My Tattoos – Why I got them, the pain and regrets
I now have 4 tattoos in total, my first one I naughtily got when I was 17 and is lovingly nicknamed my “tramp stamp” by my hubby (such a way with words!) and my forth one I got just 2 months ago at the age of 31! I actually got 2 tattoos at the same time and I love my new tattoos…
I’ve definitely got the “bug” and am thinking about another, but I’ve never jumped-into getting a tattoo, I’ve always waited until there’s something I can’t stop thinking about or something that really symbolises a time in my life. Although two have been pretty spontaneous, they are both small and represent a time, place and feeling that I wanted to lock in time…and I know I’ll never regret those. The other two took a lot more thought and designing and again, although my first tattoo isn’t something I’d necessarily choose now, I don’t regret it as I like the look of it and remember the reasons why I chose it (and I designed it myself, so know that no one else has the exact same thing on their body!).Â
Why did I choose to tattoo my body?
Well, this is a long story, but in a nutshell, looking back, I think there’s two main reasons I tattoo my body.
- Because I love tattoos! I love the way they look, I love the artwork, I love the way they look on skin and I think they’re really cool.
- I have never been overly confident with my body, especially certain aspects of it and therefore tattooing it has never been such a worry as I’ve never thought “what if I ruin my body?”…it was always going to be an addition or improvement to me! Perhaps I wouldn’t be so keen if I had a model-esque physique, toned and slender with flawless skin and no scars…but I suspect, I’d still want a tattoo even if I did look that! But having a less than perfect bod, made the decision even easier for me.
What about the pain?
For me, I don’t mind tattoo pain. A good tattooist will start-off slowly, in the least painful spot and ease you in. That I can deal with. Knowing that it’s a constant, sustained pain or feeling is less freaky to me then a sudden intense pain or shock, like a piercing for example. Once I know what the needle on skin feels like, I can deal with it, breathe through it and put up with it. BUT, I have had relatively small tattoos and none have taken more than half an hour, so perhaps I’d feel differently if I’d undergone hours of needlework.
It was approx 10 years between my 2nd and then 3rd and 4th tattoos, so I was a little apprehensive this time round, but not scared. Once I remembered that familiar feeling (and reminded myself that I have now been through CHILDBIRTH!), I relaxed into it, scrolled through my instagram and it was over before I knew it!
Do I regret them and do I think I will further down the line?
As I said above, my tattoos have represented a time in my life or a specific memory for me, so there’s no feeling of regret. They’re not a fashion or trend item, they represent something to me. I also have just black ink-work, which I think sits better on my skin and will hopefully age better. I’ve also purposefully tattoo-ed areas of my body that aren’t constantly on show or can be hidden if I wanted (lower back, ribs and feet). I think this works for me, because I don’t see them all the time and therefore don’t really get bored of them. I also don’t regret ruining a bit of my body that I quite like (like my face or my boobs!).
Ageing and tattoos – I guess I can’t say for sure how I’ll feel in 30 years time. But when people say “ooh will she want that on her body when she’s old and wrinkly” or “what will people think when she’s 60″…I always think, well I won’t give a toss when I’m that age. I’ll hopefully still be happily married to my hubby, who won’t care and I don’t think I’ll exactly be parading around in my bikini, worried about what people think of me. If I’m not happy and confident by then, when will I be?!
