Deep thoughts on tattoos and tattooing culture
This is my first post so please let me know if I'm doing anything incorrectly! I'm not very clear on how tags work... Apologies.
I'm curious if there are many tattoo enthusiasts around. I love both talking about and looking at tattoos. I have found that more visual-focused places like Instagram or even Reddit don't really allow much conversation on the nuances of the industry, its artists, artistry, criticisms, and so on.
I am a heavily tattooed woman, which is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I'm happy in my own body. A curse because being fetishized makes me uncomfortable.
I both love and hate tattoos entering more into the mainstream. As that as happened, artistry has come leaps and bounds alongside it.
Anyone have any deep thoughts on tattoos and modern tattoo culture?
I have a personal rule that a tattoo needs to be a good idea for 5 years to get it. I've had some pretty hair brained ideas in the past and am very happy I didn't get them. That said, I have loved the idea of getting an old 2 hemisphere map, OO <- like that, across my butt cheeks for like a decade. I make maps for a living and the appeal of it, well just feels like pure fun. I've just never taken the time to have it done. My theme for 2023 is new things and this could be a perfect addition to the list!
I kind of vibe with your 5-year idea, but that feels too long to me, personally. I've always loved the tattoo aesthetic, but really don't know many people with tattoos. I got my first at 18, and my second FINALLY at like 29, and then my 3rd earlier this year (at 31 š). I like sitting on the idea for a while, making sure it's what I really want.
Now I'm thinking about what I want next, and I'm not in any rush, but I'm excited! My tattoos feel like I'm breaking free from the expectations I always lived with. The way my life goes doesn't have to be inevitable.
That's awesome! It's great to snub expectations! If you don't mind me asking, what were your first two tattoos?
Both dragons lol. My first one is a pretty simple trible-type thing taken from DeviantArt... They didn't explicitly give me permission to use it as a tattoo, but they gave someone else permission. Looking back, I hope that wasn't a huge no-no. :P
My second one is a much better custom piece!
I had a similar rule when I got my first, though mine was only 1 year. Between then and now the time has gone down significantly but I'm not at the point where I could just randomly walk up to a studio and get something done.
I think for me the difficulty is more finding an artist rather than figuring out what I want. I really want to find an artist that I'm comfortable giving rough direction rather than precise instructions.
I've always wanted a tattoo. I just can't think of a tattoo meaningful enough to actually put on my body permanently.
Having a single tattoo (of a long-ago online game), there's really not much feeling attached to a tattoo that doesn't have a lot of meaning anymore. It can mean something in the moment, and that can be worth commemorating without it needing to be something that you're sure will be meaningful for your whole life. As long as you won't be ashamed of it in 5 years, you can get it just because you like it now.
Thatās a nice way to think of it. Iām also one of those people who has always been interested but never thought of anything I was confident I wanted permanently. I like the idea of tattoos as a way to commemorate some part of your life.
I do plan to get a tattoo this summer to remember my dog that passed away a couple months ago. Still deciding between a couple locations.
I have 6 and none of them have any particular meaning to them. 5 were flash that I picked off the walls of the tattoo parlor. My first one came from some stock line-art that I found in high school.
You should pick designs that appeal to you, or have meaning to you, but they can just look pretty too.
For location, think about the clothes you normally wear. If you want people to see it, then anywhere is cool, but for something that you don't want people to comment on all the time, wear it under your clothes.
Iām similar, most of mine were total spur of the moment decisions and the designs in themselves mean nothing. But each one reminds me where I was in life when I got it, which is a pretty cool thing to reflect on (my memory is, generally, shocking so I have no doubt I wouldnāt remember these times without the tattoos!)
... so now here I am just curious about the game ;-)
When I was much younger I played a game called Kingdom of Loathing, a very clever browser game with punchy writing and a bizarre world. I played it for 10 years or more, and at some point, because I was young and bored, I decided to try mixing and consuming one of each of the drinks that existed in the game, limited only by human safety (no literal jet fuel) and real world feasibility (no wine made entirely of mushrooms.)
