Why did you get inked?

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135

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  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
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    I always wanted them, I think it just suits my lifestyle.

    just curious...what lifestyle is that?

    Carefree, living life to the fullest.

    word.

    i wish i had waited a bit before i got my first one. in fact, i wish i had put more thought into many of them.
    i've got some real garbage ink.

    Me too. Out of my 8 tattoos, I have three that I actually put any real thought into.
  • ItsMeGee3
    ItsMeGee3 Posts: 13,254 Member
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    It was a 40 yr old thing. I liked it, so I did it again.
  • cmskingsley
    cmskingsley Posts: 13 Member
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    They all mean something to me :) I'm proud of my tattoos...not proud of the rest of my body. 17 and counting :)
  • ALNoog
    ALNoog Posts: 413 Member
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    I have 7 tattoos and they are all for different reasons....

    My first one was a butterfly and I was 15 and didn't really have a reason... I just wanted one.

    My second was of tinker bell.... Which now at 33 is the only one I regret.. But I got it because my mom called me tinker.

    My mom committed suicide in 2003 and the next 4 have to do with her...

    I got the same lily tattoo she had
    I got the Chinese symbol for mother
    I got song lyrics on my wrist that remind me of her and that when things are bad they will always get better
    And my sister and I each put a pink rose in the casket with her so we got matching pink rose tattoos

    And then I an got infinity symbol with my husband...
  • pseudomuffin
    pseudomuffin Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I have one that I'm getting when I get down to my goal weight, but so far I have none. I do have 12 piercings, though, and the tattoo will be a purely aesthetic decision, same as all of my metal :drinker:
  • ellehcimyelhsa
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    I've always wanted them. Each one has a different meaning and reason for why I got it.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    First time? Back when I turned 18 (the legal age to get a tattoo in my town) it was 1995, and I was in high school, and it was considered super cool & edgy even if you just got flash - lol (again, in my town). So my best friend, her 20 yr old cousin, and I went downtown and got super random tats. Mine's a reddish orange (my favorite color) sorta beetle-looking ladybug on my ankle and I actually still like it, although if I had it to do over I would never have gotten a tattoo because I'm just not that into them. It does have really good detail & color, still, considering I got it 19 years ago and have never had anything done to it.

    Second time...I was around 19-20 and still reallllly loved my ladybug tat at the time - I figured I would eventually get LOADS of ink. I had some extra cash for once, and wanted something on my calf (the spot where I now kind of regret getting a tattoo because it can be difficult to cover up). It's a good-sized poppy plant design out of an old gardening book (chosen for aesthetics not a drug reference) and it's just okay. It's all black but intricate, so it looks nothing like tribal and for me that's good because it suits "me" better than a chunky tribal piece would.

    Last tattoo I ever got...it's a fairly ugly crown on my upper arm. That time I was around 22, I think, and going with my friend to get her first ever ink, and I decided to pick something too. This was another cheesy piece of flash. I honestly cannot remember my exact reasons for choosing it but at the time I think I was going through my phase of being like, "I'm a grown *kitten* woman and I am the queen of my home la la la" ;-) Fortunately (?) no one sees this except my husband or people at the pool because it's up pretty high and I tend to cover my upper arms in all clothing I wear. I've considered getting a cover-up of that one but I'm really not bothered to do so now at 37 since I am not a true-blue tattoo fan anyway.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
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    Because I was 18, drunk, unsupervised, and in a foreign place....

    In summation: lack of adult supervision.
  • TheSkinnyOnSammieJ
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    Why? Because I can. And because I love the smell of tattoo shops and the buzzing of the gun..
  • Oldtyme72
    Oldtyme72 Posts: 12 Member
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    I dont have one yet....but will soon. It was going to be my goal for the weight loss.

    40 is the new 20 right?? :)
  • Deestrong68
    Deestrong68 Posts: 119 Member
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    My first one in 2011 was to Honor my Sisters Achievements in her life. She lost her battle with Kidney Cancer then.

    My other 10 Tats since then, is cause I think my artist puts Crack in his ink. Addictive !
  • darkrose20
    darkrose20 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    The first one was to show my individuality and that I'm an adult and all that. The second one was to match my (now ex-) husband's in case we ever lost our wedding bands. The rose is a symbol of my paternal grandmother. The violet is a symbol of my maternal grandmother. The tribal with flames is the same tribal that was on my husband's shirt when we got married. The rose on my leg is a cover-up...just had the yen for another tattoo...no real meaning behind it...told the guy I wanted a black and red rose. He'd sketched out this one with black, red, teal and army green...interesting colors...liked it better than my original idea.
  • Alehmer
    Alehmer Posts: 433 Member
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    I always kinda wanted one small one, but there's much more to the story.

    I had a crazy girlfriend in college. Not run-of-the-mill "My girlfriend only ate yellow M&M's, crazy right!?!" but as I would discover later professionally diagnosed "Borderline Personality Disorder" and had to be physically taken from my dorm room by the men in white coats to prevent her from harming herself.

    Anyhow, before that happened and she was still transitioning from my first love to insanity nightmare and was doing a lot of controlling things to keep me from leaving her. One of those things was a 'miscarriage' over some school break. She really got me back in with that one, and it saddened me in a profound way. Shortly after returning to school she suggested that we get matching memorial tattoos. At the time it seemed like a good idea, and I had an idea of what I would get for a while anyway.
    As a bonus, I was very naive and got it on the small of my back, not knowing that this was the 'tramp stamp' location, which feels very silly to this day.

    TL;DR - I got a memorial tattoo for an imaginary baby that never existed.

    PS - I bear her no ill will now, mental illness is a horrible thing and I hope you are well KH.
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
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    The first was for my family, faith and losses, second was for surviving childhood abuse, and the last was because of moving forward with my life instead of accepting more abuse.

    I have several more, but they are going to take a while to work out.... I know in my head what I want, now I just have to actually draw and lay them out.
  • sadiegirl32
    sadiegirl32 Posts: 181 Member
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    Mine is a memorial to my mom!
  • American_Made
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    To reflect who I am as a person, i believe tattoos display the journey the invidual has gone thru to get to where they are now. They are reflections of true beauty.
  • PrincessWarior
    PrincessWarior Posts: 71 Member
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    Well I wish I was that smart about my ink.....
    My first one @ 16 and its Elvis Presley on my butt. And before someone comment....Elvis is still looking good :tongue:
    Yep I know......
    But LOVE the guy.
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
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    Because they look good (or so you think at the time)
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,269 Member
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    Because I wanted to.

    I originally was going to get my first at 16, but then the state I lived in changed their laws. Ended up waiting until my 20th bday to get my first one. It's beautiful and has some significance, but really I got it because I loved the look.

    My second one is a bit more significant in that is represents the people I have lost but also the idea that life and death are all connected. You lose them on this earth, but not in your lives. I got this one when I was 31.

    I am planning my third now, though it will be a little bit before I get it.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I have a lily on my back...and that was the big "f- you, im now 18 and can do what I want" tattoo. I still love it til this day.
    I have a memorial going up my leg for my grandpa.
    I have a treble clef to represent my saviour "Music" and to represent my ability to make life how I want, not what others say.

    Next will be a half-sleeve phoenix to represent my resiliency.