Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Hawker
Date: 25 May 01 - 09:05 PM

When I was a little girl (35 years ago) my grandma had a friend who was a very well to do indian lady. She came for tea at my grandma's house and I remember her showing me those spots they wear on their forehead and explaining all about them and what they were. She also told me about her nose peircing and that the indians believed that evil spirits entered the body at unprotected openings such as the nose and ears. This was prevented by adorning the openings with protective gemstones hence the beautiful earings and nose stud. Now some 35 years ago it was not common, unless you were of a race such as this to have nose peircings, but Oh! how I wanted to have my nose peirced! I never did, and regretted it. I did have my ears peirced as a teenager. On my 10th wedding anniversary (2 years ago) I was passing a shop which advertised doing nose peircings and I impulsively went in and had it done. I LOVE it, it took me over 30 years to get what I wanted, and though being a "grown up" I was worried what my mother would say, she just said "Oh, you've finally had it done then, when other kids wanted their ears peirced, you always wanted your nose done!"
I would advise anyone contemplating having their tongue peirced though to think hard, my sister had hers done and it cost her a lot more than the peircing! she had broken several teeth on the bar and the dental fees have been extortionate! she has now taken it out!
It is a matter of personal taste, but I am not sure that I would have a tattoo, it's too late if you change your mind, a stud can be removed
Be happy with or without adornments!
Lucy

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: kendall
Date: 26 May 01 - 01:11 AM

I saw a sign that said "Ears pierced while you wait."

AS i UNDERSTAND IT, THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD TATTOO, is,Tap toe. The act of turning the tap at closing time. It must be so, an old Scot told me.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 May 01 - 01:53 AM

Only in the military, Kendall!**BG**

The custom of beating or playing "tattoo" as a solemn conclusion to the military day is an honored one, which grew out of humble circumstances. It began with a simple Army routine, which originated in the 17th century when British troops, then engaged in Holland, were billeted in towns and villages where local inns were the social centers for the soldiers. Military authorities, faced with the problem of calling stragglers to their quarters, sent a drummer through the streets. His beat was the signal for the innkeepers to stop the sale of beverages. The Dutch idiom was "doe den taptoe" which freely translated means "Turn off the taps." The word "taptoe" was absorbed into official documents and is now generally accepted as the origin of the word "tattoo."

HOWEVER:

Tattooing was an integral part of ancient Tahitian society. It was far more than merely a bodily ornament. Tattoos would indicate a young girl's sexual maturity, freedom from food tabus and other restrictions, genealolgy and one's rank within society. Nearly everyone in ancient Tahitian society was tattooed. The early French explorer Bougainville noted that "the women of Tahiti dye their loins and buttocks a deep blue" and Captain Cook returned from the Pacific with stories of the art of tatau (hence, the origin of the word tattoo). Shortly after the missionaries arrival the practice was strictly banned, as it was viewed it as a sinful glorification of the flesh. In recent years, however, the art of tattooing has enjoyed a renaissance. Tahitians, and other Polynesians as well, are once again taking pride and interest in their cultural heritage, finding their identity in the revival of many lost arts--including the traditional tatau.

katintotradition!:->

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: dr soul
Date: 26 May 01 - 05:42 AM

Formy 40th birthday, my wife took me to a jewler and we had one ear pierced. I'd love a tatoo - I've seen some excellent art, as Kim C suggests, BUT . . .

I have an unusual blood type (only 2-5% of us share it). When I donated blood for the first time, the blood bank asked if I would consider donating regularly - every eight weeks they tap me and draw a beaker or three. Before I'm allowed to bleed, I get two sets of 20-odd questions, one to fill out, and another verbally. One of them is:

"Have you had a tatoo or piercing?"

(By the way, another these days is, "Have you spent more than 6 months in the British Isles since 1996?" - mad cow disease phobia).

Last visit, I asked the lab tech what the problem was. He said that some tatoo artists reuse the ink by pouring what they've haven't used on client A back into the bottle. If client A has Hepatitis C, the rest of the clients are at risk, and so their blood is contaminated.

