soraya

This was my LIFE when I lived in Japan - I was a teacher and a school administrator and I had a weekly ritual of covering the tattoos on my leg and back. The worst was a very old, small, fuzzy tattoo on my ankle that I had cover up with a large bandaid every week - one of my coworkers just about died when he realized that it wasn't an injury that I had to keep covered for 5 years :).

My husband and I had been married for a few years when he asked me if I would consider getting a tattoo. He said that he found tattoos on women very attractive and sexy, and after a lot of thought I decided to get one. I will spare the decision-making details now since it i already posted them here:
http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/546-relationships-tattoos-page32.html#post72275
I decided I wanted a peony on the front of my hip. Although I was happy to get the tattoo, I considered it very private. I was uncomfortable about getting anything that might show, so I picked a location where it would never be visible in public (accept maybe in the locker room at the gym, where I planned, of course, to go to great lengths and convolutions to keep it covered).
The day arrived and I showed the artist my idea. He suggested adding some background to peony - some cherry blossoms, foliage, and decorative elements to give it a Japanese style. That made it much bigger than I had planned - It would be about 4" x 6", which I thought was gigantic at the time! I almost said no because I wanted to keep it small, but it did look much better with the added portions so I said, "Go for it." Part of it was over a bone, and the artist warned me that it might be more painful in that area.
I remember staring intensely at the needle as he was ready to make the first line, and I prepared for the feeling of the needle because I wanted to have a vivid memory of the moment that my skin was changed forever. The needle first touched in a soft area, and the pain was not as bad as I expected, and as he worked for the first few minutes, I thought that this was going to be pretty easy. Then he started working over a bone, and OW! The pain was indeed pretty intense there. But except for the flashes of pain over the bone, the experience was not that bad.
It took about an hour to complete, maybe longer, but I'm really not sure how long it took because I was concentrating so much on what the artist was doing. This was going to be my only tattoo and I saw it as a pretty important life event, so I wanted to mentally absorb every aspect of the experience. About halfway through the session, even the pain over the bone started to melt away, and I started to feel a little euphoric, and I was almost enjoying the feeling. As I watched him add the color, the tattoo began to take a recognizable form, and I started to realize that it was very beautiful - even more so than I had ever imagined. I was glad that we made it bigger than I originally planned. It started to hit me - "It's part of me. I'm tattooed, There's no turning back." I was so glad I had decided to get it - I was almost giddy.
When he finished I looked in the mirror, and I was nearly speechless. I remember saying "Oh Wow...Oh Wow! Its so beautiful!" over and over. I loved it, and I was so proud of myself!
Afterwards we went to a restaurant and and as we ate, I was floating. I was just babbling on and on about how much I loved it, how happy I was that I decided to get it, and how glad I was that he had suggested it, and how pretty it was, and how realistic it looked, and how the pain really wasn't that bad, and how I liked the colors, and how I wondered how the girls at the gym would react, and on, and on, and on... finally when I ran out of breath and words, I blurted out, "I want to get another one!"
That was how I got started! At the beginning of that day I thought I was getting my first and only tattoo. I could have never imagined that I would someday have half sleeves and several tattoos. I'm at eight and counting, and have big plans for much more coverage.

