soraya

A belated hello LST!
I’ve been posting here for over a year, but I realized that I never did the obligatory introductory post. So here goes...
I’m a female, in my late 50s. I started getting tattooed kind of late, around when I turned 50, when my husband suggested I get a tattoo because he thought it would be attractive. I was reluctant, but finally said “what the heck! It will be an adventure, and he will be happy. I’ll get one, and that will be it.” So I got a well-hidden tattoo. I loved it, and wanted another. I was hooked! I wanted another one, and then more and more. I now have eight, including half sleeves, and I’m thinking about a back piece.
I’m otherwise pretty conventional, and work in a professional business setting, and have something of a mental block about showing my tattoos in public, even though I love, love, LOVE them. Old lessons are hard to unlearn, and I fear being judged or stereotyped. LST folks have given me support, and partly as a result of that, It hink I’m getting to a point where I can more comfortably go public with my ink.
I joined LST because I have no, none, zero, zip friends (except my husband) with whom I can share my tattoo enthusiasm. I really like being part of the tattooed community, among people who are accepting, supportive, and enthusiastic about tattooing, people who “get it,” who know what it is like to feel the needle, understand the near addictive attraction, and have stories and experiences to share. I love to talk about tattoos and tattooing. I love being tattooed, it matters a lot to me. It is an essential part of who I am now, both physically and mentally.
LST is my outlet!

A belated hello LST!
I’ve been posting here for over a year, but I realized that I never did the obligatory introductory post. So here goes...
I’m a female, in my late 50s. I started getting tattooed kind of late, around when I turned 50, when my husband suggested I get a tattoo because he thought it would be attractive. I was reluctant, but finally said “what the heck! It will be an adventure, and he will be happy. I’ll get one, and that will be it.” So I got a well-hidden tattoo. I loved it, and wanted another. I was hooked! I wanted another one, and then more and more. I now have eight, including half sleeves, and I’m thinking about a back piece.
I’m otherwise pretty conventional, and work in a professional business setting, and have something of a mental block about showing my tattoos in public, even though I love, love, LOVE them. Old lessons are hard to unlearn, and I fear being judged or stereotyped. LST folks have given me support, and partly as a result of that, It hink I’m getting to a point where I can more comfortably go public with my ink.
I joined LST because I have no, none, zero, zip friends (except my husband) with whom I can share my tattoo enthusiasm. I really like being part of the tattooed community, among people who are accepting, supportive, and enthusiastic about tattooing, people who “get it,” who know what it is like to feel the needle, understand the near addictive attraction, and have stories and experiences to share. I love to talk about tattoos and tattooing. I love being tattooed, it matters a lot to me. It is an essential part of who I am now, both physically and mentally.
LST is my outlet!

A belated hello LST!
I’ve been posting here for over a year, but I realized that I never did the obligatory introductory post. So here goes...
I’m a female, in my late 50s. I started getting tattooed kind of late, around when I turned 50, when my husband suggested I get a tattoo because he thought it would be attractive. I was reluctant, but finally said “what the heck! It will be an adventure, and he will be happy. I’ll get one, and that will be it.” So I got a well-hidden tattoo. I loved it, and wanted another. I was hooked! I wanted another one, and then more and more. I now have eight, including half sleeves, and I’m thinking about a back piece.
I’m otherwise pretty conventional, and work in a professional business setting, and have something of a mental block about showing my tattoos in public, even though I love, love, LOVE them. Old lessons are hard to unlearn, and I fear being judged or stereotyped. LST folks have given me support, and partly as a result of that, It hink I’m getting to a point where I can more comfortably go public with my ink.
I joined LST because I have no, none, zero, zip friends (except my husband) with whom I can share my tattoo enthusiasm. I really like being part of the tattooed community, among people who are accepting, supportive, and enthusiastic about tattooing, people who “get it,” who know what it is like to feel the needle, understand the near addictive attraction, and have stories and experiences to share. I love to talk about tattoos and tattooing. I love being tattooed, it matters a lot to me. It is an essential part of who I am now, both physically and mentally.
LST is my outlet!

As someone who is new to LST but not to tattoos, I can really relate to what you are saying. My wife has only one on her hip that can't normally be seen and now wants a few flowers on her upper back/shoulder, which I think will be beautiful. We both work in conservative places and no one there knows we have any ink. We're both in our 50's.
I'm considering a pair of irezumi half sleeves, however. The lower edges will be visible at work and I no longer care!