I'm getting there, I promise.
The game itself was fairly short, with a run of the core quests possible by a well equipped player in less than 3 days, and one of the ways to get more rewards for ascension was to submit to challenges; no drinks, only food (teetotaler,) or no food, only drinks (boozetafarian), or the dreaded oxegenarian run where you ate and drank nothing.
I double promise, I'm almost there.
Anyway, because I was young and bored and drinking more than I had been (but for a "good" reason), I got no food.gif tattooed over my liver. It was amusing at the time, and it was tied into a game that I cared a good bit about and had played for a long long time.
Regardless, over the course of a decade or more of playing I had done a huge amount of what the game had to offer, and I eventually ended up using a bot for all of my runs. I had read the quests hundreds of times, and was left automatically playing the game to get more karma to incrementally improve my time on my next ascension, but I was no longer really engaging with the game. So I stopped playing, and the tattoo stopped being so meaningful. it's still there over my liver, but I no longer drink much at all and no longer play KoL, so it's more or less a physical marker of a memory I have of another time.
My most recent tattoo was a taco. Sometimes you just gotta get what you like. You'll figure out your own path! :)
My first tattoo took me many, many years to decide on and carries multiple layers of meaning and has relations to several significant aspects of my personal history.
My most recent was a Moomin that I had a dream about getting tattooed on my foot. So I went and had a Moomin tattooed on my foot. The guy who did it was really happy he could "make my dream come true"
My most recent is 3 dots on each hand and everyone asks me what it means. It just means the thought went through my mind one day that 3 dots would look cool so I booked it and got it done next day. I apologised to the artist for it being quite boring for him to do, but he was very nice about it
I love that!
My only tattoo is a skull and crossbones but made of a piece of tuna nigiri and some chopsticks.
Untatted at 30. I've wanted a tattoo since I was 18 and still haven't figured out what I want yet despite serious interest.
I'm of the opinion it doesn't need to be meaningful. If you like the art then why not?
I used to be like this for the longest time, but decided itās time to take the plunge. That was in February, and now in June I actually have two tattoos.
I think once you break the curse it gets easier to get more. One of the most important things to consider is placement though, because if you fall in love with tattoos you will want more. So donāt take up valuable real estate with something small.
When i think about the tattoos i have, i mostly brain storm them with my tattoo artist/friend and think my skin as a canvas, the back and forth we do about the ideas is enough meaning for me, though i do have my old pets hidden around my tattoos. The tattoos are as much part of me as are my scars and blemishes and i haven't regretted the money, pain, or the time that has gone into them. Though i do feel dumb forgetting how much it hurt to tattoo my stomach when i started my second tattoo there about my mice.
I come from a culture of no tattoos (because Jews and the holocaust). I have two tattoos and theyāre both incredibly meaningful for me, and small. I have two other small tattoos planned, one for my āsoul-dogā once I get her paw prints and my bff gets her catās paw print so we can do them together, and dandelions blowing in the wind on my ābad ankleā for āadventure in the great wide somewhereā from Beaity and the Beast.
Iām 32 and my dad still doesnāt know I have tattoos and Iāve had mine for 5 years now? One of mine is even for my bond with my older brother, even though he has no interest in tattoos.
I think itās fair to have a thought of something meaningful to you, but I also personally love the feel of the tattoo gun(?) and would consider getting a tattoo in one of my chronic pain spots because it feels good there. Itās also completely valid to just get one that doesnāt mean anything, or you just like the idea. All points are valid, just donāt tell my Jewish father I have tattoos lol.
Wife and I are both covered in tats and have been for decades. The general public seems to not care as much anymore. The only culture surrounding tattoos that weāre ever exposed to or a part of are at tattoo shops or following shops and artists on social media, where there is plenty going on. I think that since itās less taboo than it ever was it doesnāt need such a niche culture anymore to thrive and instead has found its place with those that are interested.
