Jump to content

Trendy or against trends?


Suiren
 Share

Recommended Posts

I never judge based on 'trendiness'. if someone sat through a tattoo and are wearing it for life, that's badass no matter the design.

Yeah but how do others see you and the tattoos. Do they say you are doing it because of trends?

I think my English is so crappy half of the forum misunderstood my question. I apologize.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think for the most part anyone who gets tattooed more than a few times has already said their goodbyes to caring about what the bulk of humanity thinks about it. There are no doubt exceptions to that generalization, but still. Like all extremely personal choices that run against the social grain, you open yourself up to criticism...but, assuming that it was a personal choice and made for considered reasons, it's not going to matter. 'Yeah, I hear you, but I do what I want.'

I imagine the rest is a self-solving problem. People basing permanent decisions on ephemeral whims tend to be regulated by their own misery after the first few mistakes. (And if they come out of the other side of a trend with a tattoo they still love, then the point is still moot, because at the end of the day, they're winning.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apart from technically sound tattoos, who cares??? I certainly could care less what people get, it's on their body not mine. We're all, presumably, adults and capably of making our own choices without caring what the general (tattooed or not) public thinks about what we've chosen to put on our bodies for the rest of our lives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apart from technically sound tattoos, who cares??? I certainly could care less what people get, it's on their body not mine. We're all, presumably, adults and capably of making our own choices without caring what the general (tattooed or not) public thinks about what we've chosen to put on our bodies for the rest of our lives.
I don't care what people think.

I don't care either obviously. I was just curious how the public perceives this or family. One can be curious about how others think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be honest, if someone sees my ink and tries to start talking about tattoos based on the fact that the have a feather turning into birds, I'm probably not gonna take them very seriously. But that's just me personally. We all get the ink we deserve!

I can identify with what you're saying ... although maybe it's a *bit* harsh.

However, everyone starts somewhere. Maybe that person with the feather turning into a flock of birds will go on a tattoo journey and finish up with a Filip Leu bodysuit. Stranger things have happened.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I honestly don't give a shit about most people's opinions on my tattoo's. alltho I got my dot work sleeve off xed lehead a long time a go seems to be becoming more and more fashionable. I feel sorry more for xed really his style has been copied so much. half the time he doesn't even get credited with it, people that have worked along side him and been influenced by his stuff do (not naming names) I suppose it's like being in to a unknown band tho and when they get popular it upsets you that every one likes them now. The thing with a lot of current trends at the moment is in the future there going to look like shit, especially the water couler stuff!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Read the whole thread and it touches on many things that I've thought about over the course of getting tattooed. Let me try to add something that's not all ready been formulated five times.

1. Tattoos now are like jeans. At first when jeans became a mainstream phenomenon jeans itself was the trend, and wearing jeans was hip. Then it went in waves, with different type of models that were "in", often making the previous model hopelessly "out". I'd say this went on until quite recently when really tight jeans for men became mainstream. Now it's not about a type of model anymore, but different brands and smaller nuances that decides if a pair of jeans are in or not, (good or not). I see tattoos going the same way. People are doing both old and new styles, and even if certain motifs at time/geographic context can be considered in the mainstream as more cool than others, no style of tattoos is really "the only thing" or is totally forgotten and shunned. This is from my perspective of course, someone not hanging out on this forum and keeping track of 200+ tattooers would possibly have a different analysis.

2. Being accused of following trends. I feel that the more tattoos you get, the more people you know/random folks on the street will accept that you are not following trends. Trends are in a way somewhat cheap, you can't invest in them too much if you are to be ready to throw it away for spring and jump on the next new thing. With something as permanent as tattoos, big portions of your skin all ready covered, you'd have to slightly retarded to put so much into a trend. I think most people can see that in general anyone who is so dedicated is doing it for herself/himself and not to "fit in". I also think that a small percentage of people really are slightly retarded and will go to such lengths.