Seeing other people enjoying tattoos can be fun, too. I encourage you to attend a tattoo convention and see how much fun others have sharing their art. Statistically, a good many of the people that you meet daily have art on their skin. Some may surprise you. I've found that visible ink encourages them to discuss theirs. I have yet to have anyone say a disparaging remark about mine. So many have friends or family (or themselves secretly) with ink that even in small-town America it is usually no problem.

A belated hello LST!
I’ve been posting here for over a year, but I realized that I never did the obligatory introductory post. So here goes...
I’m a female, in my late 50s. I started getting tattooed kind of late, around when I turned 50, when my husband suggested I get a tattoo because he thought it would be attractive. I was reluctant, but finally said “what the heck! It will be an adventure, and he will be happy. I’ll get one, and that will be it.” So I got a well-hidden tattoo. I loved it, and wanted another. I was hooked! I wanted another one, and then more and more. I now have eight, including half sleeves, and I’m thinking about a back piece.
I’m otherwise pretty conventional, and work in a professional business setting, and have something of a mental block about showing my tattoos in public, even though I love, love, LOVE them. Old lessons are hard to unlearn, and I fear being judged or stereotyped. LST folks have given me support, and partly as a result of that, It hink I’m getting to a point where I can more comfortably go public with my ink.
I joined LST because I have no, none, zero, zip friends (except my husband) with whom I can share my tattoo enthusiasm. I really like being part of the tattooed community, among people who are accepting, supportive, and enthusiastic about tattooing, people who “get it,” who know what it is like to feel the needle, understand the near addictive attraction, and have stories and experiences to share. I love to talk about tattoos and tattooing. I love being tattooed, it matters a lot to me. It is an essential part of who I am now, both physically and mentally.
LST is my outlet!

A belated hello LST!
I’ve been posting here for over a year, but I realized that I never did the obligatory introductory post. So here goes...
I’m a female, in my late 50s. I started getting tattooed kind of late, around when I turned 50, when my husband suggested I get a tattoo because he thought it would be attractive. I was reluctant, but finally said “what the heck! It will be an adventure, and he will be happy. I’ll get one, and that will be it.” So I got a well-hidden tattoo. I loved it, and wanted another. I was hooked! I wanted another one, and then more and more. I now have eight, including half sleeves, and I’m thinking about a back piece.
I’m otherwise pretty conventional, and work in a professional business setting, and have something of a mental block about showing my tattoos in public, even though I love, love, LOVE them. Old lessons are hard to unlearn, and I fear being judged or stereotyped. LST folks have given me support, and partly as a result of that, It hink I’m getting to a point where I can more comfortably go public with my ink.
I joined LST because I have no, none, zero, zip friends (except my husband) with whom I can share my tattoo enthusiasm. I really like being part of the tattooed community, among people who are accepting, supportive, and enthusiastic about tattooing, people who “get it,” who know what it is like to feel the needle, understand the near addictive attraction, and have stories and experiences to share. I love to talk about tattoos and tattooing. I love being tattooed, it matters a lot to me. It is an essential part of who I am now, both physically and mentally.
LST is my outlet!

I was going to wait until retirement to go past the elbow, but I am starting to think it's close enough!

Wow, What an interesting thread!
I guess for me, I would say tattoos are luxury items because I really could live without them. Sometimes I think that I couldn’t live without them, and they do have psychological benefits to me, and have helped me with self confidence and self-perception, but really, if my kids were starving, I would not have got them.
Also there seems to be a lot of “black and white” in the definitions of luxury.
Economist and dictionary definitions seem to tie consumption of luxury items to wealth or high income. But “average folks” - even people in lower income brackets - may have some luxury items. Is a cell phone a luxury? Is a flat screen TV a luxury? Maybe, maybe not. My view is that as long as you are feeding and educating your kids and family, and contributing to society in some way, and balancing your spending, it doesn’t matter.
Say you have aways wanted an antique breakfront because you think they are beautiful. You say “someday I’m going to have one of those,” and you save for it, and watch for one of the right style and price and then one day one shows up in a antiques shop and you buy it. You love the way it looks in your dining room. Maybe it is the one piece of really nice furniture that you own, a focal piece. Is that a luxury?
And while it is quite delightful to go into a house that is loaded with beautiful things everywhere you look, in some ways it is more meaningful and touching to go into the house where they have the one antique breakfront that they scrimped and saved to get.
I’m sure some here on LST are have high wealth, and have tattoos. But I sense that a lot are not wealthy, so they scrimp and save, and cut expenses in other areas to get good tattoos that look exactly like the ones that the wealthy folks have. Are both luxury items?
So maybe the key difference is “living a life of luxury” vs. having luxury items. Few of us live a life of luxury, but many of us can have some luxury items.