A damn shame, eh? I think we need tattoo artists to be certified by public health authorities as complying with good practices, so I could get the tattoo I want AND still donate blood.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Jeri
Date: 26 May 01 - 08:21 AM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US say there isn't enough evidence on tattooing spreading HepC. My opinion: the virus isn't even believed to spread sexually, so if it can't live in those fluids, how could it survive in ink? (So maybe the ink's made of something closer to blood than other body fluids.) Oh well - I suppose we'll hear something in a few years, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

I've repeatedly thought about a tattoo, but never got one. I worry that I'd want to change it after a while. I'm definitely not the type to get big tattoos, but I enjoy looking at them on other people.

I have my ears peirced in the conventional way. I'm allergic to most of my earings - even the hypo-allergenic ones. Although I've thought about getting more holes in my ears, what's the point if I can't wear what I want in them? Forget the other body parts!

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Metchosin
Date: 26 May 01 - 06:30 PM

Don't know Jeri, but as recently as two weeks ago, the CBC Radio had an interview with a Canadian medical authority who made the announcement of the link between the rapid rise in Hep C and tattoo inks, in the Canadian Prison population. They said the ink source was directly responsible and I doubt Canadian Authorities would make the announcement without research to back the claim.I would assume that the inks contain small amounts of blood contamination picked up during the process.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Peg
Date: 26 May 01 - 07:18 PM

I have a friend with Hep C who has a LOT of tattoos; I have another one with it who got it from a blood transfusion many years back...

Re: the ink; well, it sounds to me like it might be blood it survives in, and blood mixed in with that ink...

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 May 01 - 07:43 PM

I would hope that health board certified tattoists would be a tad more careful than your average pin & inkpen prison tattoist.

My tattooist shows me where everything is coming from and pours the ink into a small basin which she then throws away after using it on me exclusively. I don't think they'd stay in business for long if they made everyone sick.

kat

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Amergin
Date: 26 May 01 - 07:45 PM

Exactly, Kat, folks should actually investigate the tattooists they are thinking of seeing...instead of just walking in off the street....

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From:
Date: 26 May 01 - 08:03 PM

...I got this blue tattoo up the side of my head..Mike

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: lady penelope
Date: 26 May 01 - 09:11 PM

But when do the authorities admit to haemophiliac sources being corrupt? as a non haemophiliac who gets tattooed I stand less ( much less ) of being affected by any "blood desease" going around than any dental practitioner!

I am a pagan. I do believe in personal sacrifice! But so does every inspirational speaker in the USA.

and as to actual tattoos. If you don't want to die with your tattoo proudly displayed on your body, then don't get tattooed!!!!!! If you think your design will look like crap in 10 months time then don't get it tattooed!! No ONE is making you get a tattoo. How you decorate your body is one of the last bastions of civilisation. Oh dear......

End of Rant

TTFN M'Lady P.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: mytoycar
Date: 02 Jun 01 - 03:00 PM

well, do scars and the like count, cause Im 1 of those teenagers who cuts them selves Im not proud but I grown to have a thing for scars, tatoos and piercings (hanse my new boyfriend I think)
prew

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: leprechaun
Date: 02 Jun 01 - 08:30 PM

You want to impress somebody, hack something off. A nose, a finger, an ear, or some other appendage. Tattoos, piercings, scars, they're all for sissies, and so popular nobody is disgusted by them anymore. Yes indeed, amputation is the next logical step in the self-mutilation craze.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: GUEST,guinnesschik
Date: 03 Jun 01 - 01:24 PM

Unfortunately, "different" types of self adornment seem to be much more accetable if you're young. *sigh* I dyed my hair purple a couple of years ago, and all hell broke loose. Parents pulled their small children out of my path; fellow musicians whispered behind hands; folks freaked out over a temporary hair color. Those with permanent makings caught less flack than I.

Sad thing is, I loved my purple hair. It made me feel giddy to see it in the mirror, and I felt very young and exciting.

Blessings on you if you do what you want with personal decoration, be it piercings, tattoes, of hair color. Purple hair made my public life a living hell, and when I complaine dabout it, a friend said, "You knew what you were getting in to."

