h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Very interesting article. Being a middle-aged, middle-class woman with 2 tattoos (and counting) I've been amazed by the idea of tattooing "pain." Try childbirth!!! It just seems like a joke to me that a tattoo has anything to do with "macho."

Good idea to beware of wanting more, though, It seems to be addictive!

I quite fancied the idea of getting a tatoo for ages, but couldn't decide what I wanted done. In a moment of clarity one day I decided that being a Bass guitarist, I should have somthing done that would represent this. I ended up with a picture of the headstock of my Fender Precision - serial number and all tatooed on my right shoulder. It has started quite a number of conversations for me over the year and a half that I have had it, and I don't regret it in the least. I am looking for a decent picture of my fave Bass player - Phil Lynott - to have done on the left now.

i've got one, and yes, they're terribly addictive! i don't really like mine; i pretty much only got it because i wanted to be able to say i had one. now i'm looking to get it changed into something else.

all of you people who are considering getting one: DON'T JUST PICK A PATTERN AT RANDOM!!!!!

I believe that body art is a very personal thing, so why get an "Off the shelf" tatoo?



Bassman

Call me a facist, but I personally believe that the wrong people are getting into the fringe culture. They are the individuals whose prime motive is to be cool, without any real consideration for themselves or others...SO many people are getting it as a fashion accessory. Do they think it'll peel away in a year or so? I predict a mass boom in lasar surgery in about 10 years or so...full of all these idiots who thought tattooing was nothing more than a ten minute display of their coolness...SO many people have tribal tattoo's without any consideration of what it means...

BLEURGH.

I just got my first 10 days ago, after much deliberating (2 years). While I was waiting, two girls came into the tattooists requesting "free spirit" on her FOOT...and get this...in ARABIC. My immediate response to that was, "well if you're such a free spirit, why do you need it
tattooed on you?"...she seemed pretty damn conservative actually...well the moral of the story is, behind closed doors, my tattooist turned them away because he thought it was a completely stupid idea...I however was sat down in the chair and told to sit still, and that was it!

My advice to people (because I now have a moderate sized crucifix on my back) is to think very VERY carefully about what you have on your back. If it is just to go with this seasons latest trousers (the hipsters) and underwear (thong)...DONT DO IT. Its a waste of time for the tattooist, because it's his art and you have NO right to disrespect your tattoists artwork by getting it removed later; and its a waste of your money. Go buy some new shoes or something.
If you are serious about it, think about what it will look like in your wedding dress, on the beach, when you have to go for job interviews, how you will feel about yourself in 10 years time, what you would like to pass on to your kids in the form of self expression etc etc...dont just be the latest sheep in society...