Comments on: Think Before You Ink: A Man’s Guide to Getting a Tattoo

By: Louis

Louis — Thu, 09 May 2013 19:18:24 +0000

I have seen some awesome tattoos, very artistic, colorful, some small and some quite large. I have also seen some really silly tattoos, cheap tattoos, ugly tattoos; from very small to disgustingly large. Tattoos are like so many things (furniture, speech, cars, shoes, education, stride, voice, etc.) they can be elegant or ridiculous. But if the individual rocking a cigar smoking woody wood pecker is happy with his tat, why should I care? We are not all followers of the Judeo-Christian religions and they therefore are under no obligation to do as some obscure verse in the bible says they should do (although it had a very pragmatic reason for stating what it did when it did as Israel was trying to differentiate itself from its polytheistic neighbors). But even if we’re of a Judeo-Christian tradition, as Paul taught in the New Testament, either we keep the whole Law or we are guilty of the whole Law if we break a single commandment (Paul’s argument was that no one can keep the whole law, we’re all guilty and the only rescue from the guilt of the law lays in the belief of the Savior). But this is a not a theological response to the topic under discussion, it is only my opinion that what we do, whether we turn left or right, it is between ourselves and our deity, all others need not comment (unless criminal). As far as tattoos are concerned I think that just as we are free to wear whatever we want (although our choices will limit us in some way, for example, if we only wear jeans, we might have a difficult time getting hired by a law firm) we have the freedom to ink ourselves although doing so may have social consequences that we have to anticipate and not later complain. Jeans can be traded in for wool slacks, tattoos are more permanent. Tattoos in the wrong place will limit us in certain circles if our feeling change as to where we want to work, or who we want to associate with for example.
if I had a law firm I wouldn’t care if my attorneys had visible tattoos–but clients might, and many judges might mind too. So in certain professions it is best if our ink is not visible. prejudice, ironically in law of all places, is inescapable.

I for one have met some of the most hardworking, honest, faithful, sincere, bad ass, fun, truthful people who happen to sport some ink somewhere in their bodies, some quite extensively. Yes it might be trendy, but we all do this to some extent, don’t we? Why should I care if they want to be viewed as more carefree/artistic/”dangerous” than traditional or business uptight?

I have a tattoo. Most people don’t know of it because it’s over my heart in plain black ink. I got it for my own reasons, but I don’t mind showing it off when the opportunity arises (a pool party, a day at the beach, getting familiar with a new lady friend…)

I think they’re awesome if done right, and I think that some are ridiculous but either way it’s not my life but I at least value that people are trying to set themselves apart from the herd, even if it is by following yet another trend.

By: Ramiro

Ramiro — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:57:20 +0000

So, what about a women style tattoo for a manly man? are those banned here? like this one:
http://tatuajesparamujeres.org/fotos-de-tatuajes/

By: zack

zack — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:25:13 +0000

How about this? A tatto of different cross going down my right arm like chain mail connected by vines(or something like that. And on my left arm a armour shoulder plate with a cross and the cross chain mail coming out of it. Im going for the religion thing and im getting wings going down my back

By: Archer

Archer — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 12:08:19 +0000

I considered getting one for a long time before eventually having it done.

I spent several years training in muay thai and once life changed and I moved on, i wanted something to remind me of how hard I worked during that time and how far I learned I could push myself. In lieu of getting a traditional sak yant tattoo (which would require travel to the far east), I found a thai design on a buddhist temple called a “kranok” (also: “kanok”), which I redesigned a little and had tattooed on my left shoulder.

I couldn’t be happier with it, because it has meaning for me. While I can certainly appreciate why some styles of tattoo have become popular, I don’t think I would be ultimately happy with a design simply because it looked cool.

But to each his own…

By: MarZ

MarZ — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 05:59:07 +0000

Although i will probably never get a tattoo in my life, i am a firm believer that a tattoo should represent something you have experienced.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:14:49 +0000

i got my tattoo freshman year of college. its a skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus-Rex that i drew myself. i got it to remind me of my childhood and my love for dinosaurs. right after i got i started to regret it and considerd getting it covered up but that soon passed and now i really do love it.

By: Mark Wiz

Mark Wiz — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 01:33:02 +0000

I guess we can assume that tattoos are polarizing. The truth is, they are becoming more popular among men and women. I think a good thing to remember is something I read recently: people are horrid at imagining who they will be ten years from now. Think about it: aren’t there things you have changed your attitude about over time? For me at age 61, that ranges from my taste in wines to my beliefs about God. The message is tread lightly while trying to avoid the irreversible. Now, I got my first tattoo at age 60; I now have one on each calf. One is the Poish Falcon, the other is a combination of my family crest, the crest of the village my ancestors came from, and a symbol of the meaning of my surname. They mean a lot to me, and both women and men have admired them. They also do not show at formal events. Even my wife, who does not like tattoos, has said they are quite beautiful and meaningful.
LOL… best story I’ve heard was a guy at the gym who had a tat for each of his three kids but refused to get one representing his wife. His rationale: “S*** happens: who know if she’ll be premanent.” Now, there’s a guy just begging for a major tattoo-induced fight!

By: Beufl

Beufl — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:23:04 +0000

Its very necessary to think twice before you ink tattoo , because after that its not possible to get it down easily.I am also a fan of tattoos.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:02:29 +0000

I was born and raised in Hawaii, which has a rich history of tattooing similar to the traditions among the Tahitians, Maori, and Samoans. Here we call it Kakau, and the process used to be done by cutting the skin and pouring ink made from ash into the wound. Tattoos were done across a man’s life to mark significant events – fighting in a battle, having a child, losing a loved one – as well as where we came from – who our ancestors were, and which spirits watch over our families. Nowadays, we do it in a sterile environment with modern needles and ink, but the designs are mostly unchanged.

My kids go to a dual-language school where they are learning to speak the language we almost allowed to die. All of the teachers have Kakau on their arms and legs, and I respect them more as professionals for it. One of the administrators is a dignified and genteel lady in her 60′s, highly intelligent and well educated, and her tattoos are amazing – they tell so much of her history. Who her parents and grandparents and great-grandparents were, tracing her lineage back to the days of legend. Who her children are now, and her grandchildren. There are shark’s teeth, which mean strength, wrapped around her left arm and half her chest to signify her struggle with breast cancer. There are markings which show her pride in being a teacher, and others that show the prosperity and success of her school.

I personally can’t have any due to health reasons, but when my son is 18, it is my sincere hope that he will mark his coming of age with a traditional tattoo.

By: Maria

Maria — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 13:59:57 +0000

I was hoping to see an article here about how unmanly tattoos are. How disappointing to see one promoting this sad fad. When I see a tattoo on a person it just makes me think they have issues, poor judgement, poor taste and that their priorities are messed up. Yes I know that this isn’t the case necessarily but that’s what I feel when I see a tattoo. Before anyone jumps all over me for being judgemental, the fact is that a person wouldn’t get a tattoo if they didn’t want people to see it. If you’re going to put yourself out there by branding yourself with a message, then expect to be judged for good and bad and don’t complain when others jump to conclusions about you.