Me and my wife are both very intested in tattoos, but also don't have any spare money to get them. And won't lie, we both do fetishize it to a degree, but I have friends who see it as an immediate turnoff, so it's probably a wash how that shakes out across the population. Personally, I see it as a somewhat reliable (better than nothing?) indicator that a random nude of someone isn't underage, which is a nice comfort.
I think I also see other's perceptions of tattoos as an indicator of mental openness...the most closeminded people I know presume people with tattoos are dropout drug addicts, and won't trust doctors, nurses, or teachers with them. And these are not Boomers, they're like X and elder millenials expressing these things.
So anyway we've spent the last 10 years contemplating what to do when our children are older and we have more free funds. First up is probably our 13-years-overdue wedding bands, then probably try to find someone to do our kid's birth footprints.
Hahaha holy crap I never thought about that. The great 18+ indicator. Oh my goodness what a great point.
Your birth footprints idea is so cute. Something tangible you can see forever. I love it!
You can get a tattoo if you are under 18. Usually all it takes is a parent to sign off on it. Iāve had many high school students who are under 18 that have tattoos.
Sadly in this day and age I'll take any filter I can get. Worked better 15 years ago.
Nothing is foolproof, but even as someone whom will support their kid on damn near anything, tattoos I'm pretty firm on 'not till you're 18'. I'd consider an exception for some tribute for a close friend dying tragically.
I'm a xennial and somewhere between these two poles. I wanted a tattoo when I was younger but never found anything I liked enough to make permanent. And I liked tattoos. But tattoo culture shifted from being on parts of your body that could be hidden when appropriate, to really obvious parts of your body like faces, necks, full limbs etc with none on the torso. They kinda lost me then.
I still like tattoos but people with face/neck tattoos to me are kinda like bright colors on an animal indicating they're poisonous and to stay away.
My kid's art teacher is a former tattoo artist, now teaches elementary kids about famous art.
He stayed off his face but I'm pretty sure I saw a neck tattoo lurking around his beard.
What's an appropriate occasion to show tattoos in your opinion?
With highly visible tattoos becoming more prevalent, is it making you feel uncomfortable?
Oh, I don't really think there are situations it isn't appropriate to show them these days. I'm just contrasting how it was when I was younger to today.
The only tattoos that make me feel uncomfortable are face tattoos. For two reasons, 1. I don't really know where to look and 2. I kinda expect them to be volatile if they thought getting a face tatt was a good idea. I recognise #2 is totally prejudiced.
Haha fair enough. It's a pretty normal prejudice to have and one of the top reasons I've spent about 7 years undecided on getting a face tattoo. I worry I might not like looking at myself. That's the antithesis of what I try to achieve when getting a tattoo!
I'm thinking about getting my first tattoo. I'm thirty and work in a conservative environment, so I'd probably want something on my leg. Have spent countless hours scrolling Reddit and Instagram looking at tattoos and looking for artists. It's been a fun break from the monotony of everyday life.
Inkmaster was (is?) a fun show and can showcase a lot of different stuff.
Lol I actually am a moderator on r/Inkmaster and yes it's been revived on paramount+. Dave Navarro's birthday was yesterday!
Have any particular styles taken your fancy yet?
There's a style popular with a few artists in my area that they call "New School" . Regardless of any specific style, anything colorful that has sort of a comic book art vibe to it really catches my eye
I have several tattoos. My wife has even more.
We both appreciate the artistry of them and what it takes to do them, neither of us care about the "culture" of tattoos.
We were both well into adulthood when we started getting them so don't have any we regret, but both had aspirations for them when growing up (we're older than most here) so it wasn't a desire due to wider acceptance and we don't have anything "trendy." We just get tattoos that we like, fit our personality, and want permanently placed on our bodies; just another form of the art like what we hang in our house, as we don't buy any art we don't intend to keep forever.
