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by Joy Lynskey
Although we all try to trust our kids, tattoos are one topic some parents may want to brush up on to avoid having a child who sneaks out to the tattoo shop with a bogus letter of written consent, and returns with a lifelong reminder of bad impulse control, a disease that may shorten their lives or a gaggle of the most trendy cartoon characters tattooed on their face. This has happened! And while most tattoo artist do utilize every method to keep their tattoos clean and free of disease there may just be a few things you need to decide on first.
So as a kid who wanted to be tattooed with parents who wanted nothing less than to have a tattooed kid who now has kids who want to be tattooed, I truly believe that research, communication, compromise and even consent are the best ways to safeguard your child against the possible ramifications that may impact the rest of their lives. A quick online search will tell you the laws on minors getting tattooed in your state.
Be sure to choose an artist who advertises their *autoclave and sterilization certification openly. Make an appointment to go in and see their certification. Take about an hour out of a day without your child visit the shop you have chosen. Ask questions and let the artist know that you are researching a tattoo for your child. Most artists are very professional individuals who are salesmen for their own art and only want the best for their clients who remain advertisements for the artists for their entire lives. A lot of them also have children of their own and may have more experience with a child who is begging for their first tattoo, you may be surprised at the understanding and good advice you receive.
It is important to watch their work habits. Is the area well lit? Do they wear rubber gloves? The risk of HIV transmission through tattooing is actually to the artist, so one that does not wear gloves to protect themselves and their clients is not a safe one. Do they use new needles for each person or do they autoclave used ones? Although there are some states that do not require new needles but do allow autoclaved*** ones, this is not considered ‘good practice’ for most quality shops. Are new ink caps being used? Before and during the tattooing process itself you should see the artist spraying an antibacterial spray onto the area being tattooed. If you still have real concerns about the sterility of a tattoo there is always the option of having your child immunized for Hepatitis B before tattooing. Hepatitis B is the main health risk that someone will face in getting a tattoo from a less then sterile environment.
Communicate with your child about your research on the health issues and possible immunization you may require them to get. Include in this talk what they want tattooed on them, and where they want it tattooed. It may also time to move onto the compromise stage. Perhaps having tattoos shouldn’t affect a person’s ability to get any type of employment, but the fact is that it can and does. Make another appointment and plan to bring the child along. Your child should ask the artist about anything that concerns them as well as having them ask them specifically, where is the best place to get my first tattoo? No reputable artist is going to support a child’s desire to have a questionable piece of artwork permanently imprinted on them or support their idea of a face tattoo. Most will freely warn a younger person about the problems they may have in society with certain tattoos or tattoos on certain areas of the body if prompted.
After discussing all of the issues surrounding tattooing, if your child is still determined, then calmly discuss with them that their age and inexperience in life is the only reason why you are now going to require them to wait 3 to 6 months, before they take the final step to lifelong skin art. Explain to them that fads change and so can a person’s view of art itself. The less sure your kid seems of what they actually want, or where they want it, the longer they need to wait to make sure they are positively sure of their decision, it is a final one.
In the end I was very lucky, as the artists that I knew who gave me my first ink at sixteen cared for me and would have refused any questionable request had I made any. They forced me to give ample time and consideration to each design I requested, and walked me through each process before it began. To this day, 20 years after my last tattoo, I still do not regret the ones I have. Many, many others who didn’t have artist with such integrity, or parents who forced them to slowly consider the process in its entirety, are not so lucky.
*** Hudson, Karen L. Autoclave and Sterilization Certification
http://tattoo.about.com/cs/beginners/a/blautoclave.htm
Accessed 4/6/2010
I just read a blog about a man hitting a point in his life where he regretted the tattoo decisions he’s made in the past. Partly because of the tattoos he chose to get, but also because of the placement. It’s like the statements he’s made now have less heart behind them, and it’s a contradiction he is having a hard time with.
It’s pretty obvious that tastes can change, moods can change. Most would agree that when you get tattooed, you need multiple reasons for getting inked, or else your one change of perspective away from falling into the awful place of tattoo remorse.
