Tattoos?

Editorial Team / Moderator · Jul 25, 2016

Anyone realize that the people who hate tattoos don't have any valid points that tattoos are "bad"?

That's why it is called an opinion. :) I have been tattooed for a long time, I have long since gotten over what other people think. I am happy. That is what matters.

BeenThere2012, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2016

No, I am correct. Let me amend my statement for those of you who didn't follow: professional tattooing is regulated. Kitchen scratchers/jailhouse artists obviously are not.

I understand the frustration you feel when someone criticizes and uses some crazy, off-point statement, but you didn't need to clarify...your post was very clear and informative. I appreciated it and I hope it educates those who have critical judgment regarding the art.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jul 25, 2016

That's why it is called an opinion. :) I have been tattooed for a long time, I have long since gotten over what other people think. I am happy. That is what matters.

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I guess what bothers me isn't that they hate my tattoos, it's that they are trying to make non-valid points. I know it's an opinion but when they make ridiculous points that they try to pass off as valid, it bothers me. So ignorance is irritating. Lol.

BeenThere2012, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2016

What? So much ignorance in one little post. No. Heinz57's posts discuss people who are FORCED to get tattoos! Did you read that? I did, several times! Which has NOTHING, ZERO, NADA to do with the topic at hand.
Second, there are many different professionals who have visible & non visible tattoos.
Third, I don't care if it's in or not & neither do most people. What I am SAYING is that it is more common place & "normal" for healthcare professionals to have tattoos than before. So it is becoming accepted.
Fourth, I don't know ANYONE who has heavy metal poisoning from a tattoo. If you do your research & go to a PROFESSIONAL tattoo shop, that won't happen. I'm curious, since the tattoo only touches the skin, how am I "pumping myself full of ink"? Or do you know people injecting ink into themselves?
Fifth, I'm gonna look AMAZING (better than you) when I'm 75. And what do you have to say to that tatted up grandparents out there?
Sixth, I have never been "passed over" because of my tattoos. If people like you can't see what's beyond the cover, no wonder the US is going to hell.
How about next time you do some research & educate yourself before spouting off ignorant statements. People are able to hold professional jobs & get married WITH tattoos. I don't care if you don't like it but don't be ignorant about it.
By the way, I LOVE each and every one of my tattoos. They all hold a story behind it, they are special to me.

Heinz57 made several different points. I believe the one you are questioning had more to do with considering (asking the OP to consider) the effect that tattoos have on some people, specifically for those who have had very negative things happen to them associated with tattoos. Now, that wouldn't stop me from getting one that I feel is beautiful or pleasant. To each his own. I understand what you are saying in that it didn't have anything to do with choosing VS forced. Yes, there certainly are a lot of miss-judgments going on for people who have tattoos and now-a-days, happily, there is less stigma, but some still feel squeamish about them. Also, some do regret from time to time getting certain ones and where they are placed might someday be a problem professionally. These are simply all things to consider before getting them, such as the advice given by a few who are experienced with tattoos who have said to start smaller before committing to a sleeve. Just seemed like well-intentioned advice. Take it or leave it. I love tattoos. I love mine also. No regrets.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jul 25, 2016

Heinz57 made several different points. I believe the one you are questioning had more to do with considering (asking the OP to consider) the effect that tattoos have on some people, specifically for those who have had very negative things happen to them associated with tattoos. Now, that wouldn't stop me from getting one that I feel is beautiful or pleasant. To each his own. I understand what you are saying in that it didn't have anything to do with choosing VS forced. Yes, there certainly are a lot of miss-judgments going on for people who have tattoos and now-a-days, happily, there is less stigma, but some still feel squeamish about them. Also, some do regret from time to time getting certain ones and where they are placed might someday be a problem professionally. These are simply all things to consider before getting them, such as the advice given by a few who are experienced with tattoos who have said to start smaller before committing to a sleeve. Just seemed like well-intentioned advice. Take it or leave it. I love tattoos. I love mine also. No regrets.

I think what most got me was comparing tattoos we have to tattoos people are forced to get (like in concentration camps). That comparison just turns my stomach.

NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2016

This tattoo nonsense has been around so long that a lot of people, myself included, just look at tattoos as more booring foolishness, more Look-at-MEEEEEEEEE.

