Tattoos -- Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?

[Tracy]

I've been debating about getting a tattoo for a long time.  I know what I want -- the main thing that has been holding me back is finding just the right design that I want to live with for the rest of my life.  It would be something very meaningful to me -- my husband and I would get matching Celtic crosses with our children's and each other's names or initials entwined in it.  Placement is another issue.  I want it somewhere subtle, but I don't necessarily want to hide it either.   Then I see some of these heavily inked and genetically enhanced women/girls and I have to laugh when I imagine what they are going to look like when they get old.

So -- who has a tattoo?  Do you still like it?  Do you regret it?  How do you feel about tattoos on women?

[Mikey D]

I have three - my family shield on my left leg, a tribal Aquarias symbol on my upper right arm and the newest one is my son's name (Aidan) on my left arm.  The last one was designed by my wife and was her gift to me for Father's Day this year.  It's tough to describe, as it's more than just his name.  His birth date is incorporated into it as is a lion (he's a Leo). 

I want to get my right calf sleeved, but am still thinking with what.  Star Wars would be the obvious choice, but I'm still undecided.  I do know that my next kid's name is going down the right bicep, which isn't going to be for at least a couple of more years.  I'm just saving the spot.

 How do you feel about tattoos on women?

I love tats on females.  I think they're incredibly sexy.

My former dip**** co-op student once made a comment that tats on chicks are called "tramp stamps".  I told a few of the girls at work that have tats what he said and they wanted to castrate him.  You should have seen him try to back his way out that one.  ******* *******.

[Matt]

I don't have the balls to get a tattoo, but if I ever did, it'd be something small (half-dollar-sized), simple, and basic on one of my shoulders.  Something like the Radiohead bear (my avatar), or a scorpion (I'm a Scorpio), something boring like that.  I used to entertain the thought of a getting a Star Wars tat, like the Rebel or Imperial insignias, but those are so played-out now.

I'll never get one, but it's fun to think about what I would get if I did.

[Rob]

I've only got one, but my girlfriend has a handful... I know a lot of people hate it but I like it when girls have them, particularly on arms and collarbones and that kind of thing and I think they look better on women when they're color tattoos ... but only if it's done right.  There's a fine line between art and WT.  I like them on women a lot, but if it's a single tattoo it should fit the space.... wrist, back of the neck... something like that.  IMO.  I personally don't like the way it looks to have one haphazardly thrown on the back or bicep or something like that.

I'd love to get both of my arms completely covered but it won't happen any time soon (probably never)... lack of money for that kind of thing.  I'm also lacking an idea of something that big that I'd be happy with for the rest of my life...

My advice to anyone (and you sound like you're ahead of the game on this) is just make sure that you don't go into a shop and pick a butterfly or something off of the wall...  if you know any artists have them draw something up for you, or come up with an idea of something that's personal or important or means something to you and have someone design it.  Also, ask around for who's good - lots of tattoo artists are very good, and most of them are just tracing stencils for the most part, but the right artist can make a regular tattoo something special.  Just my two cents.

[stormie]

You've been watching too much Inked or Miami Ink 

There's a guy that works in my building that has a dark line about pencil-thick tattooed up the side of his neck. Why? The first time I saw it I assumed it was the result of a freak pen accident, but then I saw it again and realized what it was. I respect people's artistic expression, and I wouldn't judge someone negatively if they had one, but to me, tattoos look like dirt on the skin. I'm sure up real close they may look nice, but from even a normal talking distance, they just look all smudgy and undefined. And this goes equally for men or women. I suppose I'd be more inclined to dislike tattoos on women just because it messes with the natural beauty of the opposite sex. 

However, I did see one tattoo that I did like. A former coworker had a tattooed ring finger band instead of a traditional wedding band. I thought that was cool, significant and didn't detract from her appearance. And I actually would have liked to do that when I got married, but my wife was just a little too attached to the idea of a princess-cut diamond.

I'm dreading the day one of my daughters comes home with a tattoo on the very skin her mom and dad have been relentlessly slathering sunscreen on to keep it healthy and clear.

[name]

My former dip**** co-op student once made a comment that tats on chicks are called "tramp stamps".  I told a few of the girls at work that have tats what he said and they wanted to castrate him.  You should have seen him try to back his way out that one.  ******* *******.

Tramp stamp refers to a very specific type of tat.  That scrolly, wingding seen just above the thong line.

See HERE and type Tramp Stamp into the search field for prime examples.


If it were me, I'd go for the finger mustache

[Mikey D]

Tramp stamp refers to a very specific type of tat.  That scrolly, wingding seen just above the thong line.

Regardless, one shouldn't go around running one's mouth like that.  Since I hated the ******bag, I had no problem planting the seeds of destruction so to speak.  Passive aggressiveness at it's finest.

