Can we discuss facial tattoos?

[Moxie]

I love and have tattoos. But, i’m sitting at the BMV and a girl in her mid-20’s has the word ‘tomorrow’ tattooed from the middle of her forehead, down around her eye. It is not a good tattoo. But even if it were, it is on her face. What is the mental process that makes someone think that that is a good idea? Why would a person limit their options like that? Help me understand.

[liber]

I often wondered the same thing.  I guess you just don't care what society at large thinks if you.  I think if you are going to live your life going against the grain you better have a thick skin and not have pity parties about why life is unfair to you. 

[Bluegoat]

Gosh.

 

I think there is a certain way of thinking that says - if people are prejudiced against this, it's their problem, I'll live in opposition! FTW!

 

But it probably it's related to compromised decision making in some way.  The inability to think things through, anticipate consequences, etc.  

[wintermom]

Tatoos on your eyeball are apparently a thing. A stupid, risky thing, but some people do it.  :confused1:

[Bluegoat]

Tatoos on your eyeball are apparently a thing. A stupid, risky thing, but some people do it.  :confused1:

 

If you think about it though, just 100 years ago, tattoos were risky because if they got infected, there wasn't much you could do.

 

But people still did it.

[Liz CA]

I often wondered the same thing.  I guess you just don't care what society at large thinks if you.  I think if you are going to live your life going against the grain you better have a thick skin and not have pity parties about why life is unfair to you. 

 

 

Or you are in such deep down pain and resulting rebellion from whatever you have encountered that this is now the message behind which the injured person hides.

[MotherGoose]

I love and have tattoos. But, i’m sitting at the BMV and a girl in her mid-20’s has the word ‘tomorrow’ tattooed from the middle of her forehead, down around her eye. It is not a good tattoo. But even if it were, it is on her face. What is the mental process that makes someone think that that is a good idea? Why would a person limit their options like that? Help me understand.

I don't get this either. She has closed so many doors for her future employment, if nothing else.

[Guest]

I’m not sure. Is there a big difference between a facial tattoo and one around the neck, or one going down the arm or covering both arms or legs? If they’re visible they’re visible. Not much difference to me. Not my business. Not sure the type of job that would discriminate against someone with a face tattoo is the type of job the tattooed person would be interested in doing, most likely.

The times they are a changing. It seems like tattoos are much more prevalent than 30 years ago. Who knows, maybe in the near future we’ll have teachers,bankers, librarians, cops, professors, and doctors covered in tattoos from head to toe, and people will sit around and discuss the odd non-marked people.

Anything other than the face and hands can be covered. And, yes, times are changing but, my guess, we’ll not see teachers with facial tattoos in the next 20 years.

[MotherGoose]

Anything other than the face and hands can be covered. And, yes, times are changing but, my guess, we’ll not see teachers with facial tattoos in the next 20 years.

DH job doesn't allow men to have beards, even.

[Above The Rowan]

All my tattoos are visible. I do not have one on my face - but it's no 'worse' than having one on the tops of the hand or fingers. I've seen some beautiful tattoos on the face/jawline/temple kind of areas, but I think when something is RIGHT THERE like that, it had BETTER be a good design and a talented tattooist.

 

My next tattoo design is going to extend my sleeve down onto the top of my left hand, and my tattoo girl told me she wanted me to wait and make sure I'm ready for "that level of commitment" because unless I go around wearing gloves all the time, there's no covering up a hand tattoo.

 

I dont think it's a sign of a trouble person hiding behind rebellion, and honestly - I think it's someone who doesn't give a rat's behind what other people think. Could some people who get super visible tattoos be hurting? I think so, yes. But that wouldn't even register on my list of reasons "why would she do that?" Mostly I would just think I'm way too much of a wuss to get a face tattoo. Ouch.

[Janie Grace]

The man who helped me at Home Depot the other day had a very realistic-looking hornet tattooed at the outer corner of his eye (not on his eye, on his face). It was so distracting while I was talking to him... not just because it was a face tattoo but because, you know... hornet crawling towards someone's eye.  :scared:

[AnnE-girl]

It’s not a scientific study, but my family member who was in law enforcement said that he encountered far more facial and neck tattoos on people he was serving warrants on than in the general population of the area he worked. I know tattoos are far more mainstream, but I do think there is a bit of a line between ones that could be theoretically covered or less noticeable, and those that are fully on display on one’s face.

