GGD and tatoos - your opinion?

12 years ago

My Great-grandaughter Kailey got a tattoo on her back, big one, spelling her 7-letter last name vertically in Gothic letters, the tat goes from her shoulder to her waist and covers half her back. She had that done when she was under-age and kept it from her family until it was all done and healed, caused quite a stir, could have gotten the tattoo artist into a lot of trouble. Anyway, she promised not to get any more at the time.

Now she's 19, has a steady job, State employee, is reliable, got a couple of raises and a promotion since she worked for them, is very family oriented, a beloved aunt to her toddler-niece and nephew - pays all her own expenses.

She also has snakes as pets, boas, one 3 ft. or so, two babies, keeps them well, loves them and has the best equipment, tanks etc.

And she is getting another tattoo! She showed pictures of it , just mostly outline, says she has 5 more seesions to go. It shall be a peacock, starting at her waist and ending below her knee. She mentions that a very well known Artist is doing the work, but the size of that thing is huge!

All I could tell her that I am glad she is careful about the person doing it, that I hope she will not regret that ten years from now, that it is permanent, but I don't want to critisize her, it's her decision.

What do you think?

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Comments (19)

lindac
12 years ago
Not for me.....but likely there are more people under 50 with tattoos than without.
She likes tattoos.....she can pay for them, she is responsible....
Back off GGMa....it's her skin....even though it's green and orange in certain places!!
Linda C
lilosophie
Original Author
12 years ago
Oh, Linda, I never got involved, it's her money and her decision - I call it "body art" and applaud her good taste, and if she regrets it when she's old, like 30 or so, her problem.
Just wondered if I was wrong that way and if anyone would have tried to interfere or thinks I should have, but apparently I am doing the right thing
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Good topic! When I was 15 I wanted a tattoo. My dad said I could as long as it was tasteful, fit under a quarter and could be hidden by a bikini. (thank you Dad, for letting me do it, yet setting boundaries!) I still love my little butterfly, and I think nostalgically about the 15 year old girl I was and the symbolism of me coming out of my cocoon. I got another one, a "tramp stamp" if you will, the last time I went to Tahiti. I love it too, and get compliments on it when I choose to show people. It too, fits under my bikini. In essence, I can go out and not be judged but my art is there for me and those whom I choose to show it to. I got a belly piercing at 17, took it out at 24 to have my daughter, and put it back in at 27. I enjoy it, but sometimes do wish I hadn't gotten it because the hole will always be there. I also have five holes in my ears, two when I was three (I wanted them, my parents didn't inflict it on me... a whole different subject is that I hate it when parents pierce babies. Gross, unnecessary pain inflicted on a tiny baby who didn't have a choice!) I got the second holes at 13 with my dad. I got the last hole in my left ear at 15. Although I wore my combat boots and long skirts, black nail polish, black fishnets and stockings that we burned holes in with our cigarettes, dyed my hair and generally acted rebellious I was a pretty good kid. I graduated from college and live a pretty "straight" life. Upon looking at me now, people are shocked to hear I have two tattos and a belly ring "but you look so innocent and mainstream!". My suggestion? Have children do research. Go to different tattoo parlors and have them look at the work that is being done. Piercings, tattoos, etc. Have them talk to people who are covering up ugly tattoos, or look at older people with a big blur of ink on their bodies. They could end up with a scar there. That can be a scary deterrant. Talk to them about whether or not they'd do it again... They have pretty good removable earrings/noserings/bellyrings and tattoos now. Buy one of them so they can see how it looks and experiment. They are the ones who will have to live with their decisions. When I see a "goth" kid walk by I smile. How wonderful that they are experimenting with who they are. When I see a big flock of Abercrombie and Fitch clones walk by I see it as they are too afraid to take risks. Yes, goth is not original. But no two kids are wearing the same studded necklaces and black shirts. It's all individual. And they will grow out of it, most of them. I think a large majority of the goth adults are ones who weren't allowed the freedom to choose as young adults. Make sure she has done research. Make sure she understands fully what she is doing. Then let her go.
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shilty
12 years ago
Well, I, for one, find it disgusting. The ONLY people with so many large always visible tatoos are ex cons...and why anyone would WANT to join that group is beyond me. Not to even mention what it will look like in a bathing suit, a wedding gown, a pretty dress, a pr. of shorts.

They automatically turn off a lot of people.

Removal is costly and expensive.

I don't want to discuss my finances with someone with snakes crawling up their arm, and I don't want to discuss my dinner order with someone with metal hanging on their face.
mwoods
12 years ago
Lilo,you are very wise in the way you handled this.Shilty,you are mistaken if you think only ex cons get full body tattoos. Maybe 100 years ago that might have been the case,LOL,but certainly not today. I would love to have a small butterfly tattooed on my earlobe but being on blood thinners and everything else that's going on,it wouldn't be wise. Don,how many tattoos do you have?
mawheel
12 years ago
Lilo, you're very wise and understanding. The younger females in my sister's family all have tattoos, although they're small and in places not seen by the general public. Hey, they're not that young, anymore, now that I think of it, but "different strokes for different folks"--or generations--is more like it.