I really want a tattoo but I just can't think of anything I'm sure I won't dislike in a few years. I'm no longer even using "meaningfulness" as a criteria, as I did when I first started searching, as I've come to realize that that varies with time and that's OK. I do want something that immediately jumps out to me as a "Yes!" but I just haven't found that yet. I like a lot of nature related things, so I thought of maybe getting some watercolor-ish native grasses from when I grew up, or perhaps a fungus or mushroom of sorts since I find them endlessly fascinating. I also thought of a small UFO of some type, since I love a lot of sci-fi and UFOs specifically remind me of my dad, who always has a penchant for that type of thing. But still, none of these have been immediate yes's in my mind and that is what I'm looking for.
My wife has a handful of beautiful tattoos, and is getting more soon. But despite her great taste she hasn't been able to help me decide (even after offering many suggestions). I might be overthinking it.
Tattoo people generally loves getting tattoos, it's not something they're indecisive about at all. So yeah, if you're not sure, maybe you're not really supposed to get one?
I'm saying that because I'm the same.
That's very possible. The thing is, I'm pretty decisively pro-tattoo, in that I am pretty sure I want one? It's just the next step of what to get exactly that I am unsure about!
My main concern about tattoos is financial. My kids (in their mid to late 20s) will drive 4 hours to see a tattoo artist to continue working on their tats. But when they tell me they spent $4000 on a tat (so far) but cant make rent without stressing out, I really start to shake my head. I just dont get that.
I'm from New Zealand, so I have deep respect for tÄ moko.
For the last three and a half decades, I have wanted a tattoo of a Tibetan symbol, but have held back simply because I have never been to Tibet, and feel like I need to at least visit before I ink someone else's culture on my skin.
I was an early Modern Primitives body piercing and tattooing fan. So my "engagement" and "wedding" rings are actually forearm tattoos based on my spouse's artwork in fractal design and some identitarian folklore design.
I'm not heavily tattooed, just some work on my arms, but I'm still looking for the back piece and artist I want to die with. Finding and supporting an artist I trust is important to me. The quality of local talent is much better than when I got my first ink, but there's still a post-COVID waiting list for the person I'd like to do my next piece.
Any thoughts on how to integrate designs over the whole of one's body?
Hey your tags are fine ;)
I don't have tattoos, but my impression is that, in my location at least, the subculture is "dying" in the sense that it is now completely mainstream and having a tattoo doesn't mean that the person belong to any specific group. Unless you're extremely tattooed (like literally your whole visible body or something like that) or have a face tattoo, no one will really care one way or the other. In some environments, not having any tattoo is actually a little weird.
Have you noticed something like that?
True and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. I'm 32, so just on the cusp of remembering what it used to be like. And I did get a lot of judgement but felt like I was in some exclusive club. These days it's so much more accessible and that's not a bad thing but... It does mean so much more gatekeeping, condescension, judgement from inside the "community". That's sad af. :(
I don't have a face tattoo ... YET. But it's on the list once I stop being afraid of my parents.
What about you? Anything? Edit: as in planned, not owned obvs lol
My partner has a tattoo. It is a girly tattoo that is meaningful to her. It's quite big, on her back (not a tramp stamp lol). I like it. I don't have tattoos. Never felt very attracted to the idea. And I don't like that tattoos are basically permanent. I think I'd eventually change my mind about it. Or maybe my ideas for tattoos always suck :P
I've got a tattoo on my finger from a long defunct goth message board. Many of my tattoos suck mightily. Never shall I pass judgement!
I'll probably never get one personally, but if I do I have the shop, a body location and a designed picked out already :)
https://razzouktattoo.com/pages/history
This family has been doing tattoos in Jerusalem for the last 700 years for Christian pilgrims.
I was always kind of neutral on tattoos until my brother dropped out of college to be a tattoo artist.
Our whole family was very confused about it for a bit, but he ended up apprenticing for a pretty famous tattoo artist. Spent a couple years there before he split and opened his own shop with some friends. Heās doing great now, I even had him slap one on me.
Before he got into it I never really knew anything about different styles of tattoos but as he started exploring and finding his style, we both really fell in love with bold lines. Heās growing quite a following and doing guest spots in cities around the northeast.
