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.

I would feel the same OP.

I’d support her decision.
DD is 19 with a couple of large tattoos and tbh I went with it so I could ensure she went to a really good artist with a fab reputation. DD would have researched it of course, but I know people in that industry so could get personal opinions. If I’d have been cross about it she probably wouldn’t have ended up with tattoos as nice as she has as she wouldn’t have shared it with me.
it’s her body and part of body autonomy is acknowledging that her body and decisions are her own and shouldn’t be influenced by anyone else.
Thankfully tattoos aren’t a big deal in employment or anywhere else now ( apart from on mumsnet which tbh usually has a few stiffs 🤣)

Tattoos have been part of many a culture before prisons and horror concentration camps. Again, fine if you yourself don’t like them but you’re being quite offensive here to compare a person’s choice of body art to forced modifications.

I’d love to know how many anti-tattooist here were happy to take their small daughters into Claire’s or similar to have their ears stapled to make them look conservatively girlier…

I just looked up leg sleeves and to be honest they look like patterned tights or leggings. Very 80s.

Also wanted to add OP that you are completely entitled to feel sad and to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to give those emotions to her.

yes, i read this recently tattoos were used a punishment.

🙄. Don't be daft.

In some prison camps, perhaps. Nobody was choosing a tattoo or a design though or sitting in a studio. Branded without consent and getting a tattoo are two completely different things. Bizarre that people compare the two.
I dint understand really what that has to do with the OP or her daughter?

I don't like them either OP. Fine to express your opinion. DD seems to have made her mind up though.

I had three tattoos done at 18/19/22 one done by the Stray Cats tattooist by 30 I had paid 10 x the cost of them to have them lasered off - just awful they look so so awful. So many people have them now they look terrible chavvy common everything bad and the worst bit. The pain having them lasered off

I just wish someone would invent an ink which gradually disappears after say 7 years.

I am also a tattoo hater but understand it is fashionable these days and can appreciate some of the artistry. However, it is just so permanent! ☹️

If they would bring out an ink which dissolves gradually after several years I think that would make most people happy. (Even the real tattoo lovers could have new ones then if they chose to.)

You could say that about my half leg (knee up) it consists of images drawn by myself and my tattooist based on the 4 books that made me fall in love with stories and reading. I don't actively read any of them all the time, ds has started to show interest and comments on them. So I'm sharing my childhood loves with him through something that is on my body and he sees most days.

It's a personal reminder of what made me fall in love with my biggest hobby. It's also an easy talking point.

I'm not a big fan of large visible tattoos. Small and discreet are fine. But it's up to the individual of course. They just need to remember that should they change their mind in the future it will be costly and painful for removal and probably leave scarring.
Also bear in mind that tattoos look fine on a 20 year old skin.
60 year old skin , not so good

Tattoos at 18 are a rite of passage. I got my first at 18 my kids all got theirs done too. I don't agree with large pieces in job stopper places being done so young but in areas that can be covered up why not?

A lot of people probably do say that about the four books inked on your leg 😬

Lots of people regret tattoos, lots don’t. I still love mine. I’ve had some touched up over the years but I still really love them.
Op- it’s likely your DD will have her leg sleeve done in stages anyway so it won’t be a drastic change overnight. Even if she grows to hate them (which she may or may not) in 20 years lasers will have progressed so much I doubt it’ll be a massive issue.

I’d love to know how many anti-tattooist here were happy to take their small daughters into Claire’s or similar to have their ears stapled to make them look conservatively girlier…

Probably not many at all to be fair.

@TrishM80 Mum?! Is that you?! 😂

Possibly @HarrietJet but what does it matter to me? Someone else's opinion of me isn't my business and visa versa.

I like them, I've had this particular one coming up 10 years and it still makes me happy.

I get people don't like tattoos, like I said further up thread, my dad hates them and was very vocal about it throughout my teens and early 20s.

I find tattoo's are one of those things, you don't like them don't get one....

Why is it ‘stiff’ to dislike tattoos? I’ve always disliked them, even as a teenager. What’s the point of them? Nobody cares about your life story or what matters to you, generally speaking. Those that do well you share all that with them anyway as they are the important people. I do not, and never will, understand why tattoos are so popular. And as long as my kids live in my house they won’t be getting them!

Why shouldn't give her your advice and opinion on spoiling her lovely skin, suggest a temporary alternative, caution against anything so large and permanent and mention that people of her age tend to change their views a lot so she might feel differently in a year or so.

If you want to be crafty about it, you might suggest that now that every Tom Jane and Jenny has them they are out of fashion or will be out of fashion by next year and are / will be regarded as a bit naff. That should get her thinking and she might reconsider or at least pause for long enough for it to go out of fashion. Outright bribery would be to offer to pay her a certain sum each year until 25 if she doesn't go for the large ugly version.

Lol tattoos aren't chavvy at all.

And why should anyone give a fuck about what those people think?

It annoys me when people say you'll regret them when you're older. I'll be happy I've lived to that point and won't regret any of them. Each one tells a story.

I’ve pretty much got a fully tattooed body (just my inner thighs left) and I still didn’t like the idea of my son getting his first tattoo at 21!

As mothers, our babies are perfect to us exactly as they are, so any changes they make feel wrong.

As it happens my son’s tattoo wasn’t so bad in the end (inner forearm woodcut style) but it does seem like your DD is going rather bigger!

She won’t get it all done in one sitting though, which will give you both some time to adjust.

Fingers crossed she picked a good artist - it really does help with longevity if the tattoo is well crafted and timeless/traditional in style.