Why don't you have a Tatoo?
 

Throughout my 75 years, I have had so many times to get a Tattoo. For some reason, I bailed. Four years in the service with many times wanting to get one, it never happened.
Harley bike riding for 40 years. Running marathons under three hours. Triathlons.
And winning at a local level would make me brag with some kind of Tattoo.

So many reasons to slap some ink on me to show everyone who I am and I always chickened out. Same with my wife. We are products of the sixties. We even saw Jimi Hendrix in Feb. of 1968 but can't come up with a Tattoo.

We aren't dead yet and we still think, should we get one?

I've only barely ever thought about getting ink. I just don't feel the need. It would have to be something seriously important for me to memorialize. I've seen some ink that was beautiful artwork. I don't feel the need. Back when I was a teen, and it was getting popular, and through college, I'd thought a few times about getting an ear piercing, but I always realized that I had no reason to do it. I suppose it's not exactly the same as ink (less permanent, and less of a "reason" but that makes it similar in my head)

Marathon in <3hrs, Nice! That's hauling ass! I ran a 10k a few years back after 3-4 months of training (not having run in MANY years). I enjoyed it and thought about doing a half marathon, but then life got in the way and I stopped running. I can imagine running for a couple of hours (half marathon) but then running a full marathon, for 4ish hours, screw that. I have spent most of 2 days cycling, but that's not the same.

Tats are forever and I don’t want any regerts, if I got one.

That said, I’ve seen some really cool and colorful, tattoos on some folks

I have real scars.

Back when I was in school, the lasers could remove every tattoo color except for yellow.
(At least I think that's what it was).
So unless somethings changed, avoid yellow. (I think)

Whenever I think about getting a tat, (and I don't), I always remind myself if I had of gotten a band tattoo in the 1980's, it would have been something like Duran Duran.

I mean what the hell!?!?!?!? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Lot's of coworkers get tattoos, and sometimes I see them browsing a magazine with their friends saying "I think I want a tattoo, but don't know what to get, oh, this one looks kind of neet"

I immediately mock them in attempts to dissuade. Usually never works :)

One of many things that I just don’t get. I’m sure I’m missing some deep rationale because they’re so common these days. Needles, ink, skin and hepatitis. Strange bed fellows.

Never even considered it.

I have some. There’s meaning behind them.


Tattoo artists are a weird breed. Hard to find a good one. Expensive and they always try to up charge. I also hate how they try to photograph their work for social media.

I never felt the need and I don't understand why they're still a thing right now. Years ago I thought this "fad" would pass but it hasn't.

Memorial tattoos have a purpose. If it helps then why not?

But when I see a young lady with beautiful fair skin covered in tattoos I can't help but feel sad.
- (there seems to be an uptick in tattoo removal businesses locally)

Same reasons I don't have piercings or purple hair. It just does not appeal to me.

I truly understand the guys (or gals) that served together as a unit, be it military, police of fire department getting matching tats. I never had that experience.

I can't think of any tat I would want on me.

I was 9-10 years old, ask my grandfather what was on his forearm...? A tattoo he got overseas while in the Army, he added, poor decision, I wish it wasn't there.

Since then, having one has never been considered. Like others have stated, I can't believe it's still a thing.

Never been a sheep and never followed the crowd. Don’t understand tatoo’s. They have roots in the prison system and with biker’s. I guess if one wants to fashion themselves after either a felon or a biker then go for it.

Tattooing a body is akin to putting stickers all over a Ferrari or Porsche. It makes it look cheap!

Spent the last 36 years in 2 of the 3 above. Still no desire to get a tattoo, even though many others around me did.

I can still hear the phrase "blood poisoning" that was repeated 1000 times from my parents. I was convinced that if I just walked into a tattoo parlor I was going to get blood poisoning...

While I don't have a tat, I would if I came up with a statement that I wanted to make for the rest of my life.

As for OP, dude! You saw HENDRIX!!! Surely there is a tat in that???

