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.

Almost everyone was tattooed on our recent holiday away.

I had a chat to ds1 about it assuming he'll get tattooed when he's old enough (because it does seem like literally everyone does now).

He can do what he likes to his own body, but I suggested he remember all the shit tattoos and at least made a plan, which it does seem like your dd has.

The sleeve tats often end up looking like a big grey/blue mess so hopefully she's taken that into consideration and practises good aftercare.

YANBU

I had two relatively small ones at ages 18 and 19 and loved them for about ten years. For the last 20 I've wished I hadn't had them. I think 19 is too young to decide to have something so permanent and in the case of your DD so large and difficult to cover up. But she's an adult and there's nothing you can do.

I have a friend who is pretty much covered in tattoos and it wouldn't be my choice. She likes them and keeps adding to it but for me, it's too much and she does get judged by people and her career choices are limited. The only place she doesn't have them is her face, but she has neck ones.

Me too!
A neighbour has one, had an accident and #bones, needed surgery and now, obviously, the tattoo looks a mess! Subsequently she’s had grazes and scrapes and it honestly looks a complete mess.
She’s tried to have laser removal but it’s too expensive and doesn’t guarantee a good result ☹️

She’s an adult and your opinion isn’t really needed…

But I totally get where you’re coming from!

This. More people have tattoos than don’t. Leg tattoos are the worst.

I’m all for expression but my best friend in my teens and most of all adulthood has lots of tattoos, all over, to commemorate her relatives etc. And piercings.

It’s a bit strange that now she doesn’t seem to show them off more cover them.

Her DF was/is awful, an anarchist and a pretty much useless dad and her DM tried to control her but her stepdad was an alcoholic.

I think both her DC (adults now) don’t have tattoos or piercings.

There are so many tattooists in shops now, our local barber does walk in tattoos alongside haircuts which I personally think seems to mean it’s an on the spur decision for some.

Not really. It means that if there’s ever a time she doesn’t want it on show for whatever reason, it’ll be easy to hide it away. And when she wants to flaunt it she can.

I’m not a great fan of them. They do suit certain people but not all. For some reason, I don’t know why, but I hate tattoos on legs. Arms, shoulders, chest and back are ok.

I sympathise. I'd be gutted if my son wanted to scar himself like that so I understand why you are sad. I think he's beautiful the way he is.

I'm actually glad that my ds has a needle-phobia, which is mean of me.

But it's her body. All you can do is make sure she keeps it clean and ensure she doesn't get an infection.

I'd hate it as well but it's her choice ultimately.

Why not? Why conform to what some people think a good look is? You’re perfectly entitled to dislike them, but you’re not entitled to ask why someone else would want to. It’s a bit like asking why you’d have a certain haircut, wear makeup a certain way or choose to have a certain body shape if you’re happy with it. Personally I think tattoos can look amazing when done correctly. Having any old thing slapped on you isn’t a good look, but it’s still a personal preference.

Dd1 was 19 when she got her first tattoo and now has several it's not really a huge deal imo they see it as art other dcwas 22 when she got her first.

It's a jump if she's going from nothing to a large leg tattoo.
At 19 I dyed my hair and got some piercings, bought alternative clothes. None of these were permanent though.

YANBU. I find it sad that a 19-year-old would want to disfigure herself.

Tacky and horrible but not much you can do about it unfortunately.

It's not unreasonable I think to not want her to do it as at that age it's hard to imagine your interests and ideas about art will ever change - if you're old enough to be mum to a 20 year old you will know how much you can change as the decades pass - and the tattoo will be with you all the way!

Unless that time is during one of our increasingly hot Summers.

I have two tattoos. One done at 19 and one much more recently. I am indifferent the one I had at 19 but love the recent one. My ideas changed.
DS is 19 and has had tow. They look great

I have a 19 year old dd who got a couple of tattoos last year that I didnt much like but I didn't pass any judgement. However in this scenario I would let her know I wasn't keen and she probably wouldn't do it, though she might just put it off for a while. Ultimately of course its her decision.

I managed to make my DS at 18 think twice. Tattoo = no parental contribution from me for university. I’ve posted this before and some people on here call this controlling. But guess what - he’s now glad he didn’t do it, so I have no regrets whatsoever. There was nothing stopping him getting it done once he’d finished uni. I just used the financial leverage I had to delay it.

Fair play to you.

I did bring up about her tastes changing and she said to me that one of the bits in it is something she doesn't have an active interest in anymore, but it holds so many memories and will always stay important to her, so she thinks she will always feel the same about the tattoo.

It personally baffles me why she is getting stuff she isn't even actively interested in anymore. It's not, but think Harry Potter or something.

I'm not even a huge fan of the artist's style, it's quite bright, albeit very talented, won't take that away, just not a fan of the very bright, bold, cartoony style.

The more I think about it, the more I'm hating the idea. I'm so so glad I'm not in the minority here and that most would feel the same.

Leg tats on guys are chavvy as fuck.
Leg tags on girls makes them look like wannabe pornstars. Why do it.

How is it unreasonable to be sad that your child is doing something you think is a mistake? The OPs sadness is a valid feeling, she said she's not going to stop her why is she not allowed her feeling?

I have yet to see a tattoo that actually looks good on someone.
This time of the year is the worst for semi naked people parading around showing them off, it looks terrible. From a distance they just look a complete mess, then people are fond of telling you the meaning that let's be honest is never very interesting or unique.
In the prison camps they were forced to be tattood, now people queuing up like sheep spending a fortune to make themselves look ugly.