We love looking at ink here, the good and the wasted. It makes us question in a somewhat superficial way the implications of certain tattoos people get. But it also makes us wonder who changes down the road and who doesn’t. Who fully embraces their decisions, their art (whether ugly or amazing), and lives the rest of their life harmoniously with their choices. We know the person exists who gets an ugly, awful looking tattoo, that has no meaning behind it, and never questions for a moment putting it on his or her skin. We have to believe that person is out there, and it helps everyone with a tattoo stay strong.
But it also makes us think about those who regret their ink, those who get fully wrapped up in tattoo remorse. Does anyone get a jaw dropping piece of art, and hate it 5 years down the road, even though everyone else can’t stop admiring it? How many people change into a different role, like a father/mother, or a mentor, or even “responsible” adult, and struggle to cope with the decision of a wild, 19 year old kid?
It’s subject that hits hard for a lot of tattooed people. But it’s also why people feel such strong admiration for those who get inked. It is in fact a difficult decision to get a piece of art on your body, but know that there’s a whole community of people standing behind you, unquestionably supporting your decision, without ever knowing you, your history or you situation.
Read the article which this post was based off of if you’d like…
http://pittsindeed.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/book-of-odds-the-64000-question/
Then submit your own tattoo remorse stories either through comments, or by click the “submit your tattoos!” tab at the top of the page.
F%$@ you Jesse James. Not only did you get the far too caring public to label you as a cheating scumbag for your recent marital shortcomings (which I really could care less about… one person I have never met cheats on someone else I have never met with several other people I have never met, no one breaks any laws, I’m supposed to care why?), but now you’ve opened the doors for any douche with an opinion to take cheap shots at the tattoo community. All because the girl you supposedly f%$#ed was tattoo model. Thanks dick.
I’m sure the news community is staying unbiased, but I can’t stand the blogs that give their two cents about tattoos. Take this guy…
“Of all the so-called mistresses, none of them are as attractive as Jesse James’ wife, Sandra Bullock, so the demand for pictures is a bit unfortunate, not to mention questionable.
Tatoos all over the body look like permanent dirt to this blogger; to each his or her own is certainly the rule here, but let’s get serious. Sandra Bullock’s a hot, successful, powerful woman without tatoos.”
taken from this post: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=60050 (friendly advice, to each his or her own, but I wouldn’t go to dudes article page unless you want to crap all over the comments page of his article, this dude shouldn’t benefit in any way for that kind of discriminatory writing. Or go there and love his writing, whatever, to each his or her own, right?)
Not only does this dude bash all tattoos by saying they look like “permanent dirt” but can’t even spell the word tattoo correctly in his own post! Talk about no respect. And right after he gives his bs ‘to each his own’ disclaimer, he then says something to the effect of, lets get serious, Sandra Bullock’s a better person for not having tattoos. Yea, that’s getting real serious about your prejudice towards tattoos.
So once more, thanks a lot Jesse James. Even though I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose, you shed the tattoo community in a light it’s trying so hard to break free from.
When choosing a tattoo, there are 4 main options.
First, the free designs that you can find online and in books. Some are better then others, but you can bet these designs are also found on countless others looking for tattoo designs the same way you are. These designs could be years old and almost out of style, so be careful!
Second, the flip books and images at the tattoo parlors. These are classic images that you can bet everyone in the local area has tattooed on them. Usually you’ll be picking these out spur of the moment, right before you’re set to get tattooed. Not exactly the most enjoyable way to do things. You should be excited about getting inked, especially if it’s your first time. Enjoy the process of picking out something you like, and you’ll feel better about the tattoo.
Third, the online galleries. These are usually paid sites that recommend higher quality tattoos for you. Since it can be updated, you’re always looking at the hottest, most recent tattoo designs out there. Some sites let you design your own image online, them print them out. Others have tens of thousands of choices for you to browse through. Usually if it’s a paid site, the quality is going to be pretty high.
