Poll: Do You Have Tattoos You Regret?

Oh yeah -- I found that wives become exwives and you have to get coverup done, or look for someone else with the same name. All the other ones are OK.

I work in an office environment and have never had any grief over any of my body art

I worked in a state office for a very short time, and everyone there had tat's and were not shy about showing them. My tattoos are somewhat ethnic, and when I wore a short sleeved blouse one day (in AUGUST) I was told to cover the single tat that was showing. Needless to say there was union intervention, and a formal apology made to me. It was not enough, the manager retaliated with shift changes and poor attitude until I quit in a huff.

Other than that I have a couple personal rules: no women or band names and nothing on the face,neck or hands. It has worked great for me!

That's the best "rule of thumb" I've heard...

I have two, no regrets on either, except that the polar bear on my left shoulder blade looks a little too much like the Klondike Bar Bear...

looks a little too much like the Klondike Bar Bear...

I really like the Coca-Cola bears myself.... but klondike is ok.

polar bear on my left shoulder blade looks a little too much like the Klondike Bar Bear...

hey uncle, thats funny man.

btw, If anyone wants to really laugh, go to BADTATTOOS.com!

It's really not bad, but if I go to a public pool, inevitably someone has to ask: "What would you do-oo-oo for a Klondike Bar?"

UUUUh!

LOL, doesn't help that I'm (still) fat, either, LOL

That would be so cool. Just think of the conversations you could strike up at the beach.

After seeing several people cringe at them (and some folks saying things), I wear a shirt to cover them.

I meant the zipper tat. the scar is there and folks will look; why not make light of it and break the ice?

I move sometimes oddly because of injuries and Parkinson's and rather than have folks and kids be put off and feel bad about looking I greet the with: I promise I drive better than I walk.

Made a few fast friends that way.

USAF VET _

I have large ugly scars all over my gut.[...] I have considered getting a tattoo of a Zipper put on it, because of how many times the doctors have opened it up.

That is very funny! And original as well. ê¿ê

Vet, hell no, you bring them out buddy, unless there are children that might get scared, make sure you give them some air from time to time!

When my son was in the Marines he got a few that are pretty cool. He has a thunder bird on his back (shoulder to shoulder) and a large take god on his left arm. He got the last one in Thailand.

my 1st was in japan. i just wish i had known when to stop..

that is what I am doint, I am finishing a pretty big dragon for my shoulder, back of it and thinking of anothe for my arm wrist to elbow.

now finding someone to trust so I dont get scarred like one of the ones I have!

that sounds pretty cool. Take your time finding the artist; that's the only advice I'd give. I agree that it's pretty important.

lol! too damn funny.

hey at least you got it, it was too hilarious.

tonys, Im think'n of having a hundred dollar bill put there, that way perhaps I can persuade my wife to stay home more often an blow a $100 as many times she wants!

I don't have any tatoos either Susan, and WordPerS, I don't think I'll take your advice, but thanks. I may be old, but I prefer golden, if you don't mind.

My 22 year old daughter has lots of tatoos. She has a nice big one of one her (many) boyfriends on her right leg. It is about 8" and very black. Hmm, I wonder how her new BF feels about that?

My parents always told me not to do anything I might regret later. Of course, I didn't always follow that rule (had a little fun in life). I think tatoos are an individual decision. If you want one, that's fine and if you don't, that's fine too.

Gravity does take a toll.

That cute perky butterfly turns into a condor over time.

:)

maybe we should all become like Jack LaLane, I dont think he ever sagged!

To become like Jack LaLane, I would have to get my every saggier butt off this chair, off the computer and off Newsvine. Not going to happen.

LOL! I had a roommate when I was in the Marines and she got a panther tattooed on her boob. Well, she got pregnant and the boob grew and then it got saggy and the panther went from roaring to looking like it was old and toothless.

i stopped by family fitness this afternoon and joined, you guys got me thinking.........seriously. now all i have to do is actually go.

ya know...Im so sick of hearing people say to me, 'what about when your old and saggy'.... I say well there will be more important things to be concerned about. losing eyesight, hearing loss, cant walk, etc.. boy, I cant wait!

If you want one, get one...why is he allowed to be a marked man, and you can't do what YOU want??

Ya... I'm a little confused as well. It's one thing if he had the tattooes before you were together and you don't like them, but this seems like a double-standard. And how does that make you a "marked woman" other than the obvious you'll have colorful markings on you. lol

love it! stories are told thru tats. at least we will have something to talk about when we are rocking....

i will have mine "reworked" someday.......havent found the right design though, and this time i want it to be perfect!

p.s. i did sign for my oldest, at the time 17 to get a religious tat on his shoulder. i knew he would do it anyway, he lived with his mom and she wasn't very authoritative, and i did not want him to risk illness in a parlor that would have done it w/o consent. he hasn't gotten another since, but it is his body and decision. i do find myself thinking more, some times for a year or more about my next one, i got sick of the "re-work" when my life or outlooks changed.

at least we will have something to talk about when we are rocking....