My personal feelings are more in line with Shilty's, but that's why I'm keeping them personal. :>)
User
12 years ago
Hi M, never got the bug for tattoos but know many that have them. I have enough scars to make my body a mystery story for the coroner. People that like them and have them are in all walks of life these days and start getting them for many reasons. It is a means of expressing the desire to be special in a world where the individual is more insignificant than when most on this forum remember being.

The attention rendered and finding others with the same interests give some a feeling of belonging to a "special" group. I have seen many that are beautiful pieces of artwork and the ones they are on are proud to have them as part of their being. The attention is addicting for some and the process of getting one is a whole different addiction.

My niece has recently had tattoos done and has proudly posted pictures on facebook. They are pretty and artistic, a long way from prison tattoos. The history of them is quite interesting from the Maori,Aborigine, Japanese, African and south American cultures. They all developed their body art independently and for a myriad of reasons.

The person is more important than our opinion of what they do as long as it is not hurting others. It does no good to try to change the mind of another and is better to be there for them no matter what. Lilo, you are one I would want to have as a relative as you demonstrate unconditional love and acceptance.
agnespuffin
12 years ago
I, also, think you handled this well. I have seen some great tattoos, and some very ugly poorly done ones.

Now, I have often thought that anyone wanting one of those big ones, should have to visit a nursing home and imagine what one of them would look like on one of those patients.

I had a little mole removed....it left a small brown discoloration about the size of a pencil eraser. Now I have a small brown streak that's about one and a half inches long as the babies have sagged and the spot stretched. Ohmy! I hate to think what the little butterfly that I wanted would now look like!
rob333 (zone 7b)
12 years ago
Great job Lilo!

I am of that generation that began getting tatoos, and it has become considred a mainstream activity. But you still could not pay me money to get one!!! She sounds like my oldest brother. He doesn't have a tatoo, but all the rest is him. Responsible, hard working, loves snakes, only wears black t-shirts and jeans... his t-shirts are his tatoos. They voice his disdain or support and are his art. Close enough! He does drive a motorcycle, and has a band of riders he hangs out with, but they're the respectable sort. They support returning vets and their families in several ways. This subculture has very much come to the surface. I hope my son doesn't join it, but it's not as bad as it used to be.
frogged
12 years ago
I guess I am in the minority here I have a tatoo a medium size jungle cat above my ankle. I choose this spot because I figured it would be the one spot on my body that would not stretch or sag over the years. So far so good. I don't regret getting it done. I have had it about 20 years now,had it done as a teen. But I don't think I would do it now. My mom has been the only person to say anything negative about it. She didn't speak to me for a bit. Interestingly my sister got one before me kept it secret waited for the fallout over my tat before revealing her's to our mom. After two babies I think my sister regrets her's a bit (it's on the hip area).
west_gardener
12 years ago
I think you handled it just right, lilo. Your GGD lives in her world.
meldy_nva
12 years ago
Different strokes for different cats... Tattoos never appealed to me, but I remember one friend who had the prettiest rose tattooed just below her collarbone. At least, she said that's where it was when she had it done as a teen. It's now rather farther down her chest and considerably stretched out of shape. Not so pretty.

Saw an article not too long ago about the number of people who are paying for the removal of tattoos. One guy showed a 'before' picture of a tattoo on his shoulder (palm sized?). He had already spent $10K on removal by laser and still had about 20% to be done. His comment was to the effect that the older he got the less he admired it, until finally he was embarrassed to have anyone see it.

I'm the cat who had her ears pierced. And then discovered an allergy to most metals precluded wearing most earrings. (Titanium and platinum are the exceptions.) Pierced ears leave a mark that even lasers can't help with.
west_gardener
12 years ago
This may seem over the top, but It's real. While I was working in the "hood" I came to identify some prison and gang tattoos. I was told that one or more tear drops tattooed below they eye, it meant the person was a killer.
lindac
12 years ago
Certain tattoos can mean many things to many people. A teardrop can also mean a family member was killed, or be a symbol of another type of mourning.
west_gardener
12 years ago
Lindac, I know that the tear drop by the eye can mean different things as you suggested, but I'm not sticking around to ask questions while in the hood, I'm getting out of there. Sometimes real life trumps the "school learning".
I do appreciate your input.
lilosophie
Original Author
12 years ago
I had to laugh, thinking about this. Attented a local rock concert some years ago and saw this fellow wearing a interesting patterned shirt, really liked it, and then discovered he was bare-chested and his "shirt" was body art, it really looked good
User
12 years ago
Here are some interesting ones.

Here is a link that might be useful: 3d Tattoos
Janis_G
12 years ago
Lord Luv a Duck!!!!!!
west_gardener
12 years ago
Ditto, janis, you said it well.
mawheel
12 years ago
I'm speechless at the 3-D tattos.

GGD and tatoos - your opinion?

Comments (19)

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GGD and tatoos - your opinion?

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