Life's too short, do what you want. I just have to be a platinum blonde now.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: mytoycar
Date: 03 Jun 01 - 01:35 PM

WHY? my mother mrs duck is in mid forties and has in the past year has bleached and dyed her hair purple and green and no one comlained, I am only 17 and had my hair so that one side was pink the other green abit like a punk cruella devil and that was when hell broke lose so if you want a tatoo or just to dye your hair its you desicion and no one can stop you, as long as its within reason.
And to mr leprechaun lit me tell you some thing from some one who suffers from self-mutilation as a way out, ampitation is not a good thing, so when youve had your hand taken off and cant hold a new born baby to apprechiate its wonder HA!!!! that shows how much we care about our bodies, Tatooing and peircing adds to its glory cuting bits off is an arrogant way of expression at least with tatoos and piercings you can have them removed from you you cant replace a finger or a nose!

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Kim C
Date: 04 Jun 01 - 01:21 PM

Around here, people who stick things in you have to be licensed by the health department.

Guinnesschik, maybe people reacted badly to your purple hair because you weren't confident enough about it. If it's what you really want - and let's face it, unusual hair colors don't hurt anybody - go out there and DO IT and be PROUD of it and don't WORRY about what everyone else thinks.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: guinnesschik
Date: 04 Jun 01 - 02:59 PM

Actually, confidence is no problem. I've long been a self proclaimed weirdo (too poor to be eccentric). My point was that I raised more eyebrows than folks who have undergone permanent modification. Maybe it's just because the Dallas area is a little stodgier than the rest of the nation, or maybe people were just jealous of the fact that I was having more fun than should be legal. Whatever the reason, it became a real problem, more with Himself than me. (He hated all the comments and sideways glances.)

Oh, well, I love being blonde, too, and temporary hair colors are getting better....

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Kim C
Date: 04 Jun 01 - 03:25 PM

Dallas is stodgy? Heck, come to Nashville. There's plenty of people around here with unusual hair.

(maybe if you had styled it in the shape of a Stetson....... ;-D)

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 07 Jun 01 - 06:09 PM

Early forties actually and noone in this house ever had hair pink and green and no hell ever broke loose but hey if its attention you want........

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: mytoycar
Date: 08 Jun 01 - 03:13 AM

Yes they did for a short while but then you wouldnt notice if I left to day or maybe next week, And I did get stick for it not from you cause what was it you said oh yes 'I object about you' basically we all know that you hate me!

And says the attention seeking woman who well we wont go in to what YOU'D do for attention!!

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: alison
Date: 08 Jun 01 - 04:08 AM

prew, there is a time and a place for fighting the bit out with your mum, (and believe me I've been there... done that)..... but doing it on an internet forum isn't the way to sort it out.......

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Amergin
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 09:02 PM

I just got my right fore arm tattooed...the other day.....a serpent going around the arm....with the tail in the serpents mouth....the ouroboros...

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: NobleSavage
Date: 04 Jul 02 - 10:43 PM

I have the Serpent Mound tattooed on my left upper arm, another Mound Builder design on most of my forearm, and a tattoo-friendly-adaption of the belt buckle from Sutton Hoo on my right forearm They are all in full color.

They are all works of art and I am very glad to have them--they were done by one of the old-timers of the craft and are a testimony to his skill. They look better to me every day.

NS

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Hrothgar
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 05:40 AM

Very exhausting, being tattooed, so they tell me.

That's why people who have it done look a bit drawn.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 08:39 AM

I've got a sun on my left shoulder and a moon on my right shoulder. They didnt hurt when they were done.....it was just like pins and needles!!!! I want a third tattoo at the bottom of my back but I've heard that definately hurts!

I wear five earings and I used to have my belly button pierced but I lost it in a drunken state at the Yorkshire Gathering this year!!!!!

Having lots of fun

Cat

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Mr Happy
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:04 AM

you lost your belly button??

