Tattoos, for those of you who don't want them, why?

I don’t want a tattoo because it doesn’t appeal to me. And I’m worried that if I got one, I’d end up regretting it.

I don’t mind them on other people as long as they are tasteful.

Remember, I am not tattoo bashing, people. I love them. So no need to get your panties in a bunch. :)

Two reasons: the permanency and the pain. I have a low-tolerance for pain (it’s a little embarrassing.) I have met people who said it’s not painful at all, but I think they must be able to cope with pain far more easily. The permanency issue is similar to your sentiments. I have commitment issues even when it comes to putting ink on my skin.

Lately I have been musing over getting a tattoo on my shoulder. It’s a simple idea, but I’d need to find the right artist… and wait until I’m feeling crazy enough to do it.

Other than that, I’ll stick to writing all over myself and admiring the tattoos of everyone I know :) I have met people with gorgeous tattoos (whether it was a single word or fully-coloured sleeves.)

I don’t know about tattoo bashing, but they don’t appeal to me on myself or on other people. I have never gotten used to people having them.

I want one but I’m too indecisive about what and where. I’m also afraid of how it would look in the future.

I would like to get a tattoo of my panties in a bunch.

I’ve thought about one, but there’s just nothing that I would want on my body forever.

@muppetish The pain is fixed by my friends Jim, Jack, Johnny, and Jose.

I don’t have a thing for tattoos on either myself or other people. They may look cute when you’re young, but in a few years those tattoos are going to look horrible. I’ve had henna (sp?) on me before and after like 4 days I was annoyed and wanted it off. Thank goodness it came off in like four weeks. I would have gone crazy if that was on my body forever.

@papayalily Hmm… I thought tattoo artists refused drunk people.

@boots Depends on the tattoo artist. It also depends on how well you handle your liquor. I’ve had a shot beforehand, and then simply put some more in my water bottle, along with Coke or water. I’ve also simply gone with Vicodin.

@boots I was thinking that, as well.

@papayalily I’ve read that you shouldn’t drink alcohol or even take aspirin before getting a tattoo because they thin your blood (but I might be wrong – it’s just something I’ve heard.) At any rate, I don’t drink so that definitely isn’t an option for me.

I think that you’d be crazy to, but, that’s just me.

@muppetish I’ve heard that. I think it’s like speed limits – everyone goes at least 3 or 4 miles over at times.

@mama_cakes Be crazy to…. To what?

Drink then get a tattoo. For the reasons that muppet listed above. I’ve been told that it’s a no-no by tattooed friends, as well.

@mama_cakes You definitely shouldn’t get wasted, but there’s a rather large difference between 1 or 2 drinks and 12 drinks.

@papayalily that’s not what I heard, but, okay. :)

I’m afraid of committment and I am afraid of bad artwork;)

@mama_cakes Sorry if I phrased it that way. It doesn’t take much alcohol to get me pretty tipsy, so I forget that other people need more.

Most artists are don’t like the thought of even one drink because it will thin your blood which, first of all, makes their job harder because you’ll bleed more and second, the blood washes out some of the ink which is like giving your tattoo a head start to major fading. I have heard of people (including tattoo artists) that robo trip when they get tattooed to make the pain easier. I personally haven’t had a tattoo hurt bad enough to need any kind of reliever. Don’t get me wrong, they hurt but it’s tolerable, imo

I am tattooed so I can’t say why I wouldn’t want one but I can tell you what made me decide to go for it.

I really like the way (well done) tattoos look. I like the culture that comes with being tattooed. Tattoos are art. Nothing more. If you find an artist who’s work speaks to you, then you get it. It’s the same as shopping for a painting only you wear it on your skin. If the artist/piece doesn’t speak to you, then you probably will regret it down the line. If it does, then you always have a representation of what that piece meant to you or made you feel.

And for those of you who are scared of permanency, technically, tattoos become part of your skin. As such, they rot with it. They don’t last forever…. Just for your life.

And yeah, they look rough when you get old, but so does your untattooed skin. You’re going to get wrinkly and ugly so why not have something interesting to show and tell the grandkids about? I personally, look forward to being that old fellow with the big blobs on him. Those blobs come with a story. They were once beautiful artwork.

Bad art comes from people being lazy and not doing their homework. If you get bad art, you deserve it. There is no excuse. You can check the artist’s work. If you can’t for whatever reason, then don’t let them do work on you. Most good artists want to show off their talent to put people at ease and get more business. Most artists get work by word of mouth.

EDIT: I’m not saying everyone should be tattooed. If you don’t like them then you don’t like them. That’s fine. I’m not against haters. I like them though and fear isn’t a reason not to do something in my book. Dislike I can understand, but not fear.

I think the human body is beautiful in the state nature make it. I don’t want a tattoo ro a piercing or bones through my nose or lips, or metal rings on my head to turn me into a cone head. To me, they all fit in the same category of body art or body modification.

