Tattoo's

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Originally Posted by Stitch

I hardly think they care about whether you approve or not.

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And I never insinuated that anyone with all these tats did care whether I approve or not. I notice a whole lot of "I don't care" attitudes flying about these days. I also notice that you are very quick to take offense when none is intended. Why is that? I said I respectfully disagree, but when I try to explain my viewpoint, you toss this barrage of hate at me simply because I don't much care for tattoos. I didn't put anyone down, despite what you accuse me of. If you want to go and ink up, go ahead. I think that after 20 years or so, you might have a few days when you wish they weren't there, or that your tattoo said or showed something different than it has for the past 20 years. Hey, I might be wrong about that, but I doubt it. Tats are often a reflection of one's attitudes at the time, but attitudes change over time. Tats don't. And I might be in the minority on this thread, but I don't much like them. Isn't that what a forum is for? So you can get more than just one opinion on any given topic? You don't have to like my opinion, but I'm not spewing hate at you simply because you see things differently than I do. Geez, lighten up.

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Originally Posted by briannacd11

At this point I feel totaly comfortable when im dressed, and feel passable or semi passable. Im happy with my body, my makeup and the fit of my clothes.

the only problem I am dealing with at this point are the tattoo's I have. I have a sleeve on my left arm and two sparrows on my shoulder blades. the sparrows are fine and part of my sleeve on my left arm is colorful and could pass as somewhat fem as it has roses and pretty colors. but as i go up my arm the tattoo i have is somewhat masculine and i feel really self concious about it. so much that i cover it up with long sleeves when im dressed in public. I just want to wear a sleevles dress when I go out but am afraid of being judged becuase of my tattoos.

[SIZE="6"]I guess what im wondering is how you all feel about tattoos on girls like us.[/SIZE] I see pics posted here and dont see many girls with tattoos. Im debating whether I should start the removal process on at least one of my tattoos on my arm.

any feedback would be appreciated, thanks

Bri

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It would seem that perhaps our opinion wasn't wanted after all. Since you asked, those of us who don't like them said so. Wasn't that the point. Or , did you just want confirmation that tattoos are great. I wasn't trying to belittle anyone, just stating my opinion. Those of you who wish to read further about tattoos in Japan, Google the term IREZUMI and you will see what the Japanese say about them. Both Shinto and Buddhism look at the body in a way that is different from Western culture. I'm totally lost as to how "SEXY" can be applied to a tattoo.
Anyway, best of luck with your tattoos.

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Originally Posted by Shananigans

I just don't think tattoos detract from femininity. That's just so 50 years ago.
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Angelina Jolie has about a million tattoos on back, arms, hands, you name it....she is the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on. Now, go forth and be strong and sexy.

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Well said

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Originally Posted by Stitch

Why so much hate for tattoos? I have 4 and I'm getting 5th one this morning actually. (I'm so excited!) I certainly don't feel any less feminine with them and I can say men have never complained either.

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I'm afraid that some men are simply sexist when it comes to tattoos. I remember a colleague who thinks that he is open-minded and progressive asking me to help him prevent someone from becoming mayor of our town because the person's wife had a tattoo. :eek:

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Originally Posted by Stitch

Its always people who don't have tattoos that get on peoples cases for having them, but you never meet someone with tattoos who cares that some people don't have any.

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I think that you have hit the nail on the head here, the intolerance is all one-sided.

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Originally Posted by Stitch

People who think that tattoos make people somehow a lower being need to get with times. Also how judgemental is it to look down your nose at another demographic of people. I thought we all wanted love, acceptance and respect here.

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The thinking seems to be "If you are different from others in a way that I approve, everyone must accept you , but if I don't like the way that you are different, then you should not be accepted by anyone" there is a word for that, it sounds a bit similar to the oath sworn by doctors, now what was that word?

I think a tall ship is pretty neutral. I wouldn't mess it up by trying to "fem it up".

You're over scrutinizing it. Rock the look instead.

