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I have a couple of tattoos that I've had for about 15 years. One of them, I love -the other, not so much. One thing I have noticed is that they are a great tool for weeding out the judgmental, narrow minded individuals I don't want in my life. Mine are not visible unless I take clothes off so it's usually casual conversation that prompts disclosure and reactions are eye-opening sometimes.
I come from a culture that was heavily tattooed, tyvm.
I am fully aware of the history and significance of tattooing in many cultures. That is not what I am referring to.
I am not even talking about tattoo artists/serious collectors/afficiandos, which today make up the minority of a tattoo parlours' custom.
I am talking about stupid 24 year old liberal arts students who go and get a chinese saying on their foot or a reminder to "breathe" on their finger or wrist or a symbol of strength or a fairy on their back when they cant even see their back from one year to the next.
I'm talking about girls who go and get them drunk as a group, boys who think tattoos=manhood, all those silly young things who are totally incapable of imagining the future of droopy, wrinkled and paper thin skin which comes to all of us. The girls who get a shoulder tattoo then wear a twee one shoulder top so it shows.
The psychology? Fashion (which is essentially imitation) mixed with a desire for attention and a lack of foresight.
Anyway their choice. My niece looks like Amy Winehouse, she's already got tattoo regret but for some insane reason thinks adding more will improve that.
She looks horrible, as did Amy.
Amy Winehouse looked horrible from drug and alcohol binges, not tattoo's.
I don't like to judge...but 80somethings explaining 'FTW' across their knuckles to grandkids could be interesting.
I come from a culture that was heavily tattooed, tyvm.
I am fully aware of the history and significance of tattooing in many cultures. That is not what I am referring to.
I am not even talking about tattoo artists/serious collectors/afficiandos, which today make up the minority of a tattoo parlours' custom.
I am talking about stupid 24 year old liberal arts students who go and get a chinese saying on their foot or a reminder to "breathe" on their finger or wrist or a symbol of strength or a fairy on their back when they cant even see their back from one year to the next.
The symbols I have are Mandarin and I have symbols because I do not wish to explain to everyone why I would have the specific words that those symbols represent. Most people do not even notice I have tattoos on my wrist and of those that do notice about 1/4 of them will ask about them. Others don't say anything.
All of my tattoos are for myself and no one else, I am not a fad follower, a trend follower, nor do I care about "fashion" so your ideas about those things were just tossed in my toity and flushed in regards to me.
One of my tattoos is on my right shoulder and I can see it just fine everyday when I get out of the shower and I am dressing, the reflection in the mirror is quite clear.
I'm talking about girls who go and get them drunk as a group, boys who think tattoos=manhood, all those silly young things who are totally incapable of imagining the future of droopy, wrinkled and paper thin skin which comes to all of us. The girls who get a shoulder tattoo then wear a twee one shoulder top so it shows.
Where I live a good and responsible tattoo artist will not tattoo anyone who has had any alcohol. First it is illegal to do so and they can be arrested, fined and lose their license. Second and actually more importantly one who has liquor in their system bleeds more than those who have no liquor.
The psychology? Fashion (which is essentially imitation) mixed with a desire for attention and a lack of foresight.
A desire for attention? Really, alrighty then.
My desire for attention is pretty non existant when it comes to people outside of my family (and not all of them), my husband and my closest friends. I do not seek unnecessary attention or drama and I do not keep the company of those who do seek such things.
The foresight you believe those who are tattooed have no sense of is actually mildly entertaining to me since I searched for the right tattoo and the right tattoo artist for 6 years before I even got the first tattoo. The second tattoo took 4 years after the first to get and the third one took 2 years after the second to get. I believe I grasp the concept of foresight and consequences that will result in my decision to have tattoos put on my body.
It could be that I am 52 years old, got the first tattoo when I was 38 years old, don't drink to excess, don't need to be reminded to breathe and don't give a first thought let alone a second thought about those who do not approve of nor agree with the choices I have made for my life, not even my drunken girlfriends who have already proved their manhood........
Yeah that's unique.
Everyone is actually quite unique in their own way, humans are similar just because they are humans however, no two humans see anything exactly the same, they do not hear anything exactly the same, they do not taste, feel or smell anything exactly the same and they cannot stand in the exact same spot at the exact same time.
One does not have to originate from a "heavily tattooed" culture to appreciate and embrace what a tattoo means to them alone. One also is not required to fall into society's definition of what is acceptable, fashionable, unfashionable, trendy, or any other defined anything according to others standards, needs, and desires.
in some cultures it's a sign of being a man, Polynesian islands people, Maori...Here in the West it's a fashion type thing. It may be to remember a person, an event but I think the memories are on the inside. Personally, I don't need my son's name on a bodypart to remember him. But to each his own. Some tattoos are just plain silly IMO, the skulls and roses type...I don't get them...the curses...why bother with that? The 'jail tattoos' are mostly just gangland tags. There are some really nice body artworks out there but once your whole body is covered, I don't see the point anymore. It may be an addiction just like anything else for some.
I knew a girl who was with a so called tattoo artist and she let him practice on her arms and legs. He did outlines and started to color them in but stopped halfway, only to start a new one someplace else on her body...she looked terrible...That was more about ownership than anything else. Guess having someone's name tattoed on you is about ownership, belonging.
and my ex had his ex's name on his arm...it was not easy at first to keep seeing that name, I decided it was just a meaningless scribble...Still, it was a permanent thing...
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As with everything we are seeing a "New" normal. Dude, replaced Sir. In the south it's "Buddy or Bud"
I had a conversation with my 21 yo daughter yesterday. This young lady lives on her own, works two jobs and goes to school. No kids, no criminal record. A success to any parent these days.
She was troubled, I asked what was wrong. Her reply, "why does life have to be so hard?"
Your an independent women making your own way, you should have some pride. Once done with college she has a foundation that will take her to the next level. But she isn't satisfied, she wants it now. She does not want to pay her dues.
How does all this tie in with Tattoos? Self expression! A lot of kids coming up from the 90s to today have the same trouble, "How do I stand out?" "Why can't I just have what I want!"
Body art solves that problem. Hard work solves the other....
As parents, you never want to see your kids as "different". That is the exact opposite of what needs to happen. For 30 yrs we have set a mold for our kids to grow into, now we have two generations of kids without meaningful jobs, no break out identity and a boat load of frustration.
Tattoos are helping some of you be different or feel different. As with all trends, it looses its meaning when everyone is doing it.
I have been fortunate in that I have endeavored to stay current, not to get stuck in a rut. I keep an open mind. I can tell you there are a lot of interesting people with body art.
Buy someone a drink one night and find out. Every Tat has a story.
Bottom line, we all need to look past self expression and judge people on character and actions. You will be surprised at what you find in some of the strangest places.
Our world is a different place, as young become old we all need to come together. Otherwise we will all suffer at that hands of those who play on our differences ( this is now a political message)
The whole attitude about tattoos being for lowlifes is irrelevant today. Asking about the psychology of getting tattoos is very much the same as asking about the psychology of women wearing pants in the 1960s. Was it becoming popular? Yes. Was it contrary to traditional values? Certainly. Did proper women do such things? Certainly not.
Really there are any number of reasons a person might have tattoos. I have several myself, and the reasoning ranges from one that I got when I was a teenager bored on my lunchbreak, to my most recent one that was partially a freehand that I had done in Europe.
I'm proud of all my tattoos, including the ones I've been thinking about inking over for a bigger and better one.
Frankly I wonder about the psychology behind a person thinking that there must be some negative psychological reason for people to get tattoos.
I want to show how different I am from everyone else by getting a tat like everyone else...
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