Lip Service - Tattoo Hatin'

5. Arrow; Right Forearm

If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I recently had my 5th tattoo. I love tattoo's and can honestly say that if I meet someone who has a visible piece, I will compliment it. It's a kinship of sorts, I feel. 

I absolutely love the whole thing that goes with being tattooed, from the design process, to the stencil application, I mean, I can't pass a studio without smiling or commenting on the smell of the rubbing alcohol or the sound of the guns, it's just a really unique experience, that ends with you having a piece of art with you for life. 

That's pretty special. 

 However, the point of this post isn't really to talk about how much I love indelible body art. The purpose of this post is to address the topic of Tattoo Haters! I'm going to try and address the most common things I've experienced personally, from people I know and strangers, alike!

• In General; The people who passively just don't see the appeal! 

4. Venus Doom & Heartagram

I know that there are people out there who dislike tattoos and don't understand why others like them or get them. I have plenty of people in my life who dislike the whole concept of ink and that's okay, it's their opinion. After rolling into college, fresh out of a 2-ish hour session in Spilled Ink, I was chatting to a guy in my course who just plainly doesn't see the appeal, and that's okay! Tattoos are most definitely not for everyone. I have absolutely NO problem with someone who is just passive and says "That's nice for you, but it's not my bag!", because I know that those people know they have no right to judge me for what I do... 

Take my mother as an example, she's pretty cool about tattoos. I mean, she signed the paperwork for me at the age of 16 to have my first tattoo. I cannot say more than that. She doesn't like them, she sees no appeal, but she knows she would not be able to stop me. I suppose it helps that I am respectful enough to say, "Look, I'm getting more work done, I'm telling you so I don't catch you off guard. You're informed beforehand, that way we avoid having any kind of row or anything of that nature.". She's always been cool with it, it's my body at the end of the day. 

• Judgmental People: The people who are just rude and offensive! 

3. Evlish LOTR quote; Right-Hand Ribcage

Okay, I know plenty of these people too. As a tattooed woman, who has some visible work, as well as hidden tattoos, I can definitively state that I have met my fair share of people who are really fucking rude about it. "Tattoo's are stupid!", "You're going to regret them when you're older!!" "Why would you waste your money on that?!" And to those people I have the following replies: 

1. "Tattoo's are stupid!" - Well, your judgmental attitude, your ignorance and tone are unpleasant, and lets not get stared on your face, love!
2. "You're going to regret them when you're older!" - That is my risk to take and I'd thank you not to comment on what I do with my own body.
3. "Why would you waste your money on that?" - Why the hell does it matter to you (or anyone for that matter) what I do with my own money? And also, it doesn't occur to you that I handed over the money in the full knowledge that this is coming with me everywhere, from the moment it's done even beyond the day I die. The only time that it will be gone is, as gross as it sounds, when I've decomposed in the ground or when I'm cremated!

I really cannot wrap my head around why anyone would think they have any right to dictate to another human what they do or pass comment on their choices. I understand that they think they have a point, but none of their reasoning stands up to rebuttal in terms of their opinion of what they believe I should be doing with my body. I don't want to die a beige, wrinkled old lady who regretted not taking the chance to be more aesthetically interesting than those who vehemently shove their beige-ness down my throat. 

• The people who deliberately try to demean you - and usually they fail!

2. Ambigram of my Name; Left shoulder.

These people are less common but they are still the worst ones to encounter. I have been unfortunate enough to have experienced these people who are flat out the worst kind of human. These are the people I go out of my way to annoy because it's hilarious that they think their opinion means anything. In fact, these people, while being out-and-out rude, are also kind of my favorite because they make me laugh too. 

I have a rather large tattoo dedicated to the band that helped in a major way, to save my life. It took me 5 years to work up to a tattoo dedicated to them. Do these people really think they have any kind of place to say things like "Oh you won't love that band in 5 years time...". Well take it from me, pet, if I still thought it was a good idea 5 years after I originally decided I wanted it, and thought about it for those 5 years, a grand total of 60 months, I'm pretty sure my decision was a good one. Similarly with my newest piece, I don't care what anyone says about it because I know that it was a good decision, that it's going to make me smile every day because it represents a sport where I excelled, and that gave me friends I know I'll have for a very long time to come. 


All in all, tattoos are a personal choice for those who have them. I love 90% of the attention garnered from them, because it's usually like-minded, colorful people (both in body and spirit) who are an absolute pleasure to talk to. I adore my tattoos and would never regret them, because they are important to me and my life's milestones as well as achievements. They remind me who I am and that I am the product of every struggle and success so far in my life, as well as what is to come. 

Have you experienced tattoo hating people? 
If you have how do you deal with them?
What do you think of my body art?

Amy xx