I had a pair of lips put under my panties'

I have no tatoos and will probably never get one even though my wife wants me to. It's just not me. She has three of them, is in her late 40's and they look fantastic on her. She loves them and so do I. Two are visible when she wears shorts and a tank top. She shows them off whenever she has a chance. She's even talking about getting another one. I support her 100% if that's what she wants.

It's obviously more widespread now than in the past. Personally I'm happy I never got one. I almost got one in college, my fraternity letters on my ankle, but couldn't do that to my body. It is what it is, work with what you have and I wouldn't worry a/b making it more feminine. I made a pot of chili in college that was too salty so I added some sugar, but then it was too sweet, so I added some salt. Then it was too salty so I added some sugar. Then it was too sweet so I added some salt... Eventually I threw out the whole pot of chili. My advice is either leave it alone or throw it out.

Just MY opinion mind you but, I am a collection of the things that make up my life. The parts of my life when I was tattooed are part of me. I am self conscious of my tats and I dress every day as I am trans but, I do NOT completely hide them and they are anything but feminine. I feel if people have an opinion of my tats, they are entitled to it just as I am entitled to have one about them not having them. I come from a line of warriors of one kind or another, these are my right as one and I am proud of them.
I do find it very odd that anyone on here would be so brave as to say anyone is not "normal" merely because they have tats. We are here to be accept-ed why can we not be accept-ing?

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Originally Posted by Phoebe P.

I made a pot of chili in college that was too salty so I added some sugar, but then it was too sweet,

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That was your mistake - you don't use sugar in a savoury dish to reduce the saltiness. Once you start down the road of using the wrong stuff, you are very likely to get to the outcome you mentioned.

[SIZE="6"][/SIZE]

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Originally Posted by TGMarla

Umm...yeah, if you say so. I'll respectfully disagree. One of the best things about a woman is her skin, and marring it with tatoos does nothing for it. I don't like tatoos to begin with

and you can't change them to suit your mood. I would not want to wear the same thing every day, over and over again. And when I see a woman wearing a nice dress, the last thing I want to see is tatoos all over her legs or arms....or anywhere else for that matter.

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Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. ~Confucius

I dont care much for tatoos on me or on other people. But thats just me. I do hope it is ok to have that opinion here. Sure some tattoos are allright looking- too me, but Im not a fan of them. Your opinion may differ and I do hope we all are aloud to have differing opinions. But then I have a hard time commiting to a bumper sticker on my car.

For a time I second guessed mine, even got tat cover to hide it... I've never even opened the bottles.

Suddenly I remembered when I got it, starting school the next summer and seeing MANY girls with a very similar tattoo (let's call it a jungle cat.) That put me in a much better frame of mind about the whole thing. After a year and a half on HRT (yes, a permanent body modifying cocktail,) my arms have thinned enough that it looks hot. It has a rainbow in it, and to me, it was always comforting, even when I had to shave my head and look like a man for 10 years, as it reminded me of who I really was underneath.

A mommy came through our shop last week, literally 1 minute after the woman I had been talking to was downing people with tattoo's in the workplace (she took off out the door like a shot.) The mommy had almost her entire body covered, and I guarantee you 99% of us on this board would kill to look like her. She was an overwhelmingly positive person, and after talking to her for a bit, she admitted she wished she had more body to cover with tats, as she was running out of room. As a self employed painter, she has the freedom to look however she wants... and isn't that what most of here are longing/working towards?

My mentor's words ring in my ears, "Never miss an opportunity to rock it!"

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Originally Posted by TGMarla

I don't like tatoos to begin with, and I like them even less on women. And when I see a woman wearing a nice dress, the last thing I want to see is tatoos all over her legs or arms....or anywhere else for that matter.

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A lot of I, I, I...me, me, me... A lot of being caught up in the physical aspects of a person. I'd rather have someone that respected my thoughts, my feelings, and who I am at a deeper level...if someone were to not give me a second glance just because I have a tattoo, I wouldn't want to be associated with that person anyway. It's people that can look beyond physical manifestations of a person and see them at a deeper level that really have it figured out, in my very respectful opinion.

