Author b52s Posted November 30, 2009 Author Posted November 30, 2009 Also, I'm turned off by the Sleeve tat. And there are certain tats that women shouldn't be getting, (most guys get them, ecause its a guy thing) Heck, I remember tats used to be a GUY thing altogether. lol
jerseyboy Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Tats, especially extensive ones, are definitely a miniority aesthetic preference. You cant do something like that and then blame everyone esle for not getting you.
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 And there are certain tats that women shouldn't be getting, (most guys get them, ecause its a guy thing) Heck, I remember tats used to be a GUY thing altogether. lol Isn't it great when times change and women can be brave and bold enough to run with the boys? There's no such thing as a "tat" that "women shouldn't be getting." Women should do whatever the hell they please and realize becoming a work of art is open to all, regardless of X or Y chromosomes. I'm very glad that in taking the steps I needed to take to live comfortably in my body and mind, I didn't listen to any such nonsense about what I "should" or "shouldn't" do based solely on the fact that I have a vagina!
GorillaTheater Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I'm pretty much of a traditionalist when it comes to tats. Unless you're military, an outlaw biker, or a convict, you really don't have much business having one.
northstar1 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I don't mind small tattoos, as long as they aren't cliche or lame, but would never get one myself. I just don't have enough attraction to one symbol to keep it etched in my skin for life. The one that kills me are is Mustache Tattoo on the finger. You aren't being ironic or clever, just lame. Since full body/sleeve/chest tattoos have really taken off to a more mainstream level in the past 10 years, it will be interesting in the future to see a collection of middle aged hipsters sporting faded, sagging images that had relevance 40 years before.
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 I'm pretty much of a traditionalist when it comes to tats. Unless you're military, an outlaw biker, or a convict, you really don't have much business having one. What if you're a woman whose choice is either to kill yourself with an eating disorder or find a way to live in your own body? With all due respect, who are you to say what "business" other people have? If it's between healing or dying, I'm going to say it's most people's "business" to heal.
northstar1 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 What if you're a woman whose choice is either to kill yourself with an eating disorder or find a way to live in your own body? With all due respect, who are you to say what "business" other people have? If it's between healing or dying, I'm going to say it's most people's "business" to heal. So, the inking helped you find peace with your body image, or was it a way to channel your pain into some sort of body modification?
GorillaTheater Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 What if you're a woman whose choice is either to kill yourself with an eating disorder or find a way to live in your own body? With all due respect, who are you to say what "business" other people have? If it's between healing or dying, I'm going to say it's most people's "business" to heal. Who am I? Some guy with an opinion on the subject. You had to choose between the great celestial dirtnap and a tattoo? Really? Well, if that's the case, I suppose you probably made the right choice.
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) So, the inking helped you find peace with your body image, or was it a way to channel your pain into some sort of body modification? It was both. It was a way to define beauty outside a narrow paradigm of conventionality, and it was also a great life lesson in what I could get through. It wasn't channeling my pain in the sense that it would be if, say, I was a cutter and then I started getting tattooed out of some continued desire to physically wound/punish myself. It was more like teaching myself, slowly and methodically over more than a decade, that I could get through anything. Sometimes the pain is so intense I'm counting the seconds, for a number of hours. I have to break it down into "I can get through the next ten breaths' worth of having a large man driving needles into my sternum," and that then says to me, "I can get through the next ten breaths' worth of feeling emotional pain too." It's been a great mindfulness exercise, and I feel that the fundamental thing missing from Western society is mindfulness. Only when we are mindful can we find true compassion for ourselves or others. It goes much, much further than being a "hipster." I'm actually not very hip at all, I'm just tattooed. You had to choose between the great celestial dirtnap and a tattoo? Really? Well, if that's the case, I suppose you probably made the right choice. Absolutely really. When I dared to flout traditional standards of beauty, I found my own. I found a beauty that was unique to me and taught me I was brave enough to define that for myself rather than trying relentlessly to fit into the Barbie model with which women are beaten about the head and shoulders from the moment of cognizance. I suppose I made the right decision as well, and I do hope someday you'll have a conversation with a tattooed woman about what it's like to live in her skin. If you're open to it, I guarantee you'll learn something. Edited November 30, 2009 by sedgwick
northstar1 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 It was both. It was a way to define beauty outside a narrow paradigm of conventionality, and it was also a great life lesson in what I could get through. It wasn't channeling my pain in the sense that it would be if, say, I was a cutter and then I started getting tattooed out of some continued desire to physically wound/punish myself. It was more like teaching myself, slowly and methodically over more than a decade, that I could get through anything. Sometimes the pain is so intense I'm counting the seconds, for a number of hours. I have to break it down into "I can get through the next ten breaths' worth of having a large man driving needles into my sternum," and that then says to me, "I can get through the next ten breaths' worth of feeling emotional pain too." It's been a great mindfulness exercise, and I feel that the fundamental thing missing from Western society is mindfulness. Only when we are mindful can we find true compassion for ourselves or others. It goes much, much further than being a "hipster." I'm actually not very hip at all, I'm just tattooed. Right, fair enough thanks for elaborating. well, i can see you are not a hipster, but sadly a lot of teens/young people are getting them for the reason of just trying to be 'edgy', when really getting a ninja sleeve, or a nigerian tribal tattoo for 'conquer', is just ridiculous.
