Do you have a tattoo? If so, how old were you when you got it (or if you have more than 1, how old when you got your first)?

[DB in NJ]

Is there meaning to it, or did you just get it on a whim?

 

 

[plumshadow]

I don't have any. I am too much of a chicken when it comes to needles. I had always (since my marriage) wanted a small pear with a heart shaped leaf someplace inconspicuous. Our wedding theme was perfect pear. DH thinks after 30 time for tattoos are over lol

[SproutMamaK]

Not sure if I answer this one yet or not - I have an appointment booked to get my first tattoo, but not for a few more months yet (this plave won't do them until 2 months after you have a baby). I'll be 32 when I get my first, and yes it has special meaning to me, not on a whim at all (clearly, given the wait time, lol).

[Punchie]

I have four - 17, 17, 20, 23.

 

Only the first and fourth ones was planned. The first is a design I'd wanted since I was 12. The fourth is a fairy by Amy Brown. #2 and ## were spur of the moment, and if I could afford to get them lasered off, I would. I would like to get another tattoo that incorporates my children's names - two are plants and one is a physic's equation.

[Kerileanne99]

I got my first tattoo when I was 15. (I have 2) I was newly graduated, newly emancipated, and about to start college. I have an anklet of vine going around my ankle, with five just -starting to bloom rosebuds intertwined--one for each of the personality traits I decided that I would strive for.

 

Of course, no matter how much it meant to me, to the rest of the world it is just a tattoo. I think there is mostly less judgement about tattoos than years ago, at least in most circles, but it is there a bit.

 

When/if my 4 yr old wants a tattoo I will try to make sure she has something special and long-term in mind, try to suggest a body location that can be hidden if she likes, make sure she knows that tattoos grow/change/distort as bodies do, and all the million other considerations:)

[momto10blessings]

17 and yes, does have meaning and would never want to get rid of it

[Catwoman]

No. No tattoos for me. :)

[Ravin]

I have 7. I got all of them while I was in the Navy. The first was a raven, which is an animal with special spiritual significance to me. I got it when I was 18.

[Carrie12345]

My first was at 18, on a whim. The required rose-over-ankle. :lol:

[Guest]

I was somewhere between 40 and 42 when I finally got it. It's a very small fallout shelter symbol (looks exactly like a biohazard symbol to you young folks) that doesn't show when I have clothes on unless I deliberately choose to wear something with a low neckline because I want people to see it.

 

My dad worked in defence when I was a child, so I'm more of a "Cold War Baby" than most people my age. It's likely to be misinterpreted as "Did you formula feed because you were on chemo or something?" but to me, it's a celebration that I'm still here, the human race is still here, and the world is still here.

 

I would never want to get rid of it but I do want to get the yellow parts touched up when I have money i don't need for something more important.

[Corraleno]

I have a tiny tattoo on my pinky, done by an art history professor when I was in grad school. One of the courses he taught was on body art, and he decided to learn how to tattoo, so he used grad students as guinea pigs, lol.

[SeaConquest]

I have the female sign with the scales of justice hanging from it on my back. I got it in NYC on the evening that I found out that I'd been admitted to my first choice law school. I was 24. I got my second two years later when I was interning on Wall Street. It looks like the Merrill Lynch bull. It's on my hip. I would love to have more, but I subsequently converted to Judaism and it's verboten.

[mamaraby]

I don't have one, but my dh does. He got one in his late 20s. It had meaning then, but doesn't anymore. It's still a cool tattoo, though and he loves it. He has plans for others, but we have no room in the budget for more.

 

My parents both got their first tattoos in their 50s. They both have two.

 

Both of my sisters have one and they got theirs in their 20s.

 

I can't think of anything that I want permanently attached to me so I haven't gotten one, but I would if I could ever think of something.

[swellmomma]

I have 4.  The first I got at 18 on a whim, it is a rose on my hip.  It was wall art chosen when I got there.  The next 2 I did the same day, a maple leaf on my upper arm and runes on my inner wrist.  I had them done at 19.  Planned out though poorly.  When I was 28 or so I had my runes updated by having a border and shading added so it looked like there were in stone.  The maple leaf is due to be updated but will be a full cover up and I need to save up to have that done.  Lastly is a barbed wire and flower chain around my ankle.  I was also 19 for that one, it was planned out, I went to the tattoo parlor and had them sketch out the design I wanted, then went back a week later for part 1 of the tattoo which took 90 minutes, and then again a week after that for another 30 minute session to finish it off.  In addition to having a cover up done on the maple leaf I am thinking out my next one which will be one honoring my kids just not sure if I want to include symbolism for the miscarriages too or just focus on the living kids.