My husband and I had been married for a few years when he asked me if I would consider getting a tattoo. He said that he found tattoos on women very attractive and sexy, and after a lot of thought I decided to get one. I will spare the decision-making details now since it i already posted them here:
http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/546-relationships-tattoos-page32.html#post72275
I decided I wanted a peony on the front of my hip. Although I was happy to get the tattoo, I considered it very private. I was uncomfortable about getting anything that might show, so I picked a location where it would never be visible in public (accept maybe in the locker room at the gym, where I planned, of course, to go to great lengths and convolutions to keep it covered).
The day arrived and I showed the artist my idea. He suggested adding some background to peony - some cherry blossoms, foliage, and decorative elements to give it a Japanese style. That made it much bigger than I had planned - It would be about 4" x 6", which I thought was gigantic at the time! I almost said no because I wanted to keep it small, but it did look much better with the added portions so I said, "Go for it." Part of it was over a bone, and the artist warned me that it might be more painful in that area.
I remember staring intensely at the needle as he was ready to make the first line, and I prepared for the feeling of the needle because I wanted to have a vivid memory of the moment that my skin was changed forever. The needle first touched in a soft area, and the pain was not as bad as I expected, and as he worked for the first few minutes, I thought that this was going to be pretty easy. Then he started working over a bone, and OW! The pain was indeed pretty intense there. But except for the flashes of pain over the bone, the experience was not that bad.
It took about an hour to complete, maybe longer, but I'm really not sure how long it took because I was concentrating so much on what the artist was doing. This was going to be my only tattoo and I saw it as a pretty important life event, so I wanted to mentally absorb every aspect of the experience. About halfway through the session, even the pain over the bone started to melt away, and I started to feel a little euphoric, and I was almost enjoying the feeling. As I watched him add the color, the tattoo began to take a recognizable form, and I started to realize that it was very beautiful - even more so than I had ever imagined. I was glad that we made it bigger than I originally planned. It started to hit me - "It's part of me. I'm tattooed, There's no turning back." I was so glad I had decided to get it - I was almost giddy.
When he finished I looked in the mirror, and I was nearly speechless. I remember saying "Oh Wow...Oh Wow! Its so beautiful!" over and over. I loved it, and I was so proud of myself!
Afterwards we went to a restaurant and and as we ate, I was floating. I was just babbling on and on about how much I loved it, how happy I was that I decided to get it, and how glad I was that he had suggested it, and how pretty it was, and how realistic it looked, and how the pain really wasn't that bad, and how I liked the colors, and how I wondered how the girls at the gym would react, and on, and on, and on... finally when I ran out of breath and words, I blurted out, "I want to get another one!"
That was how I got started! At the beginning of that day I thought I was getting my first and only tattoo. I could have never imagined that I would someday have half sleeves and several tattoos. I'm at eight and counting, and have big plans for much more coverage.

My husband and I had been married for a few years when he asked me if I would consider getting a tattoo. He said that he found tattoos on women very attractive and sexy, and after a lot of thought I decided to get one. I will spare the decision-making details now since it i already posted them here:
http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/546-relationships-tattoos-page32.html#post72275
I decided I wanted a peony on the front of my hip. Although I was happy to get the tattoo, I considered it very private. I was uncomfortable about getting anything that might show, so I picked a location where it would never be visible in public (accept maybe in the locker room at the gym, where I planned, of course, to go to great lengths and convolutions to keep it covered).
The day arrived and I showed the artist my idea. He suggested adding some background to peony - some cherry blossoms, foliage, and decorative elements to give it a Japanese style. That made it much bigger than I had planned - It would be about 4" x 6", which I thought was gigantic at the time! I almost said no because I wanted to keep it small, but it did look much better with the added portions so I said, "Go for it." Part of it was over a bone, and the artist warned me that it might be more painful in that area.
I remember staring intensely at the needle as he was ready to make the first line, and I prepared for the feeling of the needle because I wanted to have a vivid memory of the moment that my skin was changed forever. The needle first touched in a soft area, and the pain was not as bad as I expected, and as he worked for the first few minutes, I thought that this was going to be pretty easy. Then he started working over a bone, and OW! The pain was indeed pretty intense there. But except for the flashes of pain over the bone, the experience was not that bad.
It took about an hour to complete, maybe longer, but I'm really not sure how long it took because I was concentrating so much on what the artist was doing. This was going to be my only tattoo and I saw it as a pretty important life event, so I wanted to mentally absorb every aspect of the experience. About halfway through the session, even the pain over the bone started to melt away, and I started to feel a little euphoric, and I was almost enjoying the feeling. As I watched him add the color, the tattoo began to take a recognizable form, and I started to realize that it was very beautiful - even more so than I had ever imagined. I was glad that we made it bigger than I originally planned. It started to hit me - "It's part of me. I'm tattooed, There's no turning back." I was so glad I had decided to get it - I was almost giddy.
When he finished I looked in the mirror, and I was nearly speechless. I remember saying "Oh Wow...Oh Wow! Its so beautiful!" over and over. I loved it, and I was so proud of myself!
Afterwards we went to a restaurant and and as we ate, I was floating. I was just babbling on and on about how much I loved it, how happy I was that I decided to get it, and how glad I was that he had suggested it, and how pretty it was, and how realistic it looked, and how the pain really wasn't that bad, and how I liked the colors, and how I wondered how the girls at the gym would react, and on, and on, and on... finally when I ran out of breath and words, I blurted out, "I want to get another one!"
That was how I got started! At the beginning of that day I thought I was getting my first and only tattoo. I could have never imagined that I would someday have half sleeves and several tattoos. I'm at eight and counting, and have big plans for much more coverage.

