Recently in the CI forum someone made mention that body art

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the impression I get is that the bearer of these adornments is a dilettante who is out to cultivate and convey an Image Of Alienation and thereby Shock The Squares.
Which was a really, really cool guise in, erm.... 1962.

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I'm not trying to attack this person or anything, but I personally have a tattoo. While it is not in a clearly visible area, I didn't choose to get one to shock the instititution.

So my question to anyone is do you have a tattoo? If so of what? Why did you choose to get one?

I have a tree frog on a leaf on the lower right side of my back. I've had this tattoo for 6 years and got it to remember a dear friend who is no longer in my life. I work in a hospital, not as a physician or nurse, but in the office billing area and don't feel that if i got a tattoo in a visible area it would make me less of a worker than I am now. I plan on getting more tattoos in the near future.

Ditto, sebastiancat. I have a small tattoo of a bluebird with little music notes (drawn by Mary Englebreit) on the front of my right hip. I've had it for about 10 years, and I love it.

I suspect that whomever spoke out against tattoos probably does things in their life that I wouldn't do, too.

Barbara

I have two tattoos. I have a moon and star design with a butterfly and I have a pentacle. I got the first one when I was 18, the second when I was 24 or 25.

I'm getting a third one soon. It's a claddagh with a raven on either side. I think I'll stop after the third one thought. I personally don't like too many tattoos.

Here is what I posted, and while I gladly welcome comment on it and commend sebastian for having started the thread, I think in fairness my entire comment on the issue should be posted , and not just a snippet of it. Here is what I in fact said:

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No, I don't think piercings are offensive. My wife has pierced ears and I assume that most of the women I know do as well. I don't even notice that. I think, however, that in certain instances, piercings can convey unpleasant messages about the person bearing them, especially where the piercing (or tat, for that matter) is blatantly visible.

Assume this: you have multiple arterial blockages and are about to undergo quadruple-bypass surgery. You meet the cardiac surgeon. He has a visible tongue piercing.

Do you let him perform the surgery, or do you find yourself a new doc?

I have asked this question before on other boards and often I hear the response, "well, cardiac surgeons generally don't HAVE tongue piercings."

Which is exactly the point.

Sorry, but oftentimes when I see someone with visible (non-ear) piercings or some analogous form of body art, the impression I get is that the bearer of these adornments is a dilettante who is out to cultivate and convey an Image Of Alienation and thereby Shock The Squares.

Which was a really, really cool guise in, erm.... 1962.

If you want to be thought a person of substance and insight, then it's good to actually cultivate the attributes themselves, and not the mere appearance of them.

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Let me again stress, so no one goes tilting at straw men here: I was speaking of VISIBLE piercings or body art... meaning visible to the public. I have no problem with a butterfly on someone's ...erm... gluteus maximus area, or with tats visible only to an intimate partner.

Hope this clarifies it. Now fire away.

Of course, you have a right to think what you want about people and their piercings/body art. My tattoo, however, isn't for you or people like you, so I have no problem with what you say...it's a free country (here, at least).

As I said in response to Cool's post in the other thread, I have three tattoos. I designed two of them myself. The first, however, was a dragon from a flash sheet, and is on my left shoulder blade. The second is a sun/moon dicotomy type design on my right thigh, nearly just above my knee. The third is on my left calf, and is a betta fish.

All my tattoos are very colorful, all are easily hidden if I want them to be, or easily shown. (A somewhat short skirt and tank top are required to show the one's on my thigh and shoulder, but not so short that bits are showing when I sit down or bend over. Just shorter than knee length.)

I got them because I like them. I purposefully made them easily hidden, because I do live in a rather conservative area, and some people I know dislike tattoos. When I was the personal attendant at a good friend's wedding, which was held in a fundamentalist Christian church, I wore an outfit which covered all my tattoos.

In general, if I'm not worrying about upsetting certain people who I care about, I don't worry about showing them off. I don't do it to shock people, or to look like a rebel. To be honest, having a tattoo these days isn't very rebelious. And I have to say, I don't think anyone I've ever actually spoken with has questioned my intelligence or abilities based on the fact that I have tattoos. Perhaps some people have made snap judgements like that in passing, but I've never noticed any prejudiced treatment by people familiar with my abilities.

My sister has a subtle but obvious nose ring, and is doing doctorate studies in medical anthropology at a well-known and prestigious university. I'm sure she'd tell you she's had no problems with people prejudging her because of her nose ring. But then again, perhaps anthropologists are more likely to place no value on things like tattoos and piercings, as they are actually very common in many societies, and not looked at in a negative light.

Did you find it difficult to design your own? The one I want next, I've never seen on a flash sheet, so I'll need to design it myself or get someone to do it for me.

My first two came from flash sheets. One of them, I am getting fixed as it didn't turn out quite right.

I can't have any facial piercings due to my job. Even something small and understated wouldn't pass by my boss.

