Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | guess what i "up and did" today!?

oh no! i've never been a bad influence before! how am i doing!?

well, some tattoos are tacky. but not all, by any stretch. besides, that's so a generational thing. i have no judgement for those who don't appreciate tattoos, but i expect them to keep their judgements of me to themselves.

well, i can understand about the quiet rebellion! my first tattoo was hidden under my clothes- on my hipbone. it's a good location and if it's the right size you can't see it even in most bathing suits. (well, i'm not the skimpy suit kind of gal. if you are, you'd have to move the tattoo!)

my mother didn't find out for about 8 years that i had a tattoo, so it can be done. i just out and told her one day. she's the high-string type so i hadn't bothered to mention it and since it wasn't visible it was never an issue. i never had to actively hide it. these i'm not hiding but i didn't rush over to her and show them to her, either. she's a little numbed, now, though, since these will be the....let's see...6th and 7th tattoos on her kids! she hates it but knows she can't do anything about it. i think she prays for us though!

i don't have suggestions as to what to get, but if you feel strongly that you want one after you've thought about it a while, i say "go fer it." but make sure you think it over for a while. i got mine on a "whim" after going through months and months of considering what and where!

so what do you like to do? what means something to you? for example, i am an artist and i always toyed with getting something that reflected that. then i figured- tattoos are art anyway.

then of course lots of people get music notes and so forth or a rose or something that reflects their nationality/heritage (shamrock, celtic knot, tribal band, etc...). then you could be like a lot of us and if there's a cartoon dude you like- do that. i have a passion for Pepe le Pew, hence the tattoo. but it's been a long-running passion, not just a "i kinda think he's cute" thing. my best friend will be getting something from a favorite album cover (she's wanted it for years and just never did it). my other best friend will be getting a Gorey cat since she loves his art and cats. there's literally no limit to what you can get!

tattoos will always be there. you need to make sure it's something that really means something to you. i think a lot of people these days are going to wake up one morning in their 60s and freak out and wonder what on earth they did when they were younger! you've really got to think "do i want this when i'm old? pregnant? teaching my 4 year old about life!?"

another thing you could do is go into a tattoo parlor or two and flip through their books (or look at the walls or however they do it at that place) and see what's there. i also am always looking at graphics in magazines- sometimes and image will catch your eye out of the blue. if it does, clip it out and put it in a folder or envelope. when you get a collection you'll be able to see what types of things move you and that will help you decide!

most people agree- the process of selecting what and where is an important and enjoyable part of getting the tattoo! take your time and experience it all!

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