Tattoos. Everyone's got one. Well 1 in 5 of us at least. They're so commonplace nowadays that people don't even think twice when they see someone with one, and we do see them everywhere. I'm not about to start ranting on people who get tattoos (I hope) or start saying they're evil and ugly or anything like that-if I did I'd be a hypocrite because I have one, and I do love them as much as the next person. To an extent.
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| Here's mine, in all its freshly inked glory. |
I think people don't really think about getting a tattoo any more, it's just not a big deal to pop into your friendly local tattooists and get them to draw something onto your skin. People say that it's addictive, and I can almost see why you would want to keep getting and getting them once you've had your first*. But the thing is, I don't think people consider that they're a
permanent addition. I thought about getting my tattoo for about 4 years before I actually went ahead and did it, and even when I booked my appointment in at the studio I had this massive sense of almost foreboding that I was doing something that would change things forever. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally in love with the end results and definitely don't think it's something I will end up regretting doing but I still recognise that it's a massive thing to do and would really consider it just as hard before I got another one**. I don't think it's something that most people my age really even think about before covering themselves in them. I also thought long and hard about
where I wanted it-it had to be somewhere I could cover up if I wanted to but also somewhere I could see every day. I really like wrist tats, but would never get one coz I hate wearing long sleeves, same with neck tattoos and wearing my hair down. I want, some day, to be employed by someone somewhere, and recognise that visible ones could be problematic in that respect (plus I don't think my Dad would approve!).
Maybe I've just got a touch of middle age about me, but I just think people should really think a little more carefully over something as important as inking themselves for life. After all, what's that swanky chest piece going to look like when your cleavage starts sagging? What about those stars on your arm when you decide to stop being a hipster? The date on your neck to a potential employer? What about when your kids (/someone's kids/any kids) ask you what YOLO means and you have to explain it was a meme way back when you were a teenager? What if it's a private joke that's no longer funny or just something you end up plain old regretting coz you got it because tattoos were cool?
Tattoos can be beautiful, or tell you life stories about the person who has them, or represent some memento of a personal triumph and a million other things, but I reckon they should be done in moderation and thought about a lot more than people seem to do it. After all, You do Only Live Once so why get something put on your body that you are going to regret when you're older? You have to be a grown up someday, folks.
-Jenni-
P.S
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-tattoo-addiction/4od#3428875 This is an interesting example of just how mad some people go with them.
*Even my tattooist said she hated getting them done (Newsflash: THEY HURT SO VERY MUCH!) but once she had one she could never wait to get another and another.
*The fact that I originally typed 'get' instead of 'got' in that sentence tells me that somewhere inside I'm already considering having a second. Oh dear.
nah, I kind of agree. I thought about it for about that long before getting mine, and I'm pretty sure I will be getting a second, but I'm not too sure yet what/where it'll be. I agree about covering up and all of that though, and you want it to be something that's not going to be ridiculous to you later in life. For eg, I would be very prepared to get a Harry Potter-related tattoo because it's one of those things in my life that will never leave, because it's simply been there too long. I would not, however, get a pony tattoo. Y'know?
ReplyDeleteI don't find myself getting too bothered by the lack of thought most people seem to put into these things. Tattoos are basically deliberate scars. We get enough accidental scars during the course of our lives, we might as well have one that's nice to look at.
And yes, they hurt like a bitch. Although getting your nose pierced is worse (even though the pain there doesn't last as long)
That's the thing though isn't it, it's the wanting another tattoo for the sake of having another tattoo without knowing what you want/where you want it that leads to people being covered in memes and personal jokes and things that just won't mean anything to them in 10/20/30 etc years. Even the guy who's covered in Myley Cyrus tattoos said (in the documentary I linked) he was scared that one day he would stop being obsessed with her and then be stuck with 14 tattoos of her name and face. I think if you're that unsure about it you shouldn't get something scarred into you forever.
DeleteAnd my tat hurt Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar more than any of my 8 piercings did!
I very much understand The Ink Bug, as I've started to call it. It's been a couple of years since I got mine, and I've been craving another ever since. I know what I want (another rune, which indicates resilience, perseverance, personal strength and all that), and would have gotten it already if I had £50 to spare. But I do agree that a marking has to mean something - I knew I wanted the one I have already when I was about 12, and all the others I'm planning have been in deliberation for quite a while, and mean something to me. I would never get a fandom tattoo, however much I loved the fandom, because they seem too public, and not quite personal enough. The closest I got was planning to get a line from a song that was used in a beautiful scene in an anime movie, but that was more for a person I associated with it than the fandom itself. As it is, I'm not getting that tattoo any more. I also hate flash tattoos - where's the meaning in them?
ReplyDeleteAs for positioning, I do think it's important to get them somewhere that's easy to show off as well as easy to cover up - otherwise, what's the point of having one? I'm actually not a huge fan of foot tattoos for that reason - you have to wear tiny dolly shoes or sandals for them to be visible, and I very rarely do that. Also, I have to disagree on the pain front - I'd much rather have another tattoo than another piercing, but this may be because my tattoo healed perfectly within two weeks, while my piercings still give me gyp now, even up to six years after having them done.
I have to say, I do feel sad that tattoos and other bodymods aren't considered "respectable" in current society - unless it's deliberately offensive or obnoxious, a visible tattoo, just like a facial piercing or unnaturally-coloured hair, doesn't mean that a person's work ethic or ability to do their job is any less. I would love to have a full leg-sleeve someday - this wouldn't lessen my pig-headed insistence on doing my job well, but people would assume that it would if I ever wore anything other than full-length trousers to work. I think that's kind of sad. It's also why I'd love to work for a charity, or in a freer industry like independent theatre, where people are generally able to have an alt appearance and still be assumed to be willing and competent at their jobs.
I actually don't understand the "you'll regret it when you're old" mentality at all - people like Lizard Man (http://www.thelizardman.com/) are going to have so many amazing stories when they're old, and those will all be reflected in his skin, and I think that's really awesome. I guess in this day and age, you need to be a professional sideshow performer or some such thing to have that chance though. But I'd assume, obviously, that every mod he has done is planned to fit in with his look and stage persona, and not done on a whim. Actually, thinking about it, it'd probably be quite difficult to work in sideshow if all your mods were random...
In other news, this has been an utterly random splonge of thoughts. Sorry about that.