Do what ever you heart tells you to do!!

@Randy The problem I have with the no alcohol rule is that it seems like a third of the Rx drugs out there thin or thicken your blood in some manner, but no tattoo artist is saying you have to stop taking your bipolar medication first. So I figure there has to be some wiggle room to just exactly how thin your blood has to be for there to be a problem.

@papayalily Definitely. I mean, you can be tattooed if you’re gushing, it’s just that it makes it more difficult to do the art. It comes down to what’s better for the artist. Drunk people tend to be difficult (for lack of a better term) and then with more work on top of that it just becomes a pain. A crazy person on meds is worth the extra work compared to them off the meds. It’s all up to the artist and what they feel like putting up with. The common consensus is to not tattoo people who’ve drank because of the problems. So yeah, there’s wiggle room depending on who’s tattooing you.

@Randy Lol another reason I don’t get the alcohol rule – doesn’t it cut into a huge part of their cash flow? Drunk people do suck. I got mine with 1 – 1½ drinks in me, where I’m just a little bit more chatty than my usual silence.

I like the factory settings, and I don’t like the idea of doing anything permanent.

Experience teaches that anything you have to get drunk to do, is probably not in your best interest to do.

I find tattoos interesting on other people, but would never get one. This is partially because I recognize that taste led to choosing a certain tattoo can be fleeting. I remember drawing on myself as a child, and hating it when I couldn’t wash off what was drawn. And tats on old, overweight people just are not really attractive.

I have had a slew of piercings, definitely went through that phase when I was younger. I had friends get tattoos and I kind of wanted one because I thought they were cool. I am aware of the high probability that I won’t like what I inked 40 years down the line, especially after I’m all saggy and wrinkly and my skin is paper-thin. The other thing to consider is whether I want to hear my grandkids shouting, Grandma, Grandma, show us your tattoo!

If I got one, it’d have to be something really meaningful to me and that would probably end up being a pentagram. The next thing is that there are many parts of my body that I don’t like and if I did get a tattoo, I’d want it where no one would ever see it, so those two qualifiers rule out about 99% of my body.

Now that I’m getting older, I realize that I don’t really care for tattoos that much. For every one tattoo I see that is impressive, artistic, and beautiful, I see about 50 more that I find to be unfortunate and/or tacky. I’ve dated a few girls that had them and it’s not a dealbreaker or anything, but I’m glad they never asked my opinion because I secretly found their tattoos to be unappealing.

Oh, and now that everyone has them, I find I cherish un-inked girls all the more. It’s almost unusual to find someone who doesn’t have a tattoo these days.

@BarnacleBill But wasn’t that at least a little because children have trouble staying inside the lines?

All the tattoo’s on my body have no ink.
I am beautiful just the way I am and I don’t want anything to detract from it.
Especially someone elses art, cause then I’m just a billboard.

The human body is already a work of art, I’m staying all natural. I would never get pierced either.

I’m Ink – free….but have swayed with the though of getting a tattoo for the past few years. I wanted to get something to commemorate my sons life. Have never actually done it yet, maybe it’s that permanent mark on my skin, not the ‘what will i look like when i’m older’ thing, as so many people have tattoos these days that we’ll not be the only 60 yr old’s with them.

You got me thinking about it again

I’ve thought about it quite often, but every time I want something different. I know my tastes change too rapidly to be happy with the same ink for the rest of my life, so its best to keep a clean slate.

Woman gets inked for her 103rd birthday!

Because I like to express my individuality.

You might get a kick out of this.

@Nullo – Part of me can’t believe that that is real! That is seriously the coolest thing I have heard of in ages. I could totally get down with that! Though, if you have some grid implanted under your skin, does that make you part cyborg? Like, can you tell your friends you have this bitchin’ tattoo system AND you’re a cyborg? Sweet.

This line cracked me up: The design will remain exactly the same until the next time you use the wand or in the rare case of a large electric shock or massive EMF disruption.

@MissAnthrope I believe that this would let you call yourself a cyborg.
Unfortunately, clicking on “Buy Now” links to you a page wishing you a Happy April 1st.

They have been going on about this technology, though, to the point – I think – of there actually being prototypes. Popular Science, ever the future-slayer, has mentioned that it could be used to interface with your phone and the Web.

HAHAHA… I thought so.. I almost clicked on the link to add to the cart just to see, but I was fooled by there being a button at all. I also thought the price was amazingly low for such an amazing product. ;)

@MissAnthrope Don’t forget that the real price would be the e-ink installation that gets implanted into your arm. :D

I have nothing against people with tattoos but they are not for me. I do appreciate art but not on me. I’m not into women that have them either, I don’t mind maybe a small hidden one, (like their kids name or mother’s memory type of thing) but outside of that no I do not find covering the natural beauty of the skin very attractive. The same with piercings, except for the ears I do not care for piercings in odd places (such as the tongue, belly button, etc). I guess to each their own but not for me.