I'm considering getting a tattoo. Any advice?

[liberaltrucker]

Nothing complex. Just a red star on my left shoulder. Political, of course.

[mix]

1. that sounds cool

i like the simple ones, enjoy!

[KitchenWitch]

2. Get the words "Your Name" tattooed on your left butt cheek

Make money in bars telling people, "I will bet you ten bucks that I have your name tattooed on my ass!"

:evilgrin:

[liberaltrucker]

4. Ha! Good one!

Unfortunately, for obvious reasons, I can't frequent bars anymore.
But a good one nonetheless!

:fistbump:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

24. Holy Hell, KW I swear to all I hold holy that a guy at work was just

telling this same story last week. He swears he has "your name" tatooed on his ass. He has 30 something tats so He could very well have been telling the truth.

[no name no slogan]

75. Nice post, Steve-O

:thumbsup:

[bigwillq]

3. If you want it, get it!

:)

[liberaltrucker]

5. I think I will

Problem is finding a place where it's done in sanitary conditions.
Easier said than done, unfortunately.

[vi5]

6. Where exactly do you live?

Most tattoo parlor's these days are pretty well regulated and sanitary, and at least in most part os NY/NJ/PA I frequent those are plentiful.

As long as they have an autoclave, use fresh needles for each client and the artists wear rubber gloves, those are the main things to look for. But those are no brainers, even the shadiest of tattoo shops I've been in meet those standards. Most are well above that level though.

The only caution is that they are addictive, so...1 may lead to 10 or 15 or 20.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. As the poster above me said, it's pretty easy in the Tri-State area

Where do you live?

Bmezine.com has a bunch of kind of fucked up stuff on it, but it also had lots of good info on what to look for in tattoo/piercing parlors.

[Pierre.Suave]

8. Don't

thats my advice.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

10. Why?

[ghostsofgiants]

12. Because some people like telling other people what to do with their bodies.

[LisaL]

15. The OP asked for advice after all.

Do you have a problem with people giving advice which was asked for? Then maybe a message board is not for you.

[ghostsofgiants]

17. "Don't get one" clearly isn't the advice he was looking for.

"He asked for advice" is not an excuse for people to act like dicks.

[LisaL]

22. How do you know what advice he was looking for?

Hello?
He said he is considering getting a tattoo.
Doesn't even sound like his mind is made up.

[ghostsofgiants]

23. Because he didn't ask "Should I get it?"

He asked for advice, which to me read as though he wanted to know about what is usually involved in getting one.

[LisaL]

25. What's involved in getting one? Needles and ink...

I am inferring that the poster is asking whether he should get one.

[ghostsofgiants]

26. ...How to choose a good artist, how much it hurts, what kind of healing period is involved...

What kind of aftercare is involved.

Lots of advice to be had.

[LisaL]

29. So if somebody posted.

"I am considering getting breast implants. Any advice?" No one should be able to suggest to leave oneself the way nature intended?

[ghostsofgiants]

30. Not if they just rudely say "Don't."

[datasuspect]

39. how do you know if he was being rude?

or meant "don't" in a rude manner?

you're assuming way too much.

it be the same thing if i made a statement like, "i guess someone has tattoos and they subconsciously regret it, i guess that's why they are so touchy."

[cwydro]

52. I don't see what is wrong with saying "don't".

He wasn't rude, just offering his advice.

[ghostsofgiants]

62. "Don't" isn't really advice, it just comes across as passing judgement on tattoos in general.

"Don't rush into it" is advice. "Think long and hard about it" is advice. Both would very good pieces of advice. I've seen a lot of tattoos that were horrible ideas, but to just say don't just strikes me as rude.

[datasuspect]

38. use of the word "considering" indicates they are tossing the idea around

and that their mind isn't completely made up.

at least that's what it means in the english language.

[ghostsofgiants]

63. And "Don't" still isn't good advice.

Like I said above, if you want to offer advise, "don't rush into something if you intend to get one" is far less condescending than "don't."

You don't see me just posting "Do it!" just because I happen to like tattoos. I don't endorse every tattoo and think there are a lot of horrendous ones that should never have been done. It is something that should be given a lot of consideration. I just think "don't" comes across as less than constructive in helping someone make up their mind.

And as for your comment about subconsciously regretting tattoos upthread, no, I am quite happy about mine, both consciously and subconsiously.