A lot of people probably have stories like this about their first tattoo, and so yes, in some ways it is probably not horrible.
BUT...It's one thing if you are underage and you are able to pass yourself off as being 18, or the tattoo artist just doesn't care about age. The only only participants in the deception are the customer and the artist.
What bothers me is the complicity of the teacher. Their involvement was way over the line. It doesn't matter if the tattoo is good or bad. It doesn't matter if a 17 year old getting a tattoo is a big deal or not. We expect teachers to take care of our kids and adhere to a higher standard of care that the kid might exercise on herself. The FaceBook permission scheme was incredibly naive, and then he didn't even follow through with that, instead taking the girl's word that her mom approved, which was shockingly poor judgement.
Doesn't matter to me. The teacher should be following the rules/norms of the home country, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, the expectations of the minor child's parent. This person should be fired or severely reprimanded by the school.

I love this thread so much that this is my first post (after my obligatory intro post of course).
Although I've had a few tattoos for many years, just this year I have gotten a floral chest piece (across my collar bone from shoulder to shoulder), an ambigram on my lower leg, a tiger on my thigh, another tiger on my upper arm, have a half-sleeve being designed for the other arm, and starting on a lower back to upper thigh monstrosity this weekend. So, in short, I have become obsessed.
And now as a direct result, I believe, at 44 years old I have become so much more comfortable in my skin that I bought four sundresses yesterday for the express purpose of being able to show off my art. I previously owned zero dresses or skirts (I even wear pants with my dress uniform instead of the skirt!). My husband, of course, loves this development, but it really about ME. I don't know exactly why, but showing ink instead of bare skin makes me MORE confident instead of less.
Wildcat

So this morning I put on a plain short-sleeved white T-shirt, and my upper arm piece barely peeks out from the edge of the sleeve. My husband, who has no tattoos but supports my own interest in them (he seems to be completely ambivalent about them - take them or leave them, to each his or her own, etc.) said to me, "Now that's bad-ass."
I didn't know what he was talking about and asked what he meant, and he pointed to my arm, explaining that the tiny bit of tattoo showing at the bottom of my t-shirt sleeve made me look like a bad ass chick, and he seemed quite delighted! He typically doesn't remark on my tattoos much, whether they're showing or not showing, etc., so this was new for him.
So, sometimes, just like clothing can do for the female form, just the suggestion of what might be underneath is just as intriguing as showing off the full tattoo. Interesting!

But there IS a correlation between income and ability to actually get tattoos. Demand isn't just wanting something, it's that 'want' being acted upon by offering something (money) in exchange for it.
When talking about tattoos, I think we do have to distinguish between different types:
Scratcher/DIY/"free" tattoos are an inferior good - That is, people will want less of them as their income increases.
Professionally done tattoos are a luxury good - as our income increases we (meaning people who purchase tattoos) will spend proportionally more of our income on tattoos.
For example, if at a given yearly salary we may purchase 1 tattoo per year at a cost of $x. Given a $10,000 raise/bonus, we will now purchase a larger tattoo worth $2x, or two perhaps two or more tattoos. So we've at least doubled our spending on tattoos despite our income not doubling.
Tattoos run into problems that other luxury goods do not though. If one's income increases high enough, there's really no limit to demand on something like boats or shoes or watches. Even if you have bought the most expensive/luxurious one available, you can always buy another one. No matter how much we like tattoos, we really only get one chance to buy a full back piece or body suit (smaller areas can be covered up or blasted over, but you know what I mean).
Looking into this area gave me the chance to learn about Veblen goods too - items whereby the demand increases because the price is higher. I think that this is possible with tattoos - this one being the one that comes to mind. Would Ms. Johansson have chosen that tattoo if it were done for $60 by somebody's friend's bro? Probably not.