3. The old ideas of earning your tattoos, I believe that they are there for good reasons. Not only because of the very real social and possible economic problems that a "job stopper" tattoo can make you face, but also to separate those in it for the love of the art from those who are more about being a tattooed individual. Generally the later group will be more likely to follow trends.

4. In this time tattoos are still a radical thing. One very tangible example is that certain types of tattoos/placements will stop you from getting certain types of jobs. People will have all sorts of ideas about you when they see your tattos. In some circles you will not be welcomed, and this includes some of the most influential parts of society. This is something you will have to relate to if you have visible tattoos. Some people jump on tattoos like a trend not thinking anymore of it, and in a way I guess that's always been a factor, but even these people will still have to face the resistance inside of society against their behavior. Just like every woman, every person of darker skin colour, different sexuality or any kind of handicap (for example) eventually will feel the problem that the mainstream of society has with her/his person, so will most tattooed people sooner or later feel unjustly treated in some way. It is very interesting that people can arrive in this (permanent) position from following trends.

(Excuse my academic language, I enjoy writing like this. The last part was a bit more ideological. Personally, I think subcultures and counter-cultures are a very important channel for change in society. I believe that being at odds with what is "normal" or "correct" often forces people to think about their own position, their choices, the life they want to live, and what needs to be changed in order for them to not feel constrained by social/economic/ideological forces. Tattoo culture and associated subcultures, in my opinion, has this potential for radical awakening. Depending of course on how far you go and the resistance you encounter)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be honest, if someone sees my ink and tries to start talking about tattoos based on the fact that the have a feather turning into birds, I'm probably not gonna take them very seriously. But that's just me personally. We all get the ink we deserve!

This is sad.

My first tattoo was an ankle band. There's a tattoo artist who is a friend of a friend who I ran onto at a party. I started talking tattoos because I wanted more serious work in the future but when she saw what I had she literally turned her back and walked away. Years later I have more ink than her.

Don't judge. It does no one any good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In defence of that tattooist at a party: Could it just have been that they were off the clock and the last thing they wanted to talk about was your prospective tattoos?

It might be a bit like the situation doctors, police, lawyers face whereby... you meet someone at a party and suddenly you're listening to their questions about that growth on their penis/aggressive neighbour/problem with their mother's will. And you don't get paid for listening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be honest, if someone sees my ink and tries to start talking about tattoos based on the fact that the have a feather turning into birds, I'm probably not gonna take them very seriously. But that's just me personally. We all get the ink we deserve!

I'm not a birds into feather fan personally, but I see the 'crappy tattoo' thing a bit different.

Maybe that person will always love their feather birds tattoo and even get more cliche tattoos that are frowned upon by tattoo lovers because they genuinely like it.

Maybe they will still love all their lettering, dandelions, birds etc. 10 years from now, when they are out...when the birds look like blobs and watercolor like bruising.

Maybe they never cared what anyone thinks about their tattoos.

If you think about it it puts them in the most difficult spot - Not normal enough for the mainstream, too mainstream for the tattooed community. Shunned by both :)

At least tattoed people with great tattoos accept each other, as do non tattoed people.

Though I don't have trendy tattoo designs atm, they are still frowned upon by tattooed people because they are so simple and small. But the mainstream also frowns upon me because I have more than just one piercing or tattoo and the designs I chose aren't trendy enough.

This is pretty much the story of my life. I don't fit in anywhere ;).

I don't care about it personally. I chose solitude rather than judgemental people. I just don't understand the thinking...everyone judges everyone for something different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@RoryQ and @jen7, I realize it's a bit harsh. It probably comes from the area I live mixed with the work I did up until about a year ago - very affluent community with a hipster undertone at the retail store I worked at. I saw more than one person hear our company's very open tattoo policy, only to immediately go and get the most random tattoo on a very noticeable spot (behind the ear, neck, forearms and hands). And that would be all they got during the three years I worked there. I almost felt bad, because they were making their career path harder outside of this company. But that's beside the point! All I'm saying is working within that kind of community, I saw a lot of trendy tattoos that were never expanded upon, sleeved out etc. That's why I'm with you guys on this forum! I'm not hating on trendiness, I'm just more interested in a community where more people are going for full coverage. Apologies for any offense taken.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In defence of that tattooist at a party: Could it just have been that they were off the clock and the last thing they wanted to talk about was your prospective tattoos?