[zimom]

All my tattoos are visible. I do not have one on my face - but it's no 'worse' than having one on the tops of the hand or fingers. 

 

I just have to respectfully disagree... I'm not a 'tattoo person', but I really have nothing against them until you go to the face.  Once at that point, you have crossed over that line of acceptability for me and I would say for most of us 'non-tattoo' but we-don't-care-what-others-do people.  

 

There is a gentleman that goes to the same medical practice as my daughter who has most of his face covered and it is just too distracting, honestly I just can't carry on a conversation with him and for the most part, I know everyone else in the practice that comes in.  

[Liz CA]

I dont think it's a sign of a trouble person hiding behind rebellion, and honestly - I think it's someone who doesn't give a rat's behind what other people think. Could some people who get super visible tattoos be hurting? I think so, yes. But that wouldn't even register on my list of reasons "why would she do that?" Mostly I would just think I'm way too much of a wuss to get a face tattoo. Ouch.

 

 

Not,not everyone who has a tattoo falls into this category. In my clientele I do see a disproportionate number of people who have suffered trauma and also have very visible, sometimes rather "explicit" designs, i.e. "the finger," or a tongue sticking out or worse.

 

 

Not for the faint hearted: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/db/62/19/db6219a564172d642dc0edc603e095f9--best-d-tattoos-amazing-d-tattoos.jpg

Edited January 20, 2018 by Liz CA

[wintermom]

If you think about it though, just 100 years ago, tattoos were risky because if they got infected, there wasn't much you could do.

 

But people still did it.

 

And in 100 years what would you expect people to think up, open-heart surgery to put a heart tattoo on you heart?  Is that how the logic goes here?

[Guinevere]

Personally, I don't like tattoos at all. When I see them, though, I just figure everyone has a story. Maybe facial tattoos seem worse to some people because it seems like purposeful disfigurement. I don't think it necessarily is, and with a little open-mindedness could perhaps be viewed more like jewelry, or some other ornamentation.

 

The ones I've seen do tend to be a negative image, though, and perhaps that is another reason they can be upsetting. It feels like tattooed person is or is projecting strong negativity, and it is confusing. Sort of like you feel you shouldn't draw attention to it, yet also feel you shouldn't ignore someone in great emotional pain.

[Above The Rowan]

Personally, I don't like tattoos at all. When I see them, though, I just figure everyone has a story. Maybe facial tattoos seem worse to some people because it seems like purposeful disfigurement. I don't think it necessarily is, and with a little open-mindedness could perhaps be viewed more like jewelry, or some other ornamentation.

This is basically how I see *most* facial tattoos. I am around a lot of heavily tattooed folks, and the ones with facial tattoos aren't like over the top, super crazy stuff. For a lot of people, myself included, tattoos are a form of decorating the body - and for people like that a tattoo on the face would be no different than people who wear a lot of make up, or do crazy hairstyles. Sure its more permanent, but really for most tattoo-lovers, they're just not a huge deal. I'm way more distracted by some of the current cosmetic/make-up trends than I ever am by tattoos.

 

Some tattoos have stories, some are just...beauty for the sake of beauty (and whether you or I think its beautiful is probably irrelevant to the person who sat through 2+ hours of painful tattooing). Art for the sake of art. Not everyone cares if it's bothersome to other people.

 

My hairstylist has many tattoos on or near her face, and I think they're gorgeous. She's also a bombshell who puts most pinup models to shame, so she can really pull it off. If I did it, as a almost-40-yr-old mama, it would have a much different effect lol

 

Having a face tattoo is obviously quite "counter-cultural" in that it's still pretty uncommon. But not everyone does it to distance themselves from society or because of anger or deeper issues.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'm ok with make-up style/cosmetic tattoos (eyebrow fillers, eyeliner, lip tattoos if you have scarring....). Other facial tattoos make me question if you're in a gang.   When I'm in the grocery store and can read your history and affiliations, I'm a wee bit nervous standing behind you in checkout line. 

 

The rest of your body--go for it.  

[MaeFlowers]

I dont mind tattoos in general. I have one on my leg that is visible. But, I always wonder what face and neck tattoos are going to look like in 30-40 years...