Actually, I very specifically do NOT want people like you looking at me and deciding YOU are allowed to decide what defines me and how I get to feel about my own choices with my own body.

BeenThere2012, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2016

Maybe it's because in L&D I work with a much younger patient population or something, I don't know, but y'all....tats and piercings in intimate places and rainbow hair and all kinds of different forms of expression via body art don't even faze me any more. I had a patient the other night who had ink covering her body, plus piercings. *shrug* Whatever. I work with inked nurses and docs, too. It just isn't something that registers on my "wow-o-meter" any more.
Truly, people who have issues with tattoos and piercings and the like, you really do need to learn how to get past your own personal bias. These forms of expression are becoming extremely common, and they cross all socioeconomic, racial, age, and ethnic barriers. People used to freak out about women wearing pants in public, too, and yet here we are, and the world hasn't ended yet.

It's sometimes about style, sometimes a way of stating what you believe in, affiliation or pollitical. Sometimes, it is theraputic. Sometimes its simply, purely art! I really don't know what all the fuss is about. Having said that, I would be very uncomfortable with a co-worker who had a swastika or something equally hateful.

quazar · Jul 25, 2016

Having said that, I would be very uncomfortable with a co-worker who had a swastika or something equally hateful.

I agree, that would freak me out. I don't even know what these sex trade tattoos look like, which is not a good thing, given my area of specialty. I need to know that kind of stuff. I think I'll be opening an incognito google window to search that, though. Yuck.

NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2016

I'm really astonished at the ignorance and bigotry that is crawling out of the woodwork here. I guess I really shouldn't be.. I mean, there are people who get their drawers in a bunch about patterned scrubs... Ah well, something learned.

Some tattoos are done unhygienically!

Ok, so are some Foley insertions. That's an argument against bad hygiene, not body art.

Body art gets infected!

Your info includes piercings, which any Joe can do at Wal-mart or Claire's, and I guarantee THOSE people don't have proper training in infection prevention.

Some people are tattooed against there will!

??? and ???

That human trafficking victim might find it empowering to get a cover-up tattoo to reclaim her body. Just saying.

Tattoos can limit your job prospects!

Yes, there are people who will judge anyone with any body art. IF they know about it. Which means if you choose art that cannot be covered, you have to acknowledge and accept the impact that stigma may have on your career. I acknowledge that some people think my nose piercing is unprofessional or even tacky. I think they can take their opinion and shove it, but because I recognize I have to navigate an environment with those opinions, I do not wear nose jewelry to interviews or work. But there's no valid reason for that to matter.

I don't like tattoos!

That's fine. Don't get one.

Tattoos are low-class!

You are one of the people who propagates the previously mentioned stigma, which, frankly, shouldn't exist. Prejudice is not an equally valid opinion.

You just want one because they're popular! No wait, you just want one because they're rebellious!

Right. Pick a side.

I like tattoos because I like tattoos.

You'll regret it when you're older!

I wanted a tattoo for almost decade before I got one. I thought long and hard about what I wanted, because I know they're essentially permanent. They both have multiple layers of meaning for me. I might do things differently now (especially having learned how acne can eat through ink) but I do not regret either piece for a moment. They reflect who I was at the time. The fact that some people do not think their art through is not an argument against body art, it's an argument against flaky, nearsighted decisions about body art. Many people have no regrets about their body art, even as they age.

Speaking of age - I LOVE that someone pointed out the ageist roots in the judgment of old people with tattoos. Who are you to stand in judgment of their bodies? We hate aging so much we can't even stand the fact that tattoos change over time? Sheesh.

BeenThere2012, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2016

I think what most got me was comparing tattoos we have to tattoos people are forced to get (like in concentration camps). That comparison just turns my stomach.

I get it. The association of the 2 was insulting.

ixchel · Jul 25, 2016

Wow. No. She is talking about running a business. Anyone can do anything illegal, which (tattooing in jail) that is by the way.

My spouse had to confiscate a beautifully handcrafted wooden-handle tattoo gun needle thing (I have no idea what this ess is called) from an inmate. He said the woodwork was so incredible he felt bad taking it.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jul 25, 2016

My spouse had to confiscate a beautifully handcrafted wooden-handle tattoo gun needle thing (I have no idea what this ess is called) from an inmate. He said the woodwork was so incredible he felt bad taking it.

I bet! Some of the work those inmates can do is really amazing!