I have a small rose tattoo on the inside of my left ankle that I've had for about 10 years. When I got it, my boss at the time told me that I probably ruined my chances of getting a job if I needed to apply elsewhere in the future. I told him if I was turned down by a prospective employer because of that reason only, I wouldn't want to work there because I was an educator and they wouldn't have any reason to be looking at my legs anyway.

That's my problem now. I am currently trying to hunt down a design for a tatto i want around my ankle, and have never found anything remotely similar on a flash sheet, in magazines etc.
I work in Philadelphia which I thought would be a bit more liberal and found it surprising when I moved here is actually less in comparison to where I came from (Seattle). In my husband's circle of friends (about 20 with spouses) I am the only person who sports a tattoo.
My circle of friends in Seattle, I was the only one sporting just one.

The only tattoos I've had rub off after one bath.

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Assume this: you have multiple arterial blockages and are about to undergo quadruple-bypass surgery. You meet the cardiac surgeon. He has a visible tongue piercing.

Do you let him perform the surgery, or do you find yourself a new doc?

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Tongue rings are so normal now. I wouldn't care.

If I were in a hospital for a MRI and saw a chunk of metal in his mouth, then I'd freak.

I found it pretty easy to design my own, actually. Not to toot my own horn, but I do have a bit of artistic ability, and just the right drawing style to work well with tattoos. In addition to my own tattoos, I've designed several for other people, including two for my ex-husband, one for a good friend, and several for hire. I can show you some pics, give you some pointers, etc., if you'd like. Either here or in private messages. It's up to you.

My town is a great place. I said it's fairly conservative, but it's also a university town and boasts a large art and music community. There are quite a few tattoo parlors, and most are run by true artists. I've found that when designing your own, the most important thing next to your own ability is to have a great artist. They can help work with you on colors and finalizing your designs to the best effect.

When my sister was looking for a picture of an iris for her tattoo, she was getting discouraged as nothing she saw in any parlor looked pretty enough. She was about to give it up when she found the perfect iris on a coffee cup that belonged to a co-worker. She borrowed the cup and the tattoo artist did a wonderful job copying it to her ankle.

I have a mushroom on my right wrist, very visible unless I wear tight long sleeves, that I got in 1975. (If you see another middle aged woman with such a tattoo, she's probably a friend of mine!) At that time it was pretty unusual for a woman to have a tattoo, but I have had remarkably little trouble over it. There were probably some jobs that I didn't get because of it, but no one ever came right out and said so. Any higher level, management type jobs I have had, I have risen from the ranks, so that my employers have had a chance to know and judge me on my abilities, rather than on my tattoo.
I have a crane flying across my left shoulderblade, got it about eight years ago.
My husband was good friends for some time with a tattoo artist here in our town, and they would while away the long slow winter days decorating his body. HIs back is covered with art, but it can all be covered with a T shirt. I doubt if any of the people he works with know about his tattoos.
Those of you who can't find what you want in the available stencils, please talk to your tattooist. Most are artistic people, and should be able to help you design what you want. Frankly, if they haven't enough talent to do that, you don't really want them working on your body. It's not really like paint by numbers, they do have to have a certain amount of flair to do the job well.

By the way, although I can't speak for anyone but myself, I think that the desire to "shock the squares" had very little to do with the decision to get that first tattoo. I won't pretend that a lot of sober thought went into it, but it was mostly that I was living down near the docks in an old port city, and it just seemed like the thing to do. We were a group of six young women living together, and there was a real element of group solidarity involved, hence the choice of design, something that I would not have perhaps chosen on my own. It had symbolic meaning for us on several levels. Maybe some of us were doing it in order to "get back" at parents, or to show alienation, but for me it was much more of a personal thing. I really didn't think of its effect on the outer world at all, until later.

I don't have a problem with anyone having a tattoo but personally I don't think they are at all attractive and would never get one myself.

After years of working for a surgeon, I have seen far too many patients coming in to have tattoos removed because they were poorly done, or the patient "outgrew" the original motivation to have one and they are just tired of them, or they discovered that their tattoos were stopping them from getting a job or achieving some other career goal.

I only ever saw one tattoo that I thought was artistic and beautiful. It was a butterfly on a woman's hand encompassing her index finger and thumb and spread over about half the back of her hand. Instead of the usual murky dark colours, this one consisted of bright pink, purple, yellow etc. However, despite that, she wanted it removed. We had to turn her away because there was no way that tattoo could be removed without leaving an ugly scar, which would have been much worse than the original tattoo.

The funniest comment I ever heard about tattoos was from a guy who was in the Army with my husband. He refused to get a tattoo when the other guys were doing it, saying "Aint nobody gonna draw cartoons on me".

