The trend in tattoos has been in full swing for some time now. And the topic of tattooed mamas (and tattooed ta-tas) has come up lately in the neighborhood of several blogs I frequent.
I’ve had a bug up my you-know-what over this for years. Can someone explain the appeal to me?
I don’t understand how a needle etching names and designs into our flesh has become part of popular culture over the past 20 years – accepted for teenagers as well as suburban moms and dads, with celebs of both genders leading the way.
I don’t get it
Didn’t this used to be the stuff of sailors and gang members? Did I miss something? Was it the time I spent in the blur of single parenting and juggling on my personal planet, Fred?
I know, I know. All the pop culture icons have been doing it – Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, and a gazillion others. And apparently, a whole lot of you!
So tell me – why do women get tattoos? Skin is precious, and there are plenty of other surfaces to make art on!
I still don’t get it
We aren’t talking about a culture with a history in body art. And yes, I have women friends with a little butterfly or heart somewhere discreet. I have also known the occasional man with arm or shoulder tattoos. But not anyone I date, or would.
I admit – there was only one exception – a man I knew a few years back who exuded the most powerful male sexuality I’ve ever had the pleasure to be in a room with. He was a genuinely interesting guy, and had the most gorgeous physique I’ve ever seen, with or without those rippling arms covered in permanent embellishment.
But I would’ve found him even hunkier without the ink.
Tattoo art: Skin as canvas?
I’m all for personal freedoms, and if tats make you happy, why not? Still, I look at Angelina Jolie’s stunning body, and the tattoos – especially so many – creep me out.
So, I’m curious –
- Do you have tattoos? What does it do for you? Any regrets?
- How do you feel about a man with tattoos?
- What about a woman with tats? Do you find it hot, not, or a non-event?
- What if your teenager wanted a tattoo?
And by the way…
Stop by SingleMommyhood for the tattoo post!
I am with you BLW. I don’t it get it either. I think it is generational. I always tell me kids, if you are so moved by a piece of artwork, ..get it framed and put it on the wall and look at it. It will also look great in 30 years …lol.
In my humble opinion, the woman’s body is a magnificient, natural, work of art. It doesn’t need any decorating!
I don’t have tattoos, and I won’t ever get one. I hope my kids don’t get one, either. I’ve dated a few women who had tattoos – usually very small and discreetly placed (I won’t go into details.) It didn’t bother me, but it didn’t heat me up, either.
Though this one woman had the most awesome symbol on the small of her back. Let’s just say there were certain positions where I viewed that tat, and loved seeing it.
Tattoos for me?…. NOT. I would never get one. Ever. I tend to get ‘tired’ of a lot of things and go through phases, I cannot imagine having a tattoo of anything on me that I wouldn’t get tired of. Plus, I think they are trashy… I can’t tell you how many beautiful women suddenly turn from beautiful to trashy with a tattoo.
Had to share this. I just got back from getting a birthday card for my son. I saw a card which pretty much covers it for me.
Two old guys on the front, one lifting his bicep and the other guy is guessing, “Ship”, “Boat”, “Motorcycle”….
Inside says…..two senior citizens playing the game ” What this tattoo used to be” LOL
I have a very small tattoo in the shape of a Texas on my lower back. It started off as a teeny tiny butterfly when I turned 18, and honestly I just got it to have one. If I hadn’t gotten one then, I doubt I’d have done it later. When I got divorced, I decided to change it, but I don’t regret it. I like my tattoo, but I’m glad it’s not somewhere obvious, and I sometimes forget about it until someone sees it and says something.
Having said that, it depends on the tattoo and the person as to whether or not it turns me on. I’ve only been with one man who had tattoos that had stories and meaning to them, and he was pretty covered. He had pin-up girls tattooed on his arms and I named them and loved them. He was definitely the sexiest man I’ve ever been with (that could also be because he looked like a mix between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, but that’s neither here nor there) and his tattoos were very well-done.
Random or poorly done tattoos = instant turn-off, and I would probably rather be with a man with no tats. Face tattoos are creepy, even on Megan Fox.
I do not have any tattoos. I almost got one when I was a teenager and I joined the Marines. Thank got I had sensible friends who convinced me not to do it. I am not a tattoo person and I don’t find them attractive on women. You’re right, we don’t live in a society that traditionally gets tattoos. But, I think that’s just why people get them. Because exotic things are automatically cool no matter how much sense it makes. It isn’t cool to be christian even though being a real christian is a lot like being a Buddhist (in a meditative sense at least). Just like why it’s popular to save Tibet without taking note that Tibet was not a peace loving socially fair place before the chinese got there. It’s just exotic — no need to think when you can let a picture do your talking and a tattoo tell people how unique you are. Americans who get them have a mild mental problem. They want to be seen badly enough to stencil a message onto themselves. They want to be different so badly that they’re willing to submit to something that will make them just the same as millions of people. Why do EMOs wear the same kind of clothing? They’re being different by all being the same and not realizing that it isn’t body art or clothes that makes a person who they are.
Fascinating topic. I have never personally gotten the appeal of tattoos. In my estimation, there are so many ways to expression of personal style that are not permanent. I have always thought that tattoos were evidence of insecurity and need for attention. But now. Now, I am not so sure. It’s not that I will run out this weekend and get a tattoo, it’s just that now I am a little less inclined to judge. I don’t really know why people get tattoos, but I do think they get them for a wide range of reasons and who am I to determine what reasons are valid. The permanence issue is what baffles me. But it could be that I am just generally allergic to permanence. Who knows. Thanks again for another intriguing post.