I think the OP shouldn't worry about her tattoos. She got them for a reason. She doesn't deserve to worry about people saying, "You are trying to look like a woman...women have soft, clear skin. You have screwed everything up and will never be the 'ideal woman.'" I think the 'ideal' woman is within and cannot be reached by changing yourself physically. Therefore, it's not the tattoos that I would be worrying about, but who I am on the inside.

If I had gotten the tattoos (presumably because they meant something to me), I wouldn't worry about changing them to suit the feminine self that comes from within. If the feminine self really came from within then whatever came from within ALSO wanted you to get those tattoos. Hope that makes sense. :)

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Originally Posted by Stitch

I love the way you said "respectfully disagree" when I don't consider what you wrote to be respectful at all. It's one thing to have an opinion but to put others down is hardly respectful. As for your "last thing you want to see" I'm pretty sure those women with tattoos all over their arms and legs don't care whether you want to see them or not. It's their bodies and they can do what they like with them. If you don't like it, well then just don't look. I hardly think they care about whether you approve or not.

I'm sure if someone voiced this type of opinion about CDers there'd be a riot here. I mean the *Urgh! That's the last thing I want to see!* Type attitude. Acceptance comes in many forms.

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:clap:

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Originally Posted by busker

Those of you who wish to read further about tattoos in Japan, Google the term IREZUMI and you will see what the Japanese say about them. Both Shinto and Buddhism look at the body in a way that is different from Western culture. I'm totally lost as to how "SEXY" can be applied to a tattoo.
Anyway, best of luck with your tattoos.

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Been studying Buddhism about 5 years. Still a newbie to the Path. However, I can tell you that some people see tattooing as spiritual, others see it as wrong and going against "Right Action." The funny thing about Buddhism is that you are encouraged to look within yourself for the answers. No one is going to tell you if it is right or wrong. As far as getting tattoos for "sexiness." I truly doubt that the celebrities that I have mentioned and the OP was doing it for that matter. In a Buddhist context, it would be considered feeding the ego if you were so hooked to adding tattoos for a sexiness factor. However, many people get tattoos that are symbolically very meaningful to them. And, with the whole idea of impermanence, why would your skin be too precious to have a visible reminder to you of something that may have taught you a life lesson. Now, if other people find your tattoos appealing to look at and enjoy hearing about Why you go them (which is really what I love about people with tattoos), then I don't see anything wrong with that. It's just another way to reach out to those people around you...you are in Fact sharing something that was very personal and special to you and putting it on your body for people to see. Just my two cents.

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Originally Posted by Shananigans

I'd rather have someone that respected my thoughts, my feelings, and who I am at a deeper level...if someone were to not give me a second glance just because I have a tattoo, I wouldn't want to be associated with that person anyway. It's people that can look beyond physical manifestations of a person and see them at a deeper level that really have it figured out, in my very respectful opinion.

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I always get dismayed when I see people who confuse prettiness or comelines with beauty. Someone can be as pretty on the outside as can be yet still not be a beautiful person because true beauty comes from within and any outward sign is just a poor reflection of what is in the heart.

I respect anyone's right not to like tattoos, provided that those people are prepared to respect the opinion of others who disagree with them.

As far as Brianna's question goes, I don't think that she should feel embarrassed to have tattoos. My new manager has both arms covered with sleeve-like tattoos and she is very definitely both feminine and pretty.

Whether you like them or not, I suggest you all buy shares in companies engaged in tattoo removal methods, for that will be big business in years to come.

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Originally Posted by Shananigans

I can tell you that some people see tattooing as spiritual

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Yeah, I'm sure most people who get tattoos do so with some higher spiritual context in mind. I see all kinds of low-lifes and gang members in this city who are covered with tattoos. It's nice to know they all had some kind of spiritual awakening when they got them. Now notice, I did not equate these people to the members here who have tattoos, but if you're going to make blanket statements one way, then you'll need to put up with them in other ways, too. The OP wanted opinions, but apparently dissenting opinions are not wanted or warranted around here. I stated that I dislike tattoos, and gave my reasons why I didn't like them. Then later, I defended my statements, and was roundly ignored in favor of further blasting on my initial comments. You are welcome to your tattoos. I don't care. I don't like them, and I prefer for the women I am with to not have them either. One's idea of beauty may be as valid as another, but that works two ways, doesn't it? There are aboriginal tribes in New Guinea who have some rather strange ideas of feminine beauty that include hundreds of piercings, neck rings that extend a woman's neck to varying degrees, and all kinds of beauty marks that mean something to their culture. That doesn't mean I want to date any of them.

