What about a tiny tat on your inner ankle or hip or some place like that? If you can ony see it w/ black light, then why not get it some where hidden?

I'd love a tat like that, but am too wimpish for the pain. I watched DH get his on his back, and I will only go through that if I'm unconscious.

Soooo....I'm guessing you're thinking of carrying around a black light for when you want to show it or you'll just hang out by the black light at clubs?

In all seriousness, if it's an image that really means something to you just go ahead and get it with real ink! It doesn't really hurt much or for long. There are plenty of places to put it where it will never show in your corporate image. And don't worry about the age thing. If it goes south, so what? Everything does and there are a LOT of young people with ink now who are going to be going with you.

Now, if you're thinking of getting one just to get one and pick just anything out of the parlor's book, forget it.

ok first i wanted that ink too but fr other reasons. i was goin after artistic effect and soo i went to the best tattoo artist i knew at the time. dude by the name of tavern. well i asked him and some other guy and tavern came back and said i think the reactive ink would be really kewl but they need some time to work on the pigmentation then he brought out a mag with the first guy to have a black light ink tattoo well it lookked cool as all hell but then they took a picture 4 years later.. ewwww. apparently the ink has a tendancy to run in the skin of humans.. most likely becuase we probably have more oil glands then most animals
soo im with shady on this one just get one some place where it wont really matter besides in some industries they dont really care what you have..(reason 4 for being a graphic artist :D )

Gaston

No cartoons, nothing pre-fabbed. The ankle will show when I wear strappy heels, and the hip will stretch when I get prego. Yes, I'm being very finicky :) I'd love to get some original art on my arm, back, side, thigh--something that flows naturally with the body, but I can't imagine seeing my Mom with something like that. If I knew I was gonna die at 40, I'd do it. OTOH, maybe I'll be that cool, pot-smokin grandma ahaha. No, I wanna be Donna Reed. No, I wanna be both!

Right now I'm thinking some UV stars on the back of my neck. A constellation, maybe a star for each of a few important people in my life. Yup, I'd have to seek out some black light clubs to show it off. Couldn't be all blazin' at wal*mart ;) The jury is still out ...

Gaston, good to know! I'm in advertising, but I haven't graduated yet (May-yea!) so I'm not sure where I'll settle in. My dream job would be art director, but that's not something you just jump into.

hehe i just wanna come to work in shorts and get paid like im some kinda buisness major. my proficiency is supposed to be in digital media but i love print sooo much its not funny . i was gonna get a whole thing done on my arms but reasoned my self out of it once i got the final cost man i had some good stuff drawn out.. to bad i sold it for some cigs a case of killians and two rib eye steaks back in the big A but any ways as i was talking to him he did tell me that most modern inks are atleast partially reactive so maybe an idea would be to mix a small amount of the uv ink and hope the regular stuff acts like a fixative. but as far as straight uv i guess your out of luck for a little while

Hmm, I think I'll just dye my hair pink and call it good ;)

Nicole, if you really want one and plan on getting something that is meaningful to you, don't worry about what will happen when you get old! I have four right now (ankle, back, upper arm, hip) and I'm itching to get another one soon. They really aren't all that painful and they heal quickly if you take care of them.

By the way, I'm a web/interactive media designer (used to be a print designer)...I'm noticing a trend here!

--Shannon

cbrf:

What about just getting a henna tatoo to get it out of your system. Henna lasts a few weeks and wears off.
Pink hair in the washable formula is good too. My duaghter does that. Then she got a job at a local grocery and they have a no funky hair color policy. So, she and I do her hair in henna also. She uses the burgundy shade and it's becoming on her. ( you just have to remember not process henna treated hair with conventional chemicals and vs versus. It all has to grow out. not so with the henna on skin tatoos tho.)

My philosophy is not to do anything irreversible.
Good luck!
Maryanne

Yes, I considered Henna, but I read that the dyes used can be harmful, especially certain ones.

In addition, I think the whole needling process in tattooing is what appeals to me. I got my tongue pierced a couple days after my 18th birthday (first ever at my high school!), then I got my navel pierced as soon as I got into college. I woulda kept on poking holes in stuff if I knew of any more places that could be easily concealed (two years of visiting with grandma weekly and she never knew about the tongue ring until someone told her about it after I had already taken it out) or places I didn't plan on using later in life ;)

But that kind of stuff is definately addicting, and I'm not squeamish about needles so ...

And for some reason "a small one on the ankle" isn't appealing either. I feel like I either want something small on the back of my neck, or something large that looks as if it's grown (or crawled) on my body naturally.

I've pretty much worked myself out of the idea already, although it is still appealing. I hope that I don't continue to put it off until I am 50 or something when I've had plenty of time to think about it, but am a little too mature to show it off!

OK, here's a topic for discussion:

DH has basically prohibited me from getting a tattoo anyway. I don't think it'd be means for a divorce, but in talking about it, he feels that since we are married, it should be a mutual decision since it's something he will have to look at for the rest of his life too.

Opinions welcome!

