When I got my tattoos, I didn't realize they would come with so many questions. For those who have tattoos know we are bothered by family, friends and even strangers when it comes to the permanent images we have put onto our skins. Yes, visible tattoos attract attention in public, but we knew exactly what we were getting into when we decided to get a tattoo. Although we are proud of our ink, there are a few things we'd rather you not ask.
Yes, I have tattoos and no, you cannot touch them.
1. "Is that real?"
No, I sit down with a ball point pen every morning and redraw it onto my skin.. Yes it's real.
2. "You know that's permanent right?"
When people say this to me they act like I don't realize that they are there forever. I could partake in a very long and painful process of laser removal if I ever regret my tattoos.
3. "Did it hurt?"
Well I wonder, getting your skin punctured by multiple needles at 50 to 3,000 times per minute? Yes, that's going to hurt. Getting tattooed is an anticipated/deliberate pain, so generally people can deal with it because they chose to get the tattoo. Some say they'd rather go through child birth again, while others are relieved when they sit down in the chair because it's relaxing.
4. "What do your parents think of your tattoos?"
My parents are slightly disproving at first but are accepting of all of my decisions. After all, I am an adult. They were also the ones who raised me to not judge a person by the way that they look. Personally, my dad thinks my tattoos are bad ass because he has quite a few himself.
5. "What will your future kids think of your tattoos?"
My future kids are going to be taught to not judge a book by its cover, just as I was raised.
6. "Do you regret them?"
Although getting tattoos seems spontaneous, there is a lot of planning behind them for most people. I have so many ideas on what to get next and where, but you don't see that because you aren't in my head. So no, I don't regret my tattoos. They were each carefully thought out and planned for.
7. "How will you feel about your tattoos when you're old?"
Referring back to number six, I won't regret them. Values change over time but the tattoos I have capture moments, moments I never want to forget. I plan on spending my older days with others that have tattoos reminiscing on the moments that impacted our lives enough that we decided to put something permanent onto our skins.
8. "You're so pretty without them!" or "Boys don't like that."
This is one I get over and over again from my mother and grandmothers. Just because I respect these women in my life, doesn't mean I have to agree with them. Personally I don't care what others think about my tattoos and piercings. Certain people may not think that my body modifications are pretty, but I do. They make me more comfortable with my body than I have ever been.
9. "You should have added color!"
No thanks. If I wanted color, I would have gone with color. My body, my choice. I personally love the simplicity of black and grey tattoos.
10. "You'll never have a real job."
This is very untrue. There were many successful people in the world that have or had tattoos. Thomas Edison, Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill are examples of those who were successful with tattoos.