I am tattooed and married to a man who does not have any tattoos. I'm not extensively tattooed (yet!), but I have 9 and two of them are quite large. My husband was always attracted to tattooed women even though he never made the plunge himself. He's very supportive and actually always telling me that I should get more, haha. I think he was just as excited as I was about the large thigh tattoo I just got, and he loves it.
I don't think someone has to have tattoos in order to appreciate and understand the culture. But there are people (like my mother... and sister-in-law) who don't appreciate it or understand it and have no desire to. And of course, I could never have had a successful relationship with someone in that camp, as even when I only had one small one, my plan was always been to get more.

Beez, your post could have been written by me - I feel almost exactly the same way!
Once I got past hubby's request that I get a tattoo and got my first one, I started to become almost obsessed with tattoos. I researched them, learned about their history, and constantly sought out for pictures of them. It was like I had jumped off of a cliff - I was in a free-fall.
Like you, I love looking at my own tattoos - I don't think it is weird to admit (at least to folks who understand!). It has been years since I first got tattooed, but at least once a week when I'm getting dressed or showering, I look in the mirror and say "Wow!" I think my tattoos are beautiful, and I love them. I marvel that my bare skin is no longer visible, has been transformed in to something colorful. I remember the day I started my first half-sleeve, I looked in the mirror and thought "This is the last day my arm will look like this." It sort of gave me goose bumps. I really like that I have made my body the way I want it (well, with my first tattoo, I actually made my body the way my husband wanted it, but I then took over the driver's seat and stomped on the gas).
I also realized that I found his tattoos very attractive - something that I had sort of been denial about before he nudged me into the tattoo world. I think that when I first saw his tattoos, they sort of subconciously cemented his physical attraction to me. I'm really sad that he decided to stop getting them.
Like you I notice tattoos immediately. I find my self looking at untattooed people and thinking thinks like, "Wow, she would look beautiful with a half-sleeve." I really think that a lot of people - particularly women - look incomplete without tattoos!
I really like your scene about "the big reveal!" That would be delicious! Since I'm married, that is not really going to happen with me like that, but we do play a little reveal "game" sometimes. We might be out at a nice restaurant and I might make some movement that exposes part of one of my sleeves, and he will say, "Oh my, I see you are tattooed." And I will say something like "Why yes, as a matter of fact I am...quite extensively, actually." and he will say, "Well, so am I." I say, "Oh really? I'd love to see." And he will say "And I'd love to see yours too." And on and on and we have a lot of fun with it, and sometimes it leads to...ahem...interesting things!
I'm really hoping I can convince my husband to restart getting tattooed. I'd love to see him get at least half sleeves so we could share the experience both ways as I continue on my tattoo projects.

@Colored Guy I'm sorry to hear about your wife's diagnosis. I hope you two have many more years together.
@beez Hell Yes! Tattoos on guys are extremely attractive to me too. I've never dated anyone with tattoos as I got together with my partner in my late teens, but I imagine if I did I would want to look at them all the time. I look at my tattoos all the time, I never get sick of it. This may be a bit Too Much Info but my bathroom breaks are significantly longer as I end up staring at my lady head on my thigh. This is only going to get worse as my legs fill up over time, haha! I just get a profound sense of "rightness" (is that a word?) looking at my tattoos. It makes me feel incredibly happy.