[ktgrok]

My only thought is "I hope you have some kind of incredible skill or are independently wealthy", just because it limits job prospects in a way that a tattoo on the arm or leg doesn't. Anywhere I've worked has required tattoos to be covered by your clothing, hair, whatever. Many/most jobs are the same. It's risky to do something at say, age 20, that could keep you unemployed at age 40. 

[sewingmama]

.

 

My hairstylist has many tattoos on or near her face, and I think they're gorgeous. She's also a bombshell who puts most pinup models to shame, so she can really pull it off. If I did it, as a almost-40-yr-old mama, it would have a much different effect lol

 

 

 

She may pull it off now...but one day she may also be a 40yo old mama herself and I hope she still likes it then.

 

My sister got a tattoo on her lower arm. She's an accountant. Her employer told her she has to cover it with long sleeves...which she really regrets come summer.  It was her first tattoo so I'm not sure she quite thought of or understood the repercussions of its placement.

[fralala]

Well, my knee-jerk assumption is that at some point, that person was in a gang or otherwise belonged to a subculture outside the mainstream that welcomed or invited those forms of expression. That is probably just because my sibling who has multiple tattoos in very prominent positions spent years in a gang many, many years ago and got them during that time.

 

There are professions in which I would hope that the presence of facial tattoos (or any other features that make us "uncomfortable" and may not be elective) would not be a deterrent to hiring an otherwise qualified candidate. When I worked in publishing, I saw that many of my colleagues had tattoos. None on their faces, however. Frankly, I understand the practical nature of advising someone not to get tattoos based upon this reasoning, but I do think it discriminatory to make hiring decisions based upon whether or not we find someone's face pleasing to gaze upon. (For instance, there are certain dermatological features that could make looking at a person's face awkward or uncomfortable. My feeling is that in these cases, as with facial tattoos that are distracting, in our culture it's always acceptable to go straight to looking directly into their eyes. There is a person in there.)

[Carrie12345]

For me, it all comes down to whether it's a good/pretty tattoo or a bad/ugly one.  I realize that's subjective, I'm just pointing out that it isn't about location for me.  Wherever you get a crap tattoo from a crap artist, it's going to be crappy.

[DawnM]

We have teachers with neck tattoos.  It isn't facial, but it is very visible.  I have noticed that in the city school district I see it much more than in the smaller school district I currently work in.

 

I am really more of a big city girl and I feel a little out of place where I am currently, but it has awarded me the opportunity to get back into the counseling office, so I will take it for a while to get the experience.

[marbel]

My take on facial tattoos or other permanent body modifications on face/head - such as huge ear gauges - is that they reveal a lack of imagination or forethought.  It's one thing at a young age to think having a hornet next to your eye is cool, and it's fine for working at Home Depot, but what about 10-15 years on when that person might want to move up in the company, or move into a different industry altogether?  People change; their desires and ambitions change.  So sure, we can say that a person with facial tattoos is unlikely to want to work in a place that would be unwelcome.  Yeah, today. But maybe not tomorrow.  

 

Community colleges are full of people who started out thinking one way and ended up veering later on. 

 

 

[Bluegoat]

And in 100 years what would you expect people to think up, open-heart surgery to put a heart tattoo on you heart?  Is that how the logic goes here?

 

In 100 years we might not have reliable antibiotics anymore and people will think tattoos are a sign of poor decision making again.

[Above The Rowan]

She may pull it off now...but one day she may also be a 40yo old mama herself and I hope she still likes it then.

 

My sister got a tattoo on her lower arm. She's an accountant. Her employer told her she has to cover it with long sleeves...which she really regrets come summer. It was her first tattoo so I'm not sure she quite thought of or understood the repercussions of its placement.

I would have a very hard time keeping all my tattoos covered - they cover my arms, the calf of one leg, and my chest (more like collarbone area, actually).

 

I really think perceptions are changing though. In my "life before homeschooling", I was a designer and showroom manager at a stone and flooring place. I told my boss when he hired me that I have a fair amount of ink, and I won't be able to cover them - particularly in the summertime. He didn't seem that concerned.

 

I hadn't been there for very long at all, and one of the designers came in from one of the architect firms that we dealt with, and when my boss got the "usual" employee who dealt with architects and interior firms, this guy said "nah, I'd like to deal with the new girl, this is kind of a different project and I bet she'll have the right eye for it". It was very weird. I am used to getting the OPPOSITE of that, but never was I "stereotyped" in a positive way because of my tattoos lol.

