Tattoos

Oh, by the way, since we're talking about tattoos, I can't resist telling you about the coolest one I've ever seen. My mom is a rather bold gal, and she was thought it unfair that so many men have naked ladies tattooed on them but you never see any nude male tattoos. So she promptly went down and had a Playgirl centerfold tattooed on her thigh, in all his dangling glory. It is WAY cool!!

I have five small tattoos. I got them all between the ages of 18 and 20.

At 39, I like one of them. The rest, while meaningful, look like shit.

I don't necessarily regret them but I do want to cover them with better ones simply because what used to be pretty is now... not.

Hmm.. interesting. I've never been a big fan of huge tattoos, so if I did get something, it'd be small. What about the small ones? Still okay, or not happy with them either?

I don't have one yet, but when I get down to the weight I'm shooting for, I'm going to get a small one, I think. Not sure what yet, though.

I'm getting the names of my children tattooed on my right shoulder blade soon. It won't be huge, but it will be quite large - yet simple. It's simply their names. It will be my first, and probably only tattoo.

I like the ideas of tattoos but so many of them simply suck, especially larger ones. I don't have a great body for what I want, even though I'm open to it. That, paired with indecision, has held me back from getting one. Tattoos are one thing that many people come to regret and I know a few people whose tattoos look great now but won't always and maybe they should have opted for something that would age better. And while I am not opposed to full tattoos (I have a male friends whose sleeves are fucking sexy), they look "common" on most. I think tattoos lost some of their appeal to me when everyone started getting them.

What about writing tattoos everyone?

I keep seeing tattoos of names, or sayings. I'm not sure I get the point. Writing your own name seems Totally ridiculous to me.. what, you can't remember it unless it's on your arm?

Tattoos have to be meaningful. You have to look at the stencil before the artist starts and love it with all your heart. In my opinion, thats the only way to be really happy with them, especially down the line. My current and upcoming tattoos incorporate my religion, so its not likely that I'll grow out of it. I don't wait for 5 years on a tattoo, but I have been giving it 3 years between each one.

When I was 15, I looked mature enough to get a tattoo. I got a black sun on my tummy, off to the side in that little divot beside the abs/tummy/belly. Smart? Well, yes and no. As my mom said, when she discovered what I'd done - it might get rather ugly after a pregnancy or two, and most certainly after a few more decades...

But so what? I still love it to bits, it still looks fabulous and it has stretched gracefully as I gained weight in college. I remember everything about getting it - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings. It's essentially burned a moment - a moment that represents an era of my life - into my mind. Was that my intent, did I need to remember that era so profoundly? Nope. But I'm glad I did. And so what if it looks ugly to a casual observer after I have babies, or when I get old? It will still be beautiful to me, because despite always serving as a link to my youth, it will have grown and aged and changed with me. It will always be mine, and noone will ever be able to take that from me.

When I see tattoos on people, I often ask for the story. If the story is interesting, or cryptic, or just seems really genuine, they are SUCH A TURN ON. If all I get is a "well I was in the shop and I liked it"... Um, well....that's pretty much one of the worlds biggest turn offs.

I have five medium sized tattoos and I just adore them. I think they are becoming more mainstream and carry less negative stigma. I'm happy to see them become more socialy acceptable just like sex toys. I plan on getting many more. A word of caution they are addictive!

I got my first tattoo last year, it is a chinese symbol that means new life. Getting the tattoo was more about doing something that had meaning to me and is in a place that is unseen, most don't know I even have one.

I have a friend who has a LOT of tattoos. I talked to him endlessly when I was in the process of getting my first. He wrote a great post called Your First Tattoo.

I got my first tattoo about two years ago at the age of 38. It is a large dragon (western - with wings) custom designed to fit the small of my back. It's very personal to me and some of what I've been through over the years. Symbolic of both being a fighter and sexuality. Lower back is called "tramp stamp" after all. I won't ever regret it, and it's in a part of the body that can adjust pretty well to body changes and age.

Some of the things that I learned...
- "Flash" is what a tattoo from a the books is called.
- My personal feeling is that if you are getting a tattoo, then it should be something that nobody else can have - custom designed.
- You get what you pay for, and that makes a difference over time. Spend the money to do it right.
- Every artist is different and works at a different pace. Some work slow for a simple design. Some can do elaborate, large work in the same time period. Talk to them.

- It hurts like hell. I don't know much about the endorphin rush. The lower back hurts. I described it as needles of fire, and just when I thought that I had adjusted to one he would change it.

I absolutely love my dragon tattoo though.

LOL - my first thought... "I'm stuck now... No matter what, I'm stuck now."