For me, a tattoo on a woman is sort of like wearing the color red. Some women can get away with it and look bang out, drop dead gorgeous. Other women just look … well, a bit trashy and as if they are trying too hard.
I dated a knock-out blonde with a tattoo that covered much of her back and I had no issue with it. However, Besos has considered getting a tattoo and it makes me want to scream in my head. She has sort of perfect skin and I think I’ll want to pluck out my eye every time I saw it if she goes through with it.
Overall, however, I tend to find that most tattoos are a little tacky. Again, just depends on the person and tattoo and the combination of the two.
I do not have any tattoos but have considered it briefly. The only thing I would get is a constellation – so that the stars were small enough to look like freckles. And only someone with a sharp eye would be able to tell it was a tattoo or a constellation.
Little Filthy, however, is fully tatted up.
-R.
I’m tat-less myself. I will likely stay this way. Tattoos are like tobacco to me, I’ve just never seen the draw and they seem messier than they are enjoyable. Besides, I’m chicken when it comes to any kind of pain and the idea of putting needles in me for any reason (except the epidural during childbirth) really creeps me out. Note I said “needles”… there are other things that don’t creep me out quite so much when inserted appropriately!
I was joking with a friend a while back about getting a tattoo and he called it a tramp stamp. I guess like all the other comments mentioned, it is kind of iffy. Some people pull off a tattoo, others don’t. For me, a tattoo on a guy is a real turn off. I’m not going to take the risk of it being a disaster on me though!
I know some who say, that it is to remember someone who has passed on. Eh. I can see it to some extent. But really, there are so many other ways to do this.
I can see how it can be really hot. But, then I think, “okay, what will that look like years down the road.”
And then their is the fact that, whether I like it or not. It changes my perception of someones decision making skill.
Disclaimer: I have dated people with tattoos and had no issues with it, it’s just runs through the back of my mind.
Hmm, now that I think about it, some of the girls, didn’t make good decisions in other “more” important parts of life, which heavily affected the relationship.
I am with you on the tat front. Don’t get it. My daughter wants to pierce her nose because her friend has a tiny little nose diamond that looks like a blackhead that needs extracting. Don’t even want to consider the issue of a cold. I keep saying no, hoping that by the time she is allowed to get one on her own, she won’t want to.
And yup, I have no desire to be like 90 with a gross, faded butterfly or something that looks like a bruise on my boob. But that’s just me I guess.
I find tattoos on women a huge turn-off. I can’t think of any tattoo, in any place, that would appeal to me. The body modifications I like involve things like toenail polish and wax.
I used to think that I would never want a tattoo, but I have a scar on my abdomen from surgery – quite a glaring scar, and it bothers me quite a bit. And I feel no ownership over it, but if I were to get a tattoo, I would take back ownership of it and what it symbolizes.
I think Angelina is super hot with tattoos (and without), especially what they symbolize (coordinates and dates of her children’s births). I do not like poorly-done tats but a well-done one can be interesting or even hot. I haven’t ever been with somebody with a tattoo that I can remember, but I could. It wouldn’t be a turn-off unless it was a stupid tattoo (too cliche) or poorly done.
I have a quiet aesthetic so will not go with a lot of splashy color, but the tattoo(s) I get will represent me and my life.
And as I age, I like the idea of tattoos aging with me. There’s nothing glamorous about having 80-year-old skin, but it’s kind of cool in its own way. And how a tattoo would age with it is fascinating. I’m not concerned about social conventions of how old people should be. Heck, maybe I’ll be getting tattoos when I’m 80. I could never commit to anything in my 20’s or 30’s – but now I realize I’m in this body so why not really make it mine however I want. I haven’t made an appointment yet, but I’m getting ready.
I don’t like the more socially acceptable notions of beauty primping – I think toenail polish is disgusting, though Restylane and Botox are far worse. Blech.
Oh, and I did grow up in a culture where tattooing was traditionally common (Alaska Native). And I’ll probably go with a traditional design that I grew up with for at least my first tattoo.
(thank you for coming by my blog – made my day!)
Ooh….so, I’m the only one who loves the tats?
I don’t personally have one, but I have been designing a shoulder sleeve in my mind for almost fifteen years. I may never get it, but I like to think about it.
I think tattoos can be incredibly sexy. Like Random Esquire said, they can be trashy on some people and you know they got them just to be trendy.
I guess it boils down to meaning. Why do they have the tattoo? My father has a Maltese cross with a dove over it – he got it when he returned home from the horror of war. It has meaning, and context.
I remember a Glamour article about survivors of cancer. One woman had one breast removed and instead of having an implant, she had a tattoo of birds, flowering vines, and other symbols of rebirth. It was stunningly beautiful, and brave.
Oh, you aren’t getting rid of me 🙂
Darn it girl, you’ve done it again. Your posts always make me think, and frequently inspire my own posts on the same subject. In this case, the inspiration was to answer your question about why people get inked, and why I plan on it. (If I can ever afford it, that is.) The post is here: Tattoos: Skin as Commemorative ( http://wp.me/pLo6N-33 )
I seem to be joining Natalie in the minority, too. I find well done tattoos that have meaning to them quite attractive. Hubby and I watch the cable shows about tattooing, and the stories behind the tattoos can be quite inspirational.
I saw one where this lady had a really bad case of alopecia, and was totally bald. She got a beautiful tat on the back of her head, and said that it was her way of telling the world that just because she didn’t have hair didn’t mean that she wasn’t beautiful.
Wendy
Wow. That’s cool. (Will peek at your post shortly!)