What do you reckon about tattoos?

Nell8, I remember something from way back about Ludo being a boring game but Llandudno a very exciting place.

Hate them. Two of my four granddaughters have them and I think what will happen when they get older and want rid of them when they fade and wrinkle? Each to their own obviously but to me yuk, just yuk.

I used to hate tattoos because I associate with a certain type of man, then I noticed a female colleague had quite a pretty butterfly tattoo which made me think maybe they weren't so bad. Then I was invited to my now DiL's hen party and during many fun activities many of us applied transfer tattoos. I put a butterfly on my upper arm which looked quite pretty. I decided not to wash it off until it started to wear off and a few days later at work one of my students said to me "I like your tattoo Miss! Did it hurt?" I told him that it wasn't real, so he asked "Why don't you get a real one?" I said "Because it probably would hurt!"

I'd get a transfer one again though and maybe apply it more imaginatively, but the great thing is you can wash them off.

Unfortunately my beautiful niece has covered an arm and shoulder and a leg in utterly chavvy tattoo meant to be artistic.Think ones on peoples necks utterly idiotic..cultural maori ones on maori people and genuine tribal ones on tribal people are fine..its the stupidity of the other kinds that bug me..people trying to look hard and tough when all theyve done is go to a pop festival or a drunken chav holiday in Thailand..they have tats done in Chinese or whatever script that could well be saying Im an idiot and cant read that my tat says ₩@#£€r...but tats eg mottos of yr ship or regiment ok..if just on arm that can be covered by a rolled up shirt sleeve...I remain anon as this post will bring a ton of recriminations..just my opinion.I ill still interact be nice to and love my niece etc..same thing re piercings...

Thank goodness people feel they can choose what permanent body art they like. Those who are judgemental, and dare I say, snobby, should remember you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Not at all keen. I have never been one for self mutilation.

I haven't read this whole thread and I don't have any strong feelings about tattoos either way. My adult children have not had tattoos, the fad passed them by. A nephew has half a tattoo of a tiger - he ran out of money.

However, I recently read the book Written in Bone by Professor Sue Black, the Forensic Anthrolopogist. She is a forensic expert and often has done hundreds of postmortems. In the book she says (I paraphrase) that tattoo ink works its way into the lymph and then collects in the lymph glands and with the current fashion for tattoos some people's lymph glands are all colours of the rainbow. I find that fascinating. She has identified people by tracing the tattoo ink...

Apologies for the "often" that crept into the sentence about postmortems. It should read ... and she has done...

Firstly. Please do not criticise people for bringing up subjects that have been discussed before. It is unkind and off putting to people new to gransnet. It is hard enough to feel that we fit in without being made to feel that we are outsiders and not part of the "in crowd". Too many memories of not being accepted into the gang when at school.
As far as tattoos are concerned. They really aren't for me at all. Though little, pretty, discreet ones can look quite nice. I am from Manchester and it was absolutely the in thing to have a bee tattoo after the arena bombing. My elderly friend had one on her ankle . Her son, a GP went mad! I really dislike full sleeve ones or large ones on the chest , neck or back. I like watching wedding dress programmes and I have never yet seen a dress that looks better for the wearer having tattoos. And I think it is the permanence of them that is most horrifying. How many of us followed hair style or colours or makeup trends when we were younger thinking we looked absolutely amazing at the time that now make us cringe? Fortunately they could be changed. Even piercings can heal over. But a tattoo is for life.

I cant't see the point. especially of facial tatoos.
My first experience of someone with full facial tatoos was about 30 yearsago - frightened me almost to death.
Not so long ago, last year? comeone in front of me at the till in Tesco a man of middle age , had horns seemingly implanted in his head.
Why would he want to do this?

I was always told they were 'common'! Two of my DC have them - my DD a nice one on her tummy of a butterfly (to remember her friend Sophie who died), 3 Chinese characters (she grew up in Hong Kong) and some bamboo

DSiL has a 'tribal' one on his shoulder - when they were getting married he was worried his gran would see it through his shirt so wore at T-shirt under. His Dad 'blew the gaff' the following year as he showed gran (his mum) photos of them all on the beach, tattoo very much on show!!!

I was going to say 'never (have one in a million years)' and I suddenly thought of those people in the Concentration camps who had no choice.

eazybee or the soldiers that have name, rank, number tattooed so that their body can be identified.

Permanent marking of the skin is quite thought provoking.

Does anyone here have one and now regrets it?

Tattoos have been around since long before chavs were invented.

Someone will be able to articulate this better than me, I was strongly deterred about a decade or so ago, I recall a vet on the radio, he was working in the meat industry and spoke of the ink used on the ears to mark cattle, without exception he said, he found the ink being found in their brains - having migrated I think.

It put me off even considering that trend to have permanent inked eyeliner or lipliner.

I have my tattoo and I love it it represents me and the year I was born. I got it when I turned 40 when people around me were being negative about age telling me it was 'all downhill from here' etc.

For those who turn their noses up I wonder have any of you actually spoken to people who chose to ink their bodies? Do you know the stories behind the ink?
My son has tattoos, two are very special , one is a bird in shades of grey its a copy of one my brother had but when he took his own life my son had this 'shadow' tattoo made to remember him by, the other he has is an exact copy of a handwritten message from his late grandfather, he carries those words of love with him forever now.

The reasons for a tattoo are as varied as the people who get them, to those who see them merely as a stain on the skin I say, better the stain on the skin than the judgement that is the stain on your soul.

All I would say is if you are going to have one or more tattoes, make sure you can cover them up with clothes if its likely to affect your job. Can't see a bank employing someone who has a spiderweb on their neck, or HATE or LOVE tattoed across their fingers. My husband has a few and he regrets them - all below the age of 18. I've always fancied one but have never been able to decide on something I would be happy to have on my skin for the rest of my life.

I have never understood why some people would wish to tattoo, pierce or otherwise mutilate their bodies in any way whatsoever. I’m no picture postcard, but I have always been quite content to remain as God made me.

My OH got tattoos as a young man in the Royal Navy. He regrets having them done and advises everyone against it. The beautiful multi coloured geisha girls on each arm now look mainly dark grey blue as the colour fades through time and the black ink spreads outwards. Rather stupid looking on a man in his 70s.
My daughter in law had a butterfly done on the small of her back when young and silly. As she got older she realised that she was being judged on it and had it lasered. It was not a success and now looks rather unsightly. She advises people not to have any.

A dear friend of mine has " Barbara" tattooed on his arm. His adored wife of many years is called Christine!

My granddaughter has her 2 babies’ names tattooed on her arm so I asked her if she thought she might forget them or something. Bizarre. Thanks for your earlier comment Lizbethann55 , I have only been here a short time so wasn’t aware this topic had been done before. There is obviously still interest even so. I know what you mean about ‘in’ sets, it’s the same the world over , whatever floats boats I suppose. It is nice when newbies are made welcome but it doesn’t always happen.

I know they're not but ... they always look dirty to me. Yuck! One of my sons has a couple. I was so disappointed but there y' go.

A friend of mine referred to them as ‘Twattoos’ .
‘Nuff said !!

They can look okay on men I suppose, but on women they look very common, especially on older women.
The only women who can ( just about ) get away with tattoos are beautiful young art students.
Plus I rarely see a really nice one. Most tattooed arms/ backs / whatever/ look like the inside of a graffitied public lavatory.