Never related to it, never considered it. I've always been hesitant with things that were permanent. I didn't even glue the splash boards in my bathroom basin cabinets to the wall. Might want a change some day. My wife has tatoos. She really likes them. She designed them, & and they all represent us or our relationship in some way. I wonder how she'll explain them to another guy after I kick the bucket.

It's a personal thing. This topic came up about 2-3 years ago here. There's quality and cheap. The quality ones show someone's personal story or passion they want to wear somewhere besides just their soul or heart. The cheap tend to be a stupid impulse decision.

I have several, all have meaning to me.

You do you, it's a decision one shouldn't take lightly.

Tattoos have been very popular for at least 30 years now, I thought for sure back in the '90s that it was a fad that would pass quickly. Wrong. Here to stay. I used to joke about investing in tattoo ink back then, probably would have been a solid move. Laser tattoo removal would also be good if there is one or two companies with the best technology for that.

I've seen some really fantastic tattoos and of course a lot of bad ones. We've all seen a million tats at this point. I don't haver any but I've come close a couple of times and it's a very specific tattoo by a specific artist, (and friend). His name is Mark Mahoney and he's world famous for his incredible work, almost exclusively in grey ink with exquisite detail in the tradition of East L.A. Mexican ink. I even had an appointment once, (needed to book 6 months or more in advance), when they called, I was out on the road and had to cancel. He has tattooed a ton of famous people from Tupac to Angelina Jolie to you name them but that is not why I wanted him to do it. He did one of his grey ink jobs on a friend of mine back in the '80s of Jesus on the cross, it's his entire upper arm from his shoulder to his elbow and I swear it's like staring at a work of art in the Sistine Chapel. The expression on the face...incredible.

Anyhow, some trivia; among my 4 or 5 best friends, none of us have a drop of ink. One is a long haired Native American guy who is extremely hip, (IMO), and another is a rockabilly type dude who has sported a pompadour for close to 40 years and has a chopped '51 Mercury. Another is a younger guy, (40), who has never worked a 9-5, throw in a few lifelong friends in Minneapolis and a very cool guy who chimed in already on this thread...not a drop of ink among us. What are the chances in 2024 of that in L.A. and Minneapolis? :eek:

One of my buddies in Mpls. back in the '90s said to me, "hey Denny, when we get old, all of the young chicks will want to get naked with us because they will never have seen a guy's body with no tattoos! It will be exotic for them!"

What a dreamer that guy was. You have to admire his optimism at the time, though. :)

When I was a grade schooler, I looked at the wanted posters hanging in our local post office...flipping the pages, I couldn't help but tattoos were used in the descriptions. Guess I wanted to leave myself the option of a criminal career. Right there and then I decided I didn't want a tattoo that could help the cops catch me.

I always felt like I would let my mom down so much if I got a tattoo, she just hated them and considered them low class...like a sign of stupidity. She was from another generation. At some point, I was old enough that it would not have mattered anymore but that was always in the back of my mind. Like technically, she made this body of mine and her opinion held weight.

Jimmy :)

I felt the same way for eons. Eventually I decided my liking the tattoo was the only reason that counts. Now I have one tattoo. It symbolizes nothing.

(What does fascinate me is people with no money and tats. Tats are really expensive!)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719488961.jpg

I remember once, as a kid, we were driving through a poor neighborhood and I recall seeing one of the properties - single wide trailer, vehicle on blocks in the driveway, tall weeds, discarded washing machine out front - and the man standing in his yard looking quite haggard and down trodden. And his tattoos. At my young, impressionable age they all tied in together. Maybe not the case now but those things stick with you.

Other than that couldn't have cared less about ever getting one.

Yep. Like the guy with the clapped out S-10 pickup buying two packs of smokes and $50 worth of lottery tickets.

+1 on expensive. Pushing $1,000 for something moderate in size and nicely done.

I have 3. Got them when I had external beam radiation treatment for prostate cancer. One on each hip and one below my navel so the laser aiming could radiate me in exactly the same spot for 6 weeks. All are the size of a pinhead.

Commented to the tech who did them that I had made it 65 years without ink and asked if they could just mark me with a sharpie. She replied in the negative and got to work.

