To want a sleeve tattoo done on my arm?

[JellyDiamonds]

Ive been looking at getting another tattoo done for a while now but have been unsure on what to get done and where. Whilst looking online for inspiration I've seen some amazing sleeve tattoos and have decided that I want one of them, the designs and artistry are amazing. I think that if they are done properly by decent tattoo artists then they are like works of art.

The thing is that everyone I've told about it has looked at me like I'm going mad. My mum was absolutely horrified, said that they are "revolting" and that I'll look like a sailor. But I don't think I will, I saw a photo on Facebook of a friend of a friend and she had a floral sleeve on her arm and yet still managed to look feminine. Not that I'm particularly feminine and girly anyway, but the point I'm trying to make is that not all sleeve designs are for blokes who start fights in pubs which what my mum was clearly trying to get at.

Should I just bite the bullet and go for it?

The usual tattoo hate on this thread - plus the usual hoary old cliches trotted out as if they were nuggets of purest gold.

Fashion is undoubtedly a factor in people deciding to get tattoos, because it's a factor in everything. As an example, when I pick up my daughter from school where I live (Edinburgh) most of the the other mums are decked out in identical straightcut jeans + breton stripe top + padded gilet + pearl earrings, long swishy brown bobs or no-nonsense ponytails. They're part of one tribe and I guess that my colourful arms make me part of another: that doesn't make any of us wrong, it's just we like different things.

I don't hate tattoos and neither do a lot of posters. I admit that I don't find "in your face" tattoos attractive, but many points raised here are valid and worth thinking about.

I also agree that a 'style' of tattoo can really date a person. One of SDS's friends has a full sleeve on her arm and a work of art all down her back. They're very beautiful to look at. At the moment.

If fashion is a reason for getting a tattoo, then it's not too great a leap to imagine that fashion might also be a reason to regret a particular tattoo.

The OP has asked for opinions.

OP you haven't said how old you are?

I think the "fashion" thing depends on whether it is a passing fad aka barbed wire round arms and "tramp stamps" (hate that phrase), or part of the "fashion" of a subculture. Subculture fashion doesnt change every season, and yes, if i picked a design 15 years ago (have now realised my back tattoo is nearly 10 years old and feel old!) i would still like it now. Oh and also, yes, i still wear things that i bought 15 years ago. The few things that fit, anyway

1. Sleeves are very fashionable atm. There's every chance it's going to date badly, as described in this thread. Celtic armband, Chinese symbols, lower back tats, tribal...since tattoos have become so popular, all of these designs have become totally passe. The same will likely happen with the sleeves of today. But more so. Tattoos are no longer edgy, they're sheepy.
2. Do whatever you want. If you think you'll love it, then sod what your mum and anyone else thinks - it's not their arm.

It's a big thing to get and for the most part they look pretty rubbish. So if you do want one think very carefully about what you want it to look like. You're stuck with it.

Poloniom I said how old I am earlier in the thread. I'm 32.

I was always advised re a tattoo. Once you have your heart set on a tattoo, wait one year. And if you still want the exact same one, go for it.

Tattoos haven't been 'subculture' since Sam Cam got one for at least a generation now.

Sleeves are very prevalent now. Which means they will date.

I think Robbie Williams killed tattoos. They were losing their appeal and becoming humdrum before he came about, but I think he in particular represented their shift into banality.

Now people are having to get neck tattoos to prove they're properly bad ass.
Where will it end?

Scrote sac tattoos are the only way forward from here Pictish.

OP, so you are 32. Are you married? In a long term relationship? Do you have children? Are you planning to have children?

How do you feel about your child's teacher making assumptions about you because of your tattoos? Because although you may cover up for parents' evening, your child will draw pictures of mummy and write stories about your tattoos. "When I grow up I'm going to be a sailor hairdresser. I'm going to have dip dyed pink hair, a nose ring, four earrings and three tattoos. One on my arm, one on my thigh and one on my back. Just like mummy."

On a recent episode of Don't Tell the Bride a guy made the very romantic gesture of having his bride to be's name tattooed on his ball sack.

Nothing says 'life time commitment' like having your name nestling on someone's scrotum.

Polonium - who gives a toot what a child's teacher thinks of tattoos?
What random people who don't get a say think, is no reason to not get a tattoo. It certainly wouldn't stop me.

I'll be sure to remind my children daily of my rather high iq, just so they tack that on to the description along with my tattoos, piercings and pink hair :)

my hair is actually a rather unremarkable brown at the moment, due to hair loss

I haven't got any btw. I always thought I'd get one (or more) but I never did find the design that made me think 'yes...that's it...that's the one'. I'm glad I never went through with it, because when I think back to what I might have had, I'm relieved I don't have it now. Ones tastes do tend to change/mature/develop as we get older, so what I wanted at 25 wouldn't apply now.
With them being so prolific now, I feel different for having not bothered.

I was never put off by what people thought of me though. My child's teacher? Sod all to do with them.

I have a half sleeve at the mo which is japenese.I even have a koi.I dont give a fig who likes it or doesnt,its my choice.

I have 5 kids including 2 adults who dont want to be tattooed,thats their choice.
And all this crap about teachers having negative thoughts just because you are tattooed is utter bollocks.If they feel like that its down to them amd not me.Im still the same person i was before tattoos.Im just more coloured in.

Dont worry dustarr, i have a cherry blossom

A sleeve (or even a tattoo) really wouldn't be for me. When I think about how my style has changed within the past few years it just makes me shudder to think of something so permanent that might clash with most of my wardrobe. To me it's like only every being able to wear one tshirt for the rest of your life.

Some people love them, and that's great. It'd be boring if we all looked the same. But you seem to have got the idea from looking at a few models on pinterest with sleeves completed by some of the most talented artists in the world. Of course they'll look good! Your butterfly, as much as you like it, sounds small and discrete. It's very different to seeing a distinctive tattoo every single time you glance down to your forearm or wrist.

Keep thinking about it for another year, otherwise this could turn into a very expensive Pinterest Fail.

Really good art and not some generic shit like tribals or dolphins won't ever date. Good art never does..whether it's on canvas or skin.

Just don't book an eight hour slot to get a chunk of it done. You need to build up to a good sleeve. A bit at a time.

My sister has 'Femme Fatale' across the back of her neck. It makes me laugh to think how that will look when she's in her 70s!