Only my wrist tattoo is always out on display and it is easily covered with a wide bracelet or watch band, though generally if I want/need it covered I simply wear long sleeves.  My maple leaf is visible when I wear t-shirts with capped sleeves rather than typical length t-shirt sleeves.  The ankle one is only when I am in sandals. and my hip is never seen unless I am in a swim suit or something and that never happens.  It is actually the only one of the 4 I regret.  The runes I get the most questions about, They are neat to me now even more than before because it was way before I became a Christian and a symbol of my spiritual life from ages 9-29.

My teens are allowed to get their first at 16 if they have met my stipulations (must be original, not wall art.  Must have planned out for at least a year.  Must pay for on their own.  Must be able to be fully covered when needed (like jobs, weddings etc), and not be vulgar at all.  At this point although both teens know they can get pierced at 14 and tats at 16 neither wants them.  I made a good point of explaining in detail how each is done (informed consent and all that) lol  Neither wants to go through that, not to mention the issues it would pose at cadets.  At any rate, I have no issues with body modification as long as they go into it eyes wide open kwim.  I don't care if you are 16 or 66, on a whim is never a good idea for body art :P

[SemiSweet]

I have six and two more in the works. The first I had done at 18, fairly standard unoriginal butterfly on my hip, it's the only one I don't care for and I'll have it fixed up as soon as I know I'm done having kids for sure. The next two I had done at 29, one is a turtle on my forearm and the other is a shooting star on the back of my neck. Two months ago I had my entire right upper arm done in a henna style work with sea horses representing my family. Then about two weeks ago (I'm 33)I went and got my left shoulder done in a watercolor floral scene, it's beautiful. At the same time I had one done with dh, they are nerdy Zelda references. All but the butterfly have meaning to me.

[Heather in Neverland]

Yes I have one. I got it when I was 31. Yes it has meaning. I love my tattoo!

[Night Elf]

I was 27 when I got my tattoo, 19 years ago. I thought about the design for 6 months before getting it. I didn't want to get mine too fast because I didn't want it to seem like a whim. My tat has meaning for sure. I guess it's sort of my totem animal, my protector if you will. I gather strength from her. She represents what I would like my life to be like.

[AlmiraGulch]

I have three.  I got the first when I was 25 or 26.  It does have meaning, but  got it sort of on a whim.  I still love it.

 

The other two also have meaning.  I got the last one about 1.5 years ago and it's my favorite.  I have one more I'd like to get, but it's a large rib cage piece and I don't know if I could tolerate the pain anymore. 

[Above The Rowan]

I have six, all very large and very visible. Well technically I have seven. My first tattoo on a whim, with gf's on Canada Day - is now covered up by one of my tattoos. I got my first when I was 18. I got it covered up when I was 30 and have been getting more since that time. I still have a few more I want.

[Angie in VA]

Wait, did DB start this thread and then not play along? DB, do you sport ink, girl? Spill!

 

No ink on me, but a friend told me this idea after I was done having children. I would have done it in a heartbeat! Get a rub on tattoo and wait till you're pretty far along in your pregnancy, and show up for an OB appointment w/ a tattoo on your belly. I'd love to see the reaction of the nurse and doc when I asked, "What do you think of my new tattoo?"

 

I'm an imp that way, but so is my friend. She's just smarter to think these things up. 

[Kathryn]

I was 23. I wasn't crazy about getting it in the first place and wish I hadn't.

[edelweiss]

No, no tattoos for me.  It isn't something that I've ever considered.  Just not me at all.  

[Joanne]

Yes. It was my avatar for a while. I wanted one for a long, long time (before they were trendy and trite). But xh#1 didn't want me to get one. When we divorced, I thought about getting one, but I didn't want it to be the "divorce tattoo." So, I waited.

 

After I graduated with my Masters and on my 46th birthday, I got my butterfly tramp stamp. (Yes, seemingly trite, but not to me and that is what counts.)

I studied for my National Counseling Exam (to become an LPC) while getting my tattoo.

[littlebug42]

I have three, all with meaning to me.  The first, I got when I was 20.  It is Snoopy on my right hip.  I also have a daisy on my left pelvic bone.  Those are very special to me and I don't regret them for a second.  My other one was from a particularly angsty period in my life and it is a dagger with roses wrapped around it on my right shoulder blade.  This one, I regret the placement of more than anything because it is harder to hide.  I am the only bride I know that had a makeup artist for her back on her wedding day.  

[Desert Strawberry]

I was 21. My mom went with me. She was 45. She got 2. Hers were well thought out. Mine was not. 

I haven't run into judgement for having one, but I have run into snobbery for not having a good one. There's nothing wrong with mine. It's just an ordinary, generic tattoo.

[LucyStoner]

My first tattoo was a small abstract line drawing that was drawn by me. Lots of meaning to me in recovering from being sexually assaulted. I was 19 when I got it.

