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Tattoos

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Let me begin by saying … I would never get a tattoo. That's not who I am.

But all of these celebrities and shows like 'LA Ink' are reviving the craze.

The whole concept fascinates me. What was their mental state? What was going on in their lives? Did they like their bodies? What picture they selected, where they wanted it, why they wanted it, how old were they when they had it done, and how did they feel about it years later. How well did they know and trust the tattoo artist? Were they trying to get more attention by painting their bodies? Or were they trying to cover up their bodies? How did their significant others feel about the tattoo?

But most of all …Why???

cool tattos
Some images are quite beautiful (1:30, 2:35, 2:41)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=
6oATzh5L_n8
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

THECRAZYMANGO 5/9/2010 7:00PM

    I cannot speak for the celebrities on LA Ink.. but I have a few tattoos.. that I think are very nice and do not look terrible. With that said, I am going to answer some of your questions from my point of view.

I have two. I got one at 19 and another at 22. The one that I got at 22 is a dragonfly and a butterfly. It represented changes I was going through in my life and how I overcame my depression. I hope to get two more tattoos.. a bee for finally graduating college and hopefully a phoenix for reaching my goal weight and maintaining for at least a year. Right my tattoos are on my feet. I put them there because I figure that was the only part of my body that wasn't going to get fat and stretched out. My "new" tattoos will be on my back.

It takes alot to trust your tattoo. What I did was looked at the parlor and made sure it was clean.. Also, if they did not use fresh, new, clean needles you better believe they wouldn't be touching me. Most times you can tell the professionals from the ones that are not.

I hide my first tattoo from my mom because I knew she wasn't going to approve.. but she knew of the second one. I think it will fine as long as I don't become a harley mama. My tattoos are tasteful.. and mean something to me. I also think they express me.

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PATRICIAANN46 5/8/2010 9:03PM

  My oldest son came home from college one weekend with a tattoo that we didn't know he was going to get. My husband has always been a huge fan of Pink Floyd and since he is an artist, did a mural on our son's bedroom wall of the "Screaming Face" from THE WALL. That is what the tattoo was. It is on his right shoulder and is really well done. We didn't really object to it, because it was beautiful......AND, what could we say.......My husband is the one who introduced him to the face in the first place.
I have seen beautiful tattoos and not-so-beautiful. Art is in the eye of the beholder.

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TEENY_BIKINI 5/8/2010 8:18PM

    Totally funny questions. It does make you wonder ;)

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SCOOTER4263 5/8/2010 2:05PM

    Oh, one other thing! If you're planning to get something done in a language you don't understand (for example, Chinese symbols are very popular right now), make *sure *, by asking a native speaker, preferably several separate native speakers, that it says what you want it to say! There are too many stories (sadly, true stories) of people who wanted a symbol that said something like "Brave Warrior" and instead annoyed the tattoo artist and got one that says "Doofus". emoticon

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SCOOTER4263 5/8/2010 2:00PM

    I *always* wanted a tattoo, but I could never decide what I wanted, so I let it slide. The year my youngest child went to school (kindergarten), I gutted my bathroom, sold my ancient Mercedes to the electrician for $1 )it needed $10,000 worth of bodywork to pass inspection) and got a tattoo. It's Celtic, capital B (for my maiden name, Bach) that I drew up myself, on my left ankle. For days I felt like *everyone* was looking at my ankle - and it did get some notice at the Catholic school where my kids went *cough* - but I eventually got used to the fact that only I really knew it was there.

That daughter is now in art school and has tattoos of her own. I occasionally want to get more, but I'm back to not being able to decide what I'd want.

And as for "why?", for me it was more of a "why not?" It's just decoration, like jewelry only permanent. Some people have beautiful ink, others have stuff I wouldn't wear at gunpoint - just like jewelry and clothing and everything else people do to decorate themselves. The only recommendation I'd make is not to tattoo anywhere that you can't cover up, in case you have to interview for a straight job or meet the Pope or something. emoticon

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BRANDNEWBUFFY 5/8/2010 9:53AM

    I have two and they are both for my best friend that died. I love tattoos and I think it really is just a form of expression for people. I don't personally regret mine but I think I was coming from a place that needed healing when I got them done. I am going to get one of them enlarged when I meet my goal.

