Introduction to Before You Tattoo

You probably caught the tattoo bug looking at someone else’s tattoo. The more you wanted a tattoo, the more tattoos you noticed on the people around you, on television and in magazines.

Then, perhaps one of your friends got a tattoo and you got slightly more obsessed about how much YOU wanted one too!

However, there are things you wouldn’t have been able to see, because you aren’t rude. Asking to see someone’s skin close up is one of the most intimate things you can request.

You wouldn’t have been able to see the blotches, the blurs, the lack of straight lines and overall definition in the tattoo. Many people who get the tattoo bug realize too late that their first tattoo is just a really bad tattoo.

You can see it in the message boards in the tattooing forums. They are many postings from people who already have one or two tattoos. They are desperately seeking a good tattoo artist in their area for a cover-up to hide a bad tattoo.

Then, there are the people who got their tattoos when they were young, who are having laser removal surgery.

They’re loosely called “5 year people” in the tattoo business. Their first tattoo or tattoos just aren’t up to anyone’s standard. The do it yourself tattoo party tattoos fall into this category. Artistically, they are horrible tats. They give the wrong impression of what that person is five years later.

My least favorite candidates for tattoo removal are the beautiful pieces of bodyart that are just located on the wrong place on someone’s anatomy. Unfortunately, they too, have to go.

You can avoid that. A good tattoo happens in the planning stages.

Most people go into a tattoo studio, look at the flash on the walls, pay $75 bucks, and in a couple of years are very dissatisfied with their tattoo. I’ve heard of people going back to that same artist, never understanding why their tattoos don’t make them happy.

Your ink, should make you happy for years to come.

There is a way to swing the odds in your favor. But first, let’s take a brief look, at the history of tattooing.

The ancient Egyptians tattooed. Mummies dating from 1300 B.C. have been found with small blue tattoos. We haven’t been able to decipher if this was part of a funeral ritual, cosmetic or some sort of caste identification mark.

Tattooing has been used to identify men as mighty warriors and women as skilled laborers or fertile. It has also been used to indicate criminals, slaves and prisoners in societies as diverse as ancient Japan, Rome and Greece and in modern times, tattoos were used to track concentration camp prisoners in Nazi Germany.

Today, tattooing has enjoyed a huge resurgence in popularity. The image of tattoos being only for sailors or people of low character has been shattered.

However, many people have been brought up to be prejudiced against tattoos.

Pop icons in movies, music and television have multiple tattoos. Mike Tyson wears a tribal design on his face. Henna tattooing experienced a huge surge in popularity because of Madonna videos.

And, it is kind of a cruel joke that both Mike Tyson and Madonna have been criticized for their tattoos. People claimed they insulted the cultures that originated their tattoo symbols by copying those symbols without knowing what they mean.

The following is a small list of celebrities with tattoos:
 
Alison Hannigan
Angelina Jolie (my favorite tattoo celebrity)
Billy Idol
Brad Pitt
Britney Spears
Bruce Willis
Charlize Theron
Christina Aguilera
Christina Applegate
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
David Duchovny
Dean Cain
Dixie Chicks – All Three
Drew Barrymore
Elijah Wood
Eminem
Eva Longoria
Gwyneth Paltrow
Halle Berry
Heather Locklear
Janet Jackson
JaRule
Jessica Alba
Johnny Depp
Jude Law
Julia Roberts
Justin Timberlake (no more tats until he gets married)
k.d. lang
Kate Hudson
Keifer Sutherland
Kobe Bryant (actually, just about everyone I’ve ever seen in the NBA)
Lenny Kravitz
Lucy Liu
Marilyn Mason
Mark Wahlberg
Melissa Gilbert
Mike Tyson
Nelly
Nicholas Brennan (we’re huge Buffy fans, even now)
Nicholas Cage
Ozzy Osbourne
Penelope Cruz
Pink
Puff Daddy
Reese Witherspoon
Richie Sambora
Robert DeNiro
Rose McGowan (although she’s had some removed)
Sarah Michelle Geller
Tim McGraw
Tyra Banks
Usher
Victoria and David Beckham
Vivica Fox
Whoopi Goldberg

Well, you get the idea – you can’t get away from the visual image of tattoos in our society.

However, you need to think long and hard about tattooing. With the popularity being enjoyed by tattooing today, it is overlooked that getting a tattoo is not something to take lightly, even with the new tattoo inks being released today. Tattooing is an invasive, permanent procedure that is expensive to reverse.

Slow down for a minute and put some thought into your decision on getting a tattoo. It’s not something you should poll people on in Yahoo Answers.

If you finally decide to get at tattoo, depending on where it’s located on your body, you need to put further thought into aftercare.

With warm weather you’ll see a lot of tattoos. A lot of mushy, out of focus tattoos on very tan skin. A free tip for you, keep your tattoo out of the sun.

Before we get into the further into tattooing, there are some basic elements you should always keep in mind. You live in the real world. Part of that is how other people will react to visible tattoos.

Things to avoid when getting a tattoo:

Tattoos with Marijuana leaves or drug references. After all, how many junkies do you trust? And since you do have to work, why let someone hold that against you in the hiring process. Even if you want to become a tattoo artist, how many people will trust you to tattoo them if your own ink is drug related?

Are you ambitious? Planning to get a job with a Fortune 500 company? Wait until you are older and established before you get a tattoo. Why?

Many meetings and deals are done on the golf course or during athletics. Athletic clubs and country clubs mean communal showers. Communal showers mean, you guessed it, they can see your tattoo. People with tattoos are still looked upon as being flaky by older, more conservative, more established people who are in a position to help you advance.

Finally, avoid cute sayings, like “Foxy Mama,” or “Sex Machine.” Once you have kids, these are tattoos you automatically think about removing.

You are going to get older. You have to explain your tattoos to your children, nieces and nephews or, your new significant other. As you start to age, you go through a period where, you want to be respected. Stupid tattoos will not receive respect from anyone.

Ultimately, the decision to tattoo or not to tattoo is yours alone. You can get plenty of advice, but everyone is a unique individual and everyone’s life has different. Tattooing is about your choices and your viewpoints. It’s your responsibility what part of your body you tattoo, what your tattoo design looks like, and what your tattoo design means to you.

I don’t want to put you off from tattooing. Tattoos are beautiful, sexy and if executed properly, can enhance the way you look and feel about yourself.

Just remember that a bad tattoo can cost you a bundle.

There are a quite few things you need to know Before You Tattoo. It’s time to put the tattooing odds in your favor.