"C'mere and sit on Granny's knee deary and I'll tell you all about the time I got drunk at a tattoo party in E. LA and got Tiggr tattooed on my back..."

ROFL

*ahem* That was one of the ones that got remade and is now a beautiful butterfly woman with suns and moons and dolphins in her wings.

I might sign for one of my kids if it were for the right reasons but they're dad would go through the roof and they know it.

i never said i was happy about it. i would never tell him i was happy he hadn't got more, that would almost assure he would. ancient cultures used tattoos to remember their histories and the histories of their communities. it is just another form of expression. at least in my view. unfortunately, and obviously i don't care much, people judge based on things like this. they assume you are a certain type of person. one of the good things i have found about my tats is it weeds out the judgemental tight asses that i wouldn't want in my life anyway.

I say I wish they'd wait until they are 25 and get them

I'd say that's pretty good advice. I didn't get mine until I was 27. By then, I knew who I was, and understood a little better just what it meant to have something "permanent" done to my body. It's been almost ten years since I got that first one and I'm just now finally ready for my second.

they assume you are a certain type of person. one of the good things i have found about my tats is it weeds out the judgemental tight asses that i wouldn't want in my life anyway.

Amen to that. I know people judge me...let them. I love to dress up, let my ink show and then dazzle people with my bright charming smile and impeccable manners! Ok, well, maybe I don't take it that far but you know what I mean.

IHawk_08

It's been almost ten years since I got that first one and I'm just now finally ready for my second.

Had I been that patient, I'd have had far fewer remakes/cover-ups done but ah well, I'm happy with them all now.

I was 19 when I got my first two. I had wanted tattoos since I was about 12 years old. My taste changed when I grew up but when I finally got my first one it meant something special to me. My second one has less meaning but it is a symbol from a culture that I have loved to study since I was very young. My third one has my hubby's last name under butterfly wings. I just recently added a flower for each of our two sons on each side of the butterfly.

When people see that I have a lower back tattoo they automatically say "tramp stamp". I was smart in placing my tattoos, none are seen when I am dressed at work and they never will be unless I decide to work somewhere like a strip club. I also didn't get my tattoos for other people to see, I got them for me. They represent things I love.

Pat's been doing ink for quite a few years now, hasn't she? A friend sent me a link to her site a awhile back - incredible work. I envy you!

I believe so. I'd love to meet her someday. I may go with another one of her designs.

random, oh, how'd you get them? (my apology if it is personal)

but if i had to get one, i would get a banjo on my knee.

OK, I have to ask (and this may seem silly) are you really from Alabama? or is your wife/girlfriend/etc named Susannah?

btw... Love the Orwellian quotes on your column's front page!

LMAO!!!!

and when you arent using it, it conveniently reads "f-ing."

Maybe have somthing with very small text put around my belly button that says, "If your close enough to read this then your blowing me"...

OH no... somebody stop me....

~almost chokes on my coffee from laughing once again~

"If your close enough to read this then your blowing me"...

unfortunately for you, the wording on this one is ambiguous, and could be read as a demand. your tat artist, and your doctor, might be forced to comply.

LMAO....yet again!

God, my sides hurt!

your tat artist, and your doctor, might be forced to comply.

Then wisdom for me would be to follow the advise given by any mountain climber and not look down.

Then I think wisdom for me would be to follow the advise of a mountain climber and not look down.

those mountain climbers are smart! but the f-ing dick tat is hilarious....whether or not it was intentional is the question.....

That was just insulting.

Hey, you might just be a grower, not a shower!

LOL my wife agrees with you totally! She likes tattoos and has expressed the desire to get one, but she's terrified of needles. And pain. I tried to convince her that the pain wasn't that bad, but I don't think she believes me. :)

HA! I don't believe you either!

UUUH, come-on! some people tattoo there whole body, penis, inside lips, ect..its not that bad!! besides after a few minutes of the machine buzzing around...your endorphins kick-in and you become 'numb-to-it". the needles only penitrate through the shin--the thickness of a nail. I dont have single tattoos to count, they are arm and leg sleeves..and ive always had to sit for HOURS!---people have different pain thresholds, and im no-macho-man!

I just hate when people tell you that tattooes don't hurt at all. Really? Being stabbed thousands of times with a needle, then pouring ink into the open wound?? Whatever. lol xrayman... you are the first to NOT try and seem like a big tough guy with their tattooes. and I thank you for that lol

I hate being asked if they hurt. Or better yet, sometimes I put glitter on my dragon and fairy and people will ask if it is a special kind of ink. Umm yes, injecting glitter into your skin, it's the latest rage..

I'd never say it doesn't hurt, it does. But compared to childbirth? Getting ink is a piece of cake ;-}

'd never say it doesn't hurt, it does. But compared to childbirth? Getting ink is a piece of cake ;-}

You know this from experience.. I thought you were a man?

