Body Art !

Hello !

What are your thoughts about body art, such as piercings, tattoos, etc ?

I have 2 tattoos, which I had done when I was a lot younger. Both are out of sight, so not many people know I have them, which is exactly how I like it !
I've got ear piercings, my nose pierced and a tragus piercing, which hurt like hell when I got it done last year, but has a very pretty sparkily blue stud in now, so looks lovely !

Personally when I see people with those big holes in their earlobes, it makes me feel queasy. I don't see anything nice in it, especially when they don't have the plug bit in, and it just looks like dangly skin.

And I'm going to sound like an old lady now, but I really don't like seeing young people covered in tattoos - every inch of their arms and also on necks. Yes it may cool now, but somehow I think they're going to regret it in 20 years ...

But each to their own. My Dad didn't talk to me for a month when I got my nose pierced at 16 !!

I am very much in the each to their own camp point of view, their skin their life.
I am not interested in piercings at all, I had my ears done at 9 or 10 and I very rarely wear earrings now and haven't for at least 12 years.
I have 8 tattoos so far and love every single one of them, I can cover all mine up though, usually people only ever see 2 of mine, inner forearm and foot. I doubt I would ever get one in an area I couldn't cover but that is personal preference and career choices. My job share didn't even know I had tattoos so was a bit shocked when I told her yesterday how many I have.

I wont try and influence my children either way about piercings and tattoos. If they ask for ear piercing or similar I will review at the time but I certainly wouldn't take them to get it done now. I can admit I would be upset if my kids got facial tattoos or hand tattoos, possibly hypocritical as I don't care when anyone else does it. Rightly or wrongly I do think appearance can limit you job wise and people perception of you.

I am not impressed with scarification though and not sure if there is enough information about dermal/surface piercing to determine if it is safe.

I had to google tragus was!!

I have my ears pierced and I wear earrings every day. I used to have my belly button pierced but I got fat and the piercing rubbed on my trousers so I took it off.

I'd love to have a tattoo done but I want it to mean something to me but I haven't found anything yet that inspires me. And I have no imagination. Oh has a tattoo of a cobweb on his elbow but he's a mechanic so most of them have tattoos everywhere and he recently got a new job so obviously didn't affect him that badly.

I'm not so keen on piercings but tattoos are okay. Depends on the tattoo's but the design is such a personal choice, just because I don't like it doesn't mean its not good. My mate has fairy's and that kind of fantasy esq design on several, which is not my style but suits her and they look good.

I have a black leaf stem & flowers design one off centre on my back, and love it. I want it bigger at some point.

I got it at what I consider was the start of my mid life crisis, so it means a lot to me. I love the look on peoples faces when swimming, as I'm told I don't look like the type to have one!! And the look on my exes face when we briefly got back together was priceless, not sure he liked it. But tough I love it.

I've got 21 piercings

Laura wrote:I've got 21 piercings

I dare not ask where they all are?!

shoppingaddict wrote:

Laura wrote:I've got 21 piercings

I dare not ask where they all are?!

LOL they're actually on my face/ears.

I have just my ears pierced. I couldn't bear to have a tattoo, I don't think I'd like the feeling of not ever being able to get it off.
That said, I can appreciate the look on others - some really suit peircings and ink, others it just looks
My 9 year old daughter desperately wants to have her ears pierced, I said that she can have them done in the summer holidays before she starts secondary (just over a year from now). I had to wait until I was 14, and her Dad says she should be 16.

I see no problem with children having their ears pierced when they're old enough to ask to have it done and they understand the process etc.

Babies with pierced ears on the other hand is tacky, needless and just gross. I'm glad that a lot of body piercers are making the move to refuse to pierce babies and toddlers.

Laura wrote:I've got 21 piercings

wow!

my biggest fear with piercings is they look fab when your younger, but on those make over shows when they remove them and the holes are just left, looks odd. Saying that thought I know some bikers who have several and are in their 50's and still look cool

I have two tattoos, one on each side if my ribs an they're just writing. And 5 piercings (lip twice, tragus, top of ear and belly). I did have both nipples done too, well did them myself, but I've taken them out now.

