What do tattoos mean to/for you?

I have to say I am amazed by the amount of people, and the amount of skin covered by tattoo's theses days. I have none, am not much into them at least for/on me. My wife has several, and I do find one of them she has to be pretty sexy. It's seems so many are of things I would have no interest in having on my body forever. But then I have the background on my computer to change every 5 seconds. So who am I to judge. I understand some have alot of meaning, because of events etc, but alot of them, just seem very different and strange to me. I am not judging, just interested in learning more of what they do for people, and why they make some of the choices they have.

 

...but most of them aren't.

 

I have a small benzene ring tattooed on my ankle. I got it during undergrad struggles and successes to remind myself that chemistry and biology are my passions. I'd like to think it's one I won't regret in the future. I have several more sketched out, but I want to wait before I get them done to ensure that I'll still like them in the future.

I feel like a hypocrite sometimes, but I definitely judge tattoos of others when they look like silly spur of the moment ones. I also think tattoos in places like the face, upper chest, neck, etc are unnecessary - I prefer when they're able to be hidden in an environment when they shouldn't be displayed.

Tattoos are becoming more acceptable in the workplace, which I think is a good thing. Having a tattoo doesn't make you a bad person, it just means they have something they disagree with you on.

 

This is pretty much how I feel about them. And of course, I love to hear the stories behind the tats.

Personally, I have a butterfly, with my brother's name in script underneath, on my left shoulder. I get a lot of eye rolls at first over the butterfly, but I'm okay with that.

I have lots of ideas for more, but none that I'm absolutely panting to get. As previously mentioned, that shit's expensive.

 

Something like this? I just HAD TO, some days like this one my "open photoshop" button is pushed quite easily.

 

I have no ink. I want ink, I even know what I want. It's a polynesian tribal design, with a ton of symbolism. Is extremely personal to me, and truly represents who I am.

 

What ya waiting on?

 

Apparently money... since that seems to be the popular reason on many boards.

I mean, tattoos really are incredibly cheap if you consider how long they last.

Mmm, if I live until I'm 80, my first tattoo will have cost less than $3 a year.

...

Tattoos are kind of a big commitment, though. You definitely wanna be sure. You definitely wanna not be drunk or under the influence of infatuation when you make that decision.

Not everybody is happy with their work when it's done. You have to have a plan, have a good artist and realize that thousands of years from now some archeologist may uncover your preserved remains with that Tasmanian devil on your ass.

 

Yup


I currently have two tattoos.

My first tattoo is on the top of my right foot and is a flying pig....my rugby team back in Ohio's mascot. A bunch of us from the team got them, so I'll forever feel connected to those ladies. We got them together, so that was a great experience. I want to get my college logo on my ankle for my college rugby team and then give the piggy a crown as a symbol of my Oregon team.

The second one describes me in three different ways. It's the label off of a bottle of chardonnay called tree-hugger. I love wine. My brother calls me a tree-hugger. I love logos that artistically strengthen a brand. I got it tattooed on the back of my neck, so I often forget it's there until someone says something. I don't know if that's a good thing.

There are 2-3 more tattoos that I want. My roommate is designing a jellyfish for me. I call my niece Squishy and she's the happiest thing in my life right now and even though she's in Kentucky and I am in Oregon, I'll want her with me always. I plan to get that before I go home in May. It'll go on my right wrist so I can hold her hand when I am near her and when I'm not, I can put it over my heart. Underneath it, I want to write, "and she shall be my squishy."

I was thinking of trying for a tattoo on the other wrist for my parents. I just haven't decided on what yet. It's been almost 10 years since my dad died, but I haven't thought of the perfect image yet.

 

We're going to a tattoo parlor in July.

 

My tattoos combined were less than $100..... but they weren't overly elaborate. It also helped to know the tattoo artist.

 

Flying-Pig-Group-Rate-Discount'd!

...she paid in menthols.