It seems to me, if you were truly comfortable with all your ink, you wouldn't be so quick to crucify those who disagree with your opinions of them.

Well, in that context, the gang members Did put something on their bodies that was very dear to them on a personal level. It may not be something that I agree with, but that doesn't make it any less powerful to them.

It's fine to not like tattoos. But, I think you can say you don't like the look of something without belittling people...that was my main problem.

P.S. I don't have a single tattoo. I think tattoos can be beautiful on other people and i love to hear stories behind them. However, I have not gotten any as it's hard for me to put an image to what is dear to me. Anyway, I'll leave you with the old statements on assuming things. And, the fact that just because you respect someone's right to something does not necessarily mean you ascribe to it yourself.

Best, Shannon

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Originally Posted by TGMarla

Yeah, I'm sure most people who get tattoos do so with some higher spiritual context in mind. I see all kinds of low-lifes and gang members in this city who are covered with tattoos. It's nice to know they all had some kind of spiritual awakening when they got them. Now notice, I did not equate these people to the members here who have tattoos, but if you're going to make blanket statements one way, then you'll need to put up with them in other ways, too. The OP wanted opinions, but apparently dissenting opinions are not wanted or warranted around here. I stated that I dislike tattoos, and gave my reasons why I didn't like them. Then later, I defended my statements, and was roundly ignored in favor of further blasting on my initial comments. You are welcome to your tattoos. I don't care. I don't like them, and I prefer for the women I am with to not have them either. One's idea of beauty may be as valid as another, but that works two ways, doesn't it? There are aboriginal tribes in New Guinea who have some rather strange ideas of feminine beauty that include hundreds of piercings, neck rings that extend a woman's neck to varying degrees, and all kinds of beauty marks that mean something to their culture. That doesn't mean I want to date any of them.

It seems to me, if you were truly comfortable with all your ink, you wouldn't be so quick to crucify those who disagree with your opinions of them.

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Originally Posted by Shananigans

And, the fact that just because you respect someone's right to something does not necessarily mean you ascribe to it yourself.

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Fair enough. This was really where I was at with it all in the first place. And I did not mean to single you out. Your comments were not nearly as acerbic as many of the others, who chose to cherry pick my statements and assign prejudice and bigotry to me over them. I stand by my last comment about comfort versus crucifixion.

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Originally Posted by TGMarla

Fair enough. This was really where I was at with it all in the first place. And I did not mean to single you out. Your comments were not nearly as acerbic as many of the others, who chose to cherry pick my statements and assign prejudice and bigotry to me over them. I stand by my last comment about comfort versus crucifixion.

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I didn't mean to either. I'll give you the comfort versus crucifixion as long as you don't voice too harshly against people with tattoos who may be breaking social taboos, just as much as CDs are breaking social taboos. (I like that line under your avatar, BTW). :hugs:

As either side, I think tatoos are a complete turn off. Tatoos are certainly not feminine. That's just my opinion. I can't count how many times friends of mine have seen a girl go by in a club, and tell her "Wow, you look hot!" Then when she walks off, they turn and laugh going "You see that tramp stamp? That's just gross!" Public thinks its done out of desperation for attention, which in my opinion, on a woman, I can agree. A tatoo on a woman's ankle is one thing, but when it is across your back, down your arms, legs, and even above a certain area, that's not for me.

I'm eventually going to get mine covered up/converted into a dream catcher with a fairy on it. Not that I regret getting a tattoo, it's just the one I have is so bland that I just have to get it turned into something more glamorous.