I love body tattoos! ;)
I can't say exactly what first fascinated me about tattoos but somewhere along the way I came upon the concept of permanent body art. Mind you, no one in my family has tattoos and I definitely wasn't around anyone who had tattoos. I can't even tell where I first saw anyone with tattoos but somewhere along the way I developed an intense interest in the art of tattoo. It's possible my interest is just an extension of my interest in art and personal expression. I was into feature writing during high school and was made Editor in Chief of Veritas, Notre Dame's shcool publication,not voluntarily, I should add (lol) but that is another story to tell another time. ;)
Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. These permanent designs—sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal—have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment.
Here are some of my favorites (link is posted below each image to return the credit to the source) :
I can't say exactly what first fascinated me about tattoos but somewhere along the way I came upon the concept of permanent body art. Mind you, no one in my family has tattoos and I definitely wasn't around anyone who had tattoos. I can't even tell where I first saw anyone with tattoos but somewhere along the way I developed an intense interest in the art of tattoo. It's possible my interest is just an extension of my interest in art and personal expression. I was into feature writing during high school and was made Editor in Chief of Veritas, Notre Dame's shcool publication,not voluntarily, I should add (lol) but that is another story to tell another time. ;)
Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. These permanent designs—sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal—have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment.
Here are some of my favorites (link is posted below each image to return the credit to the source) :
The concept of tattooing seemed to fill some need for my own personal expression and maybe even as a way to rebel against the ultra conservative environment I grew up in. My sister calls me a "non-conformist" in a sense that I do not always agree with some standards set by society. At one time it might have serve its purpose but the world is continuously changing, thus, what may be considered taboo in the 1950's is now accepted in our society i.e. tattoos. Tattoos used to be associated with ex-convicts, drug addicts, gangsters (the Yakuza of Japan comes to mind) and all that society itself has branded as such. I used to be guilty of this perception 12 years ago until I met one tattoo artist in Davao City and saw the designs he was drawing actually has a personal meaning and a symbol for the individuals who had themselves inked.A very good example is Rocky star Sylvester Stallone who had his wife's image tattooed on his upper arm to mark their 10th anniversary.
Sylvester got the tattoo after running out of things he thought he could get Jennifer to mark such a big occasion. He remembered what she said to him "What can you get so that I am always with you?". He answered her question on US TV and said ‘OK, here” lifting up his sleeve to cheers from the TV audience. “Those roses are for my daughters,” ( Rose, Sophia and Scarlet) he added. Ahhhh, so sweet of Sly!
Another misconception about a person having a tattoo is you can never be a blood donor ever. False. I donated blood at Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai two years ago after passing all the tests for HIV, HepA and HepB.
In the Philippines, there are still companies who do not accept applicants with tattoos on their bodies. I have also heard that most applicants are even asked to show their legs and arms to ensure that they are clean of any marks. I cannot understand the logic behind such policy and this is one social perception that I do not conform with.
The first thing that comes to mind (I know, because this was my first question) when you think about tattoos is - Does it Hurt?
Everybody has a different threshold for pain. What will hurt one person can be simply annoying to someone else. How much a tattoo hurts is dependent on your individual tolerance for pain. There are areas more sensitive than others that is the same for everybody. Generally the 'meatier' the area the less it hurts. The closer to bone or tendons the more it hurts (really agonizing!). Likewise certain areas are exposed to the elements, such as the back and outside parts of the arm, and tend to hurt less than more protected areas, like the inside of the arm, thigh or stomach. They say women tend to be more tolerant of pain than men, specially around the stomach area. This is not true for me as I have a very low tolerance for pain!
The pain associated with tattooing has been described as feeling like:
a) a bad sunburn - so you can just imagine how painful it was when my babes had his sprawling tiger tattoo done after a week of sun and sea at Boracay. Sunburn and tattoo, not a good combination, trust me!
b) a bee stinging several times - it felt like a colony of bees, i should say!
c) a cigarette burn ( nah...not really!) and
d) a bad scrape - uhuh! definitely!
Most of those who have had tattoos say the pain diminishes after a few minutes (in most cases) when the body's natural pain killers (endorphins) kick in. I say, it gets worse especially when it comes to the shading part!
An individual's reasons for getting inked vary between an inner desire for a tattoo (that might not even ever show to the world) and all the way to simply following the latest hype to look funky and liberal. Either way, your tattoo does tell the world something about you.
In ending, let me quote Jack London... "Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past."
In ending, let me quote Jack London... "Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past."
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