My husband does not want any tattoos but loves mine. He even paid for one of them. I think its just a person decision and it isn't right for everyone. Some are better then others and I'm sure some are regretted. But you only live once and I want to live mine with no regrets.

Thanks for the thought provoking post

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MEL_UNRAU 5/8/2010 8:50AM

    I have 3. I regret only one of them. I will actually probably get another tat to cover it at some point. I don't mind the placement, the picture (comedy/tragedy masks. I used to be in theater)... but I when I went to get it, the artist that was supposed to do it was out, so I took the other "artist" that was available, figuring that if they worked at the same place, they were probably similar in quality. Boy was I wrong. I have had it fixed 2x and still isn't what I wanted. So... I will probably cover it. Which will mean a big tattoo, because cover up tats are generally 30-40% larger than the original art. So, I am waiting until I am 100% sure of what I want before doing it.

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IMPROVINGME 5/8/2010 8:45AM

    I was thinking about tattoos a few weeks ago and how they are an expression of art. I was wondering how many people who have tattoos are artists or who have a great interest in art.
Even at age 62, I would like one (or more) but I have extreme allergies. Sometimes I wear those little fake ones, but they make me itch, too.

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46SHADOW 5/8/2010 8:06AM

    cool!

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BELLE_MORTE 5/8/2010 7:37AM

  I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday as a gift. It is a butterfly on my ankle, and I have never regretted it. I also have a 4 leaf clover with a lady bug on it that I got about a year after my best friend died. I will never regret that one. I think long and hard about what I want for a tattoo and where I want it before it is done, and only go to artists that others have tried and liked. As for my boyfriend liking it, it doesn't matter to me. It's my body and I do what I want with it :)

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KTTAYLOR21 5/8/2010 7:00AM

    I have 4 tattoos and the only one I regret is the one on my arm. 1. I wish I didn't get it there, and 2. The artist did not do a good job. The rest I love with no regrets. I have my kids names on my arm and they are 2 teddy bears hugging.. a girl and a boy representing my children. I designed a tattoo thats my husbands initial, but you wouldnt know it unless I told you. I've known my husband since I as 17 and I am now 40 and I will love him forever.

I have always wanted them since I was a teenager. I got my first at age 25. They are very addictive and I had to finally say no more.

My mom got one when she was 50, she got a heart with a banner with my grandmothers name thru the heart, it's located on her wrist. She also got her eyebrow pierced that same day. She is 60 and still love both.

It's all about what YOU like I guess.

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NUTRON3 5/8/2010 6:46AM

    I have a tattoo and love it!

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P0KERS0PH 5/8/2010 6:40AM

    I have 6 tattoos, all small.
I will be getting more when I reach my goals!

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BKGOOBERH 5/8/2010 6:34AM

    I got a tattoo for my 30th birthday. It was something I had always wanted to do. Mine is on my lower back, it is a sun in the shape of a heart, and about as big as my hand. There is no black in my tattoo, it is outlined in raspberry and is in shades of yellow and orange. Mine was pretty obvious as far as meaning. It is for my son, hence, the sun, and in the shape of a heart, because, I love him. The flames on the sun are shaped like the curls he had when he was little. I took a picture of his curly head in and the artist did a great job duplicating them. I want one more, not sure where, but it is going to be a black sheep with red eyes and devil horns, but a cute and fluffy black sheep if that makes any sense. I am also getting a lady bug crawling up my ankle for my daughter, she has always been my lady bug.

I think that tattoos are really personal, or at least mine is. I got it for me and me alone. Most people don't realize I have one.

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REILLYGIRL64 5/8/2010 6:30AM

    EVERYONE has tattoos. I have no problems with them, and, like you said, some of them are beautiful. I like the fact that now I'm the different one for not having any tattoos.

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