I think it's more like a medical procedure -- particularly cosmetic surgery, which is why I quoted both of you.
Cosmetic surgery isn't often viewed as 'necessary' (though in some heinous cases of disfigurement, that point is certainly arguable), but it has the potential to add immeasurable quality of life to someone's existence. Sure, there are cosmetic procedures that the majority of the population would consider 'frivolous,' but at the end of the day, the only person who can put a value on it is the person wearing the results. People spend GOBS of money of veneers, facelifts, breast implants, etc., but those also have no exchange rate (and few people these days consider that outré, barring extreme examples). Both cosmetic procedures and tattoos are tied to our self-ideation heavily.
Tattoos differ -- quite possibly from any other comparable material purchase -- because there's a whole amazing culture, with a history that feels rich, full of fascinating characters, and the time we spend actually being tattooed is as much a part of the process as anything. I know fuck-all about the history of plastic surgery, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't consider any pre-op time with the doc to be an integral and cherished part of the experience, lol. In that sense, there's probably just no comparison!

Luxury in that I don't need them to live. I can not get tattooed and live a functional life. I won't be nearly so cool looking or feel so pretty w/my many colors..but they're not like water.
But they're a need for me in that it's a way of self expression. I have huge issues w/my appearance and feel...not good about myself. But I love my tattoos and like how they make me feel about myself.
Money wise...I am on a jewelry forum and some of the people there have crazy insane budgets, and others, like me, need to decide what's important and spend some time socking money away in order to get an heirloom worthy piece. Just like w/tattoos, you get what you pay for, and you need to research where you go. I did my research and got myself an heirloom worthy piece. Sadly I can't pass my tattoos on to my kids haha.
I do feel guilty about the money we've put into our tattoos. (and my jewelry) W/that I can tell JD if he divides the cost by the number of years we've been married, he's got me at a bargain. W/tattoos, I figure-what else can you spend that money on and have forever?

Hey :)
Well, I have tattoos and I'm also a psychologist. Truth be told, we have an entire chapter to check about how our client looks like, and this of course, includes tattoos. This looks "chapter" is NOT as important as the others, but it is a source of information about our client - and any information we can get is helpful to better understand the client.
Some tattoos have meaning, some don't. We are interested in those with a meaning for the client.
Imagine a woman coming to your office, and she has a portrait tattoo in memory of her dead son. Maybe that's the reason she's there (the death of her son) and you'll want & need to find out more about it, and even if it's not, nonetheless it was an event that shaped your client one way or another.
And what if tattoos could talk? What story would they say? These are very good questions to ask the client once you have established a relation with him. Some people really like to talk about their tattoos!
There's also could be the case when a certain tattoo is related to a gang, to a rite of passage or even has a medical purpose (a tattoo which warns others in case of emergency that you have diabetes or certain allergies etc.) and it's important to find out the symbolism of these because it helps us, as I already said, to better understand the client.
I could go on and on, but the basic idea is that there's nothing wrong with your psychologist wanting to know more about your tattoos :)
P.S. - English is not my native language, so sorry for my mistakes.

I must confess that my tattoos do make me feel pretty bad ass sometimes!:)

Maybe not *cooler* buuuuut ya gotta admit, definitely more bad ass.
Dr. Seuss was a genius.

This is true. @pidjones. One of the things that I like about this site is that generally people are so helpful and encouraging. Here I feel like I have some "tattoo buddies," people that "get it" - something I don't have in everyday life. I love talking about my tattoos and tattooing, and here I can do that. Feels nice!
@iowagirl - I love that statement! And after I read it, I thought, "Hmmmm...Dr. Suess?" I googled it - yes! Thanks for putting that in my mind. But it is true. When I'm brave enough to be out there showing my ink, and have a good interaction with a person, I just feel so alive, as if there is more oxygen in the air than usual. I can't explain it. It's a super feeling - almost a high. The phrase I use is "I feel more like me!"
My tattoo journey has been unusual, like peeling back layers of me. I got my first tattoo because my husband asked, even though I had no interest. I agreed because I thought that it would be fun to step out of the box, and also make him happy. But it was always intended to be "just one" and to be private. Then I realized I liked - no - loved having a tattoo, and got another, and then realized that I wanted more, and more. Eventually the "public me/private me" split reared it's head as I ventured onto my arms and upper back, and I realized that I was more uptight than I ever imagined because I was so afraid of showing my tattoos. This forum has helped me start to sort it out.
I'm glad I'm different, and I'm glad that I did something to my body to permanently express that. I love, love, LOVE my tattoos. I'm not a person that thinks my tattoos make me "cooler than you," but for me personally, tattoos make me feel cool, they make me feel confident, special, pretty.
I'm starting to feel like I'm ready be more public with my ink. Its going to be a little awkward sometimes, but now I have a mantra that I will repeat to myself when I feel uncomfortable: "you're you, it's truer than true, there's no one youer than you!"