 

That long story just to say, I think people's views on ink are changing. Maybe because the reasons for getting tattoos are changing.

 

I probably don't associate facial tattoos with criminal behaviour like gang activity, because we just don't really have gang activity where I live. Not to speak of. A few biker gangs but they're pretty low-key and the members don't often get facial tattoos. So here, if someone has facial ink, they're probably more 'artsy' than criminal.

[marbel]

There’s a young woman on the local news who has 3 or 4 extra large moles on her face. I know her. They can be removed, she chooses not to. Thank God there are enough people who can look past a damn spot on someone’s face and see them as a human with feelings. And no, there’s not a whole lot of difference with a person who cringes while seeing an ink drawing on facial skin and one who’d shudder at seeing the moles on her face.

 

Do you think most people equate a mole, birthmark, or other naturally-occurring skin anomaly (for lack of a better word) with a tattoo that someone has made the choice to get?   And do you think that because I consider facial tattoos to be a bad idea, that I don't see folks with them as human beings with feelings?   That's a pretty big jump to conclusions there. 

[marbel]

I see both as a form of prejudice. One is just more acceptable in today’s society. But then there are people who can spend days writing about their distaste for someone who wears short skirts or droopy pants. There’s a person underneath all of it, ugly tattoos or large droopy earlobes.

I save my distaste for those that choose to not see that.

 

Huh?  

 

People are free to get facial tattoos/gauges/whatever. Other people are free to think it's a bad idea, or even dislike the tattoos/etc.  Why are you assuming that disliking something a person does to their face equals not seeing them as a person?   Has anyone in this thread indicated that?  Or is that coming from someplace else?   

 

Sometimes my daughter wears an eye shadow color that I think looks terrible.  She applies it skillfully, but to me it's just an ugly color and unflattering. If she asks, I tell her when I don't like something (clothes, makeup), and always add "but that's just a taste issue, and it's just not to my taste. I'm not telling you not to wear it."  I don't think less of her as a person when she is wearing it.  Obviously.  

 

Yeah, I know makeup and tattoos are not the same thing. But it's the same principle.  I can not like it while still liking (or even loving) the person.

 

ETA: I posted before I saw your edit.

 

 

 

My whole point is that eventually the distaste for tattoos, all types, will be gone. Younger generations have different ways, it’s the same as their overall attitude for same sex marriage, lesbians and gay people, transgender people using certain restrooms. They don’t object. They are more accepting. That’s my point. 30 years from now even the scary face tattoo may be seen the same.

 

You may be right.  Or you may be wrong. The style/acceptance pendulum may swing the other way.  In any case, what I'm objecting to is your insistence that not liking it means not seeing the person as a human being.  

Edited January 20, 2018 by marbel

[Entropymama]

In terms of employment, I think employers are partly concerned with the impression given to customers, but maybe moreso with the thought process that goes behind the decision to tattoo something on your face. I think it signals either a lack of forethought or a rebellious attitude. Neither of these may be correct, but I think there's a correlation in people's minds. 

 

And I do think tasteful, small, artistic tattoos are very different from large, distracting or offensive tattoos. ETA: On the face, to an employer. Not making any statements about tattoos in general.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Entropymama

[marbel]

With stuff like ‘they better not have pity parties about how life is unfair, ‘inability to think things through’, ‘cringing in a grocery store line because they may be gang tattoos’? Yes, I’d say these comments are quite unfortunate.They’re creating behaviors in these people just by looking at a body part. It’s a pattern, IMO.

Look, I’d be out of my mind too scared to ever have a tattoo , and I’d also obsess about dangerous bacteria getting in. I’ve seen some that I don’t find appealing, but it’s none of my business. Tattoo of a swastika on your forehead? Maybe not a good idea to lead a choir or classroom in today’s world or Ever. In the near future, I can definitely see everyday business people with tattoos.

 

OK, so we just disagree.  None of those things scream to me that the poster (myself included) can't see these people as human beings.  BTW no one said "cringing" in the grocery store.  

[wintermom]

I knew a girl with a nose ring who commented that people never seem to look her directly in the eye. Duh, we can't help but look at the nose ring. Must be similar with a facial tattoo. 

[ktgrok]

In terms of employment, I think employers are partly concerned with the impression given to customers, but maybe moreso with the thought process that goes behind the decision to tattoo something on your face. I think it signals either a lack of forethought or a rebellious attitude. Neither of these may be correct, but I think there's a correlation in people's minds. 

