Q. I�m all for women�s equal �right� to get tattooed. This question has nothing to do with whether or not one thinks it is �proper� or �classy/trashy� to be tattooed. In fact, I find tattooing on women to be attractive, though that�s only one aspect of tattooing. And I highly respect women like �Somebody� on here, who are very smart about and dedicated to tattooing.
My question is serious � not sexist.
Tattooing in Western society has had a �culture� of it�s own, and we all know that culture is about MEANING. What does it mean to be tattooed? Why do people get tattooed? My OPINION on the right reasons to get tattooed includes:
--the images being tattooed inspire you
--the images fuel your imagination
--a more recent thing (in the West): love of art and taking that art beyond banal �canvases� of museums (along with this there is something �deep� about the permanence of it and the fact that it is on skin, w/ blood, etc)
--to mark affiliation with a group. Affiliation with a group makes people feel like they are a part of something larger than themselves.
--a memorial
Along with these comes a sense of permanence. Permanence reinforces commitment. Finally, I think tattooing has also been resorted to by marginalized/disenfranchised people as a type of property. If nothing else in this world, at least they have their tattoos, which will go with them to their death.
Think for example of sailors who were among the first to popularize getting tattooed. During long shipping voyages in crap conditions, they could use all the inspiration they got. And these people really had no property�even the clothes on their backs were often in pawn! If they went �overboard,� the one thing they would have is their tattoos�also what they look at and dream about during long days away from home.
Now why are trendy people getting tattooed nowadays?
--�dangerous� factor. People thinks it makes them �wild� or �dangerous� in some way. But guess what? It used to be much harder to get tattooed. You had to travel or interact with certain �dangerous� people to do so. These people were not �polite,� not there to be nice to you or stand for any of your bullcrap. It sickens me how encouraging people are on this site towards people asking �Should I get this tattoo?� No! Tattooing is not meant to be as easy to get (even if cheaper than) Starbucks.
In the current atmosphere of �Have a nice day,� �convenience� tattooing, any associations of �danger� are actually removed.
--to �symbolize� something. This is such a load of b.s. Yes, tattoos do �symbolize�...they indeed �mean� something. But there are many different ways of representing or symbolizing. The type of signing that trendy people usually do is not the type of signing common to tattoo culture. It would take a long and complicated discussion to explain this... you either get it or you don�t.
--to memorialize. This was the one past (traditional tattoo culture) motivation for tattooing that the trendy people have harped in on and blown all out of proportion. I don�t know if it�s because they see stuff like Miami Ink where everyone (as instructed to them by the show�s producers) walks in with some story about how blah blah happened and they need this tattoo of blah blah to represent that.
Trendy people seem to feel the need just to make ANY mark on their bodies to mark that something happened. �This shooting star is because my grandma died.� Huh?
--anxiousness to be �experienced.� As teens, most of us felt anxious about losing our virginity. Once you had sex, you joined the ranks of the non-virgin population�the EXPERIENCED population! A similar process seems to be at work with tattooing�people are anxious to get MARKED in any way to join this �club�.
But here is the thing: joining the �club� isn�t meant to be easy. There is inconvenience....pain....stigma....permanence. Inconvenience, Pain, Stigma, Permanence�these are the things that the trendy tattoo people are bent on getting around. Everything (questions on Yahoo Answers, for instance) are driven towards avoiding these obstacles--- BUT THEY ARE THE VERY OBSTACLES that give MEANING to being tattooed, to being in the �club�!!
In the absense of this meaning (tattoos have become meaningless fashion), the trendy people try to add �meaning���symbolism�. In real tattoo culture, someone is inspired by something so much that they want it permanently put on their body. In trendy tattooing, people decide first that they �need� to get tattooed (to become part of the cool, experiened club, to attract people sexually, to work out their psychological issues of things like isolation and poor self image)...and THEN they try to �think up� a tattoo (usually some banal shape or image inspired by commercial logo-ing/branding) and add to it some stated �meaning.� Do I need to go any further in explaining how utterly bankrupt this trendy tattoo culture is?