[elocs]

81. Since when did people ever need an excuse to act like dick? n/t

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

19. What he said

:eyes:

[slay]

20. I agree - Don't

but that's just personal opinion. I like the 6 week - temp ink tatoos i forget what they are called. I just know many people regret getting them - my sister being one of them. Not that I hate tatoos or anything, I just prefer nice smooth skin with no permanant pics on it. :)

[datasuspect]

37. i agree

it isn't individualism when everyone is doing it. plus it's one more way for the authorities to identify you, plus "beef sandwich paulie" always said, "hey fuckin kid, we don't do dat shit around here, unnahstan?

[XemaSab]

9. How long have you planned on getting this tat?

Five years is long enough. :)

[jobycom]

11. Play rochambeau instead.

Hurts about the same but you don't regret it as long.

[IntravenousDemilo]

13. Let's say you were into bolo ties in the early '80s.

You loved your bolo so much, and everybody else was wearing one. Do you still have it, or would you ever consider getting one again? I didn't think so.

Now consider if you'd decided to tattoo a bolo tie onto your neck. You'd be stuck. And you could never feel truly naked again. And it's going to look like shit in 25 years.

Tattoos are like taking a perfectly good-looking building, designed by Mother Nature, and handing it over to some punk who will tag it with disfiguring graffiti. Except you can get rid of graffiti any time.

But go ahead and get one, since everybody and his dog is getting one, and you sure don't want to be different.

Sorry if this seems unduly harsh, but, well, you asked.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

14. This may seem unduly harsh

But that's a really douchebag post.

People may get tattoos for all sorts of reasons. I have seven, and only one is a "because I think it looks cool" tattoo. I like that one just as much as the others. All were well-thought out.

I can't wait until I can get my next one. It's going to be for my deceased father. Do you think that's a crappy reason to get a tattoo?

I don't get them to be different. I get them because I like them, and they have meaning to me. I find it really amusing that anti-tattoo people always think it's some sort of "trying to be different" thing.

Also, legitimate tattoo artists are not punks (but please, feel free to stereotype, it's obviously not stopping you). They actually spend quite a long time apprenticing and take quite a few courses on first aid, blood pathogens, etc. Plus, the looking like shit in 25 years depends on a lot of variables. Sun exposure, quality of tattoo, etc. Tattoos these days aren't like the old navy tattoos.

[LisaL]

16. Blood pathogen course? Can you donate blood after

getting a tattoo?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

18. Yes, legitimate tattoo artists do take blood pathogen courses

The artists I go to have the certificates up on the wall for all the courses they've taken.

And, you can donate after getting a tattoo. I believe it's a 9-month wait period, though. I'm not sure of the exact time, because I'm already disqualified from donating blood for being underweight, but you can definitely still donate blood.

[LisaL]

21. Why is there a waiting period if it is such a safe procedure?

[FloridaJudy]

27. There's a waiting period for anything involving needles

I was once turned down as a donor for having recently had a TB skin test. The likelihood of getting anything from a needle in the hands of a professional - from a dentist to tattoo artist to an acupuncturist - is extremely small. But blood banks prefer to err on the side of caution.

[PeaceNikki]

50. There's no waiting period in Wisconsin anymore.

As long as you go through a licensed artist in WI or IL.

- American Red Cross Blood Drive Coordinator/Donor/Tattooed Chick

[cwydro]

53. I give blood regularly

and I've never been asked anything about going to the dentist or having a shot from a doctor. They do ask about tattoos.

[FloridaJudy]

76. That may just be Florida

Ever since that young Florida woman got AIDS from a sloppy dental procedure, the blood banks here have been super cautious. It hasn't happened since, although there was an incident in Las Vegas when a whole bunch of dialysis patients wound up with HIV. Since I doubt anyone needing dialysis is healthy enough to give blood, that shouldn't affect the blood supply. But it could insure more paranoia about it.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

33. Why can't gay men donate blood?

Although, looking into it further, tattoos are regulated in 32 states, and there is no waiting period in those states. 12 month waiting period in the rest of them.

You know what the most dangerous thing is? Mall piercing guns, and those are apparently, a-okay in terms of donating blood.

Some rules don't make sense.

[Rising Phoenix]

34. there is a waiting period after getting your ears pierced too

not the best arguement, nowdays, you sneeze and there is a waiting period

[bullwinkle428]

41. Don't get me started on the ridiculous policies regarding blood donation!!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

I am PERMANENTLY BANNED (as in...FOREVER) from donating, as the result of having gone through a series of Hepatitis B vaccine injections! What a wonderful irony - I chose to receive the vaccine through my employer, where we work around dangerous equipment, and may be put in a position where we could bleed all over our co-workers, or have to assist an injured co-worker.

Now, my blood is considered tainted, and I can't help anyone with it as a result!

You can do a Google search to read more of the specifics on this "side effect" of the vaccine...

[mainegreen]

42. I can't donate because I've spent too much time in Europe.

Don't over analyze this.

