It costs little money to get one but a significant sum ( not covered by insurance) to remove one. But that is not the reason why I do not, and would not have one.
The reason? As we used to say in the day – Da Fuzz! Yup, law enforcement. You know, Officer Opie. I get into a fight at some disepitomable bistro, defending my guitar against some aggressive backwoods jocko who takes offense of my rendering of a country favorite, and Opie asks, ” was there any particular characteristic that you noticed?”, ” yes, cousin Op, I mean Officer Opie, the big tattoo on his fist that said Born To Be Wild.”
Having been a sailor, the son of a sailor, and descended from long lines of sailors on both sides of the family, I learned one thing: Tattoos are identifying marks.
All that being said about my personal choices, works of ink art can enhance the appearance. I remember one young lady. Who had her favorite constellations inked on her rear. An astronaut could have navigated by those stars. Anyway, you get the idea. I’ve also had friends with the names of their road buddies inked on their arms to memorialize those who passed on. Others have their children’s names on their arms.
Among the most interesting bits of ink art, though, are those that do something. The best I ever saw was on a friend who was also a carver. While in the Navy, he had a dancing girl inked on his calf. When he clenched the muscles, the girl danced. After a drink or two, he’d show off her moves.
One thing to remember is how that ink art will look in sixty years. One of my favorite cartoons shows a bunch of seniors sitting on a porch comparing their wrinkled, misaligned, faded, and distorted tats. One oldster is saying to another, ” This one was a mermaid back when!” His friend replies, ” This one was a big eagle with an American flag!” Based on current appearances, either might have been a map of the Roman Empire or a surreal painting gone bad. So think about what it will look like when you are not so young and smooth-skinned.
Anyway, those are a few things to think about while the artist is inking you. Now, If I were you, I’d go for the dancing girl. Always a favorite at parties.
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All true
I made up the one about the constellations, but the rest is true, especially the dancing girl. He had that done in Singapore if I remember correctly.
Absolutely, you’ve gopt to take a long-term view beforeyou hav a tatt.
I have a purple butterfly tattooed on the back of my shoulder – when I had it done (I was 30) my 50-something mum asked critically ‘What will you look like when you’re old and it fades and blurs?’ and my 70-something grandmother (whose paper-thin skin bruised as soon as you looked at it) at it stood up for me by saying ‘She’ll look just like me!’ 🙂
Well, where you put it matters; on the shoulder, it probably won’t wrinkle or fade. other places maybe more.
No tatts here. I missed that window, but my sailor father had a few. Oddly, a blue forearm anchor is how I recognized an uncle in the locked unit on my first night of work in a nursing home. You were wise –tatts are indeed an identifier!!
My dad had a forearm anchor too, half the Navy and Merchant Marine had them.
I think one or two is fine, but full arm and full body is just plain messy.
agreed!
What other ideas for the ones that move?
I have one.
My late brother-in-law had the American bald eagle on one arm and, erm, Che Guevara on the other. We always used to giggle at the contrast.
Che! I still have a Che pin, although it was more of a joke than anything else. Everyone knew I was an anarchist.
My Dad had my Mom’s name, I think a lot of service men did that.
The biggest problem with tats, as you have said, is that no one can foresee the future. Girlfriend Jane may turn to girlfriend Amanda and you’re stuck with Jane tattooed on your arm. Splits, divorces, sobering or just plain smartening up — and you’re stuck with the old decor you thought so great as a teen. We’ve a friend who’s a 40ish married man with a family now; he bought a laser machine and is bit by bit painfully removing those teenage tattoos that covered both arms.
Ouch! I didn’t even kn ow that you could do that! But Yeah, as you say they can outlive their welcome.