Fourth, the way most people recommend choosing a tattoo is by talking to the artist himself/herself. This is the perfect union of your own desires with a professional artist’s ideas and abilities to form a unique and original piece that you both can be proud of. Of course, it is the most expensive, but few would question that it’s worth it.
I want to meet the character that gets only one tattoo.
I want to meet the character that gets only one tattoo and gets it in a place that can’t be hidden with hair, long sleeves, long pants or jewelry.
Show me the person that makes only one statement about their selves and stops. Show me the person that makes this statement so bold that it begs to be questioned. Someone who can restrain themselves immediately after making this statement. To them the point is not to indulge in the hobby of getting tattoos, but use a tattoos ability to proclaim something with such confidence and certainty that it is one hundred percent clear that it was no mistake, and then stop.
I want to meet this character and hear what he or she has to say.
It’s not that I don’t want to meet the guy who has the tribal armband to show off at the beach, or don’t want to meet the girl who makes me search for tattoos in secret places. It’s just that those statements are rather common… “I think I’m awesome…” or “I think I’m naughty…” It’s not that I don’t believe they have something else to say. But if they have just one tattoo, that’s all I hear from them.
I also respect the partially hidden tattoos. They are a cautious statement being made in a society that may not be open to hearing them. They’re hinted at, said on occasion, but can be tamed at a moment’s notice. They give you something to enjoy, almost like a weekend warrior who plays the sport he or she is passionate about on Saturday mornings. Indulges and for glancing moments feels alive again, feels the passion that carried over from childhood, then leaves to bow down to the responsibilities of a grown up life.
I’m strangely fine with the tattoos that are design oriented. A body is shapes and lines and colors and hues. If you choose to dance with this natural form and make it more interesting, I can definitely respect that. Maybe that limits what you can do, where you can put tattoos, and what you can say with them, but it’s art. There are no rules. It’s an abstract statement, that hints at an interesting view of the self. I’m intrigued by that, it makes me smile. If this is the tattoo that’s fits my ‘one tattoo, not hidden on the body’ rules, I’d be very interested in hearing what this person has to say. Chances are that it would be interesting.
Now take a tattoo that isn’t design oriented. A single tattoo that is meaning oriented, on one’s body in a place not obstructed by anything. Now that’s a message being made. Even if it is in a different language, like a Chinese tattoo, or Japanese tattoo, it’s still a singular message.
And it’s not that the same message can’t be made with multiple tattoos, it’s just that multiple tattoos are also a different beast. Once you had your first, your not a virgin anymore. You gain perspective. Your total body of work does make a statement, but it’s not the same as making only one statement.
It’s that person, with the singular idea displayed for all to see, that I want to talk to.
“What tattoo should I get?”
Maybe it’s just kids being young and stupid… naive, but it amazes me how many people ask “what tattoo should I get?” It’s almost like asking a stranger “Should I have a baby?” All I can think is, “really? You want me to decide something that you will carry for the rest of your life?” Now maybe it’s not as life changing of a decision as having a baby is, but really, the lack of thought that goes into it astounds me.
Or at least I thought…
You see, a tattoo is like your life, you get one canvas to paint yourself, can’t change what’s been done, can only change what you do from here on. Maybe it starts with trying something you like, and builds to a great body of work. Maybe it ends up with a collection of scattered attempts and failures. Maybe it’s a little of both.
But is that wrong? Is it wrong to have a collection of failures and misrepresentations?
No. It’s life.
So maybe “what tattoo should I get” is an attempt to figure out who you are as a person. Perhaps it’s a point of your life filled with general unknowing about who you are or what you believe in. The “I was young and stupid” answer that we all laugh at might not be that bad at all, but simply a point in one’s life where they say… “I didn’t grow up thinking I knew everything. As I got older, I grew as a person. I had fun figuring things out along the way, and this tattoo is an accurate representation of that.”
Not a horrible stance when you really think about it.