Or do you remember being born?

I heard a women try to help a man understand what childbirth feels like,

"Firmly grab your upper Lip with both hands.... now pull it over your head." :) can we say, ouch!

My name is Rebecca :-)

36.5 hours of hard labor with my 1st child. I know what I say when I say by comparison a tattoo is a piece of cake!

The pulling your lip over your head analogy is pretty damn close. Yes, OUCH.

I have five tats and as long as I can watch they really didn't hurt. My tattoos took a minimum of four hours. The largest one was a total of 12 hours to complete. Of course I think there are some areas on the body that would be much more painful, and if I couldn't have watched each one, it would have hurt more.

My name is Rebecca :-)

Rebecca isn't a very common man's name is it? hahaha

Being stabbed thousands of times with a needle, then pouring ink into the open wound??

ruthless, (no offence) you really have it all wrong. the needles are vibrating up&down so fast, an only penitrating about the thinkness of your finger nail. at times it feels like a scratching sensation. if its your first time, the artist may do a test run, so that you can become acquainted with it. (because you have to remain completley still!) there are times were its tender, were your like 'OW'. you dont feel ink going in. the easiest places to have one put on is: upper arms, sides of the lower legs. most sensitive: neck, stomach, inside upper arm (near armpit). to name a few. some steps to make it go smoothly: eat & sleep well prior, most important be relaxed. an perhaps dont "stare" at what their doin'. (as that might, bring-on-the-nerves!) most.. if not all, reputable places WILL NOT tattoo you, if you've been drink'n prior. as this only thins your blood, making you bleed which makes it difficult for the ink to stay put! not to mention your ability to remain still!. (although you may bleed some its really nothing.) take a valume or something if you need to relax.

if that is whats keeping you from getting one...your really miss'n out! its like 'food that looks worse than it tastes'! IMO, if your waiting 'for the right, meaningful think you may end up never getting one. none of my tattoos mean anything to me--just like the artwork and people that tattoo me, like Joe Capobianco!

you are the first to NOT try and seem like a big tough guy with their tattooes.

LOL...that comment made me think of the hugely muscular guys with tribal tattoos I see, at my gym! they look intimidating and mean , but most are really the opposite.

I'll shut up now, knowing Ive 'bent' everyones ear off!

I really do know nothing about tattoes, I just think it's really funny to put it the way I did. LOL I'm just a little girl when it comes to needles is all. ya, the muscly guys with the tribal bands (which are so dumb) are usually the biggest chumps at the gym. ha!

I'm loving all the tattoo info I'm getting from your guys!

the muscly guys with the tribal bands (which are so dumb)

ruthless, I agree.. I think that those types of tattoos are such a big waste of space!, considering that they had the potential for using the area on something more elaborate.

when I was around 18, I completely despised tattoos. (glad I didnt start tattoos untill I was 27! otherwise I'd prob. have a lot of '@!$%#' on me!) I think a big part of my opinions was because most stuff I'd seen on people, were just flat out... garbage! tattooing in just the past ten years have been revolutionized. the 'molds' have been broken compared to styles & approach from say...20 years ago. for example, people chose to 'sleeve' a particular body part--going BIG and taking full use of a body part,(with one theme/idea) makes for a more impressive and elaborate piece.

btw, you look'n to get one?

I think about it from time to time. I just don't know if I'll ever be able to go through with it. lol Like I said, for me it would need to be something with meaning behind it, not just... hey that looks cool.

Dudette, you are totally right. There are some horrible tattooes walking around down here. ha!

I think kids' names are one thing and not at all the same as a partner's name. My ex husband had a symbolic piece done that was his and our son's zodiac signs woven in with the birth-month flower of our daughter. One of mine is a hummingbird in memory of my mom...they all have stories and reasons and memories.

I only wanted one little tattoo when I started. Just a small flutterbye. The lady that did it had a lead hand and a foul temper and it sucked, could never tell what it was. It is now a fairy sitting on a flower beside my baby sleeping dragon. Just one, I only wanted one...LOL

Sounds like me...I started out wanting one and now, I want more :)

My advise to anyone getting a tat.... RESEARCH your artist! This is permanent art it aint goin' away so make sure the artist is someone who does work that you appreciate and does ORIGINAL art. I would never chose a picture out of a book to have tatted to me. My inks are all original not on any other person; I described what I wanted to my artist and she spent time drawing out several for me to choose from; I then was afforded the pleasure of watching her shred the paper art. She does have photos of the finished work that is in her portfolio. Her portfolio has no duplicates in it, everything she does is original.

Get a false tat if you can, I've given them and always recommend it. Like a new pair of shoes, see how it feels walking around with it for awhile.

If you don't like it wash it off. If you like it or just want to tweak the design, then you still have the option to do so.

So your saying "screw the miners"? I like that.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

That goes for both of the posts!