Tattoo

[Small pumpkin]

Who has got tattoos?
How many you got? What are they? You can tell us why you have them, but it's not compulsory . I know the reasons behind them can be very personal.
Who hates tattoos?
I'm just interested, because I'm seriously considering having another tattoo!
I already have 2 elephants. One I drew myself and one of zimber one of the African elephants I used to work with. I miss working with them. I also made the mistake of having a partners name. It's now there to remind me, to never let anyone treat me like that again!

[noviceveggrower]

I've always wanted a tattoo bit like getting my ears pierced twice to miff my mom off but have never got round to doing either.
I wanted an angel fish at first but then thought about having several fish put on my back so if I ever wore a back less dress it could look like a fish tank type scene. Then I saw the price of tattoos and thought s*d that.
I don't mind tattoos as I think its a personal choice but I don't like the rude ones or swearing ones. I do know of someone's son who had a so called Chinese symbol put on his back and it was actually a rude word His mother was not happy.
As you say a lot are personal and have special meanings to the individual.

[Bigmallly]

I have 2 hearts speared together with a scroll on either end saying Mam & Dad. That was 40+ years ago & would not have another. So glad I didn't have any partners/Wives names tattooed. I've known so many people have skin grafts because they made that mistake, if a relationship fails, it can lead to problems in any future ones I would imagine.

[veggiechicken]

Not for me. Just don't get it Especially the whole body stuff when they end up looking like lizards
Like BM, I've also seen the waiting lists for plastic surgery to cover up "mistakes".
Some hilarious typos on the net too

[Guest]

I think it depends on the tat and the person wether I like them or not. I remember seeing a friend of a friend trying on her wedding dress and when I saw the view from the back I just thought it looked awful and what a shame on your big day (and no I did not say anything). However I do love art in most of its forms and seeing some people at conventions is fantastic but I am too much of a wuss. Hubby put me off have only one when he said about it stretching and misshaping with age

[Martin H]

My dad told me once that tattoos are stupid people's way of letting us know they were stupid without the need to open their mouths.

I don't go all the way with this, although tattoos with spelling errors are hilarious and tend to support his view, but somehow I've never been tempted to get one.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I'm not normally a fan of tattoos but at a works night out for my better halfs work, a young lass decided to show me hers. It was a salamander on her inner thigh. Wowsers, nearly gave me a heart attack but it was actually very attractive. What happens when young supple skin gets older though?

[Small pumpkin]

Well the salamander might just look like it's been run over when age catches up. But then not as many people are going to get the chance or want to look at an inner thigh when the inevitable age thing happens
It all depends where you have the tattoo. Arms shouldn't miss shape to much, but they will fade. My grandad has a cabbage tattoo on his forearm ( no idea why it's a cabbage ). It's faded a lot but in the 60+ years it's been there it hasn't changed shape.

As for actually having a tattoo. There is definitely a unique sensation. Again it all depends on the individual and where you have it! As to weather it is painful or not. I do know someone who only had the outline done because he couldn't take. It just looks like a 4 year old has drawn on him in biro

Choosing the tattoo is very important! It's going to be there a long time ( you hope! ).
I don't get the whole tattoo for fashion thing or just having one for the sake of having one

[Jay22]

Not one for tattoos here either but a long time ago I did fancy a belly button piercing but...as NG says the thought of what it might look like as I got older put me off!

[WendyC]

They give me the creeps. When I was a small girl we used to visit a great uncle who had been in the merchant navy. He had all sorts of tattoos but I was terrified and fascinated, in equal measures, by the "rings" tattooed on his hands. I can still picture them now, over 40 years later. I've told my OH tattoos are grounds for divorce.

[vixylix]

I think I want one... then I think about having it when I'm alot older and its gone green, and I think about the terrible ones you see and then I change my mind on what I want. All in all I think I'll probably never get round to it - I do contemplate it often though!

[ESBkevin]

I fall into the category of not really liking tattoos.

Remember when you were at school and you doodled on your exercise book at thought it was cool? You might well have had platform shoes or a mullet hair cut, maybe even a punk piercing or two. But you look back at those things and think about how you have progressed or moved forward. Well you can't really do that with a tattoo. I acknowledge that the date of birth of your child or some such might give you comfort but as a fashion statement (which is mostly what we see) you are making yourself a dated fashion statement for the rest of your life, a bit like seeing those 60 year old teddy boys that necer grew out of it! Yes it's a choice, but not for me.

[Lumpy]

I have 5 in all Yes I can hear the gasps from here!

One on each upper arm - a bright green dragon and a crying bright blue rose. I had them done because I was fed up of people staring at my scars.

One on each hip.
Right hip is an Eye of Horus done in celebration of my classics degree and the other is....well....'a property of...' as I had it done instead of wearing a wedding ring. We have been married 25 years next May ( I would have got less for murder).

All of these ones are very easy to keep covered when I want to.

My 5th one is the most extreme. It starts at my right collar bone, goes down and then around boobie. It is a multicoloured phoenix. No reason for having this other than I wanted to.

[Lisasbolt]

I have 2 in discreet places, i altered and semi designed them but wish i had not had them done. I was a very rebellious teenager and i did a lot of things i regret, lots of piercings now i only use the holes in my ears now and again.
Got my first when i was just 16 then the second when i was 17, i would consider having another but i would really have to like it and properly design it myself.

[Potstubsdustbins]

It is rumoured that Vic Beckham is getting rid of hers, she is lucky she can afford it if she changes her mind.

I quite like some of the small ones if they are carefully placed but when they go all over the body it does nothing for me. Having said that the person with the tat probably does not give a monkey's what I think.

Many years ago some army mates tried to drag me into a parlour in Hamburg, I managed to escape.