 

And I do think tasteful, small, artistic tattoos are very different from large, distracting or offensive tattoos. ETA: On the face, to an employer. Not making any statements about tattoos in general.

 

Yes. When I worked in vet medicine the boss didn't personally dislike tattoos at all. I think she may have had one. But our clients were rich old people in Palm Beach. They WERE likely to not want to see tattoos, or more to the point, be less trusting of an employee that had them. So the rule was no visible tattoos. Because it could effect the bottom line of the business. 

[unsinkable]

OK, so we just disagree. None of those things scream to me that the poster (myself included) can't see these people as human beings. BTW no one said "cringing" in the grocery store.

Facial moles or scars or acne don't make me think: Why did you do that to your face?

 

Facial tattoos do.

 

Facial tattoos: Someone deliberately has ink injected into their skin. The proper reaction to that seems to be to not even notice it or think about it. Certainly don't COMMENT on it!

[Deb in NZ]

Cultural (Maori or Pacific Islander) tattoos don't bother me, even if they are facial, but gang tattoos do make me uncomfortable.  Tattoos have become quite mainstream over the 20 years I've lived in NZ.  Dd has a tattoo on one leg from her hip almost to her knee.  It is a scientific style outline of a jellyfish.  As she is a skipper on a tall ship with a degree in Marine Biology, it fits with her life style & career choice.  She is able to cover it up easily by wearing knee length shorts or long pants.  I'm not thrilled that she got a tattoo, but it is her choice & her life.  But I was not thrilled when we picked her up from uni on our way for her to be presented with her Queen Scout award by the Governor General of NZ & she had dyed her blond hair blue  :huh: Sir Jerry, the Governor General at the time, was a career military man before becoming the GG.  He didn't even seem to notice that she had unusual coloured hair.  

 

I work as a sub (relief teacher) in 3 local schools.  At the public intermediate school we have several teachers with visible tattoos, as well as piercings & odd coloured hair.  At the Catholic school & the Adventist school if anyone has tattoos they are kept well covered.  

Edited January 20, 2018 by Deb in NZ

[tuesdayschild]

Anything other than the face and hands can be covered. And, yes, times are changing but, my guess, we’ll not see teachers with facial tattoos in the next 20 years.

We do here in New Zealand, it's called Ta Moko.

[Word Nerd]

I knew a girl with a nose ring who commented that people never seem to look her directly in the eye. Duh, we can't help but look at the nose ring. Must be similar with a facial tattoo.

Or a neck tattoo. http://www.pratttribune.com/article/20150409/NEWS/150409265

 

People can do whatever they want, but it’s ridiculous for someone to get a body modification of some kind that is designed to get attention and then get upset when people give attention to it.

[marbel]

Or a neck tattoo. http://www.pratttribune.com/article/20150409/NEWS/150409265

 

People can do whatever they want, but it’s ridiculous for someone to get a body modification of some kind that is designed to get attention and then get upset when people give attention to it.

 

So this isn't a body modification, but this thread has me thinking about a classmate in college in about 1989/1990.  She was an education major and had a partially shaved head; the remaining hair was bright blue. At that time, it was pretty unusual, which is probably why I still remember it.  I don't remember if she had piercings or tattoos; I think not.  In any case, she was always complaining that people were looking at her.  Um, OK, maybe you should rethink the hair if you don't want to stand out...  

[laundrycrisis]

I see facial tattoos and facial piercings in the same category.  I would not hold  them against anyone.  I would not have a problem having a friendly relationship with a person with either or both of them.  They are external decorations.  

 

That said, I would wonder about their judgement and how much they thought about the future.  It would have been safer to experiment with wild hair and fashion, because those are temporary.  

[laundrycrisis]

Or a neck tattoo. http://www.pratttribune.com/article/20150409/NEWS/150409265

 

People can do whatever they want, but it’s ridiculous for someone to get a body modification of some kind that is designed to get attention and then get upset when people give attention to it.

 

The bolded - I feel the same way about clothing.  If you don't want attention for it, or for people to form an opinion of you based on your outfit, don't wear attention getting clothes.   They send a message.  Super tough, wild party seeker, or just don't care about being respectable - we all have to overcome the impressions we give others by our appearance.  

Edited January 21, 2018 by laundrycrisis