to not want 19 yo DD to get a half leg sleeve tattoo?

[BlueEmerald73]

DD is booked in to have like a half leg sleeve, I have no idea what it's called but it goes from her ankle to right up top but just doesn't wrap all the way around the leg. She is travelling quite far for it which is the part I do actually respect as she has chosen the artist considerably but I do think it's a bit of a permanent, big decision at just 19. It's consisting of a few things as well, such as a reference to her favourite childhood interest, etc. basically just a bunch of things like that going up her leg. There's also my birth flower in there, which is sweet but I would rather she wasn't getting a tattoo, especially if it has a bit of a reference to me.

I realise it isn't my decision and I would never try and stop her, but AIBU to be a bit sad about it? She's still a teenager.

Benidorm

Op, I don't like tattoos, but my real dread is the stretched earlobes! At least she isn't doing that. I saw an episode of The World's Strictest Parents where reprobate UK teens get sent for a week to ultra strict parents. In this episode the teen boy had loads of tattoos and piercings. The strict parents were demanding that he remove his piercings and ear stretchers for Church. He finally did it. But as soon as he removed the stretchers both parents started gagging because the ears smelled so so bad! It was hilarious and they begged him to put them back in. 🤣 my two now teen sons have never forgotten that! They thought it was sooooo gross. 🤣

Here's the link. It is so funny!

Agree with above. 100%

YANBU. Tattoos are permanent (well, prohibitively expensive to remove), and currently they are trending. Which means that at some point, they will go out of fashion again. I suspect being covered in tattoos will soon look as dated as Chinese writing tatts, tribal designs in the small of the back, and hun quotes.

In contrast, bare skin will never go out of fashion.

You don't realize at 19 how much you will change over the years, and how you don't realize when you're in the thick of a trend until you're old enough to have seen them come and go. So I agree, this is likely a bad decision. But unfortunately it's her body, and her choice, and she's just going to be offended if you're anything other than supportive over her chosen appearance.

Sometimes I kind of like the idea of getting one, then I realise they look cheap, a bit grubby and that I’d probably regret it.

I had mine done when I was 17 in 88 and regret it but it's on my shoulder so I don't see it and I had it covered with make up for my wedding. I'm planning to get it covered when I have the money as they're so expensive. I'm 52 now. My daughter now 23, has a massive one covering her whole thigh which she got done on her 18th - it's lovely artwork but I don't like where it is. My son just turned 18, is planning his first. His dad has a large one on his arm but it's a lovely Native American design (he's Canadian) and it's really nice.
My partner has a full sleeve which is lots of memories from his childhood/his deceased parents and when his children were born. So I understand that. He also has a big one on his leg which I don't like (football club) but it doesn't bother me that much as I support the same team! I don't find it attractive though and he has to wear trousers when he's with my parents!

And my nephew (28) has a full sleeve including his hand. It's picturing lots of memories. My neice, (31) his sister, has her dads handwriting a poem he read to her when she was a child.
I know more people with tattoos than those without.

Tattoo quality has vastly improved over the past couple of decades. People who got them 20+ years ago probably got ones that don't look good. Tattoo style has changed, a lot of artists do more delicate looking tattoos now than the old tribal style, tweety bird and hula girls.

They also don't spread if you look after them well. Some of mine are over 10 years old and still look great. Staying out of the sun and keeping your skin hydrated is key.

I don't care what they will look like when I'm old. Why would I be concerned with that when I'm retired? And why would I care what is in fashion when I'm a pensioner?

I didn't get mine to look cool either. I actually started getting them because I don't like my skin. I have mottled skin that looks practically blue in the winter. Tattoos gave me much more confidence in myself especially when it came to my legs.

I've had no issues getting work either, I've just received a new job offer after a month of job hunting.

So only young people care what they look like now? Maybe because retired people are just like you and don't want to look ridiculous with aged saggy tattoo sleeves? 🤔 very weird comment to make, why would you care when you're old 🤣

Your mum sounds great and the respect you pay her by understanding her thought process so well is a credit to both of you.

That just proves my point entirely. You're assuming that everyone will regret tattoos when they're older. I was talking about myself only.

I really hope I'm done caring what I look like and what people think of me when I'm old. I'm 36 and pretty much done with it already. Old dry saggy skin doesn't look 'good' whether its tattooed or not though, so I don't really understand those kind of concerns.

Same as the poster above, I got mine in part because I have uneven and mottled skin. If I had perfect skin I might not have wanted them. I didn't get them to be original or unique. Everyone is already unique anyway.

The fine line, delicate, watercolour tattoos won't age well. Bold lines and traditional style hold their shape better.

The fact that tattoos have been used as prison branding is a blip compared to the long, rich history of tattoos across the world. They have huge cultural significance for many peoples and your ignorant reduction ( 'lining up like sheep') is small-minded at best.

@DeadbeatYoda are they a form of cultural appropriation then?

I think it depends on the design.

If you could pin them down to a specific region, maybe, but humans have done it for so many thousands of years I think you'll find that tough to find a culture that owns tattooing.

I think all this talk of them looking awful in years to come is very dramatic. Are people aware that tattoos can be touched up and/or reworked? I’ve had some alterations to tattoos from years and years ago- there is absolutely no need to be walking around with a green blur these days. I don’t think people realise that tattoos have moved on since the days of their grandad

Touching up makes no difference on saggy, wrinkled skin.

All the “they look common and awful” comments are so funny on threads like these. I can just picture the kind of people making them. They really think it’s aspirational to look like them, with their boring rich-people “classic” outfits and ageing “safe” haircuts and ugly expensive handbags.

What you think looks good/attractive and what other people think goods good/attractive is very different. It’s amazing that some people aren’t bright enough to realise this.

Also that “common” is not the devastating insult you think it is, it just shows what kind of person you are (spoiler: not a great one).

Saggy, wrinkled skin is going to happen to everyone, regardless of tattoos so what’s your point?
So bizarre that people think people with tattoos will hate them as their skin ages.

OP I paid my son £3K not to have a tattoo at 18. (He wanted a koi carp thing down his arm.) The deal was that he wouldn’t have it done for five years, and get a £1K bonus at the end of it.

He used the money to buy his first car, which led to his first job.

He now thanks me for not allowing it (currently 35 and in a very responsible job) and says that he would have hated it now.

Best money I’ve ever spent.

To be fair as a heavily tattooed woman it does bring out the type of people I wouldn't want to associate with. Hyacinth Bucket types. My 3 closest friends actually have no tattoos at all.

What happens if your body shape changes, I’m certainly not the slim young thing I was when 18, not yet at wrinkly skin stage more the wobbly bits stage! Do they just stretch and look distorted?