Sunday, February 9, 2014

Some tattoos are better left in your head

Woman with tattoos
I just read that more women than men get tattoos now and that women often go real big. As a reaction to this fashion trend one girl stated that 'It's not a big deal, I can always get them removed'. Well .. It really isn't that simple. You will change the pigmentation of your skin and even though the colors are gone, so might the ability to tan normally again. In any case you have to consider were you choose to place your tattoo, because you might not have a low-risk choice of getting it removed again.
Oh.. And it will cost you anywhere from $250 to 1000 dollars pr. tattoo.


Time Stamps
That said, I have 6 tattoos myself and the first one was made in 1990 - without spell check ;-p
None of them are even close to being new school art pieces, but more a time stamp, with lot's of symbolic meaning to me. If I had the money, I probably would go real big and artsy - like a sleeve tattoo. It's still on my wish list.

THINK ABOUT IT
I always recommend giving it a thorough thought - what does the tattoo really mean to you right now and what are the cultural references??

Who's that beautiful psychopath on your arm?
I once met a DJ who had a big tattoo of Alex DeLarge, from the cult classic A Clockwork Orange, tattooed on his underarm. He had no idea what this cool looking movie character was about (check it out). I told him NOT to look it up, because he might end up with nightmares. 
So be careful, you might end up with a piece on your arm that has cultural references to rape, violence, racism, murder, drug addiction etc., for the rest of your life. And even though you might not realize it, the person in front of you will.

Woman with tattoos - and burqas
I love women with tasteful tattoos and I think that they can be quite sexy. But it's a definite turn off when it's a tramp stamp or a nameless fashion sticker. If you don't put more thought in to who you are, you are not for me.
Facial and hand tattoos are always a 'no go', in my book. Even the fashionable stiletto behind the ear or diamond on the finger. Just don't do it! There will be hundreds of days were you don't want the world to see your tattoos and you just want to be left alone and un-judged - and wearing a burqa just doesn't do the trick!

However .. Sometimes a tattoo is just so beautiful that that no explanation is needed and the piece of art speaks for itself. Go find it.



The featured tattoos above are from the blog Wear Your Heart on Your Skin