I have had ink done on both my upper arms. The left one is a Celtic heart,I had that one put on to remind me to be nicer to women as I had just broken up with someone and it was entirely my fault. The second was done simply to equal things up[ok there`s another quirk],it`s a Celtic band. I had both of them positioned high enough to be hidden under a short sleeved shirt because they are my business only[and funtriv now I guess]. Both of them were done at The Illustrated Man in Sydney,Ray Bradbury did influence me a bit.

My first tattoo is a rose on my chest. My 2nd tattoo is on my upper left arm, yes, a rose & my 3rd tattoo, is on the lower part of my right leg. It's a cross, with a rose in the center of it, & it says, "In Loving Memory...Mom"

I just don't like them, on either sex. When I was young it was only 'hard men' who had them not such a cross-section as today. The practice of women having them worries me, what is fun and funky at 20 might not be when you are 60. As it has been said, many people want to get rid of them later and although the process is probably far better than it was, it still won't leave you looking as you did before the tattoo.

As a woman I would find a tattoo on a man a definite turn-off. Each to their own.

The tattoo design I have was actually taken from a greeting card of all things. I asked if they could do this and they freeform drew it with remarkable likeness. To bad the shop is 3,000 miles away from where I am now, otherwise I would definitely go back.

I understand what you mean, Sue. When I decided to get my tattoo, I thought long and hard of what I wanted and where I should put it. I figured that on the human body, the ankles were probably one of the areas that would change the least with age. Even if I gained/lost weight, it wouldn't change or get stretched out. (Unlike tattoos that are placed on the breast ) I even wore a temporary tattoo for six months that I kept reapplying to make sure it was what and where I wanted. If I want or need to cover it, I can wear pants, or put on shoes and socks if I'm wearing shorts. And, my mother (who IS in her 60's) also has a rose tattoo on her ankle that she got when she was 50. So far, we both still love our tattoo and have no regrets.

Now, as for those people that have multiple tattoos: I don't undertand why, but it's almost like an addition. I had heard that once you get one, you want another. I though "oh, sure" but I found it happened to me. No sooner had my rose healed and I was looking to get another. If it wasn't for my husband talking me out of it, I would have had more. I do worry about those young women that have them on areas that are visible and can't be covered, i.e., hands, face, neck. And I always tell people that want tattoos to NEVER, EVER put their significant others name on their body. I know many people that regret having their now ex's name tattooed on them.

I have read all of this and taken it in, and I am still left with a single question.

WHY?

When I was a kid (c.1342) we had things called "cockamamies", which gave one the equivalent of a painted-on tattoo. You wore it for a day or so, and then got tired of it and washed it off.

Now call me picky, but I have this peculiar distaste for the thought of someone carving indelible designs into my skin with needles. It's just ME, I know. Am I the last remaining home sapiens (at least outside the Channel Islands) who feels this way?

Loth brings up a good point, and one which bears examining. Tats have become more popular. I have no doubt that in some sectors the shock value of even a prominent and publicly visible tat approaches zero. This leads in part to another conclusion, but let's hear from those who have tats, or at least tattoos that are prominent or present in great numbers.

Why?

Count me in with the folks who don't have tattoos. I thought about getting one, briefly thought about it, when I was in my early 20's.
I'm glad that I didn't. There is an onus of a lack of respectability that goes with tattooing. This is my personal opinion, only.
I see the most body art on convicts, rock star wannabees, and persons that should know better. My own daughter is one of those who should know better and she has two of them.
At least they can't be seen by the general public.

Why? Don't really know. As I said earlier, my first tattoo was nearly 30 years ago, and I find it kind of hard to remember that girl. I have always liked the way they look - good tattoos, not the jailhouse kind. There is a fascination about the "Illustrated Man" idea, and I felt a bit like I was part of a long human tradition, both the primitive idea of tattooing, and also because I was in a port city, there were tattoo parlours all over. There was a real feeling of entering a group with a long tradition. Maybe I just wanted to be like Groucho's "Lydia"!
There is a lot of reality to the story about "once you have one, you'll want another". There's just something addictive about that needle, that feeling of "no turning back". The pain is part of it, in an odd way. I find it impossible to put my feeliings about this into words, but they are real, and mostly positve. I have never regretted my tattoos, I love them.

I think tattoos and body piercings are, like any fashion, a way of expressing oneself and one's attitudes. This can be done tastefully or not... but even then, "tastefully" is from the point of view of the onlooker, is it not? Is it really for us to judge how others want to express themselves?

I'm currently among the ranks of those who don't have tattoos, I'm in my early 20s, and I'm definitely giving it some thought. I've held back from it until now because I love my fine, smooth skin and I don't want to wreck it. On the other hand, I do so want a tattoo of my astrological sign, Scorpio, somewhere discreet.

I'm not so sure if any tattoo I would get could truly be "self" expression, as I have no talent whatsoever for drawing or painting. Even my stick figures are a sorry sight! But I'm going to keep my eye open, and when I find one that speaks to me, THEN I'll seriously consider it. Right now, it's just an idea speaking quietly in the back of my mind.