I am very attracted to tattoos - they catch my eye first and immediately - and if they're good tattoos my brain melts a little and my heart starts racing and this is all before I've even made contact...so you can imagine...I don't talk to a lot of tattooed people...(hahaha cackle...it's only partly true! Can be super awkward...)
In any event - I would LOVE it if tattoos were something I could share with a partner. I love them. I love looking at them. (Don't know about you guys but I definitely look at my own tattoos a lot...is that a weird thing to admit??)
I've never dated anyone with any kind of tattoos at all. I've dated guys who have given me shit about the tattoos (obvs they don't last long) and guys who were clearly into the fact that I had tattoos but they did not have them themselves, which was fine but incomplete for me.
Tattoos aren't a must, but are something I would like to share with a partner in the future for sure.
My parents set me up with a lot of conservative types (when I am visiting them in OK) who are decidedly NOT into tattoos, are definitely the type who think they are trashy etc. I tend to stay covered at home regardless because of the negative attention I receive - though there are certainly more tattoos in Oklahoma than when I left 8 years ago - but still get a lot of negative looks, creepy comments etc when they are showing.
So what I'm waiting for is the big reveal - on a date with some guy who seems maybe like not my type blah blah blah we get along, there a few more dates and then BOOM there is a moment of discovery where both of our heavily tattooed bodies are revealed!!! (Not necessarily THAT moment...I'm just saying....). Haha so basically I get myself through all these obligatory parent-lead dates by pretending the man I'm speaking to has an incredible Filip Leu (Or whoever - insert your fav artist here) body suit underneath whatever he's wearing.
Hmm. I'm going to write that movie...

It's funny coming back to this thread now that I'm single, since my previous posts from a while ago I was in a relationship. He still does not have any tattoos, but all I know is I definitely want someone that has a major interest in it.
I guess it's safe to say it's a fetish of mine, since it's a big part of my life...
So the next one to come along it may have to be a requirement :)
Just feels like a waste of time trying to explain this whole culture to a newbie....I think it's a big part of understanding a person on a fundamental level to begin with, and if you gotta explain it's a little draining...

Another one with a plainskinned partner here!
I've just recently started getting tattooed and I only have 8 (all on the one upper arm) but plenty of plans for more. My husband loves and appreciates my tattoos almost as much as I do but it's just not his thing (yet?). I secretly find that quite pleasing, I think I like that being tattooed is my thing rather than our thing, mind you we do have the children, that surely is a grand collaboration ;)

When I met my husband, he had just a couple of tattoos but planned to get much more work, while I was untattooed and planned to stay that way. We were both fine with that situation, and it didn't figure into our attraction for each other. A few years after we married he confided to me that although he was still fine with my lack of ink, he did find tattooed women to be very attractive, and sort of sheepishly and politely asked if I would consider getting one. This was not something I wanted to hear, but I love him, so I asked him to tell me more. He said that he always found tattooed women to be extremely attractive, and sexy. I could see that it was something he really wanted. I asked him what what he would like for me to get and where, and he said he'd like something feminine wrapping around my upper arm, sort or of a quarter sleeve. I really had no interest in getting a tattoo, certainly nothing that large, and especially not in such a visible location.
But we discussed it. I heard his desire, and he listened to my objections. I understood that he would find a tattoo on me to be attractive, and he understood that I was very, very reluctant. He said he would accept a "no" if that is how I felt. But I told him that I would think about it. I gave it a lot of thought and decided I wanted to please him if I could. I examined my tattoo objections, and realized that it was the visibility that bothered me. After a lot of thought I decided that I would be willing to step out of my comfort zone and get a tattoo, but in a “non-public” location. We compromised, and I got a a tattoo on the front of my hip where it would not be seen even if I was in my normal one-piece bathing suit. It made him very happy, and I was happy to be able to please him. Most importantly, it was MY decision and I did not feel forcibly coerced into the tattoo.
And just to show you how things can go unexpectedly: He soon extended his tattoos slightly into fairly modest shoulder/sleeve caps, and surprisingly decided that he was finished, and didn't want any more tattoos. For me, it turned out that I loved my tattoo – so much so, that I now have eight, with no further prodding from my husband, including two including two half sleeves! In the end, hubby got the arm tattoo on me that he originally wanted, and much, much more! I am now planning a full back piece, and I'm sure I will get more after that. And now I'm pestering him to get more ink, because I think it is pretty attractive on him too!
I think that now if, heaven forbid, something were to happen to my husband, and I were to settle down with someone new, he would have to be tattooed. It is big part of my existence now, and I have come to find tattooed men to be very attractive. I don't think an uninked man could truly understand or appreciate me now.