It even syncs with the mindset of “Do you like my tattoo?” Another expression that used to drive me crazy. If I grew up and had only one love, one passion, and painted a mural on my body to serve as a lasting reminder, I would never utter the words “Do you like my tattoo?” It wouldn’t matter. But if I was still figuring out who I am as a person, not quite confident in my decision or myself as a person, I would probably ask. Why not? I’m figuring things out, sometimes opinions are needed.
Then there are those rare times when we ask the same question just to show off, like in the girls/bars/with alcohol situation, or the badge of honor/I can’t believe you sat through that and lived to tell about it situation, but that’s something a little different. That doesn’t start with “What kind of tattoo should I get?” That’s more like a rhetorical, “Do you like my tattoo?” which in your head is followed by…”I know you do, why? because I’m a bad-ass and this question is only going to lead to good things for me in the near future.”
Unless getting tattoos is your thing and you do it all the time, you really only ask “what tattoo should I get?” the first time, when your still figuring in things out. Once you get a tattoo, a little confidence follows because you made a decision about yourself, and you have to accept it. Even if it was a bad decision, you still learn something about yourself in a way that you can’t experience to many other places. So my response to that question these days is, it doesn’t matter, it’s just a piece of information that’s going to help you figure out yourself in the long run.
Tattoos. Beautiful ink designs on the skin. Permanent reminders of one’s ability to make choices about art and emotions. Intriguing to look at, tattoo designs are a glimpse into the world of a stranger. No accidents, just statements made.
It’s fascinating to me. Disgusting to others.
Tattoo designs aren’t like piercings, hair cuts or cloth styles. They say so much more about one’s life in a single moment. Simultaneously we see one’s ability to reflect upon their own lives, represent themselves in the present, and make lasting statements about their future, potentially dating themselves forever. The give us a lot to go on, with just a small amount of ink on the skin.
Because of this, the statements tattoos make are always hot topics for discussion.
It seems the degree to which a tattoo stands out directly relates to the amount of comments and attention it receives. The bolder the tattoo, the stronger the opinion of the onlooker.
For example, Mike Tyson had many tattoos, covering a lot of his body. No one commented, no one really cared. Then he got one on his face. Every journalist, tv commentator, sports analyst, and person reading a tabloid suddenly had an opinion.
When it really comes down to it, fu@k all the people who feel they need to make public remarks about Tyson. Was his tattoo outrageous? If you never saw a tattoo on someone’s face before, maybe, but create a circus around it? Who are you to say that his facial tattoo exhibits any poorer judgment then any other tattoo? Just because you pick up a People magazine you… gotta stop myself, this isn’t about Tyson, it’s about the example…
The bolder the tattoo, the stronger the opinion.
It’s also interesting that most often the harshest judgment almost always comes from people without tattoos. It seems those with “pure” skin look down upon those who are all inked up. Sometime it’s out of old stereotypes which link tattoos and criminals/thugs/hooligans. Other times it’s out of concern for the body, the health effects that come with getting a tattoo. This includes infections, allergic reactions, granulomas, keloid formation, etc. But more often it’s out of lifestyle and personality differences. Some people will never be able to make this kind of statement about their selves, and get defensive when he or she sees someone that can.
You need to cross a threshold of sorts to get the confidence to get a tattoo. Most people choose to play it safe, and never cross this threshold. What’s worse is that these people are the first to judge others with tattoos. Once you get a tattoo, you know what goes into it. Even if you hate the artwork, hate the concept, hate the message, you still respect what the person getting the tattoo had to do to get it. If you take someone without a tattoo, they could hate the artwork, hate the concept, hate the message, and not respect the person’s right to make this statement. Since they don’t know what goes into the physical and mental/emotional process of getting a tattoo, they can’t and wont ever side with it. Fortunately there are enough people in the world who have, so you’ll always have someone out there nodding their head in approval, no matter how bad a “mistake” you made.
With tattoo designs there will always be statements made. Some big, some small. And people will have opinions about them. It’s just a part of the world we live in today. The best you can do is choose wisely, and make your decisions with confidence.
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