No offense, but I think that's a completely chauvinistic statement on his part. It's your body. I certainly wouldn't respond well if my husband told me I wasn't allowed to get a tattoo/piercing.

"not allowed"? or doesn't want you to. There's a huge difference there.

To get into his mind frame, is there something that he could do to his body that would really upset you?

Not a question of would he do X, but could he do something, anything to his body that would bother you?

I could think of ONE thing ...

I can't remember the exact words he used, but I certainly feel forbidden!

My ex, who has multiples and can also tattoo (artists, have to explore different mediums), always said make sure you have thought about it long and hard. Never have one done on a whim and never when you've been drinking. In the 11 years we were together, he would never tattoo me and all I wanted was a rearing horse on the top of my thigh.

The caveat, should you go ahead and get a tattoo, you might not stop at one. It's kind of like once you are no longer a virgin, go for it (that's his analogy but not his words).

Also consider that a lot of people who have what seems to be one large tattoo, actually have several small tattoos that were blended together or pieces of the whole picture were put together as money etc, dictated. It's not unusual for people to spend years getting one tattoo finished.

It might not hurt for you to go to tattoo conventions. They happen frequently, but aren't well advertised. Talk to tattoo artists. They may even try to talk you out of it, if they sense you aren't 100% sure of your decision. At conventions, you can also find out which artists are good, which are bad and who the tattoo artists go to for tattoos.

Remember black ink invariably ends up looking green, yuck.

Can't help with the DH.

Laura

I'm not sure why Paul would never tattoo me. He never encouraged it either. I have wanted one, and the same one, for probably close to 15 years, well before we met. That alone might speak volumes of the decision to get a tattoo. Take it for what it's worth. L

Laura, my husband is an artist and he got a tattoo gun when he beat cancer. Since he has no training he won't tattoo anyone but himself. I just think he doesn't want to mess up on anyone but himself.

The advice to go to a convention is great. Definitely learn the difference between a good artist and a bad artist if you decide to get one. I didn't do that and the tat on my back is raised from scar tissue (she shoved the needles in WAY too deep) and it still bothers me from time to time after ten years.

I think your husband does have a veto on this. After all, you don't look at yourself often whereas he has to look at you and will see the tatoo all of the time. Even if you got his name tatooed, you would have to change it if you divorced him because he vetoed it. IM(not very often)HO, I can't believe wanting the same thing in each decade of your life. I'm certainly not the same person I was at 30...and I cringe at some of the things I did then. I'm 61 now, my body has a few sags and a few (more than a few) extra pounds, but it still looks fairly good and I'm glad I'm not adorned with anything but a few surgical scars. No choice there. Good luck with your decision.

First off when it comes to tattoos, you need to think about the design for an extended period of time before you make a final decision. I waited four years to decide on my first tattoos and I still love them now although my taste in tattoos has changed a lot since. Make the design personal, something that you have a deep interest in if possible. Tattooing has changed a lot in the past ten years and some artists can do amazing things. The days of strictly outlined tattoos are gone and almost anything is possible with the right artist.

As for the tattoo vs old age thing don't sweat it. You can not stop ageing no matter how hard you try so don't let it stop you from doing something you want to do. I think the best approach would be to pick an area that will be least effected by ageing and go from there. Discuss ink colours with the artist as well because many colours do not take as well as others and some fade easily especially when exposed to UV radiation from the sun.

Before you choose an artist go to different shops and look at their portfolios, all good tattoo artists will have one. Different artists have different tastes and specialties keep that in mind when deciding whom to go with. With the Internet you can also search for artists in your area and travel to have a special artist do the work.

Check out this site because it is the best resource for body modification on the Internet. Take a look at the tattoo galleries and definitely read the experiences forums and the encyclopedia sections.

Here is a link that might be useful: BME

I think you should do research before getting a tattoo but shouldn't let your husband forbid you to get one. Maybe you two could have a discussion on why he's so against you getting one. Having to see one on you every day doesn't seem like a sensible reason to be against it. In fact, I've thought about getting one that looks like my dart frog, Rain.

Not a tatoo, but Henna is natural and won't harm you. It can make your hair a bodacious color of red... :) It's basically a plant based stain. In your hair it does really great things...makes it soft, shiny and really manageable...Haven't done it in years, but in college I did just on a lark and liked it...not the smell of the paste, but the hair looked great....I was almost a red head to begin with then (it got darker after baby/cancer) so it was sort of in your face red...

Michigoose it has been found that some people using henna to do temporary tattoos have been adding additional dyes to darken the colour from the natural dark brown to black and in the process have actually poisoned people. If you were to mix the henna yourself you would be fine but stay away from the street vendors etc. for safety reasons.

Holey Crow! Actually, I found the dark reddish brown sort of cool....but you know, I got it on my hands by accident...when doing my hair. ;)

Let me speak from experience... I have my nose pierced and did have my belly button done too,but had to take it out finally. I also have two tats, one on my ankle and another right to the inside of my hipbone. I don't regret them, I just wish they looked better. So make sure you get the most kickass artist you can find. I'm a stay at home mom now.

P.S. I think the belly button ring is how I got prego in the first place. gb