I view them much the same as my scars, as good sources of stories.

I've just never had the desire to have a tattoo or any piercings, no real reason, just not my thing.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Tattoos are just not “me”….I don’t think I could pull them off. I have a couple of friends with full sleeves and honestly they look amazing, but I could never come up with any idea/phrase/graphic that I’d want emblazoned on me forever. Nothing against them though….some are truly incredible artwork

The dots would be like Brody's appendix scar when Quint and Hooper were talking about their multitude of sea "war" scars.

For me, I can never come up with a why I did it. I would need that before getting any tatoo. A purpose that makes sense.

+1

Why not just yer name?

Boob :D

Was on a music cruise years ago.... his name was Fred.

Fread :)

I kid you not...

Reasons:
Never felt the need for one.
Too cheap to spend the money.
Never saw a body I felt looked better with ink.
A needle is going to be stuck into me multiple times?

No thanks
Les

Never had one, but had lots reasons to get one. They look good the first few years, but after that they looked smuged. Son in law has both arms done. Now it looks like he has two black sleeves.

I have one. I've had it for...24 years now. Almost no one knows (it's on my shoulder and I typically wear clothing in my profession). To me, tattoos are personal and not to scream to other people "Hey! Look at me!!".

The only tattoos I don't understand are ones that could/would prevent you from getting a job, like face and neck. But I've always been a I don't care what you do, just don't hurt anyone kind of person so who cares who has what tattoo. Feel free to stay on my lawn, just don't dig any holes and clean up when you're done.

I have considered getting one tattoo and like many here, it was something that was very meaningful. And it would have been a conversation starter and tasteful. I rowed in college and coached for years after. If you know someone who rows, chances are they are part of segment of rowers for which the sport takes over your life. It certainly did for me. Each school or team has their own colors and pattern on the oar blades. So a pair of crossed oars on my upper arm with Brandeis Crew colors would have been cool and tasteful and something I could show my entire life.

Just never got to it. A little late now. I still think about those days in college how incredible they were, and coaching after, I'll spare you the stories but I still have friends now 35+ years old from those days.

6 am one day in 1988

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719494528.jpg





Later that morning

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1719494528.jpg

The only tattoo I have ever considered is to emulate the numbers tattooed on my father’s forearm. A remnant of his time in Auschwitz. Thinking about that I came to the conclusion that he didn’t have a choice. I do… so I didn’t.

Our son was a swimmer at Yale and many teammates had a Y on the inside of their upper arm or back of the shoulder. The team was always tight knit And remain so. He was thinking of getting one, but it never happened.

But he has talked about getting some arm tattoos at some point. Hopefully he doesn’t, but that’s up to him.

That would be more applicable to another person on this thread (not their name but no name to be mentioned)

My wife's niece has a tat of her husbands name on her right shoulder. Now they're going through a divorce. Good times!

brutal. thanks for sharing.

It used to be that Jews did not get tattoos, because of The Holocaust. Now of course, that has gone completely out the window with younger generations. I was with three young guys from Israel yesterday, (they were there to estimate fixing our security gates and add some fortifications), all three had tats and the main guy looked to be inked from head to toe. His arms were completely covered down to his hands and had neck tats, etc. All black/grey ink and good work, a lot of it looked like religious stuff written in Hebrew with Roman numerals, etc. You never want to stare at someone's tattoos and try to read them, it's the height of rudeness with a stranger and will get you a beating in the wrong venue. These were nice young guys and I'm sure that he would have explained the tats if asked but it's still rude to ask, IMO. :cool:

Never wanted a tat, I figured, "why mess with perfection"

My working career was as a Diamond Driller and we get a lot of steel slivers from the pipe wrench jaws, I've had hundreds, we all have. A co-worker said it best about tats, "Pay money to get stuck with steel, eff that, they pay me money to get stuck with steel."
I did know a guy that died from a steel sliver, they flew him out to see the Doc who dug out the sliver and wrote him a prescription, he went to the bar and got hammered, stepped off the curb and got hit by a bus.
All started with that poke of steel.

RIP Gary