# Your body is a temple...so what kind of art do you have displayed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411 "2004-10-15T17:34:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/1 "2004-10-15T17:34:46Z")
I’m curious about dopers with tattoos and piercings. I searched for a thread like this and couldn’t find one but if there is one already please accept my humblest apologies. So…what kind of tattoos and piercings do **you** have? And where are they located? I have four tattoos: 1. On my left calf I have a tribal dragon. It was my first tattoo and the only one that doesn’t have any personal meaning so I am thinking of getting something added to make it more meaningful. 1. Between my shoulder blades I have the kanji for Chaos. It is my favorite and most personal. The artist who did it made sure to make it look like it was painted on with brush strokes. 2. On my right hip I have comedy and tragedy (the drama masks). They are kind of small and just crying out to have something added. 😃 3. Last but not least, on my left earlobe I have the eye of Horus. I love this tattoo but it is kind of funny when people ask me what it is. Most of them think I say the eye of **Whores**. Now that would be interesting. I have no piercings other than my ears but who knows what the future holds. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/2 "2004-10-15T17:44:57Z")
Oh my, no tattoos. I have piercings. Three earrings in each ear, and a nosering. I’m scared of tattoos. I think they look pretty but I’m afraid of needles. I do wear the temporary tattos, though and mehndi\* whenever I can. \*You whiteys would call it henna. For the hands. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/3 "2004-10-15T17:54:02Z")
1. Left bicep - black lizard. 2. Right bicep - a Maori design of stylized hammerhead sharks, representing strength and power. I started late: #1 I got as a mid-life crisis, at age 45, in 2001. #2 I got to celebrate finishing my first marathon in 2002. #3 will be the Ironman triathlon symbol when I finish my first Ironman race, hopefully in 2006 (for my 50th birthday). ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/4 "2004-10-15T17:55:58Z")
Three tats (so far) 1. 24601 2. Dirait-on 3. A crescent moon (not the words, an actual uh, drawing) ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/5 "2004-10-15T17:57:21Z")
> [@NotWithoutRage](#): > > Three tats (so far) > > 1. 24601 > 2. Dirait-on > 3. A crescent moon (not the words, an actual uh, drawing) oops, forgot to add locations… 1. lower back 2. right ankle 3. left shoulder ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/6 "2004-10-15T18:03:41Z")
One earring that I rarely wear, one tattoo. Yes, I know I broke the cardinal rule of tattoos (“no names”), but I got a heart with **kittenlm** (real) name on it, surrounded with some foliage, splashing water and such. Surprisingly enough, considering how many pics I have up on my web site, none seem to show the arm containing the tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/7 "2004-10-15T18:17:01Z")
I’ve got three: Right calf: small orange goldfish (my first tattoo) Left hand: small orange rose (just a piece of flash, I got this as my assurance that I would never get a _real_job. Hah! I now work as an engineer in a _cubicle_.) Lower back: large orange Japanese-style koi (my favorite tattoo, I wear low-slung skirts and pants just for a chance to show it off) I keep vacilating. On one hand, I love tattoos and want more. But, I can’t think of a really good place to get another one. I’d love to get some yakuza style sections tho’. I loooove the tattoo on this [page](http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~horikoi/index.html)… ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/8 "2004-10-15T18:45:02Z")
One tatoo, a small black heart, no bigger than the tip of your pinky. Got it in Thailand on my second trip there. Location: right cheek, not THAT cheek, think lower. Not terribly creative, I know, but I was assured the fleshier the body part the less pain. At the time, it was the only fleshy part on my body, being a stick person and all. And I squirmed and fussed the entire time, what a baby. ---
**Author:** ![FreeRange\_Maniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/97f17d/32.png) [@FreeRange\_Maniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FreeRange_Maniac)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/9 "2004-10-15T18:54:39Z")
Right ankle, peace dove with a heart in its beak, and i have my ears pierced, 3 in each. I want another tattoo, just in the process of deciding exactly what I want right now. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/10 "2004-10-15T19:04:40Z")
