None. My parents hated them, but then again they were old enough to have lived in a time when only sailors and criminals had them.
Offspring has one.
I’ll suppose that on the big patterns that they lay out a stencil, or are the good artists so good they just wing it?I have one on my left bicep. A very generic screaming eagle motif. (You just chose something from the wall and…)
But that was the mid 80s, during a night out in Wanchai in Hong Kong… Ricky and Pinky’s Tattoo.
And here is the great man himself at work.
Ah, good old days.
Do I regret getting one? No.
Would I get one now? No.
I think lots of people with the full blown sleeves are going to regret it. I mean, they don't look all that good even now… god knows what that's going to look like in 20…30 years.
Edit: Here's a link or two
Greg Girard - Archive - Ricky And Pinkys Tattoo Hong Kong
Greg Girard is a Canadian photographer (b. 1955) who has spent much of his career in Asia, first visiting Hong Kong in 1974, and later living in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. He became a professional photographer in 1987, based first in Hong Kong and later in Shanghai. His work to date has...www.greggirard.comIN PICTURES - Ricky & Pinky’s tattoo parlour: 40 years of inking Hong Kong
IN PICTURES - Ricky & Pinky’s tattoo parlour: 40 years of inking Hong Kongwww.scmp.com
Edit 2: I probably dodged a Hepatitis bullet there… Hygiene wasn't quite what it is these days.
Amen.I think of people with the full blown sleeves are going to regret it. I mean, they don't look good even now… god knows what that's going to look like in 20…30 years.
People can look great with them, I agree. I never got one because it feels like too much of a commitment. I'll be 52 in a few weeks and feel that the window of opportunity has passed. Most people I know have at least one.
That said: their bodies, their choices.
I agree with you that tattoos are not for everyone. I cannot tell you why, but when I look at some women or men for that matter, I find that some who are heavily tattooed are a turn-off and others I find attractive (pleasing to the eye). Its weird and probably just a personal taste issue with me. I will also freely admit that there is a segment of those with tattoos to represent the worst of us, but just like individuals of a group, not all or even a large percentage represent that side. I personally think that a tattoo represents that individual's personality. So if they are a racist or a misogynistic, then that is probably what they will put on their body. Maybe that explains why I find some of them attractive and others not.It is possibly a generational thing, but I don't care for tattoos.
Now, in general, I don't have a problem with women wearing tattoos, they can be a powerful and personal testimony, and sometimes, it is also an act of rebellion against what can be stifling societal norms as applied to women, but, they are not for me.
However, I would not be comfortable with a guy with tattoos.
For reasons of the context of tattoos (many see it in terms of an individual choice, often undertaken when young and/or intoxicated) but, certainly among the men I have seen who were heavily tattooed, many had military backgrounds, and still worked in the security area, whereas others that I have read about include outfits such as Hell's Angels', or - for example, Russian criminal or prison gangs.
Groups that bond over violence (licensed or not), very often with right wing and profoundly misogynistic attitudes as well, do nothing for me, I must admit, and, in any relationship that was not strictly professional, I would give them a wide berth.
Maori culture is a different story, where the tattoos are part of a specific cultural & ethnic identity.
I've had patients who got it as a reminder to help them cope. That I find neat. Like this guy had a really rare genetic disease and had a tattoo of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs pissing on the disease. I found it amusing and was a great conversation starter and through the tattoo you got to laugh with this person about something that was obviously causing a lot of misery for them.For me, tattoos are not something I've ever wanted to add to my body since I've already had a lot of experience early-on in life with changes being made (reconstructive surgeries due to Treacher Collins Syndrome) and I have never had any interest in adding something else where someone else (a tattoo artist) would be making another (more-or-less permanent) change to my body, even if it is something, an image, a symbol or other artistry, something pretty, something small or something large, which would be meaningful to me, even if to no one else. That aside, I just don't want any more needles than the ones I've already experienced from early childhood on.... Necessary needles for medical reasons, fine, I deal with that. Something which is wholly voluntary and not really necessary for me I'll just skip, thanks.
That said, I think it is neat when someone wants a tattoo or two placed to represent something really significant and meaningful to them, and I can sort of understand and see why many people do this. I will admit that when it comes to someone doing a full sleeve or in some cases much more than that I am not quite so sure that I get the motivation behind this, nor do I need to, but I do appreciate the sometimes really beautiful artwork that some tattoo artists have created. It is really amazing what they can do with artistry, inks and colors applied to human skin.....
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