When I met my husband, he had just a couple of tattoos but planned to get much more work, while I was untattooed and planned to stay that way. We were both fine with that situation, and it didn't figure into our attraction for each other. A few years after we married he confided to me that although he was still fine with my lack of ink, he did find tattooed women to be very attractive, and sort of sheepishly and politely asked if I would consider getting one. This was not something I wanted to hear, but I love him, so I asked him to tell me more. He said that he always found tattooed women to be extremely attractive, and sexy. I could see that it was something he really wanted. I asked him what what he would like for me to get and where, and he said he'd like something feminine wrapping around my upper arm, sort or of a quarter sleeve. I really had no interest in getting a tattoo, certainly nothing that large, and especially not in such a visible location.
But we discussed it. I heard his desire, and he listened to my objections. I understood that he would find a tattoo on me to be attractive, and he understood that I was very, very reluctant. He said he would accept a "no" if that is how I felt. But I told him that I would think about it. I gave it a lot of thought and decided I wanted to please him if I could. I examined my tattoo objections, and realized that it was the visibility that bothered me. After a lot of thought I decided that I would be willing to step out of my comfort zone and get a tattoo, but in a “non-public” location. We compromised, and I got a a tattoo on the front of my hip where it would not be seen even if I was in my normal one-piece bathing suit. It made him very happy, and I was happy to be able to please him. Most importantly, it was MY decision and I did not feel forcibly coerced into the tattoo.
And just to show you how things can go unexpectedly: He soon extended his tattoos slightly into fairly modest shoulder/sleeve caps, and surprisingly decided that he was finished, and didn't want any more tattoos. For me, it turned out that I loved my tattoo – so much so, that I now have eight, with no further prodding from my husband, including two including two half sleeves! In the end, hubby got the arm tattoo on me that he originally wanted, and much, much more! I am now planning a full back piece, and I'm sure I will get more after that. And now I'm pestering him to get more ink, because I think it is pretty attractive on him too!
I think that now if, heaven forbid, something were to happen to my husband, and I were to settle down with someone new, he would have to be tattooed. It is big part of my existence now, and I have come to find tattooed men to be very attractive. I don't think an uninked man could truly understand or appreciate me now.

