I honestly thought about getting a tattoo on my hand, because i think it looks cool and i always wanted to get one.But my boyfriend stopped me. He always think that if i get a tattoo, i would look totally a different person.Last week,I read this article about tattoos. It said, ” Tattoo placement can negatively impact a person’s life if ink location is not careful considered.”
And it listed the disadvantages of Tattoos:
“· Career Limitations
· Style of Clothing
· Relationship Conflicts
· Decrease in Community Involvement
· Negative Self-Esteem
· Compromise Health”
I think it is true that tattoo really can impact our life. After this article, i thought about if i really got a tattoo on my hand. i would have to worry about hiding it from my parent, or when i go to a job interview, how would people think about me when they see my tattoo, and so on.I also did some research about tattoo ink.Tattoo ink contains pigments. It is bad for body. It can cause infection, such as hepatitis and skin infections.Because of the tattooing equipment if they are not unsterile. Tattoo can results Granulomas.It is an allergic reaction from tattoo ink.The treatment for it requires medical attention for antibiotics. I am wondering, for those you that have tattoo, have you consider about skin problem or have an allergic reaction before you walk into the tattoo store?
Unruly Bodies 
I absolutely considered that before I got my tattoo. I have one tattoo and I plan to get many more when I can afford it. For me, the tattoo I have is for someone very special, and it’s not something that I want everyone to know about or see, so it’s a very small tattoo on my hip that is even covered by a bathing suit or underwear. If I got a tattoo that had less of a story behind it, or was something I wanted other people to see, or was a story that I wanted others to know about I would put it somewhere more obvious.
As far as ink goes, I know I’m not allergic to ink because I used to write all over myself with sharpies and other utensils as a kid and never had a reaction. It is VERY important when looking for a tattoo parlor to check them out and make sure that they sterilize their equipment and you watch them take out a clean needle, etc.
I am a firm believer that what I do to my body is my choice, and if you don’t like it that’s your choice, but I will never change what I do because someone else doesn’t like it. That being said, I seriously consider everything I do to my body before I do it. I have 16 ear piercings and I love them all. I also believe that people should love you for who you are, and if people can’t accept me the way I am, then I’m not too concerned with being their friend. That being said, I can take out all my piercings when I need to, or put something clear in to disguise them. I’m not sure that one tattoo or one piercing makes you look like a totally different person, but I do agree that once you have several in obvious places your appearance does alter. However, I would question whether that is a bad thing, or whether it just makes you unique?
I teach dance to high schoolers and they respect me because I am good at my job; I’m a good dancer, I have excellent teaching methods, lots of experience, and a good reputation with everyone I’ve taught. I do not think whether or not I have visible tattoos or piercings would make an impact on how those kids feel about me. I have seen some of their parents be skeptical of me, but once they meet me one time, watch a rehearsal, and see how I interact with their kids, their attitudes change completely.
If I had visible tattoos, it wouldn’t change what I wear when I teach because I already cover myself more than I do in my regular life because the kids are still in high school. While most of the tattoos I plan to get will be in places I could easily hide, getting a foot tattoo would not alter my ability to teach my kids.
Neither of my parents have piercings or tattoos, but they are aware of mine. While it may not be their favorite part of me, they were very understanding of why I got my tattoo and certainly don’t love me any less than they did before I got it.
Aside from teaching high schoolers (for free) I also volunteer on political campaigns and run 5Ks for all kinds of cancer and causes. I would not agree WHATSOEVER that having tattoos impacts your community involvement. Community involvement is a personal choice. I am very involved in mine and I take my role as an average citizen in the world very seriously. In fact, my community involvement is as much a part of who I am as my tattoo.
yes i did consider those options of wheather i was alergic to the ink or if i would get infected. I went to a clean tatttoo shop where they showed me the needle comming out of the package, once i saw that i was ok and wasnt afraid of the consequenses because i saw that they cared about my safety.
Another concern for me is the placement of the tattoo. i decided to put my tattoo on my shoulder blade. the reason for this was for my future when trying to get a job because my father told me that jobs could turn you down just because of the placement of your tattoo. the placed where jobs are questionable and body parts such as the hand, face, neck, lower arm. i try to stay away from those areas when getting a tattoo. i think one of the reasons why i wouldnt want a tattoo their is because i want people to take me seriously when i am trying to get a job because to me having that particular tattoo in that spot will show jobs that i am not serious. so yes i do think tattoo placement is serious
Yes, I definitely did all my research before I got my tattoos. I knew I wasn’t allergic to ink but getting all three of my tattoos were spur of the moment decisions. Two of mine I got done by a friend of mine and another one I went to a tattoo shop and got done. Both places were sterile, clean, and I saw all the needles come out of the packaging before we started.
I definitely thought about placement of my tattoos the most because I knew if my parents saw they would be really upset with me. Regardless I have one on both sides of my hip and one going down my ribs. It turned out that my parents actually saw my first one on my rib but I still ended up getting two more. Also, I thought about placement because I know that some people cant get jobs because a company will think it looks unprofessional for someone to have tattoos.
