Tattoos

[Lynusann]

You guys all have some really beautiful tats!! I have ONE on the top of my right shoulder and I won't get another. I had a french phrase (my last name is french) tatted in a calligraphy type font that starts at the base of my neck and runs down just past the edge of my shoulder. It was done entirely with the thick black outline needle and it hurt like hell.

I passed out about midway through the design, but instead of going limp in the chair, my entire body went rigid and I stood up (I don't actually remember it but it scared the hell out of the friend that was with me) and then apparently started to fall over...face first. All I actually remember was waking up in a pool of sweat... Good thing the artist was super cool to me ha.

 

[jenneelk]

I have 5 but they aren't really big. My fav is a on my foot and two linked hearts with a halo on one and devil horns on the other.. Representing my kids! Haha!
But I have no idea where they got it from.

And my eternity child on my wrist for my little boy up above. <3

Planning my big one that will be my upper right shoulder top and part of the arm then along with upper back area.
Just need the money. Lol

 

[Stacyspy]

Oh boy... Pics of mine would take up an entire page...lol... I have 16, and am still going... Most of them can't be seen if I don't want them to be. I started getting them at 18. I'm 45 now, and planning my next one

 

[not_ally]

Jen, I am sorry. Cannot imagine. Imagine big hard hug, please.

ETA: My mom got her first tattoo, a huge Ganesh (elephant god, we are hindu) on her upper arm when she was 70. She is militating for something on the other one for her birthday.

 

[jenneelk]

Awe thanks Not_Ally... My wrist is a forever reminder of him so I think of him daily.
He would have been 6 in April. But without him coming early we would have never had our 5th and a beautifully spirited child. She's amazing.
He left so she could come to us. It's a bittersweet though we hold on to.

 

[not_ally]

It is beautiful, Jen, as I'm sure he was.

Your kids sound darling. Don't want them to be too angelic, that would be boring

 

[cmzaha]

The year I turned 50 I had my tat done. I had been thinking about getting an anklet done for a couple of years. Well the hubby got to go on a fishing out of the Coral in Mexico on a 50' Mikelson to Guadalupe Island and I was thoroughly ticked it was a boys only trip, so while he was gone I got a tat. I had a pair of Harley Sandals that I always wore and wanted the flowers copied as an anklet. Never was sorry, but I did not think about the fact we were leaving in two weeks on a 2 week road trip to Street Vibes in Reno, NV and I tend to heal slow. Well with the boots rubbing on my fairly new tat I ended up with an infection and two petals have no color left :-(. Of course I knew I was pushing my luck since I am so allergic, but when one is big time ticked was does not always think. Of course my husband would not stop reminding me of my stupidity when I was having to ride on the bike in sandals. But I do still like it!

 

[ourwolfden]

When I was 20 I moved into my crappy little apartment and a few weeks later got a tattoo. It is on my lower back over my right hip/butt area. It is an orange lily and says “God Willing” in Latin which was the same working my best friend had put on his tattoo a year earlier. It has been seven years and I don’t regret it. I still love it. I do however sometimes forget it is there and get scared when I see it in the mirror (AHHHH THERE IS SOMETHING ON MY BACK!!!!!). I wouldn’t mind having more, just always find something else to spend my money on J I would however recommend getting it somewhere it can be covered. I have worked in corporate / office jobs and heard supervisors say that they would never hire someone with tattoos that show. There is nothing wrong with tats and it is there hang up but it is something to be aware of, you don’t want to shut door for yourself. But if you have thought about the design and it MEANS something to you then go for it J

 

[Lynusann]

When I was 20 I moved into my crappy little apartment and a few weeks later got a tattoo. It is on my lower back over my right hip/butt area. It is an orange lily and says “God Willing” in Latin which was the same working my best friend had put on his tattoo a year earlier. It has been seven years and I don’t regret it. I still love it. I do however sometimes forget it is there and get scared when I see it in the mirror (AHHHH THERE IS SOMETHING ON MY BACK!!!!!). I wouldn’t mind having more, just always find something else to spend my money on J I would however recommend getting it somewhere it can be covered. I have worked in corporate / office jobs and heard supervisors say that they would never hire someone with tattoos that show. There is nothing wrong with tats and it is there hang up but it is something to be aware of, you don’t want to shut door for yourself. But if you have thought about the design and it MEANS something to you then go for it J

I know what you're talking about. My office has a very clear "no visible tattoos policy. I work in corporate finance and they expect us to have a particular appearance. I think that some young people neglect that aspect when they're getting tattoos and piercings. Sadly, I have a cousin who used to get in a LOT of trouble, drugs and all, and while he was in prison, he split his tongue (the whole lizard thing...I DON'T get it) and put a tat across the front of his neck. Now the ONLY people that will even talk to him for jobs these days are welding companies, despite the fact that he is in fact very smart and has a lot of skills. He's backed himself into a corner he'll never get out of because people judge you on appearance.