[datasuspect]

40. i have a certificate on my wall

it is issued by the council on beach hygiene.

it reads, "official bikini inspector."

[Lucian]

28. I've seen some graffiti that's actually made some buildings look nicer.

Especially if the graffiti is in a mural form.

[jobycom]

56. Yeah, right. When bolo ties come back in, I'll be looking way cooler than you.

[marzipanni]

31. My 14-year-old son finds the weirdest stuff on the internet...

someone's left shoulder tattoo :rofl:

[Dogtown]

32. Cool! n/t

[Rising Phoenix]

35. Go for it! I love my tats!

All 15 of them.

[Deep13]

36. avoid this:

[gmoney]

45. But definitely go for this one...

But beware of the "buy one big one, get 5 smaller ones free" coupon...

[Deep13]

46. OMG, he has eyes on the back of his head!

How cool is that? Cool as ice, I guess. So cool the back-of-head eyes have their own sunglasses! Awesome!
:rofl:

[DS1]

49. The skull says

Flowers, for me? SQUEAL!

[bicentennial_baby]

51. !!

:spray:

:rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

55. .

:spray:

[gmoney]

77. Yeah, I kinda thought the same thing when it was done...

But now I'm sort of stuck with it!

[BarenakedLady]

That dude was on an episode of Lock Up

What a tool.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

43. i enjoy my tatttoo. its important to me. get a tattoo that you will love 30 years later

and you should be fine

dont get a trendy tat is all

[DS1]

44. Yes. Don't talk about it on DU. The tootards are out in full force.

[jobycom]

57. What's the point in talking about boring stuff everyone agrees on?

:shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

66. It keeps the level of discours above that of kindergarteners.

[jobycom]

71. I sincerely doubt it.

Those who argue like kindergartners would discourse like kindergartners.

[Deep13]

47. If tats look bad stretched out by being fat...

...does that mean if I get one now and then lose weight, will it get smaller, brighter and better defined?

I'd like to know.

[Deep13]

48. Remeber trendy cool=/=cool.

Cool: a classic poem or one you wrote.

Trendy: that Jesus Footprints poem

Cool: unusual abstract design

Passe: yin/yang unless you are actually a Taoist.

Cool: Frederick Douglass, Mary Wollstoncraft

Trendy: Barrack Obama

[cwydro]

54. Just remember

there is only one R in Barack.;)

[Deep13]

58. and two M's in remember. Oops.

:dunce:

[cwydro]

59. My worst thing

is to post and much later go back and see my typos - WAY too late to edit.

I've done it in OPs as well and it makes me CRAZY!x(

[Soylent Brice]

60. get something bigger.

you'll regret getting something small, and then you'll end up going back again and again to satisfy the addiction.

that's why i look like a fucking collage.

[Deep13]

72. True that.

Half measures look like half measures.

[AngryAmish]

61. Don't - it will make you look like trash

[ghostsofgiants]

64. Congratulations, you just became the most condescending person in this thread!

[BarenakedLady]

70. Thank you!

I guess I look like trash then. Good to know.

[Inchworm]

73. Trashy must be the new awesome!

:evilgrin:

:hide:

[LynneSin]

65. Be 100% sure because with Tattooing - there is no undo button

nuff said

[ghostsofgiants]

67. Now, THIS is good advice.

[bif]

68. This one's pretty bad

[ZombieHorde]

69. Some places will not tattoo you if you have been drinking, so don't drink alcohol before hand. nt

[cherish44]

74. I don't have any tats but my advice would be

pay whatever it takes to hire a top notch artist. If it's going to be on your for the rest of your life, you might as well get someone with exceptional skills to do the art. I speak on this only because I have many friends with crappy looking tattoos. My opinion on tattoos in general is, they're not for me but if they make you happy then that's just KICK ASS! :)

[XemaSab]

82. Reminds me of an ad I heard the other day:

(to paraphrase)

"In this economy, it's important to spend your money wisely. Before you put your money into anything, do some research into the smart ways to plan for the future. Getting a cheap tattoo is never a good financial move. Here at **** Tattoo Parlor, we want you to make a sound investment...."

It went ON and ON, and really made me laugh. :D

[baldguy]

78. www.badtattoos.com

http://www.badtattoos.com/

[Bucky]

79. Know what would be cooler? A big tattoo of a head of lettuce

Or... tattoo your eyeball blue

[miss_american_pie]

80. Here's my advice

They really do hurt. (And I had ten pound babies. I know from pain.) But not so much I couldn't get through it.

Itches like hell while it's healing, so buy some lotion.

I love mine.

:hi: