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

Apparently, Sunny D's wife has a tattoo. What are people's feelings about tattoos? Do you have any? Do you regret them or are you proud of them? Would you consider getting a tattoo if you didn't already have one?

(I've got 5 )

Haven't got one, no objection to them, I wonder how young people that have large'ns will feel in a few years time, have consider a littl'n myself but it would look silly on me.

Not got any, wouldn't consider getting any, don't relaly see the point in them Knew a friend who had a largish one on his leg of all places, his calf sort of area, it looked stupid and he regretted it almost immediately and consequently never wears shorts because of it now

Wanted one for soooo many years as a teenager and then worked in a nursing home, where I had to bathe a 90 yr old lady with a dagger/heart combo on her boob which had sagged more than her butt had.

Put me off for life.

Hate those lower back 'Oh, it's a sanskrit life/fate symbol' jobs that girls have to show above their diamante thongs. Like most of them know how to spell Sanskrit FFS!

So no, have none and as a consequence, aint embarrassed by one either.

Does scribbling in biro on the back of my hand count?

I used to convince myself not to get a tattoo by thinking about how it would look when I'm old - but now so many people my age have them I'm starting to think I'll be the odd one out when we're in our nursing home! I prefer piercings because you have the option to wear jewellery or not. If someone could invent a tattoo that I could wear when I felt like it (not a crummy stick-on effort) I'd be first in the queue.

Ive seen some great ones and some horrors and cant commmit for that reason.

Plus if I look at pictures from 5 years ago I lok at the clothes and tend to think wish I sould get that again or glad those went into the bin a long time ago and cant get over the idea that if i chose something today I wouldnt go next week.

I remember seeing a friend with a Ossie Ardilles tattoo next week he'd been sacked as WBA manager.

I hate the whole "this is my childs name in [insert obscure language of choice]". Why? What possible function or meaning can that have. If you can actually read the language or know anyone who does, maybe but to everyone you know *and* you the marks on your arms are just random collections of shapes arent they.

Its just people with too much money and time trying to fill their lives up with something. It used to be just for prisoners and drunk sailors now we are all doing it and it depresses me as much as dog fighting. Why cant people find something slightly less sad to do with their time and money. Fair enough if your locked up for 23 hours or stuck in a port city and you've already caught a dose, got drunk as ten men and brought a parrot you are runing out of options but if you work on a perfume counter you really odnt have an excuse.

You've never seen a 90 year old with a sagging tattoo, have you?

There's being the odd one out and there's being the one with a tattoo that used to mean something when you were 20 but 70 yrs later doesn't mean diddly squat except for a strange design that has moulded it's way round your sagging bits for so long that any suggestion of an image has gone and only an amorphous blob survives.

Not a good look, honest!

Not all of us are going to live to be 90 and when one is dead and rotting we'll not care at all.

I was 44-years-old when I had my first and only tattoo. A near the top of my right breast. A tattoo was something I'd thought about having for many years, and finally had the courage, a design I was happy with, and a partner supporting my wish, and paying for it

It's only a small (you can see it here - http://emmily121.googlepages.com/home [the info is out of date, I need to update])

Ok, I've put a link for it above, but I had it done for me, it's not on general show, I know it's there, but other people only know about it if I choose to tell/show them.

By sheer coincidence of a cancellation, I had the tattoo done on Valentine's Day 2005, now I'm not a romantic, or flowery sort of female and I've always claimed I don't believe in Valentine's Day, but having the tattoo done on that day, and paid for by my partner, has made it even more special to me. So I guess there's a part of me that does believe.

I was told by quite a few people that once I'd had one tattoo, I'd want more, I don't. I'm as happy with it now as I was the day I had it done, and I don't think I'll ever regret having my tattoo.

Whether I'll feel the same when my tits are wrinkled and saggy, who knows, but I'd have had many years of enjoyment of it by then, I hope.