 

[cmzaha]

I know what you're talking about. My office has a very clear "no visible tattoos policy. I work in corporate finance and they expect us to have a particular appearance. I think that some young people neglect that aspect when they're getting tattoos and piercings. Sadly, I have a cousin who used to get in a LOT of trouble, drugs and all, and while he was in prison, he split his tongue (the whole lizard thing...I DON'T get it) and put a tat across the front of his neck. Now the ONLY people that will even talk to him for jobs these days are welding companies, despite the fact that he is in fact very smart and has a lot of skills. He's backed himself into a corner he'll never get out of because people judge you on appearance.

I always told my girls to make sure they can cover up their tats if they want to land a good job in the corporate world. One listened one did not without wearing long sleeves, but both are stay at home moms. The one that listened is a retired realtor. One night recently I saw a girl fully sleeved with a sleeveless elegant evening dress on. Sorry, it just did not work with the elegant dress. That is why mine is not a stand out in your face tattoo and can be easily covered up

 

[Susie]

I told my kids not to get tattoos that could not be covered with short sleeves so as to not limit their employment options. Even the military does not want people with public ink any more.

 

[not_ally]

I would be cautious about getting a tattoo in a place where I could not cover it easily as well. Despite the wide acceptance of ink these days, many people in positions to hire are still old enough to be put off by them, espec. in certain market segments.

This is not the same thing, but when I was working for a large firm we would interview candidates in rounds (1/2 hr interviews with about 5 people and then longer meal ones with a couple) and swap comments. One guy came in w/great credentials but was wearing a small "smiley face" earring in one ear, and almost everyone else commented negatively about his lack of discretion, I think it led to him being nixed (not by me.) It was a pretty conservative work setting, though.

 

[Saponomancer]

I've never minded wearing long sleeves and there's make up especially made for covering up ink if you need to for work, if you want to get a job in a specific sector that isn't as accepting.

And to be honest I think ladies with sleeve tats in beautiful dresses are gorgeous, myself. I know I got a lot of lovely comments as a bride's maid.

You shouldn't need to be afraid to do what you want with your own body or to express yourself.

 

[Saponomancer]

This is not the same thing, but when I was working for a large firm we would interview candidates in rounds (1/2 hr interviews with about 5 people and then longer meal ones with a couple) and swap comments. One guy came in w/great credentials but was wearing a small "smiley face" earring in one ear, and almost everyone else commented negatively about his lack of discretion, I think it led to him being nixed (not by me.) It was a pretty conservative work setting, though.

to me this sounds like they might have been following the old myth that dudes with an earring in one ear are gay

 

[not_ally]

No, it was more the notion that appearances count, and that someone who might irritate potential clients/decision-makers with an ill-considered fashion choice was not a good bet because the consequences could result in substantial credibility and monetary losses down the road. This place put a huge amount of money and effort into training people, so they were pretty wary about that.

I myself am a left-leaning progressive type, and it was irritating to have to keep that stuff in mind, but you should know what to expect when you sign up for certain jobs/interviews.

 

[Lynusann]

I don't mind tattoos, and I think a lot of the art I see these days is amazing, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't judge people that had face and neck tattoos. In my industry that would never fly. When you have to have a face to face discussion with someone it's distracting, and we need our clients focused on the discussion at hand, not quietly thinking about what's plastered across someone's face.

Someone mentioned the military and they're spot on with that - they're looking for any reason to cut troops right now and tats is one of them. When they needed bodies for Iraq they waived that, but DH was just telling me about a military wide email that just went out recently in regards to tattoos. Full sleeves and neck tattoos are no longer allowed. People will have to option to have them removed or they will have to be covered at all times including PT.

For some industries, it will take a very very long time before people are accepting of visible tattoos.

 

[LBussy]

He's backed himself into a corner he'll never get out of because people judge you on appearance.

I was with you until this last part.

I have a span of control that's pretty wide (corporate speak for there's a lot of people who report up to me). While I have a tattoo myself, and I do not necessarily discriminate against people with ink, if a kid came in here looking for a job with a lizard tongue and a tat across the front of his neck, I would not hire him.

It has nothing to do with having a tattoo so much as a very basic question: "Do I trust a person to make the right decisions when he made that decision?"

I often tell people EVERYTHING is an interview. The IT community used to be pretty small comparatively. I remember one guy just turned into a rabid @$$hole on a usenet post, calling me names, questioning my masculinity and heritage ... you get the idea. Not 6 months later his resume ended up on my desk.

I love irony.

 

[boyago]

you get the idea. Not 6 months later his resume ended up on my desk.

I love irony.

Did you bring him in for the interview?

 

[Retropixie]

This is on my left forearm. To remind me to remember to take time to live


I also have a pink piston with crossed checkered flags on my ankle. We used to be pit crew for a race car.

 

[LBussy]

Did you bring him in for the interview?

I did not. I thought that bringing him in to let him know in no uncertain terms why he was not getting the job would open me up to a legal issue. At the time we got 100's of resumes for every open position. I generally only interviewed 3-4 of them.