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Bullfrog Jones
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 11:37 AM

I've had a pierced ear since the seventies when I used to wear a bluebird (of happiness) -- these days it's just a plain silver ring. I always used to say that I'd never get tattooed in case I regretted it when I got old. Then I realized that I *am* old! I'd mentioned it to the Beloved (who has a bird on her buttock) and told her what I'd have if I decided to get a tattoo done, then promptly forgot all about it. Come my birthday 2 years ago, she whisked me away for a weekend trip to Wales (the land of my father and mother), where we stayed at a lovely old hotel called The Dragon in Montgomery. Then she took me to a tattoo parlour she'd researched and told me that she'd pay for my tattoo. Which is,of course a Welsh dragon over my heart!

BJ

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: mack/misophist
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:09 PM

I have seen some wonderful tattoos and in a way, it breaks my heart. I don't think art should be made in order to deteriorate. That's what happens when a young person gets a wonderful tattoo. Look at the old codger's arms, where the lines have thickened and blurred and the design can no longer be seen. Some day that will happen to your beautiful phoenix and the golden carp curled round your shoulder. Wait. develope your taste. Work on your designs. Get it done when you're 40.

Piercings: Some are ok. Some aren't. That's your business. But the one through the bridge of the nose IS INSANE!!!!!!!!!!! At least one person I've read about has died from infection. The upper nasal passages are a highway into the brain. Don't do it.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 02:53 PM

No Mr Happy I didn't lose my belly button I lost the bar that went through the top of my belly button!

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: C-flat
Date: 05 Jul 02 - 06:06 PM

The nearest thing I've got to piercings are a pair of cuff-links!:-)

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: lady penelope
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 10:07 AM

Dyes are now far better than those of twenty years ago. They last longer ( fade less ) and 'spread' less ( are less liable to look like your mascarra's run ). You still have to look after your tattoo but sunblocks are now more effective ( the main cause of 'spread' is direct sunlight ) and you can show your tat. off with impunity.

Here's a thought. The more blue in a dye (blues and blacks for example ) , the more likely they are to fade and spread. If you have a tattoo that has little or no blue or black it will 'age' far more elegantly.

The less fat or muscle there is between your skin and a bony area of your body, the more painfull it will be to get that area tattooed. However this does not apply to your calf muscles. Because of the large blood supply that goes through you calves there are far more nerve endings ( to control blood circulation, heat loss etc. ) , which makes it one of the most sensitive areas on you body. Just ask Parker, who got a beautiful tribal flame tattoo on his left calf. It took three goes to complete it and that was with a topical anesthetic!

TTFN M'Lady P.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: mack/misophist
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 12:10 PM

thanks milady

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: JeZeBeL
Date: 06 Jul 02 - 03:27 PM

Hello everyone...I've finally made it back to the forum.

Piercings hmmm? I used to have about 25 piercings when I was at university...some of which my parents never knew about. I still have 8 holes in my ears...6 in the lobes, one in the cartlidge at the top and my tragus. I have just recently had one of the holes put back in my belly button...Bearing in mind I used to have 4!! I took all my piercings out when I left uni as I wanted a job. I kept the nose piercings but unfortunatly that became a problem when rapper dancing and it got ripped out. Ouch!!

I would like to get some more interesting holes in my ears again...but we will have to see depending on what job I get. I want a tattoo. I have alsways wanted a star or flower on my ankle, but I don't know how much that would hurt. I'm not a wuss!! I am still undecided as to what tattoo to get, but when I find the right one i will get it done.

Jez xx

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Nov 02 - 12:48 AM

i like chains connecting

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: GUEST,vectis
Date: 08 Nov 02 - 12:27 PM

I'm definately considering treating myself to one now I'm 50.
A tattoo, that is.
I fancy a dragon, done in sepia, round my bicep.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Glade
Date: 13 Nov 02 - 04:54 PM

On the back of my right hand I have a pattern of Celtic knots in blue and yellow. My mother thought I was left-handed so she and my aunties inked them into my right(turns out I'm ambidex). Great-grandparents, grandparents, great-uncles & -aunts and all their friends had have tattoos so it's something trad. Faces, hands, wrists, collarbones, ankles seemed to be favourite sites. Chains and knots; stylized animals, birds, snakes; delicate freestyle flowers were the artworks of choice with blue, gold, and silver predominating colours interspersed with red and green. The tattoos are holding up well, then so are my old folks. It's phased out a bit. I was at the tail-end of the last generation that had tattoos as a matter of course. My younger sister and cousins have gotten a wider variety of tattoos and sites as young adults and sometimes with modern technology. Both my ears are pierced once in each lobe just like all my female relatives. The men usually have only one ear pierced any-old-where but usually the lobe. Some of the GenY'ers have multiple piercings and are musing about further ones. I can't see the attraction myself.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Nov 02 - 06:57 PM

Just one thing to say. Ouch.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Nov 02 - 08:09 PM

Glade, did your mom and aunties actually do the tattooing?

I don't know that I ever would have gotten more than my ears pierced. (Just one hole per) I'm allergic to almost everything they make earrings out of and I wish they'd invent plastic wires. I have loads of earrings I love but can't wear anymore. Anyway, piercing's are out.

I've been thinking of getting a tattoo for ages. I can't decide what or where, though. I want it somewhere that can either show or not depending on my mood. Maybe an ankle or wrist. I don't like people tattoos and animals can come out pretty strange looking. (Hey Spay, maybe I ought to go for dragonflies on my hooters, eh?) I like patterns though. I like Celtic knotwork and ivy. I really wish someone could do a scattering of fall leaves, though, with all the different colors and shadings. It would probably be too complicated.

I haven't decided on anything because I'm afraid I'll get tired of it and be stuck with it for life. I have scars though. I'm stuck with those, but I didn't get any of them on purpose.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Kim C
Date: 14 Nov 02 - 12:09 PM

Jeri, I think someone does make silicone wires for earrings. And don't think a tattoo is too complicated - there are some fabulous artists out there doing some absolutely phenomenal work. Next time you're at a bookstore, flip through some of the tattoo magazines. A picture I recently saw, was a full-back tattoo of the Hermit from the tarot deck, overlooking a city. Pretty incredible.

I'm hoping to get an old tattoo refreshed after Christmas, if I have a little money. :-)

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: rock chick
Date: 14 Nov 02 - 12:23 PM

I would liketo have a tattoo on my rear end but haven't got down! to it yet, at the moment i have BRIGHT red hair, this i can chage when i get fed up with it, it's good to be / do what ever you want. My daughter had two tattoos one i like the other NO she also has her tonge pierced, me i wouldn't go that far.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: lady penelope
Date: 14 Nov 02 - 03:05 PM

Jeri, if you want to be able to cover your tattoo depending on your mood, your wrist is not necessarily the place to put it. Come summer you may find it a bind to wear long sleeves or odd looking sweat bands. Wrists and ankles are often very painful to tattoo, so bear that in mind.

If you're not sure about what you want done then I would say you deffinitely haven't "found your mark". A good way to find out what's possible, though, is to look through a few different tattoo mags ( if there's one near and not too dear - a tattoo convention! ).
You can visit tattoo arstists studios, all of them will have standard patterns/pictures ( called "flash" ) up on the walls. Most of them will also have an album ( or in some cases lots of albums ) of photographs of tattoos they have done. This is the best way to get an idea of how a tattoo artist performs.

When you find an artist who's style you like, you don't have to get a standard piece. Only two of my four tattoos are from standard flash and even they had changes made to them to meet my wants. Most artists are happy to do commisions ( this does not necessarily means the tattoo will be any more expensive, depending on what you want of course! ) and many of the best tattoos I've seen have been the simplest.

But the main idea is - if you can imagine it you will be able to find someone to tattoo it!

Happy Hunting!

TTFN M'Lady P.

Subject: RE: Sorta BS: Tattoos & Piercings
From: Glade
Date: 14 Nov 02 - 04:05 PM

Yes, Jeri, my mother and aunties did the tattooing. They also tattooed my oldest son. My other children haven't wanted any (yet).
Glade