This is true. @pidjones. One of the things that I like about this site is that generally people are so helpful and encouraging. Here I feel like I have some "tattoo buddies," people that "get it" - something I don't have in everyday life. I love talking about my tattoos and tattooing, and here I can do that. Feels nice!
@iowagirl - I love that statement! And after I read it, I thought, "Hmmmm...Dr. Suess?" I googled it - yes! Thanks for putting that in my mind. But it is true. When I'm brave enough to be out there showing my ink, and have a good interaction with a person, I just feel so alive, as if there is more oxygen in the air than usual. I can't explain it. It's a super feeling - almost a high. The phrase I use is "I feel more like me!"
My tattoo journey has been unusual, like peeling back layers of me. I got my first tattoo because my husband asked, even though I had no interest. I agreed because I thought that it would be fun to step out of the box, and also make him happy. But it was always intended to be "just one" and to be private. Then I realized I liked - no - loved having a tattoo, and got another, and then realized that I wanted more, and more. Eventually the "public me/private me" split reared it's head as I ventured onto my arms and upper back, and I realized that I was more uptight than I ever imagined because I was so afraid of showing my tattoos. This forum has helped me start to sort it out.
I'm glad I'm different, and I'm glad that I did something to my body to permanently express that. I love, love, LOVE my tattoos. I'm not a person that thinks my tattoos make me "cooler than you," but for me personally, tattoos make me feel cool, they make me feel confident, special, pretty.
I'm starting to feel like I'm ready be more public with my ink. Its going to be a little awkward sometimes, but now I have a mantra that I will repeat to myself when I feel uncomfortable: "you're you, it's truer than true, there's no one youer than you!"

@soraya that is SO AWESOME and I'm so proud of you! You have tattoos and they're a part of YOU and a part of who you are, a part of what makes you, you. (you're you, it's truer than true, there's no one youer than you!) I'm so glad you're working on your comfort zone.

So...
I was on vacation last week, and as usual on vacation, I was not very concerned about my tattoos showing, but this time tried to imagine that I was in my home town. I attended a lecture at the local historical society - partly as a tattoo visibility experiment, since this was the sort of place where if I was at home, I might feel very uncomfortable letting my tattoos show, since it would be a conventional crowd. I wore a sleeveless top so my half sleeves were fully on display. I didn’t take a sweater as a cover, so I had nothing to fall back on if I panicked.
I was really nervous, and felt very conspicuous at first, and almost wanted to leave, but I stuck with my plan and calmed down. I got a few subtle looks from some older ladies before the lecture started, but they were not very obvious. During the Q & A I forced myself to be a little bold and raised my hand high to ask a question, and I was quite aware that my tattooed arm was up in the air for everybody to view. There was a reception afterward and I deliberately went up to a few older ladies to talk, and we chatted nicely and there were no comments or stares, although I did catch a few glances when I walked away. So that was a successful outing that I can build upon.
For the rest of the week, I was just out and about in short sleeves every day all day. When on vacation I generally don’t worry about my tattoos showing, but this time I consciously committed to have my ink visible constantly. I got a few glances - some accompanied with frowns. I really tried to be aware of my feelings at those moments. When I saw the glances, I started to get uncomfortable and wanted to escape, but I reminded myself that I was ok, just different, and that those people’s glances don’t matter. Nobody made any negative comments, so I didn't have to deal with that. That will be more uncomfortable.
I did have a very positive experience: I was shopping and saw a woman with a beautiful floral tattoo winding from her bicep to her forearm. So I went to the table where she was shopping, and like @iowagirl, I deliberately reached out to pick up something so my arm would be in her field of vision. She commented on the sweaters on the table and I responded, and then said that she liked my sleeves, and I complimented her on her flowers, and we talked for a few minutes about tattoos. I told her I was trying to get comfortable having them show, and she said “Just do it. Don’t worry about other people think.” She said she used to worry about reactions, but eventually stopped worrying about it. So we chatted for a few minutes about tattoos. That was so cool, and I loved the “matter of fact” tone of the conversation - we were just two tattooed girls talking about our tattoos. The few times when I've had those kinds of experiences, I feel like I'm floating. I feel like I’ve talked to a soul-mate, somebody who understands. It feel so good, and it makes me proud to be part of the tattooed crowd, and glad that I chose to be different.
So all-in-all it went well. It felt good to be in the open with my ink, and I was able to The next test is to try it now that I’m home.