Trendy men and women are equally guilty of lowering the standards of tattoo culture and turning it into cheap branding. But women especially seem significant in this process. Because of the nature of popular �women�s culture� ALONG WITH women�s historical relationship to the art of tattooing, they especially have sought to remove the
INCONVENIENCE (�Can I pay with my credit card?� �What brand of lotion should I buy?� �How many times a day should I rub it in?� �Let me just get a little star here on the spot today� �Let me go online and ask...�)
PAIN (�Where does it hurt least?� �What creams can I use to reduce to numb it?�...)
STIGMA (�Stop calling it a tramp stamp� �I got my tattoos for me, they are mine� �Why get it in a place where you can�t show it off?�)
PERMANENCE (�How much does tattoo removal cost and does it really work?�).
Notice that the vast majority of people asking tattoo questions on this site are women.
What do you think this means? Thanks
I wish I could change the title of this question a bit; It is hard to articulate succintly.
I don't really like the sound of "women ruining" -- it makes it sound like women (of course I only mean certain ones) as the agents....
I think a better way to say it is that tattooing has changed towards ACCOMODATING this class of trendy people--both sexes, but especially to accomodate some of the desires of women, who are a relatively "new" clientele for tattooing.
A. I read all of what you have written, and I agree with most of your major points. I do think tattoos have sort of become a trend, and I know exactly what you mean by "can I pay with a credit card". tattoos are a whole lot easier to get now than they were when sailors were getting them. I do think it's rediculous that people get tattoos in an effort to show that it symbolizes something when really they just got it to be cool. As far as women sort of changing the idea and culture of tattooing... I think this is one of your least valid points. Yes, maybe some things have changed since 1925! But isn't that what ALL cultures do? maybe it sucks every little meaning behind tattoo culture, maybe it's just changing and you don't want to be put into that group of trendy men and women you keep talking about. So in order not to be in it (because obviously your reasons for getting inked are so much better) you criticize it. All I have to say, is that my entire family has gotten inked (except me). Grandparents included. Now THEY got tattoos when they were hard to get! I think tattoos are body art, I think the history is awesome, I think some tattoos are EFFING REDICULOUS (a playboy bunny? what the...?). But overall, tattooing is available, it is growing in popularity, more people want them, more women want them, women generally take better care of themselves (why are you freaking out about the fact that someone asked what kind of lotion to use?). Yes, I think you have valid points. Not every one should get a tattoo.But your whole deal about women and trendy tattoos sort of taking away from the culture... I think your just whining because you don't want the original hardcore tattoo peeps to be thinking that you got your tattoos to be cool and fit in with the growing popularity of it all. hell, if you want to be original, don't get a tattoo.
What do people think of forearm tattoos on women of small quotes?
Q. What are peoples thoughts on women with forearm tattoos for example cher lloyd from x factor.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/3127440/Hip-hop-star-Soulja-Boy-Cher-Lloyd-is-tip-top.html
A. I happen to have a forearm tattoo.
It is not words, but is a custom designed and high quality work of art that wraps 3/4th of the way around my forearm with the image on the top, a couple of inches from where my arm bends.
It is very unique and does not look ugly or trashy.
I don't think that you can make blanket statements, like 'all forearm tattoos on women are ugly' with any kind of accuracy.
All tattoos are not the same. All women are not the same. How my tattoo looks on me, has nothing to do with how Cher Lloyd's tattoo looks on her.
Basically, you are going to get 2 kinds of answers - negative from people who do not like tattoos or are judgmental based on stereotypes. Or people who are fine with tattoos, who don't judge by whether you are male or female, or have a tattoo or not, or if you have one where it is located.
If you don't like them, don't get them, and keep your opinions focused on who you are instead of making blanket statements like this.
luck~
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