Pugilist

Hahaha I wish - i wasn't a mod yet when @hogg smote/smited/smoted (how do you say this?) him. Re: deleting posts, I am still finding my way around so I am not 100% sure how things work, but I think the tendency is not to delete these things, partly because then it becomes confusing (you see everyone's replies but not what they are replying to). I agree that it bums me out to see an awesome thread get polluted like this, but I also think it may not be terrible to have an example of the kind of behaviour that is not OK here, for future meatheads. That said, I hope we can at the very least bury it with more bra talk, haha.

Seriously, I am getting my shoulders done next week so I am appreciating the strapless bra talk! For ladies who have had their shoulders tattooed - did you find that you needed the strapless bra for the duration of healing? I can't quite figure out if it will interfere with bra-wearing but I guess I will have to wait and see. I think my strapless is also convertible into a racerback which should allow me to use straps but stay away from the edges of my shoulders. I should really check, and also give you guys the name of it, because it is yet another one of these rare beauties that works for us well-endowed ladies.

Aw, you guys are making me blush. And @TrixieFaux - no banhammer, only jealousy! I want to hear all about it!

I can't wait!

I love the idea of the No Longer Pale Ale, or otherwise I would do something along the lines of "No More Tears" Ale or something making fun of one's stamina.

All of those look great!

Booooooooooooooooo! Next time! We cannot resist the siren song of NYC and NJ.

I can only imagine that stuff like this makes moderation duties a bummer, so thanks for taking it on and responding so quickly, @hogg. You are the bee's knees.

Didn't realize non tattoo photos caused a shit storm around these parts. Noted.

I really appreciate seeing people's tattoos in context and I am sorry that your contribution to a good conversation got derailed like this. It sucks.

Hey dudes, maybe listen to women when they say they find something insulting, instead of telling them how they should take it. It's an infantilizing, objectifying and therefore misogynist thing to say, even if you "mean it" as a compliment. And I agree with @SnowyPlover, it's a nice reminder of why being a woman into tattoos can kind of suck.

Cool, well this thread is for and about women, not girls.

It doesn't matter how he meant it - it's a shitty, patronizing, objectifying thing to say and has no place on a board where people are meant to behave respectfully towards each other.

We love Wburg and don't mind heading up there!!! It is the only place we've been where everyone looks like @Graeme!

I think Manhattan would be ideal if anyone was coming in from NJ, but if not (so far no Njers have piped up), then we would be equally cool with Manhattan or Brooklyn, and trust you locals to pick a cool spot!

Like I said, do what you will do, but pain that you choose willingly, and that no matter how much we complain, we still GET THROUGH and then CHOOSE AGAIN, is not the same thing as pain that comes from something being wrong with our bodies. Like these conversations need a little goddamn perspective. If you want to dope yourself up, feel free, but don't pretend it's a necessity.

Yay!!!

Are you guys in Brooklyn or Manhattan?

I mean, I know that tattoos hurt, sometimes a lot, but I had some medical shit happen to me in the past year that was among the worst pain I have ever experienced, like pain that makes you vomit uncontrollably (for which I was prescribed far LESS in terms of painkillers than what some people are describing in this thread), and it's made me have a low, low tolerance for otherwise healthy people (i.e. without chronic problems that exacerbate what it means to sit for a tattoo!) not being able to grin and bare it through a tattoo. It really sucks sometimes, I am not disputing that, but we all deal with it. And we are doing this voluntarily. We are feeling the pain because of something we want, not because our body is telling us that we are ill. The pain also stops as soon as the needle does. If folks want to use painkillers or muscle relaxants to make the process easier, that's up to them and their tattooers--I have never found it worth the side effects, and I really resist the notion that it is ever "necessary". Like do whatever you want, but let's remember that just because something is really painful, doesn't mean that we can't just... deal with it. We all like to complain about how much tattoos hurt as some kind of bonding exercise, but we wouldn't still be getting tattooed if it really required sedation to survive!

Let me be clear that Arnica is not a painkiller in any way. Tt just helps with the side effects of tattooing, like bruising and swelling. Buy the pills, not the topical cream, for obvious reasons. You should be able to find it at any pharmacy. I take it like every two hours on the day of and day after tattooing.

Arnica is a good herbal remedy to avoid excessive swelling and soreness. I take it before, during and after most tattoos.

We are totally happy to chill with a small group!

This thread got weird! While I enjoy all the chatter, am I correct that me, @Graeme, @Fala and @ironchef (and various partners) are the only people actually meeting up?

My husband eggs me on. :(

I agree that button-up shirts are probably the way to go if you do this. Which is why I personally won't do that area at the moment as someone who covers up at work - it is indeed very limiting! So it's up to you whether or not you want to cover up for work, and if so, if you are willing to limit your wardrobe that much. I think chest/collarbones is a very visible tattoo for women.

OK here is my suggestion: let's meet up for drinks at something like 6 on Sunday the 23rd, and then folks who want to can also get dinner together. Before deciding on a location, let's do a roll call to see who intends to come and what general area they are coming from (Manhattan, Brooklyn, NJ, etc.) so we can choose somewhere convenient.

Me and @Graeme: Brooklyn

(PS someone who has a better memory of who actually lives in or around NYC please tag folks who might like to come so they see this - I never remember where people live on here.)