What is the forum for, if not mutual support in getting and owning good tattoos?

@soraya, so glad you are "coming out of your shell". I word a prayer for our congregation in Sunday morning worship about 50% of the time. I'm usually the oldest male present. I have worn short sleeves exposing my forearm tattoo since the weather became warm enough for them. Doesn't bother me at all. What is the difference between makeup, clothing with designs, and tattoos? Just because the first two can be removed or changed they are approved? Tattoos (at least for me) represent much more thought. But then, most of our praise team have tattoos, some more than me. The preacher has none but his wife has told me that she has one on her hip that she would like to have enlarged down her thigh. I guess we aren't very traditional, but in today's church we are fairly main stream. I try to live by my tag line (Love 'em all.... Let God sort 'em out.), and don't assume that others are judging me, either.

So...
I was on vacation last week, and as usual on vacation, I was not very concerned about my tattoos showing, but this time tried to imagine that I was in my home town. I attended a lecture at the local historical society - partly as a tattoo visibility experiment, since this was the sort of place where if I was at home, I might feel very uncomfortable letting my tattoos show, since it would be a conventional crowd. I wore a sleeveless top so my half sleeves were fully on display. I didn’t take a sweater as a cover, so I had nothing to fall back on if I panicked.
I was really nervous, and felt very conspicuous at first, and almost wanted to leave, but I stuck with my plan and calmed down. I got a few subtle looks from some older ladies before the lecture started, but they were not very obvious. During the Q & A I forced myself to be a little bold and raised my hand high to ask a question, and I was quite aware that my tattooed arm was up in the air for everybody to view. There was a reception afterward and I deliberately went up to a few older ladies to talk, and we chatted nicely and there were no comments or stares, although I did catch a few glances when I walked away. So that was a successful outing that I can build upon.
For the rest of the week, I was just out and about in short sleeves every day all day. When on vacation I generally don’t worry about my tattoos showing, but this time I consciously committed to have my ink visible constantly. I got a few glances - some accompanied with frowns. I really tried to be aware of my feelings at those moments. When I saw the glances, I started to get uncomfortable and wanted to escape, but I reminded myself that I was ok, just different, and that those people’s glances don’t matter. Nobody made any negative comments, so I didn't have to deal with that. That will be more uncomfortable.
I did have a very positive experience: I was shopping and saw a woman with a beautiful floral tattoo winding from her bicep to her forearm. So I went to the table where she was shopping, and like @iowagirl, I deliberately reached out to pick up something so my arm would be in her field of vision. She commented on the sweaters on the table and I responded, and then said that she liked my sleeves, and I complimented her on her flowers, and we talked for a few minutes about tattoos. I told her I was trying to get comfortable having them show, and she said “Just do it. Don’t worry about other people think.” She said she used to worry about reactions, but eventually stopped worrying about it. So we chatted for a few minutes about tattoos. That was so cool, and I loved the “matter of fact” tone of the conversation - we were just two tattooed girls talking about our tattoos. The few times when I've had those kinds of experiences, I feel like I'm floating. I feel like I’ve talked to a soul-mate, somebody who understands. It feel so good, and it makes me proud to be part of the tattooed crowd, and glad that I chose to be different.
So all-in-all it went well. It felt good to be in the open with my ink, and I was able to The next test is to try it now that I’m home.