I have a question...

[conuly]

Occasionally, in latin, people show up asking for some translation for a tattoo. Why? Do you really want a cheesy sentiment (most of them are) forever on your body in a dead language you don't even speak? Do you honestly want to spend the rest of your life not only translating your tattoo to everyone but explaining that no, you don't actually speak Latin, some people in a Livejournal community translated it for you? Is it worth the risk that somebody will deliberately tell you something profane/funny just for the laugh (like the Japanese tattoo artist did with stupid white kids who wanted "something cool in Japanese" on their bodies...) I mean, what's the point? Why not just get it in English? That's the language you speak, after all.

Comments

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

That's very true. Basically my beef is, if you don't understand it, don't get it. Basically-- yes, it's your body and I'm not going to tell someone they're stupid.

But I've SEEN people get Ohms and then act surprised when I ask them about the "noise the universe makes." I guess it's a good conversation piece, but why give me the crazy look? You're the one with "the noise the universe makes" tattooed on your body!

Ahem, slight backlash there. Me, I'm just getting really big butterfly/fairy wings. Yours is very nifty :D

And I hate the "but what if you don't like it later!" excuse. I always want to say "what if you don't like your toes later? You're still stuck with them."

[conuly]

And I hate the "but what if you don't like it later!" excuse. I always want to say "what if you don't like your toes later? You're still stuck with them."

Yeah, that's a stupid argument. I should hope people are actually putting thought into whatever goes on their bodies. If not, well, there's surgery for that. Expensive, painful surgery, but they certainly don't need to hear "I told you so". And if they never change their minds, isn't that a funny thing to put on your gravestone: I never regretted my tattoo, mom, so shut up!

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

No matter how much thought you put into something, you can still regret it later. Still, I can't stand seeing those tattoos that are obviously taken off the wall of a cheap parlor. A lot of girls in my school have those, so they get all big-eyed when I describe my tattoo ideas.

The surgery's no good. It leaves a scar. The best method is having the artist go back over the tattoo with a needle filled with saline. It HURTS (more than the surgery) but it's much more effective.

I would kill to see that on a grave stone.

[literalgirl.livejournal.com]

LOL!!!!

I totally agree 100% that getting a tattoo that one doesn't understand the *meaning* of is pretty stupid. Although I guess one could still argue "but I just think it's pretty".

But I'd say that a person who makes a decision (as I did) to get something that is custom art (the calligrapher is an artist, and we have the original artwork of the tattoo to hang on the wall) as well as having some deeper meaning isn't necessarily "silly". There have been symbols throughout human history, and what they represent is the point, eh?

Ohm is a good example. Or the Eye of Osirus (which was also, if I am not mistaken, an egyptian "letter" in heiroglyphics).

I'd like to see the butterfly wings! You mean like, big ones on your shoulders? :-)

[maladaptive.livejournal.com]

Well, they'd take up my entire back-- shoulders blades to the small of my back. If you've read the Merry Gentry books, think Nicca's tattoos.

That's going right to an amazing tattoo artist who lives about four hours from here, too. Not allowed to get it until I move out. ::crosses fingers.::

I actually don't know what the Eye or Osiris means, but I see it a lot (or is it the Eye or Ra? One of them). Yes it's pretty, I just can't imagine putting something on your body when you don't know what it means, or you don't agree with the sentiments!