It might be a bit like the situation doctors, police, lawyers face whereby... you meet someone at a party and suddenly you're listening to their questions about that growth on their penis/aggressive neighbour/problem with their mother's will. And you don't get paid for listening.

Actually, i got tattooed by that same artist at one point years later and brought it up. She admitted it was a snob move and apologized.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops, guess I'm trendy, now---does it count it if wasn't on purpose?! I found an artist whose stuff I loved (she does a lot of geometric mandala-ish work), and had her create shoulder caps for me--I wanted them to be symmetric, and reminiscent of Egyptian Revival jewelry. I *guess* they look kinda like mandalas...(?) Personally, I think they are kinda badass, but that might just be me.

In all seriousness, I find some of the more popular stuff, like black tree skylines, flocks of black birds, feathers, cartoony stuff, tiny finger tattoos, mustache tattoos, etc., not to my liking. But I'm not the one wearing those for the rest of my life, so if it makes a person happy, great. If someone chooses to think I'm being somehow trendy, oh well. Guess I'll live with it. I'm old enough I really just don't care if someone thinks I'm cool, or a poser, or whatever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a great discussion! A tattoo could be considered "trendy," but you LIKE it and enjoy it for years and years, and don't regret it, then there's nothing wrong with it whatsoever. Some trendy tattoos are actually very attractive. You just have to ignore the comments of others (we all judge each other based on appearance, it can't be helped).

Think about how trends start - someone starts it, somewhere, others see it, and independently, they do the same thing, because they LIKED it. There is something to be said for an idea that has such strikingly wide appeal. That doesn't happen by accident. Is there really anything wrong with that? The only issue I have is people who tend to jump on board just to be doing it because others are doing it, to feel like they belong, and to fit in, and that's the WRONG reason to get a tattoo, for sure. A haircut, a style of clothing or shoes, no problem - you just move on and hope the pictures never surface. Tattoos are a different story.

Has anyone had an original idea/concept for a tattoo that they'd never seen before, had it done, been happy with it, and years down the road hear people talk about it as if it was just a "trend?" Isn't there always the first one to come up with it, the proverbial trend setter?

Like the OP describes, it can be demeaning and a pejorative label to write something off as being trendy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops, guess I'm trendy, now---does it count it if wasn't on purpose?! I found an artist whose stuff I loved (she does a lot of geometric mandala-ish work), and had her create shoulder caps for me--I wanted them to be symmetric, and reminiscent of Egyptian Revival jewelry. I *guess* they look kinda like mandalas...(?) Personally, I think they are kinda badass, but that might just be me.

Mreh. Mandalas are beautiful. They've been beautiful since like the 9th-11th centuries, B.C.E. Just because they've become popular subjects for tattoos doesn't make them any less beautiful! Geometric designs likewise; you have only to look at the ceiling of any given mosque to be blown away. Whether these things make great tattoos or not is open to discussion (by people who know more about these things than I do), but that's entirely a separate conversation.

Trends are a social phenomenon that has to do with perception and self-image. They often have little or nothing to do with the intrinsic worth of the object of acclaim/derision; it's more about social identity and group belonging and whatever else. I would totally get a mandala tattoo, and I don't give a fuuuuuu. It'd have to be placed well, but they're still stunning, imo. Don't care what anybody thinks, or who else might be wearing them. We tend to want to reject things that become trendy when we feel wiser about the thing the trend concerns itself with than the bulk of derps following the trend, but sometimes that's just cutting off our noses to spite our faces.