Sarah (xoxo) wrote:I did have both nipples done too, well did them myself, but I've taken them out now.

Ouch !!

Ears 3 times each with a 7mm Plug in each ear:

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Nose, Lip, Nipples (taken out now), VCH.

Tattoo's I have elvish script with an evenstar on my wrist, a bat on my chest and a tribal swirl on my shoulder
Personally I love tattoo's and piercings. Never really bothered what folk think of me tbh, I look different, I realise I look different, I dont care

ETA
Looking at that pic there is scope for more piercings up that ear.......

I just have 2 piercings on each ear lobe and my belly button. I'm thinking about getting either an eyebrow or my nose done next but I think I'm putting it off as I get bad allergies and also don't think others would appreciate it.

I'd like to get a tattoo eventually, but still deciding what to get.

Laura wrote:I see no problem with children having their ears pierced when they're old enough to ask to have it done and they understand the process etc.

Babies with pierced ears on the other hand is tacky, needless and just gross. I'm glad that a lot of body piercers are making the move to refuse to pierce babies and toddlers.

I didn't realise some were refusing Laura, but I'm glad too. My daughter just has to wait until she can deal with the hygeine stuff (and be trusted to do it religiously )herself

LoolaBeanbag wrote:

Laura wrote:I see no problem with children having their ears pierced when they're old enough to ask to have it done and they understand the process etc.

Babies with pierced ears on the other hand is tacky, needless and just gross. I'm glad that a lot of body piercers are making the move to refuse to pierce babies and toddlers.

I didn't realise some were refusing Laura, but I'm glad too. My daughter just has to wait until she can deal with the hygeine stuff (and be trusted to do it religiously )herself

Yeah, a reputable body piercer is unlikely to pierce a child, I have seen signs up which state that they won''t do it to a baby (I've been in lots of piercing studios!). Your local cheapo hairdressers or Claire's Accessories is a different story though

We have a nice local Spa place that will do my daughters - clean and sterile! One look at the minging carpet and previous occupants of the piercing chair in Claire's is enough to turn my stomach!

I had my ears done when I was about 9 - which was pretty young I now realise - but we were living in the US and I was going to an international school, and was friends with lots of kids from cultures where it was normal and they had been pierced as babies. My mother did make me have it done at the docs with a needle rather than in a fashion place with a gun. Apparently I only squeeled after the holes were made.

I've got no other piercings - mainly because I'm now needle phobic (and a total wimp!)
I still (at 47 in 10 minutes!) fancy my eyebrows done. I love how it looks but I think I'm also swayed by someone telling me if you pinch the skin where you plan to pierce and it hurts the piercing will hurt, and visa versa. If I pinch my eyebrow there's no pain!

I have one tattoo - done about a year ago. I've liked the idea since my teens but was too indecisive (and scared of the pain). No regrets now though and I'd happily have another. I just have to think about what and where.

as hanspan said its normal in some countries that babies have their ears pierced, for example, my country...i had my ears pierced as a baby and then got some more as i grew up

Ellie insisted on having her ears done when she was about 7, she had them done a second time around the age of 10. She's 15 now, they have long healed up and she says she isn't bothered about having them done again (I even offered to pay).

Piercings don't bother me at all because I know that if she ever got fed up they heal and virtually vanish so she can be pierced all she likes, tattoos I object to in younger kids. You wouldn't believe how many of her 15 year old friends have tattoos! There's a lot to be said for living room tattooists. The whole thing needs regulating asap really.

I had my ears pierced as a baby and I'm glad because I might not have had the bottle to get them done otherwise. I was a wimpy child and am an even wimpier adult.

That said, knowing I'd had them done as a baby gave me the confidence to have other piercings I wanted done.