When I met my husband, he had just a couple of tattoos but planned to get much more work, while I was untattooed and planned to stay that way. We were both fine with that situation, and it didn't figure into our attraction for each other. A few years after we married he confided to me that although he was still fine with my lack of ink, he did find tattooed women to be very attractive, and sort of sheepishly and politely asked if I would consider getting one. This was not something I wanted to hear, but I love him, so I asked him to tell me more. He said that he always found tattooed women to be extremely attractive, and sexy. I could see that it was something he really wanted. I asked him what what he would like for me to get and where, and he said he'd like something feminine wrapping around my upper arm, sort or of a quarter sleeve. I really had no interest in getting a tattoo, certainly nothing that large, and especially not in such a visible location.
But we discussed it. I heard his desire, and he listened to my objections. I understood that he would find a tattoo on me to be attractive, and he understood that I was very, very reluctant. He said he would accept a "no" if that is how I felt. But I told him that I would think about it. I gave it a lot of thought and decided I wanted to please him if I could. I examined my tattoo objections, and realized that it was the visibility that bothered me. After a lot of thought I decided that I would be willing to step out of my comfort zone and get a tattoo, but in a “non-public” location. We compromised, and I got a a tattoo on the front of my hip where it would not be seen even if I was in my normal one-piece bathing suit. It made him very happy, and I was happy to be able to please him. Most importantly, it was MY decision and I did not feel forcibly coerced into the tattoo.
And just to show you how things can go unexpectedly: He soon extended his tattoos slightly into fairly modest shoulder/sleeve caps, and surprisingly decided that he was finished, and didn't want any more tattoos. For me, it turned out that I loved my tattoo – so much so, that I now have eight, with no further prodding from my husband, including two including two half sleeves! In the end, hubby got the arm tattoo on me that he originally wanted, and much, much more! I am now planning a full back piece, and I'm sure I will get more after that. And now I'm pestering him to get more ink, because I think it is pretty attractive on him too!
I think that now if, heaven forbid, something were to happen to my husband, and I were to settle down with someone new, he would have to be tattooed. It is big part of my existence now, and I have come to find tattooed men to be very attractive. I don't think an uninked man could truly understand or appreciate me now.

When I met my husband, he had just a couple of tattoos but planned to get much more work, while I was untattooed and planned to stay that way. We were both fine with that situation, and it didn't figure into our attraction for each other. A few years after we married he confided to me that although he was still fine with my lack of ink, he did find tattooed women to be very attractive, and sort of sheepishly and politely asked if I would consider getting one. This was not something I wanted to hear, but I love him, so I asked him to tell me more. He said that he always found tattooed women to be extremely attractive, and sexy. I could see that it was something he really wanted. I asked him what what he would like for me to get and where, and he said he'd like something feminine wrapping around my upper arm, sort or of a quarter sleeve. I really had no interest in getting a tattoo, certainly nothing that large, and especially not in such a visible location.
But we discussed it. I heard his desire, and he listened to my objections. I understood that he would find a tattoo on me to be attractive, and he understood that I was very, very reluctant. He said he would accept a "no" if that is how I felt. But I told him that I would think about it. I gave it a lot of thought and decided I wanted to please him if I could. I examined my tattoo objections, and realized that it was the visibility that bothered me. After a lot of thought I decided that I would be willing to step out of my comfort zone and get a tattoo, but in a “non-public” location. We compromised, and I got a a tattoo on the front of my hip where it would not be seen even if I was in my normal one-piece bathing suit. It made him very happy, and I was happy to be able to please him. Most importantly, it was MY decision and I did not feel forcibly coerced into the tattoo.
And just to show you how things can go unexpectedly: He soon extended his tattoos slightly into fairly modest shoulder/sleeve caps, and surprisingly decided that he was finished, and didn't want any more tattoos. For me, it turned out that I loved my tattoo – so much so, that I now have eight, with no further prodding from my husband, including two including two half sleeves! In the end, hubby got the arm tattoo on me that he originally wanted, and much, much more! I am now planning a full back piece, and I'm sure I will get more after that. And now I'm pestering him to get more ink, because I think it is pretty attractive on him too!
I think that now if, heaven forbid, something were to happen to my husband, and I were to settle down with someone new, he would have to be tattooed. It is big part of my existence now, and I have come to find tattooed men to be very attractive. I don't think an uninked man could truly understand or appreciate me now.