The other tattoos under discussion draw fire here because they make for crap tattoos. But, still. If somebody loves it, even if they got it because it's trendy, it doesn't really matter. Their body, their life. More joy to them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that I better understand the question, I have given it some thought and came up with this, my answer:

I don't give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks of me. As long as I live my life in line with the morals I believe are fitting to me, I am good to go.

Will you be judged by the tattoos you choose? Absolutely, and by the very same people who would judge you by your clothes or hair or car or any number of things even if you didn't have tattoos.

In this Millenneal age of "Tolerance", I have come to realize that the tolerance only extends to those thoughts and actions Millenneals deem to be correct.

In other words "you shall tolerate that which is, by our standards, tolerable. Otherwise, you will be shunned." Which is as it always has been. You will outgrow it, sooner or later. But you may miss some pretty great times along the way.

If you are worried about what others think about a tattoo, then do not get the tattoo, because you will allow them to make your reaction.

But realize that you are not getting something you think is beautiful because you are worried that someone else - who has no stake in the matter - may disagree.

There are enough things happening in our lives over which we have no control. To give up that which I do control willingly because of peer pressure? Not gonna happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that I better understand the question, I have given it some thought and came up with this, my answer:

I don't give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks of me. As long as I live my life in line with the morals I believe are fitting to me, I am good to go.

Will you be judged by the tattoos you choose? Absolutely, and by the very same people who would judge you by your clothes or hair or car or any number of things even if you didn't have tattoos.

In this Millenneal age of "Tolerance", I have come to realize that the tolerance only extends to those thoughts and actions Millenneals deem to be correct.

In other words "you shall tolerate that which is, by our standards, tolerable. Otherwise, you will be shunned." Which is as it always has been. You will outgrow it, sooner or later. But you may miss some pretty great times along the way.

If you are worried about what others think about a tattoo, then do not get the tattoo, because you will allow them to make your reaction.

But realize that you are not getting something you think is beautiful because you are worried that someone else - who has no stake in the matter - may disagree.

There are enough things happening in our lives over which we have no control. To give up that which I do control willingly because of peer pressure? Not gonna happen.

You don't by any chance have a beard a quiff and a full sleeve of bird silhouette's do you? (joking)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In other words "you shall tolerate that which is, by our standards, tolerable. Otherwise, you will be shunned." Which is as it always has been....

Makes me think of bearded transvestites that are applauded in the media, but the same people will run from someone in black clothing :p

But there are lesser degrees to this insanity. You only have to tell other people your kid sleeps in your bed and not his own and you will find yourself friendless.

If you are worried about what others think about a tattoo, then do not get the tattoo, because you will allow them to make your reaction.

But realize that you are not getting something you think is beautiful because you are worried that someone else - who has no stake in the matter - may disagree.

There are enough things happening in our lives over which we have no control. To give up that which I do control willingly because of peer pressure? Not gonna happen.

I stood away from tattoos (and facial piercings) in my 20's because my Ex did not approve, neither did my work place (I worked in Manhattan, so ...fancy fancy).

But eventually I noticed that isn't making me happy. And even though my following partner was not a fan of piercings or tattoos I continued anyway...and I'm happier working a less fancy job too.

At least my son is a fan of everything. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 7:22 PM, LizBee said:

Is there a tattoo trend now that will be the equivalent of the tribals of the 90s? Is it possible to predict?

Animals dressed as gentlemen.  Dotwork is obviously very popular but don't see it going the way of tribal. I think that (and mandalas) will stick around. 

Edited by Guerillaneedles
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Guerillaneedles said:

Animals dressed as gentlemen.  Dotwork is obviously very popular but don't see it going the way of tribal. I think that (and mandalas) will stick around. 

Yes. A year ago I would not have realized the staying power of animals dressed as gentlemen, but in my town, a heavily tattooed city, it is still going strong. Fortunately, the artists doing this work referenced above here are doing a good job, and the quality is there. Not my taste, but at least they are good tattoos

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...