I’ve been thinking about the possibility of getting one ever since it was jokingly (I believe) suggested by **XJETGIRLX**. I know what I would want ([this](http://members.aol.com/rdvr/bajor)) but I am not sure where I would put it. I wouldn’t want it anywhere where weight fluctuations would distort it but wouldn’t want it somewhere where I couldn’t see it either. Of course, this is just idle fantasy (not the right word, really, but close enough) and something I doubt I will ever do unless \*\*\*REALLY \*\*\* drunk ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/11 "2004-10-15T19:06:09Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > I’ve been thinking about the possibility of getting one ever since it was jokingly (I believe) suggested by **XJETGIRLX**. I know what I would want ([this](http://members.aol.com/rdvr/bajor)) but I am not sure where I would put it. I wouldn’t want it anywhere where weight fluctuations would distort it but wouldn’t want it somewhere where I couldn’t see it either. > > Of course, this is just idle fantasy (not the right word, really, but close enough) and something I doubt I will ever do unless \*\*\*REALLY \*\*\* drunk sternum / center of chest? the skin there is usually immune to all but severe weight changes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/12 "2004-10-15T19:08:03Z")
My temple is very Calvinist. No decorations, no adornments. Of course, I have added a wing…expanded the floorplan a lot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/13 "2004-10-15T19:09:17Z")
Not to share too much information but I just felt my sternum and I definitely have weight there that I could lose. Or gain back if lost. Nothing too much but enough. As I said though, I doubt I’ll ever actually do it. Just an idle idea. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/14 "2004-10-15T19:16:49Z")
[Here’s an old website](http://www.geocities.com/itomasello/dopetats/index.html) of Doper Tats. [Here’s an old thread about tattoos.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=158344) ---
**Author:** ![badomen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c2a13f/32.png) [@badomen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badomen)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/15 "2004-10-15T19:52:37Z")
My last girlfriend was a tattoo artist (I guess she still is) and I didn’t have any before I met her. I now have 4. - a dragon on my left ankle - interesting pose to the dragon, I just lost my job and was looking for something to take my mind off it. Needs touch ups, some of the color didn’t take - BPRD symbol (from Hellboy comics) on my chest left side - only 2" across or so in dark blue. - 2 on my back, centered, between shoulder blades - the top one is a tree with the Japanese Kanji for Takaki - my grandfathers name (means tall tree), 2nd one is of a mountain, with the Kanji for Yamamoto, grandmothers maiden name - yama = mountain, moto = origin or some such. They are all kind of personal to me, no one gets to see them (except the dragon in summer when I wear shorts). ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Like\_Tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Time\_Like\_Tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Like_Tears)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/16 "2004-10-15T19:55:26Z")
Three tats, [the first one](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/timeliketears/SymbolsTat.jpg) I got is on my inner right forearm. The symbols mean protection, magic, and the moon, from top to bottom. [The second one](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/timeliketears/TriskeleTat.jpg) is on my left breast, it’s a Celtic triskle, or triple spiral. [The third one](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/timeliketears/PhoenixTat.jpg), and my favorite, is a tribal phoenix on my left shoulder. I also have my tongue pierced and nine earrings, five in my left ear and four in my right. I used to have my eyebrow pierced, but I had to take it out for a dumb job. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/17 "2004-10-15T20:14:00Z")
No tattoos…yet. I have four piercings, two in each earlobe. I’m stretching my first two piercings, and right now I have an 8g plug in each ear. My eventual goal is 4g. I love my stretched piercings. I think that they’re fun, and kind of quirky, and they’re actually pretty subtle. ---
**Author:** ![robgruver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@robgruver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robgruver)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/18 "2004-10-15T21:28:38Z")
I have two tats. My first one is a celtic knot, with my Scottish Clan Symbol (MacLeod of Lewis) in the center. The second is a stylized ahnk on my back. I plan on getting [the mighty Shivan Dragon](http://www.donatoart.com/magic/shivan.html) as a full back piece with the full wings and tail. The two artists that I am thinking about using, have said it will take between 15 and 20 hours and cost nearly $4,000. I can’t wait. In the meantime I am getting my ears pierced and stretching them, although I don’t know how far just yet. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/19 "2004-10-15T21:49:23Z")
My temple has been invaded by Philistines. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411/20 "2004-10-15T22:19:33Z")
1. Fraternity letters, right ankle. Admittedly cliched, but significant to me. 2. After my fifth open heart surgery (before the age of 25), I had a zipper pull tattooed at the bottom of the scar over my sternum. I’ve only run 5k’s and half marathons, but when I build up to my first full marathon, there will be another addition, the content and location to be determined. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-is-a-temple-so-what-kind-of-art-do-you-have-displayed/269411.md?page=2)