When I met my husband, he had just a couple of tattoos but planned to get much more work, while I was untattooed and planned to stay that way. We were both fine with that situation, and it didn't figure into our attraction for each other. A few years after we married he confided to me that although he was still fine with my lack of ink, he did find tattooed women to be very attractive, and sort of sheepishly and politely asked if I would consider getting one. This was not something I wanted to hear, but I love him, so I asked him to tell me more. He said that he always found tattooed women to be extremely attractive, and sexy. I could see that it was something he really wanted. I asked him what what he would like for me to get and where, and he said he'd like something feminine wrapping around my upper arm, sort or of a quarter sleeve. I really had no interest in getting a tattoo, certainly nothing that large, and especially not in such a visible location.
But we discussed it. I heard his desire, and he listened to my objections. I understood that he would find a tattoo on me to be attractive, and he understood that I was very, very reluctant. He said he would accept a "no" if that is how I felt. But I told him that I would think about it. I gave it a lot of thought and decided I wanted to please him if I could. I examined my tattoo objections, and realized that it was the visibility that bothered me. After a lot of thought I decided that I would be willing to step out of my comfort zone and get a tattoo, but in a “non-public” location. We compromised, and I got a a tattoo on the front of my hip where it would not be seen even if I was in my normal one-piece bathing suit. It made him very happy, and I was happy to be able to please him. Most importantly, it was MY decision and I did not feel forcibly coerced into the tattoo.
And just to show you how things can go unexpectedly: He soon extended his tattoos slightly into fairly modest shoulder/sleeve caps, and surprisingly decided that he was finished, and didn't want any more tattoos. For me, it turned out that I loved my tattoo – so much so, that I now have eight, with no further prodding from my husband, including two including two half sleeves! In the end, hubby got the arm tattoo on me that he originally wanted, and much, much more! I am now planning a full back piece, and I'm sure I will get more after that. And now I'm pestering him to get more ink, because I think it is pretty attractive on him too!
I think that now if, heaven forbid, something were to happen to my husband, and I were to settle down with someone new, he would have to be tattooed. It is big part of my existence now, and I have come to find tattooed men to be very attractive. I don't think an uninked man could truly understand or appreciate me now.

When I met my husband, he had just a couple of tattoos but planned to get much more work, while I was untattooed and planned to stay that way. We were both fine with that situation, and it didn't figure into our attraction for each other. A few years after we married he confided to me that although he was still fine with my lack of ink, he did find tattooed women to be very attractive, and sort of sheepishly and politely asked if I would consider getting one. This was not something I wanted to hear, but I love him, so I asked him to tell me more. He said that he always found tattooed women to be extremely attractive, and sexy. I could see that it was something he really wanted. I asked him what what he would like for me to get and where, and he said he'd like something feminine wrapping around my upper arm, sort or of a quarter sleeve. I really had no interest in getting a tattoo, certainly nothing that large, and especially not in such a visible location.
But we discussed it. I heard his desire, and he listened to my objections. I understood that he would find a tattoo on me to be attractive, and he understood that I was very, very reluctant. He said he would accept a "no" if that is how I felt. But I told him that I would think about it. I gave it a lot of thought and decided I wanted to please him if I could. I examined my tattoo objections, and realized that it was the visibility that bothered me. After a lot of thought I decided that I would be willing to step out of my comfort zone and get a tattoo, but in a “non-public” location. We compromised, and I got a a tattoo on the front of my hip where it would not be seen even if I was in my normal one-piece bathing suit. It made him very happy, and I was happy to be able to please him. Most importantly, it was MY decision and I did not feel forcibly coerced into the tattoo.
And just to show you how things can go unexpectedly: He soon extended his tattoos slightly into fairly modest shoulder/sleeve caps, and surprisingly decided that he was finished, and didn't want any more tattoos. For me, it turned out that I loved my tattoo – so much so, that I now have eight, with no further prodding from my husband, including two including two half sleeves! In the end, hubby got the arm tattoo on me that he originally wanted, and much, much more! I am now planning a full back piece, and I'm sure I will get more after that. And now I'm pestering him to get more ink, because I think it is pretty attractive on him too!
I think that now if, heaven forbid, something were to happen to my husband, and I were to settle down with someone new, he would have to be tattooed. It is big part of my existence now, and I have come to find tattooed men to be very attractive. I don't think an uninked man could truly understand or appreciate me now.