 

It's never been a problem and I have never regretted it.

[Corbster98]

Yes I have several tattoos. All of them were completed prior to my 21st birthday and 3 of the 4 had meaning. Though the work was nicely done by the tattoo artist.. I began regretting them several years ago.  I will be 39yo this summer. I am in the process of currently having 2 removed by lasers. OUCH!!

 

 

[umsami]

I'm grateful I never followed my instincts to get something regarding Adam Ant tattooed on myself. :)

 

Honestly, there's never been any piece of artwork that I could imagine wanting to see the rest of my life on my body…except for maybe something from Botticelli and that would be just too painful.

 

Tattoos are forbidden in Islam, but if one of my kids wanted to, I'd probably make them do a Sharpie or Henna tattoo for two-three full years before inking. I'd pay for the temporary tattoos, they can pay for the permanent.  I would also advise them to put it someplace that could be hidden.  I still remember my friend's Dad saying of people with tattoos, "Well, that's going to go over well at the company picnic."  (Granted people are a lot more accepting of tattoos these days.)

 

 

[MysteryJen]

I was 21 and I want to get it redone into a new design. I also want another one, but the money never seems to be there for me to do it.

[BrookValley.]

Yes. I was...30?ish. It is a symbol of equality; I got it as a reminder that there is still a long way to go in terms of gender, racial, LGBT, etc. equality. I can't imagine ever regretting it.

[Catwoman]

I'm grateful I never followed my instincts to get something regarding Adam Ant tattooed on myself. :)

It's probably a relief knowing you've never had to explain an Adam Ant tattoo to anyone.

 

"But it seemed so timeless back in 1982." ;)

 

And that's assuming it even ended up looking like Adam Ant. With my luck, if I'd gotten one, it would have ended up looking more like Geraldo Rivera than Adam Ant, and really, there would have been no explanation good enough for a Geraldo Rivera tattoo. :eek:

 

I'm not a fan of putting permanent markings on my body, either. I get tired of things, and I know I'd feel the same way about a tattoo. If I want something meaningful on my body, I would rather just wear a piece of jewelry that means a lot to me. If I get sick of that, I can take it off and not wear it again for a while.

[hjffkj]

I have none thank God!!! There were a few times I almost got one.  It would have had meaning at the time but I'm very different then I was 10 years ago.   My dh has one that he got when he was 24 I believe, right before we met and while he was going through a divorce.  It is 3 interlocking circles on his shoulder blades with 3 things written in elvish. I can never remember what they say. Something about family.  But it has meaning to him even though he usually forgets he has it since he only sees it in the mirror on rare occasions.  He wants another one that incorporates the nicknames we have for our 3 kids but I keep reminding him that he'll have to keep adding to it since we're not done having kids yet.

 

I dated a guy once who had 2 Dragonball Z characters on is biceps  :ack2: Anytime I talk about tattoos I wonder how he feels about them now that he's 32.

[trulycrabby]

51 and Jewish, no tattoos.

 

Most of the younger girls in my yoga classes are covered with them; they can be very pretty.

[JuanitaL]

I got a small one on a whim when I was 22 (I'm now 44). I would love to have it removed; it has no meaning to me except my own stupidity at that time of my life. I need to lose 25 lbs and have this one reworked into something that has meaning to me (part of my stupidity was the placement, I was fresh out of basic training and in really great shape - things have a way of changing over the years).

[Hypatia.]

I got mine at 18, 20, and 36.  No regrets for them and will be getting another one in the next year or so.

[HS Mom in NC]

26

It was a little curly Q on my hip the size of a quarter. 

I think there's a whole lot of room between meaningful and on a whim.

Is it meaningful? No.

Did I get it on a whim?  No.  I got it after I did research on how tattoos can be removed, who does removal, which skin types are best and worst for removal and how much a removal costs.

 

I have no regrets. I'm 40 now and it's almost completely faded away. I'm not planning on having it reinked.  It was nice while it lasted.

[Joanne]

26

It was a little curly Q on my hip the size of a quarter. 

I think there's a whole lot of room between meaningful and on a whim.

Is it meaningful? No.

Did I get it on a whim?  No.  I got it after I did research on how tattoos can be removed, who does removal, which skin types are best and worst for removal and how much a removal costs.

 

I have no regrets. I'm 40 now and it's almost completely faded away. I'm not planning on having it reinked.  It was nice while it lasted.

 

I think I remember when you got that!

[Mom-ninja.]

I have one. I was 20 when I got it. It's meaning: I want one so I'll get one.

 

Yes, it was on a whim. I simply woke up and decided to get one. So I did the same day. I went by myself.

