. Anyways, so if I lose the target weight, I’ll declare victory and I’ll get the number of pounds lost (the goal is 40. Like I said, it’s a long road). I’ll take that number and convert it to binary, and I’ll then get the number repeating tattooed around my wrist like a bracelet. A constant reminder of what I did and what I accomplished, and how I never want to weigh that much again. So this tattoo would be for me. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/46 "2005-07-08T05:12:22Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I get what you mean, but I don’t think you should be ashamed of anything that you got (or did) with pure intentions. Just my $0.02. 🙂 I get a lot of crap from people about my tattoo. Especially family members. I finally had to say, “I did not do this to be rebellious. I did this because I wanted it.” It shut some people up, but not all of them. I got it on such a visible area that everyone has to say something about it. I don’t mind that; it’s obviously going to happen. I just get tired of the people who see my arm all the time saying the same things about it. (Funnily enough, no one ever hassled me about it in church.) Since I entered college, the family hounding ran along the lines of, “You’ll never get a job in your field with that thing on your arm.” I’m thin-skinned, so it’s gotten to me. Then there was the time I was helping one of my cousins take a bath. She was about five at the time. She tried to wash the tattoo off my arm. 😃 I would like to get a few others in less visible places. I’ve always liked the look of ladybugs, and I’d like to get a very small one on either shoulder blade. I’m a Libra, and I’m also attracted to the idea of getting a Justice figure holding aloft a scale, on whichever shoulder didn’t have the bug. My tattoo is sort of a fidget item for me. I scratch and rub it when I’m thinking, and I’ve found myself subconsciously tracing it with my finger any number of times. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/47 "2005-07-08T13:49:13Z")
I’ve seen several references to “flash.” What’s a flash? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/48 "2005-07-08T14:52:53Z")
When you walk into a tattoo place, typically the walls are covered with tattoo designs that you can choose from (if you don’t have a design of your own in mind). A tattoo like that, which is not original, is called “flash.” There may also be books of flash to look through, instead of/in addition to stuff on the walls. People have various attitudes about flash: some don’t have a problem with it, others think it’s ridiculous to get a tattoo that any Tom, Dick, or Harry might also have picked off a wall somewhere. My attitude lies somewhere in the middle (ref. my reply to **NotWithoutRage** ). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/49 "2005-07-08T15:59:09Z")
Hey, I just thought of one of them there analogies… Why do people take pictures at weddings? Or of their kids? And then put them up on the walls in their bedrooms where other people rarely see them? Are they going to forget their wedding or kids without them? I don’t think so. So, for me, my body is my most permanent and important “photo album,” with those few portraits of a moment in my life most worth commemorating. ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/50 "2005-07-08T16:12:22Z")
My tattoos are primarily for me, but they’re also there for the sake of expressing a part of myself to those who are close to me. My first is an Eye of Horus beside my left shoulder blade. It’s an ancient Egyptian design that not only was a symbol of protection and guidance, but also is made up of a collection of hieroglyphs that encapsulate a mathematical notion similar to Zeno’s paradox – a notion that isn’t expressed so concisely until the modern notation for limits. I also have a Hammer of Thor on my right upper arm. It symbolizes strength and protection, along with my Norse heritage. Both designs are appealing to me on a number of levels – their appearance, their symbolism, and their antiquity. I like looking at them myself, which is why I slightly regret the placement of the first, and I like having those people I care most about see them. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/51 "2005-07-08T16:19:12Z")
I have a “II” in the small of my back. I’m a Gemini, and while I don’t put any stock in astrology with respect to forcasting the future, I have very strong Gemini traits. I went through a divorce and was thinking, “OK - I want to do something purely selfish. I’ve been “doing” for others my entire life and now I want something that’s just mine.” A tattoo seemed like the perfect thing - it is not only “mine” in that it means something to me, but it is “mine” in that it is actually a part of my body. Big, elaborate designs aren’t my speed, so I decided on the Gemini sign. I’m going to add a lilly to my left shoulder as soon as I can find a design that I like. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/52 "2005-07-08T17:02:15Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > I used to think that way, too, until I went to that convention and saw my wolf. Don’t think I didn’t agonize about the idea of getting flash! I hated the thought that tons of other people out there could be walking around with _my_ tattoo. But I just fell in love with the look of it, and I decided to go ahead and get it when I found myself worrying more about walking out of the convention and never finding another wolf tattoo that I liked as much. I’m still generally anti-flash, but I can’t be too hardcore about it without being hypocritical. \ I think that’s fine, as long as you had a reason for picking the wolf other than the fact that you wanted a tattoo, and the wolf was the first thing you saw on the wall. As for the “why did you get your tattoos” 1. “24601” - Jean Val Jean’s prison number from Les Mis - I’m a Broadway fanatic. Theatre is my religion. Les Mis was the first show that really touched me, and unless you’re really on the ball, theatre-wise (read: geek), it’s an obscure reference. 