Emmily

I've got two, and I love them, and I definitely want more I drew them myself, they mean something to me, and I thought about it for years and years (I've wanted to get it done since I was 13 but I waited, and I haven't changed my mind) My mum wants one done cos she's going through a divorce - probably not the best reason

I don't see the point in living your life based on what you might regret when you're ninety and probably senile anyway. Who cares if it doesn't look good by then? Chances are the piece of skin it's attached to wouldn't look that great anyway

I've got two, too, and I thought long and hard about what I was going to have.

So my first is a Yorkshire rose, which is on my left upper arm. (the first one faded so I had it redone a few years ago) the second was my 40th birthday present from me to me and it is a Sheffield Wednesday(nil) Owl on my right shoulder. Just the owl though, not the SWFC bit

http://www.freewebs.com/sheffieldathleticandswfcfanclub/owlslogo.jpg

(because I like owls, and I like the design of that one, and I'm a Sheffield lass from the blue/white side of town)

These are mine

http://kyrasterritory.blogspot.com/2007/10/tatts.html

I don't have one, but I think if I had an image or design that represented something important to me, or maybe just hooked into my sense of aesthetics in a timeless sort of way, then I'd get it done.

I remember when I was working in Barbados one of my mates was an ex Guardsman who had Great Britain Tattood on his er Male Appendage and it was a lot larger than 12 point Arial is all I can say.

When he was drunk you could say to him show us your Tattoo Tim and he would lob it out onto the Bar which caused many a laugh and some shock, well it certainly shocked my wife & daughter at the time.

He had it done in Hong Kong again when drunk (How many people wake up from drunken binges with Tattoos I wonder) and said all he remembers was it was very painful.

Also aren't those ones girls have done on the small of their backs known as Tramp Stamps?

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Arse antlers.

I want one, just one, never really got round to it yet. I think you have to be very careful to be individual with tattoos - it's like the old adage about teenagers asserting their individuality by all dressing up in exactly the same way. If everyone's got the same one it sort of obliterates any meaning it might have and makes it a bit pointless, IMO.

Sl*g tags... around here anyway...

I love nice tattoos, usually patterns or images that enhance the body part they are applied to. I dislike names and words. I have none myself because I dont like needles whn I need them, and certainly dont like pain for fun (Yes, it hurts, I know it does, dont lie.)

If I was going to consider it, I'd get a copy of the tattoo I wanted, put it somewhere I wont see it for a good six months or so and then dig out and look at it again. If I still get just as excited and feel just as comfortable with it, I'd get it.

And people who say 'Oh, that's too long, I want it NOW'... What's six months when you could have it forever? Dont you want to be as sure as you can be?

I've got four small ones. Don't regret getting any of them, although if I had my time again I would change where I've had two of them done. The one on my back always has a strap running through it, and one on my arm constantly confuses people, so I wish I'd had that put somewhere less obvious than my arm.

Having my dog's paw tatooed on my arm means the most, but because it was done seven years after a different one on the same arm, they look a bit haphazard and don't really 'go'. But then, my whole life is a bit haphazard, full of afterthoughts, so it doesn't bother me.

I may regret them when I'm older, but I don't think so. I've taken care not to have them done on bits that sag!

I have plans for tattoos... but no tattoos as yet.

If I ever go for it I'll start with a Prydonian Seal on my right arm... this has the advantage of displaying my undying love of Doctor Who without being as obvious as a Dalek or TARDIS, and also going with my next plan which is half sleeves of Pictish designs (the one on the right being done specially to complement the Prydonian Seal).

If that all goes well I may then get a back piece based around Medieval art (assuming, that is, I find some Medieval art that would make an awesome back piece).

I recently saw a girl who had a lovely wolf on her shoulder/upper arm... Then she decided to have pawprints up her arm. up to the wolf. It's just ridiculous, half-thought-out and looks awful. Very childish. Poor girl...

... She bought that and one for her new boyfriend to commemorate their week old relationship. Which lasted less than a month.

Sad times.

And I see so many nice tats too... Mind you, I guess it's up to each of us what we do with our own skin...