[Guest]

I paid for dds tats and piercings because that way I could control where and how she got them: at a reputable parlor with proper equipment by an experienced and trained professional. You have to be 18 for tats in our state, but we pretty much followed the same precedent I had set with piercings that required my signature: I pay, but the kid has to wait until their next birthday or Christmas (whichever comes first), and "I want a butterfly no a dragonfly no a heart no a semicolon...." doesn't count, it has to be the same specific mod.

 

She has a rather generic rose armband and something else that is extremely unique and meaningful.

 

I'll probably stick to more or less the same rules with ds2.  I do think they should be a bit older for ink than for piercings. dd let some of her piercings heal up and I don't even notice the scars, but the ink is forever.

 

[PeacefulChaos]

Yes, I have a tattoo.  It was sort of a whim, but not one that I 'regret' or any such nonsense.

I was 19.

I'd like more but DH isn't a huge fan.  He likes boring ol' skin better.  :ack2:

[Cafdog]

I got a sorority-themed tattoo when I was 19 (many, many years ago).  It's small enough to not be a problem, but I wish I hadn't got the stupid thing in the first place.

 

[Desert Rat]

I have four. I got my first one at 25. My most recent was last winter (at 42). I've never chosen a tattoo on a whim. I adore them all. My only wish is that I could change the placement of one I put on my back. I never get to see it.
They all have meaning: my heritage, my children, my marriage, and my parents. I have one more planned for my brother.
They range in size from palm size to my newest which is a calf piece from knee to ankle.

[rmtzc2009]

Yep, I got one when I was 17 the Chinese symbol for love.   Mine is in a place others will never see (that was on purpose). 

[rwjx2khsmj]

I got my one and only tattoo when I was 42. It is thoughtful and meaningful. Daisies for my parents and sisters. Stars for my dh and children. I love it and am so glad I have it.

 

For a joke I'd love to have a grocery list tattooed on my forearm.  Milk, bread, butter, tortillas, cheddar, t.p.... If only I were sure I'd find it funny in 20 years.  Somehow I think I might.

[Ravin]

My next to last is the obligatory rose on ankle. It says "Daddy's girl." Which I might change here in a year or two...

 

My last one was the obligatory patriotic eagle and flag tattoo on my upper right arm. I wish I'd had him put the date on it, to back up my assertion that it predates the post-9/11 Ra-ra flag waving fad patriotism. I got it in June of 2001, in Saipan.

[Silverwood]

I have 4. The first one I got when I turned 18... It is a butterfly on my lower back. It has no meaning, just wanted a tattoo! The second one is a Tinkerbell on my right ankle. I got it after a friend passed away, she loved Tinkerbell! The third tattoo is a butterfly on my right hip.

 

My fourth tattoo is my favorite. It is Roman numerals of my anniversary date on my left ankle. My husband and I got them together, on our left ankles.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I have 1, I got it when I was 23.  It's a large red/blue/purple flaming sun (about 4+ inches across) with a yin/yang in the center, on my right shoulder blade.  At the time I thought it had a lot of "meaning", just divorced so I was taking back my power and balance.  That's all long ago and far away now, but I'm still rather attached to the tattoo. I used to want more.... not so much now, they hurt!  Plus I no longer feel like I have anything to shout at the world.  Don't get me wrong, I love body art for whatever reason, but for me it would be a statement and I've got nothing left to state in that way.  If I did get something now (it'd have to be really cheap) it'd be a cute little owl or something silly like a squirrel (IRL everyone gives me Owl and Squirrel themed presents).  

[Truscifi]

I have one, a sea turtle whose shell is a dive flag. I got it when I was 27 after finally completing master diver certification. I definitely don't regret it! I will be getting another one next month hopefully in honor of getting my black belt.

[umsami]

It's probably a relief knowing you've never had to explain an Adam Ant tattoo to anyone.

 

"But it seemed so timeless back in 1982." ;)

 

And that's assuming it even ended up looking like Adam Ant. With my luck, if I'd gotten one, it would have ended up looking more like Geraldo Rivera than Adam Ant, and really, there would have been no explanation good enough for a Geraldo Rivera tattoo. :eek:

 

I'm not a fan of putting permanent markings on my body, either. I get tired of things, and I know I'd feel the same way about a tattoo. If I want something meaningful on my body, I would rather just wear a piece of jewelry that means a lot to me. If I get sick of that, I can take it off and not wear it again for a while.

 

There are probably many girls walking around w/New Kids on the Block, 'NSync, and Backstreet Boys tattoos (well..they had them at one time, but got them fixed/lasered).  There are no doubt many girls today getting One Direction or god forbid Justin Bieber tattoos.  If I could tell them my story, I would.  ANd they would say…"Adam who???"  And i would say, "Exactly" 

 

I'd like to think that good tattoo artists do these sort of things.

[Melissa in Australia]

No, I do not have any.

 

 I do not find the sight of tattoos attractive at all.