Tattoos

[the_std]

I have nine piercings myself, and every single one of them was done to remember an event or a person. I go out and get them done after something important happens to me, or someone I love leaves my life, because they're potentially more temporary than tattoos (I could take most of them out if I wanted to, let them heal for a while, and you wouldn't be able to tell I'd had them) and I can display them far more easily without getting labeled a terrible and unprofessional person by society.

[DesignFox]

I have nine piercings myself, and every single one of them was done to remember an event or a person. <snip>

Neat. You're the first person I've heard of who got peircings rather than tattoos to honor a person or event.

I just got mine because I like the way they look and I felt great afterward.

[rdp78]

I only have one peircing on each ear and had them for over twenty years (makes me feel old thinking about it). That was my birthday present when I turned 8. I have been thinking for a few years to get a second piercing on each ear but I haven't done it because I don't usually wear earrings and my thing about needles. There were also money reasons too.

This is how far I will go when it comes to piercings and I do think that your private parts is really disgusting. I think that nose is kind of a cool place to peirced not to mention it's common in some cultures to pierce the nose and the belly button is kind of interesting place to pierce too but if you show that part off. Now I heard it's not a great idea to piece the tongue because is could hurt the teeth and probably hard to eat things.

Also plugs as earrings are kind of freaky looking and probably could mess up your ears. The Apatani tribe in India, the women actually have plugs in their noses because they were consider the most beautiful and did this to become ugly so they wouldn't be taken to another tribe. It is now a dying tradition because the younger members have stop doing it. They also do other body modifications too and here is the Wiki on them http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatani.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

My problem with tattoos, and I'm sure this comment will win me no friends here, is that the only people I ever see getting them are people who can scarce afford them. They are not cheap.

I realize it's not my business how people spend their money. I'm just making an observation here. The number of tattoos I see on people's bodies seems to correspond directly with the number of unpaid bills the person's having trouble covering.

I see people paying for the things in installments while living in terrible housing or driving limping shitbox cars around. At least that is how it is down here.

[DesignFox]

My problem with tattoos, and I'm sure this comment will win me no friends here, is that the only people I ever see getting them are people who can scarce afford them. They are not cheap.
<snip>

Funny you should say that, this precisely describes one of my brothers. He never has enough money for clothing or food. Can't hold a steady job. But he's got tats everywhere.

Trust me, my family understands that frustration.

In my experience though, he's the minority. Everyone else I associate with who has a tattoo was responsible about it.

My So for instance- his first tat means a great deal to him because he was going through a rough time in his life. The Angel on his shoulder is his reminder that even the blessed experience hardship. His fraternity brothers came together and paid for the tattoo for him for his birthday, so it is also a reminder of their friendship.

His other tattoo is more difficult to describe, but it basically signifies the time in his life where he got his shit together and life is good. He was able to afford that one and got it to represent all the good he had achieved for himself.

He has rules about tattoos, too. They have to be tasteful, generally only black (although he's softening on that rule), no words or names, no logos, and he has to consider the design for 6 months to a year- if he still wants it after that period has passed, then he gets it done. And he doesn't consider them for about 4-5 years apart. (he's only got 2- he's thinking about a 3rd around the fall).

If I ever end up with one, those are the rules I intend to follow. But I have yet to think up anything I want permanently etched into my skin. So. No Ink for me.

I'm done rambling now.

[AFPheonix]

I think the only piercings I really mind are gauged nostrils. I really don't need to see someone's turbinates up close and personal.

I can't even put earrings in my ears, they're way too sensitive even for high quality gold. I'm kind of sad, but oh well. I do have big-ass rhinestone clip-ons for horse shows.

My tattoo really didn't hurt at all. At worst it felt like someone popping a back zit, but even that was rare. It smarted some when it was healing, but even then it just felt like a sunburn.

[Norton]

I have 6 tattoos, and have had at least 20 piercings, 14 of which I still have (the others were removed for health, comfort, and work-related reasons). Guess how many of them have deep meaning to me? One tattoo, and no piercings. The one meaningful tattoo I have is also the most random-looking tattoo I have. It's nobody's business why I decided to have my skin decorated with ink and metal, and I don't see why so many people expect that each one must symbolize something, or else be valueless.

Even though my tattoos are only a few years old, some of them already no longer represent who I am. It doesn't bother me though, because they represent who I was, which is what led me to be who I am. If I were to somehow lose a tattoo, or be forced to remove another piercing, I would feel as if I lost a small part of myself. I guess I'd get over it, but I still wouldn't want to choose to undo anything.

As for the money factor, I was lucky. My former roommate was a professional piercer and eager amateur tattoo artist, which led to a lot of spontaneous work done on me for a payment of Taco Bell food. The one non-spontaneous tattoo I've gotten is also my worst, since my roommate and I began fighting before it was finished, and she moved away during that time, taking the only drawings of the finished tattoo with her. To finish it will be very expensive and impossible for me to afford for a few more years, at least.

Still, I'm not self-conscious about it. I neither show off nor hide my tattoos and piercings, as beautiful or silly or scary or meaningless as they may be.

[PepperElf]

only thing i dislike is when someone gets a tat cos they think it's "cool" ... and they have no idea what the tat means, or that they just got inked with a racist or gang symbol.

seriously you're going to sink money into that tat, might as well research what it might mean...

example: guy i know had a tattoo of a spider web on his elbow, the web centered right at the point of the joint. and according to a list of known gang tattoo symbols (yes we actually had to take training on this) that tattoo means the person killed a minority. not sure if he knew that tho

[Flyndaran]

I would only get geek tatoos.
The logo for my favorite role playing game (an eye insinde a pyramid)
My girlfriend would like a squashed fairy on her butt. No matter how much weight she loses or gains, or how old she gets it will only add "details".

[telecom_goddess]

Well I have 3 ear piercings, 1 on the left and 2 on the right. I also have a nose piercing I've had for about 15 years. I also have two tattoos which are no more than a couple of years old. I make no effort to cover any of these up...I figure if people don't like 'em too bad. It hasn't kept me from jobs or anything.....in fact a lot of employers in this area realize this is a big part of the culture here and let it go.

I don't have plans to add any more right now....I am definitely done with piercing and tattoo wise I haven't thought of a good third one yet ...but when I do I have no qualms about getting another one.