It is inevitable once you decide to get a tattoo that you will not only hear complete strangers' opinions on your tattoos, but you'll also be asked these very common questions.
1. Is that real?
Yes it is, it didn't come out of a bubble gum machine.
2. But you're such a cute girl!
But now since you've seen that I have tattoos I'm no longer a cute girl? Okay, thanks for letting me know.
3. Can I touch it?
Once you get tattooed, your skin doesn't develop a different texture like scales or fur. So no, you cannot touch me, but you can touch your own arm to know what a tattoo feels like.
4. Why did you get that? What does it mean?
A tattoo doesn't always have to have a meaning behind it. A girl could have a tattoo of a cat simply because she likes cats. Tattoos are looked at by many as a form of art and expression. But if a tattoo does have a meaning, it could be deeply personal. Do you really expect or want a complete stranger to tell you about a tragedy they experienced just so you know why they got a butterfly tattooed on their ankle? Really?
5. Did it hurt?
Needles are rapidly injecting a foreign substance into your body causing inflammation and bleeding to occur. Yes, it hurts. A basket full of puppies aren't licking these tattoos on.
6. How much did you pay for that?
It's in bad taste, in general, to ask how much a person paid for anything they own. Asking about the price paid for a tattoo isn't any different.
7. How long did it take?
Why do you care?
8. Do your parents know?
No, for the last five years I've worn turtlenecks, pants, socks and mittens to conceal my tattoos from them. Of course they know. Parents may not always agree with the choices their kids make, but they do understand that they are adults and have the right to make their own decisions, especially when it comes to what to put on their own bodies.
9. Do your friends/significant other have tattoos?
Believe it or not people don't get tattoos just because their friends have them. Some of my friends have tattoos and some of them don't.
10. Aren't you worried about getting a job?
Yes, I am worried like many other college students that can see graduation on the horizon. Fortunately, tattoos don't carry the deeply negative connotations and stereotypes that they once did. In fact, according to a Harris poll, one in five adults in the United States has a tattoo. Ultimately, I will receive a job offer because of my degree, my job and interning experience and how well I present myself during an interview, not because of or in spite of my tattoos.
11. How is that going to look when you're 80?
I will be happy to make it to 80! I will be full of wrinkles and saggy all over. The last thing I will be complaining about is a tattoo I got that will remind me of a time before I got a senior discount on my breakfast. Plus, the old people I've seen tattooed look pretty bad ass.
12. Do you have any private tattoos? *wink*
No. Please don't ever be this person.
13. Why aren't any of your tattoos in color?
Same reason you don't have any tattoos — personal preference.
14. I don't usually go for guys/girls with tattoos.
Cool, there are a ton of tattoo-free people still out there waiting for you.
15. But that's permanent, what if you end up regretting it?
To me, tattoos not only have their own separate meanings, but they symbolize who you are in that moment that you choose to get one. They tell the story of your life, and that is what makes them so interesting. Tattoos are just as unique as fingerprints and reflect the individuality of the person they're on. Very few things in this life are permanent which makes tattoos pretty beautiful. I have every confidence that I will never regret my tattoos, not even by one letter.