I like new tattoo culture. Itās probably an incorrect view of things but growing up in the late nineties through late naughts, most people I knew who got tattoos got something silly on a spur of the moment trip to a tattoo shop. Iām seeing a lot more people think out what they want and work with their artist to figure out a design they really love.
Iām covered in ink and have always just gotten them just to get them. Never cared what others thought about my ink. I have lots of friends for whom are in the industry so some of the time itās just been supporting the buddies. I have some great tattoos and some that would make you say āwtf whyā. I honestly forget that I have them at times because I donāt make them part of my identity.
Tattoo culture has always been in the mainstream. What do you mean by āentering the mainstreamā? We are just entering a time where tattoos are becoming more acceptable so folks are getting them more often. Which isnāt a bad thing. I have everything from my neck down done including my hands. I work in an engineering position with a major construction/farm equipment manufacturer so when I need to get all dressed up for meetings and not have others second guess me itās kind of a relief.
Same, buddy! And once I run out of space it's time for blastovers.
Yes! Iām going in around September to get my right arm blacked out. I got my right sleeve done when I was younger so itās time for something different. Going to work tons of whites and whatnot into the blackout eventually in the future.
I actually really love the blackout aesthetic. Especially with negative space designs or white ink. Oh lordy I don't even know you and I'm legit excited for you. :D
I'm not much aware about tattoo culture to be honest, is it an art form kinda thing? Like artists and sculptors love painting and making idols, programmers love their recursive loops and if conditions, similarly people find artistic happiness in decorating their bodies with tattoos? This has remarkable parallels in pagan culture, perhaps even medieval art if you think about it.
I've seen some people in love engraving tattoos of their partner's name on their body. Like the first letter, etc. with a love symbol. It's an expression of serious commitment and a trust building exercise, isn't it? Since the tattoo is permanent, you gotta live with it forever now!
It's a huge trust commitment. Trust in your artist and trust in yourself.
Yes huge roots in pagan cultures and others worldwide.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220817-will-tattoos-finally-be-accepted-as-art
I have one tattoo and am getting another soon. I had this idea a while back where I wanted to get small tattoos done on my leg and have it become a "sleeve" overtime. I wanted each of them to be of something important or have a memory attached to it. However that has also made me apprehensive about even getting a tattoo, because it doesn't feel significant "enough". It also a challenge trying to encapsulate a memory or moment of my life in a tattoo.
Sorry if it's a bit of random reply, just sharing my personal experience.
I have a few. I used to have the opinion that they all had to be fantastic and meaningful, but changed my opinion very drastically. The way I see it is that each tattoo is also a reminder of a period in my life. My crappy stick and pokes meant very little at the time, but now after a few years I really appreciate them and the amazing memories that come with them.
I have 4 tattoos. Two on each arm. I didn't get my first one until I was 30 or 31. I'm 36 now. I have plans for more just haven't had the time or budget for them recently. I used to be more skeptical about tattoos and whether I'd like anything permanently on my body. And I do think back to potential tattoo ideas I had when I was like 18 and cringe a bit. But I feel like now that I'm older, I'd only choose something with meaning in my life.
So yes, I love tattoos but I wouldn't say I'm super into the culture or know a ton of details about the industry or specific inks or anything like that.
I've been wanting to get inked for a long time and have just never been able to settle on a design I like. Everything I think I might like would necessarily be big, like at least a third of my back or a full sleeve. But my career requires interacting with a lot of serious government people as clients and I don't want to be prejudged. I would also be doing something related to my religious beliefs and I worry about that leading to prejudicial treatment as well.
And, of course, I'm just a fairly hairy person and I can't think of tats that will look good when covered in a layer of fur. I think I would lean towards something similar to the traditional Sak Yant style tattoos they do in Thailand, but I'd want it done by someone who can recontextualize it for my own culture and infuse some more modern artistic conventions without being appropriative about it. It's hard to find an artist to work with who can thread that needle.
I like it and don't think it needs any meaning. It's just a drawing I want on my body. I have 6 for now, but Manny Calavera is my favorite.