2. crescent moon - this is the one that I got just because I wanted a crescent moon. Kind of stupid, but I’ve never regretted it. 3. “dirait-on” - A Rilke poem that I sang and introduced on the stage of Carnegie Hall with my GLBT youth chorus. 'Nuff said. 4. theatre masks (comedy/tragedy) - see “24601” but I wanted a pictoral souvenir that was larger and more visible and generic. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/53 "2005-07-08T18:17:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Why do people take pictures at weddings? Or of their kids? And then put them up on the walls in their bedrooms where other people rarely see them? Are they going to forget their wedding or kids without them? I don’t think so. I’m adding this to my “why do you have tattoos” repertoire. 🙂 > [@NotWithoutRage](#): > > I think that’s fine, as long as you had a reason for picking the wolf other than the fact that you wanted a tattoo, and the wolf was the first thing you saw on the wall. True, flash that is meaningful but just happens to be flash isn’t quite the same as flash for the sake of having a tattoo. Good point. FWIW, I did have a reason: the wolf is my totem animal. I didn’t go to the convention with the plan of getting a tattoo: my friend and I went for curiosity’s sake, and for the day trip down to Richmond. I’d been thinking about getting a second tattoo for a while, but I hadn’t committed to the idea yet and didn’t have a design in mind . . . the only thing I could imagine getting was a wolf of some kind. I never thought I’d get inked at a convention – let alone that I’d ever pick flash! It almost didn’t happen, because the book I found it in was one of the last ones we looked at. But almost before I knew it, I found myself getting my name on the list for the artist whose sample work I liked the best and asking them if they took AmEx. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/54 "2005-07-08T18:29:48Z")
My left testicle. Nobody admits that my tattoo, which is a series of dots that were used to line me up for my cancer radiation treatment, is a real tattoo. Of course, none of those people actually gave up a testicle for a tattoo. So to them I say :-p ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/55 "2005-07-08T18:59:21Z")
An old boss of mine has the same tat. He would say that he must have been half nuts to get a tattoo there. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/56 "2005-07-08T22:09:44Z")
> [@js\_africanus](#): > > Nobody admits that my tattoo, which is a series of dots that were used to line me up for my cancer radiation treatment, is a real tattoo. My best friend’s wife has a similar series of dots on her back, and she refers to them as her tattoo. She still has her back, though. 😉 > [@Casey1505](#): > > He would say that he must have been half nuts to get a tattoo there. Ha! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/57 "2005-07-09T06:24:41Z")
My tattoo is flash yes (probably worse so than your wolf, I recently saw it on the wall at those air brush places they have at the fair :eek: ). It’s a dragon. I love dragons, always have. I think it’s tied in with my love of dinosaurs (which I am rediscovering). When I walked into the tattoo parlour I knew I wanted some kind of dragon, simple but nice and not too expensive. Hey, I was a student on a budget. It’s on my left shoulderblade, and people don’t usually see it unless I wear spaghetti straps or something sheer, it does peek out a little from certain tops though. Who is it for? Me. Just me. I decided when I was 11 that I wanted a tattoo. I didn’t settle on _what_ until I was 17 and I didn’t get it done until I was 19. Why? No reason but the fact that I love dragons, and to me they are a reminder of the heights your imagination can take you. I do have my next tattoo planned, this time I want a Ravnos cross with a rose around it (preferably a Toreador rose, but I think it might look weird so a regular rose will have to do). It’s a geekish thing to do, maybe as much as getting Elvish tattooed on yourself somewhere (which I would have done if I knew how to speak it, but since I don’t I think that would be too much). When I get it done it will also be for myself, and most likely some place easily hidden. I don’t need to frighten the grandmothers and my father more than necessary. I’ve seen the baby footprints before, which is an awesome idea except I don’t have my son’s footprint… ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/58 "2005-07-09T06:49:35Z")
Mine is for me. It’s not visible when I’m dressed. It’s a nature scene that I drew myself, and it is a depiction of what I consider to be “church.” I’m going to get another one that I’ve drawn that is sort of a family crest. I was adopted as a baby, and for 26 years, I had no idea who my family was. When I found my biological family, I decided to honor that with a tattoo of my heritage. I’m just looking for an artist. I don’t have a car anymore, but when I did there was one bumper sticker on it that I had custom made on the Internet. It read: I MISS BILL. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398/59 "2005-07-09T15:14:05Z")
> [@Seeker74](#): > > **FilmGeek** - are there any especially talented artists in Lawrence? East Coast Al in KCK did 2 of mine. The _only_ place to go is [Big Daddy Cadillacs](http://www.bdctattoo.com). Lance (who did mine and two of Ardred’s) is fantastic, though none of his work is pictured on the site. Carlos does amazing detail and color work and Stacey (male) a.k.a. Big Daddy (who drives a hearse with flames painted on it) does some really amazing stuff too. Carlos, Lance and Stacey (I think) used to be at Skin Illustrations, which is now just good for buying jewelry/getting pierced. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-your-tattoo-for/311398.md?page=2)