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 well, i can see you are not a hipster, but sadly a lot of teens/young people are getting them for the reason of just trying to be 'edgy', when really getting a ninja sleeve, or a nigerian tribal tattoo for 'conquer', is just ridiculous. Ha! Agreed!!
espec10001 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 All my friends are pretty heavily tattooed, and I'm probably the only one who doesn't have any tattooes. I have nothing against tattoos, a person can do whatever they want. They are still normal people they just have tattoos, I don't judge them. But tattooes aren't for me and sometimes I wonder why women get them when their natural body looks perfect as it is. I will admit that there have been some girls whom their tattoes were a major turn off and if they didn't have any tattooes they'd look gorgeous. But that's my opinion.
Ody Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Call me in 30 to 40 years, and tell me the same thing, lol. Yeah I've heard that a million times too. If that's my biggest bodily concern at age 70 I'm home free.
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Yeah I've heard that a million times too. If that's my biggest bodily concern at age 70 I'm home free. I love you.
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) Also, I feel sad for those who have the knee-jerk reaction of "It's different and it's not what I see on TV! It's outside conventional norms of what I've been told women should look like! Q.E.D, it's ugly!". There's a whole universe beyond TV/Maxim/GQ/porn. I've found that the people within that universe tend to have more interesting things to say. But tattooes aren't for me and sometimes I wonder why women get them when their natural body looks perfect as it is. First of all, "tattoos" has no "e." Secondly, their bodies may look perfect to YOU, but what if they don't look perfect to THEM? That tattooed woman has to live inside her skin, you don't. Consider whether you'd rather be with someone self-actualized enough to make her body what SHE wants it to be so that she comes to you sane and whole, or someone who is neurotic about her appearance because she's trying to fit into mainstream beauty standards that are not her own. It's not about the male gaze, it's about what she sees when SHE looks in the mirror. It's about what she sees in her own mind when she contemplates the word "beauty." Edited November 30, 2009 by sedgwick
CaliGuy Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Not a big tatt guy. I prefer a "clean" canvas
GorillaTheater Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 To paraphrase George Carlin's thoughts on tattoos: "Never do anything that makes it easier for the cops to identify you."
looking4 green grass Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Rock on to other girls with big tattoos! I was one of those girls who had a boyfriend who was dead set against another tattoo. Oh well, he's out of the picture now, and I'm so glad I did what I wanted to do. I ADORE my tattoo(s). All my work is custom, and it is art. Who cares what they look like in another 40 years. I'll be more thankful to be alive than worried about what my skin looks like.
Lishy Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 in my opinion, a tattoo is such a personal choice and if you have lots of tattoos and meet a guy who hates them, then quite simply he is not the guy for you! Lots of people have lots of different things about them that some people will love and some will be repulsed by and the bottom line is that you can't please all of the people all of the time BUT you can please yourself all of the time!
sedgwick Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Lots of people have lots of different things about them that some people will love and some will be repulsed by and the bottom line is that you can't please all of the people all of the time BUT you can please yourself all of the time! Precisely!!!!
northstar1 Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 Precisely!!!! have you ever posted a picture of your tattoos on here? I bet a lot of people would like to see the body of work that has been done.
Jaytb Posted November 30, 2009 Posted November 30, 2009 in my opinion, a tattoo is such a personal choice and if you have lots of tattoos and meet a guy who hates them, then quite simply he is not the guy for you! Lots of people have lots of different things about them that some people will love and some will be repulsed by and the bottom line is that you can't please all of the people all of the time BUT you can please yourself all of the time! Yeah, but I worry about chaffing when I do please myself all the time
sedgwick Posted December 1, 2009 Posted December 1, 2009 have you ever posted a picture of your tattoos on here? I bet a lot of people would like to see the body of work that has been done. I'm not crazy about posting to the current crowd because I'd rather not hear how ugly I am. But if you go to chicksdigtattoos.com, that's my best friend's site and she does most of my work. One of the sleeves in the archive is mine.
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