[JoshEEE]

There are several tattoos I can envision myself getting, but I can't picture a one of them still looking cool when I'm 80 and wrinkled.  I see them as passing whimsy, like the neon clothing I once owned, the baseball hat I wore every day in high school or the silly plastic friendship bracelet I will admit to having worn in 6th grade.  I'd worry that it would be fun in the moment, but 10 or 20 years later, I feel a little silly for ever having done it.  I'm not about to tattoo the Imperial Cog on my arm, because even though I'll probably always love Star Wars....I don't need it inked into my skin with a needle to remind me.

I've dated a few girls with excessive tattooing and it didn't bother me much.  I figured it was a choice they made. I don't begrudge all the younglings with their butterflies on the ankle or intricate design right above the old coin slot, but I do feel bad for their future.  All I can think about is how there's not going to be one grandmother at the nursing home without some Chinese character, Native American phrase or Ivy wrapped around her arm. When their nurse or the orderlies have to change her diapers, they'll be the last ones to see the wrinkly Celtic design right over her sagging ass. I know there's not a lot of dignity in needing constant care, but I'd like to think the grandma without the "Axl Rose forever" tattoo across her boobs gets some automatic respect points later in life.

Those grandpas you see today with their War Tattoos don't look so terrible, but I think the Grandpa with both arms inked all the way up might not look so "extreme" 50 years from now.  People will probably just assume he had a hard life or something.


I've talked with some inked people about this and they all say that everyone gets old and will look equally silly.  The thing is, when you're 80, you probably won't be running around with green hair, short skirts, piercings, tank tops and all the stuff you got away with when you were 20, but you'll still be stuck with the ink.


The whole thing comes down to a personal preference.  If tattoos don't bother you to look at, you're probably safe to get one.  A great barometer (but not safe for work) site to visit is SuicideGirls.com.  My friend is a member there and is in love with all the girls at that place.  To me, when I visited it, all I saw is some women that would have otherwise been absolutely great looking if they hadn't destroyed their bodies with ink and metal. To me, they look like girls that have been used and abused.  To him, it's like...paradise.

My former dip**** co-op student once made a comment that tats on chicks are called "tramp stamps".

That's pretty hilarious and I'm going to have to remember that one.  

[MetalJedi]

I was waiting for the conservative outlook on tattoos. 

[BillCable]

I generally don't like them on women.  You gotta be a special girl to pull it off if the tat is conspicuous.  And by special, I mean gorgeous enough that the tat become complimentary rather than distracting.  Most women just end up looking trashy.  A small, discrete one can be nice if done well.  But really, it's pretty rare that one works for me.

[Dressel Rebel]

On myself I doubt I'll ever get a tattoo.  I'm pretty plain, short hair, no jewelry or cologne or anything.  If I do ever get a tattoo, it'll only be a single one, like this type that wraps around an arm:




On girls, these types I usually find to be downright sexy:



I do not like multiple tattoos that cover large amounts of surface area.  That's when a potentially good thing heads horribly south.

[JoshEEE]

I was waiting for the conservative outlook on tattoos.

If by conservative, you mean "person who doesn't think it's particularly attractive when someone looks like they've doodled all over their skin like it's a high school Trapper Keeper cover" then yeah, I guess I'm conservative.

Otherwise, I don't think I've ever used that word to define myself. 

I'll agree with what BillCable said.  It takes a certain kind of girl to pull it off and not look trashy.  Generally, those types of girls can pull anything off, so it's more them looking good than it is the tattoo looking good.

I'll say this for tattoos.  They give people a perfect excuse to point and stare at parts of your body that they wouldn't have without one.

[Jediknight760071]

I like old people (curse me), so the old Mariner and War tatoos appeal to me, but since I can't go back to 1940 and slap one on, I really can't see myself getting any. I also have known a few people with tatoos from Nazi concentration camps, albeit they are just skribbled numbers, but from a young age, I've always seen tatoos in a bad light. If you can explain to me what the meaning behind your tatoo is, I'm very interested in hearing about it, but I don't find them sexy or thought provoking, so I guess I don't love 'em or hate 'em, just a little turned off by them.

[Smartypants1635]

I want to get one when I turn 18, my parents would never approve, and would stop paying tuition if I got one. My solution, get one of the new Blacklight tattoos, that way, it only shows up under black light, and I don't have to worry about it when I'm old.

[Jediknight760071]

I want to get one when I turn 18, my parents would never approve, and would stop paying tuition if I got one. My solution, get one of the new Blacklight tattoos, that way, it only shows up under black light, and I don't have to worry about it when I'm old.

So um...What's the point if no one can see it? I'd like to hear this one.