Not to get prominent tattoos

[Flashbangandgone]

This isn't so much about liking or not liking the look of the tattoos themselves.... We all have different tastes and what one person will perceive as beautiful, another will perceive as ugly, and that's fine and not my point.

My issue is with tattoos' permanence, and why (however, beautiful the person might think their tattoo is) a large number of people mark themselves very prominently (I'm thinking full arm, chest, leg etc. rather than a small dolphin on the heel type of thing or a name of a loved one somewhere discreet) in a way they'll never be able to erase... How can they be confident they won't change their minds as they age, and fashions and their tastes change?

Surely it would be like buying a piece of clothing that you're forced to wear for ever, or exchanging your hair for a permanently attached wig (that you may love now, but will you want that hair style in 20 years?)

In short, I get why people want body art... I just don't get why they want it permanently.

[KittyandTeal]

I have a mixture of hidden (foot and hip) and prominent (wrists and collarbone)

I think they just become part of you, like your freckles, moles and scars (I have lots of sh scars too) and so I love my tattoos now but at some point I may feel more indifferent but they're still a part of me that tells of a time in my life.

Not sure if that makes sense or explains it a bit?

[dustarr73]

You dont have to "get them".I have a sleeve and i dont look at it like a piece of clothing or hairstyle that im "forced to wear".

Its something i chose because i like them,the experience of them.The excitment of picking a new tattoo .

The thrill of the shop,the smell of the shop and the anticipation of sitting in the chair and getting tattooed.
And in most cases the pain of them and the healing of them.It really is a long and lenghty process.Which i really enjoy.

[ChampaleSocialist]

All my family are tattoed and pierced, we dont regret it. I'm 50 and want more.
Its really something you feel deeply about, not a passing fad. People who get them removed are the ones who do it for fashion or the wrong reasons.

[SaucyJack]

I couldn't agree more tbh.

All these rockabilly sleeves will date, and they will look dreadful in twenty years time just like every single other tattoo fashion throughout history.

At least I can cover my horrible blurry 90s tribal dragon up with a cap sleeve dress if I'm going to a wedding or whatevs. Those full sleeves and chest pieces aren't gonna be easy to hide once the owners are fed up of them.

[HermioneJeanGranger]

Because they think it looks nice. Why does anyone do anything? Because they want to.

What's with all the anti-tattoo threads at the moment? If you don't like them, don't get one. It's not complicated.

[dustarr73]

SaucyJack you are basing that on the fact you hate your tattoo,but not everybody does.

Most people who have sleeves and chest pieces are not doing it for fashion,they are doing it for the love of art.I dont know why that is so hard to believe.

And maybe just maybe we dont want to hide our tattoo,hence full sleeves,neck and chest pieces.

[KittyandTeal]

I'd love a full sleeve but my dh is not a tattoo fan.

Tattoos do place you in a time zone. My tramp stamp (that I still love) will always mark me out as being that age in the 00s.

Yeah they'll date but that's not always a bad thing.

[VagueIdeas]

Only people who hate tattoos think "small and discreet" is the only way to go.

Tattoo enthusiasts like big tattoos because only then can you get lots of intricate detail and/or colour.

Horses for courses. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, etc.

I think the problem is most people get tattooed without doing much research or hunting around for exceptional tattoo artists, so most tattoos you see out on the street are a bit mediocre. There ^are* some incredible tattoo artist out there doing beautiful work.

[SaucyJack]

But I didn't hate my tattoo 15 years ago Dustarr. I loved it when it was freshly done and every second person I saw out in town had the same thing.

Still. You crazy kids won't be told. Just don't come crying to me in 30 years when you're out shopping for your Mother of the Bride outfit and you can't find anything to cover up the faded, stretch marked Sailor Jerry on your left bosom.

[MrsGentlyBenevolent]

Yes tattoos will date, but so what? I can understand people not wanting tattoos on themselves, maybe not liking certain designs, but this 'oh they will look awful in x amount of years' really grates on me. I have said so many times, if I get to my dotage one of two things will happen - I'll either be old and dementing so wont care about my tattoos, or I'll still be healthy and have my mind intact, and be far to grateful for that fact to care about a bit of art on my arm or anywhere else. Tattoos aren't for other people, you just happen to see them.

[Flashbangandgone]

And maybe just maybe we dont want to hide our tattoo,hence full sleeves,neck and chest pieces.