I think that tattoos are a reflection of yourself that you are willing to be reminded of every day. When I see someone else with tattoos I ask them the meaning behind it and you get to learn a little bit about another person. It’s interesting to see what people get inked on their bodies and the reasoning behind it.
When I was in the 8th grade, my school had a field trip to a swimming pool. It was a prize for all the students graduating from the school with good attendance. As usual, we had teachers as our chaperons. Some decided not to get in the water, but some got in with us. Of the few who got in, two were my favorite teachers. I held them on a pedestal of high regard. But that changed on the day of the trip. Mr. Feeney, my social studies teacher, had a large portrait on his upper back of a horse drawn carriage trotting towards the sunset on a narrow path with lush green grass and flowers on either side. I instantly lost the professional respect I had for him.
This incident stuck with me so much, that 3 years later I made sure my tattoo was not visible even in a bathing suit. That didn’t give me a lot of room to work with, but the thought of someone’s opinion of me changing after a company outing made me be extra cautious. I have two tattoos so far. Neither are visible in my tankini swim suit. Most days they aren’t visible wearing just a bra and underwear….but when would anyone see me then?
A handful of my tattoos have been done with a needle, thread, and India ink. The tattoo style is often called “stick ‘n’ poke”. It’s done by wrapping thread around the bottom of a sewing needle (a tattoo needle can be used to if you have access to one), dipping it in India ink, and firmly pressing it into the skin. The darkness of the ink depends on how deep you penetrate the skin and how many times you go over previous attempts. In comparison to getting a tattoo with a machine, “stick ‘n’ pokes” take more time and are often a lot more painful due to the fact that you can only make one dot at a time.
I tend to appreciate this type of tattoo more, though I also have tattoos done with a machine. It is a very personal process. A close friend of mine did the one on my upper arm/shoulder for four hours straight on a couch in the house we lived in. We were both so engrossed in the process. They were paying close attention to where they were placing the dots and I was trying not to tense up from the pain of each one. To me, there is something so nice about how each dot is individually considered and placed and how together they (typically) form the tattoo you originally intended.
I have seen some very awful “stick ‘n’ pokes” as well. I think it depends on what you want, the intention behind it, and who is doing it.
I immediately thought of this example after your question about health risks because there is said to be a higher risk of infection, etc. from stick ‘n’ pokes in comparison to tattoos done at shops. It makes sense, especially if it is not done in a sterile environment. I’ve never experience a problem though and the tattoos I have that are done with needle and thread actually heal a lot faster. I think it is because the needle is not going as deep as a machine, in addition to the smaller amount of dots used to make up the tattoo.
I recently thought of getting a tattoo. I wanted to get a small horse shoe behind my ear. I thought that this location would allow me to easily disguise the tattoo if need be with my hair, as well as be able to show it to other people without too much hassle. A horse shoe would represent my sport, hobby, and lifestyle regarding horseback riding, which I have been doing for 15 yrs. When my sister heard news of this, she said it changed me as a person and she couldn’t look up to me as a sister because she felt like I was falling into the peer pressure of my new friends. Therefore, I didn’t get the tattoo.
Five or six years ago, when I was managing a store and feeling stifled by my “grown up-ness” I decided to rebel and get a very visible tattoo on my wrist. Until that point, I’d always gone for more subtly placed ink. I had seen the design years before in photographs, on the wrist of the singer Janis Joplin. One of my co-workers boyfriends worked at a tattoo shop, so she hooked me up with him and he worked on a custom design based off the Joplin tattoo (which was originally by Lyle Tuttle, a famous tattoo artist who worked in San Francisco in the 1960s). On a day off, I drove up to his shop with one of my girl friends and got it stuck on me.
It isn’t perfect, the wrist is a hell of a tricky spot to get a tattoo and it lost color as it healed, but I still love it. I often get compliments on it and every time I talk to the friend who was dating the tattoo artist, she asks when am I ever going to get it touched up (they’ve long broken up). I will eventually, but I think it will be with whatever artist I end up working on my half sleeve. Yes, that’s right. I have full on plans to keep getting more and more visible ink. Last year I got another one of the underside of the opposite wrist.
I think we are at a point where the taboo and stigma surrounding tattoos is changing. The sheer amount of people who have tattoos is incredibly different to even just a couple of generations previous. I’ve had professional jobs and been very successful, even with my tattoos showing. I’ve had bosses who had tattoos and it’s never made a difference in their professionalism. I have a friend who is tattooed from his chest to his toes (like, seriously all over) and he’s in law school – granted you can’t see any of them with a shirt and tie on – but if you ever see him in shirt sleeves, you quickly realize he’s covered.
They are just tattoos. It isn’t that serious. Until I either become friends with an artist and earn free chair time or win the lottery, I will keep on working on my designs for my sleeve and dreaming of FINALLY getting all the ink I’ve ever wanted.