And that's great, but how do you know you won't want something different in the years to come?

[NameNameName]

Why do you care when it doesn't affect you in the slightest?

[Flashbangandgone]

Because they think it looks nice. Why does anyone do anything?

You've missed my point entirely. Of course people get things that look nice. I get clothes that I think looks nice (but I can change them when I want to). I get a haircut that I think looks nice (but if I don't like it once it's done, I just have to wait for it to grow out and have it done again). If you want body art because it looks nice, why not get a henna tattoo?

[Flashbangandgone]

Why do you care when it doesn't affect you in the slightest?

I don't care in that it doesn't upset me or keep me up at night. I'm just intrigued that's all.

[BillBrysonsBeard]

Everyone is different. What you think looks awful will be someone elses masterpiece. Why question someones choice? Just get on with your life and be happy with your own choices.

[BeyondBootcampsAgain]

I dont need my tattoos to 'age' me by 'placing me in a particular era' - my face does that

[BillBrysonsBeard]

And also... You might change your mind about things but some people are very confident in who they are and what they like.

[Flashbangandgone]

Yes tattoos will date, but so what?

Because we date too... we change our tastes and preferences over time (see SaucyJack). How can anyone be sure that won't happen to them?

[cornflowers]

Still. You crazy kids won't be told. Just don't come crying to me in 30 years when you're out shopping for your Mother of the Bride outfit and you can't find anything to cover up the faded, stretch marked Sailor Jerry on your left bosom.

[NameNameName]

Okay, why are you intrigued by it?

You clearly do care thought tbh. There are things I think look awful on others, it would occur to me to start any threads on the subject trying to psychoanalyse them.

[PurpleHairAndPearls]

Instead of thinking of tattoos like fashion or a hairstyle that will date, think of it as a piece of artwork (which the best tattoos are).

Obviously not referring to the ubiquitous tribal armband done as it was "in fashion" or people getting their DP's name tattooed on them. Of course both of these examples are fine if they're what people want, but the majority of people choose a tattoo like they would a piece of investment art they would hang on their walls or otherwise display ie a lifetime investment which brings pleasure for many many years.

[Flashbangandgone]

Everyone is different. What you think looks awful will be someone elses masterpiece. Why question someones choice?

It's not about whether I think a tattoo looks awful or great... that's absolutely not the point I'm making.

My issue isn't with body art - it can look great.... what I don't get is why it needs to be permanent.

[CakeFail]

I agree with pp who said they become part of you like a freckle, mole or birth mark. You can't change your mind- it's part of you!

I guess some people do have them removed and I know a few people who regret theirs. Usually people who have picked something which either has no meaning for them (a friend has a tribal symbol which he just randomly picked at the tattoo parlour and now doesn't know why he picked it), or something which might not be great when at a wedding or at work (I met someone with a fairly prominent cannabis leaf which he had lived to regret). Most people just don't change their minds willy nilly though in the same way I don't think I would suddenly decide to have one of my birthmarks removed.

Fwiw I have just the one discreet(ish) tattoo (though in summer I guess it can end up on show - I don't care though as I still love after more than ten years).

[VagueIdeas]

Why are you so concerned about the fact random strangers might grow to dislike and regret their tattoos? It doesn't impact upon your life whether they love them forever or regret them instantly!

As for the "they'll look shit when they're 80" argument, well, tattoos are so mainstream now there will be a LOT of tattooed elderly people out there. No one will bat an eyelid.

[MrsHathaway]

I'm currently addicted to Tattoo Fixers. Some of the stories behind the tattoos are amazing, but almost without exception the tattoos to be covered are objectively horrible. Exceptions include last episode's fabulous mastectomy cover up.

If you have a scar or stretchmarks or a birthmark then the story could be as memorable as "when I decided to propose I got a tattoo of the words marry me but she said no" but the judgment is different.

I imagine that good tattoo artists would discuss placement with their clients, and not give a first timer a facial tattoo or full sleeve. On the other hand, when someone is heavily tattooed I think it looks far more artistic when it makes up one or two large coherent pieces rather than a miscellaneous collection. If you're planning a big tattoo to represent several significant events or a significant period in your life then it makes sense to choose an area of your body that's seen in its entirety or not at all, like the chest, back or arm, so that the entire tattoo is seen (or hidden) and its meaning isn't lost.

I don't have or want a tattoo, and I'm glad DH doesn't have or want one. But I can admire them.