<p>I have a personal aversion to tattoos. I too view them as something you might regret like when you look back at pictures of yourself wearing a certain hairstyle or clothing. I a conservative by nature with my personal tastes .
And I also change my mind about how I decorate my home as well…wouldn’t want anything permanent.</p>
<p>Some of my employees have tattoos ( guys ) They will never work in a setting that will put them in a position to be judged for them.</p>
<p>My niece is really inked up to the point of looking mutilated in my opinion ( and they aren’t pretty either, they look sort of demonic and shocking. She lives in Scandinavia and it is pretty common. Her mother has a full sleeve of her cat and it looks like it was done sort of half ***. She tried to have it corrected and ended up with a horrible, long term infection. My father in law is really upset by the extreme to which they have adorned themselves.</p>
<p>Gouf78: I meant that the process is not to be spoken of outside of Cherokee culture, it doesn’t insinuate anything remotely horrible! </p>
<p>Also, my grandfather was a Disney “imagineer” who had tattoos, he worked for Disney from the early 1950s until he retired in the 1980s. As far as I know, it was never a problem. It is absolutely different if you work in HR, customer service, or in the parks/cruises like my aunt does for Disney.</p>
<p>I also have a personal aversion to tattoos. I hear in my head the voice of my late father saying that “the more tattoos someone has, the lower their IQ”. I see a tattoo on a woman and think “tramp stamp”. I see them on men and think low IQ. </p>
<p>My children all are aware of my feelings about this and thus far are not inked. Once they are self supporting though, they can do what they wish if they so desire one. I won’t like it but if I am not paying their bills then they are on their own.</p>
<p>Wow! Anyone who doesn’t like tattoos is “unenlightened”?</p>
<p>Personally, I see nothing wrong with the OP’s plan-it seems rather sweet. But calling people who disagree with us “unenlightened.” Sorry, I don’t agree. It’s just a matter of taste/aesthetics/opinion. The OP asked for thoughts, and people are entitled to give them.</p>
<p>Before you get your tattoo, please visit a gym where a lot of middle-aged and elderly people work out. This changed my daughter’s mind and it might change yours. Unless you plan to stay the same weight your entire life (no pregnancies, for example) and retain your current level of fitness, you may decide not to get a tattoo.</p>
<p>Let’s remember the OP is proposing getting a tattoo on the top of his foot. I’m thinking his foot is not going to change too dramatically, no matter his weight or fitness level. ;)</p>
<p>If you are going to get a tattoo, the top of the foot can be easily hidden if needed. If it means a lot to you, go for it. I do understand (from my D’s friend who has a LOT of tattoos) that the top of foot tatt was her most painful, as there is little fat there. Good luck.</p>
<p>My sister has several tattoos and agrees with the top of the foot being the most painful. She almost didn’t want to get it filled because of how painful it was.</p>
<p>My brother recently got a whole forearm sleeve ( in stages). He said the day he got the inner forearm done was almost unbearably painful during and after. He could not sleep the entire night afterwards. I didn’t want to seem “unenlightened,” but I was concerned maybe something wasn’t right. But since I have no experience with it, I wasn’t sure.</p>
<p>I wish I could put pictures up on this thread of my tattoos. They aren’t wrinkly or faded or big. I think they are really cool and I get a lot of compliments on them. I hate needles, too, but did really well getting the tattoos.</p>
<p>I have no problem with tattoos on orhers but don’t like them for myself. My only concern is that I personally know of several in management who admit they would not seriously those with visible tattoos for employment.</p>
So only ugly people should have tattoos? I didn’t like her dress, that doesn’t mean she should saunter around in her underwear all day just because my aesthetic opinion differs from hers.</p>
<p>
Appearance is a kind of communication, and not all communication is meant for all potential viewers. Tattoos often have a great deal of meaning, and whatever they are communicating is often intended for a limited audience. They want people to notice, but not all people - sometimes it is just friends, or loved ones, or themselves. It’s like shouting someone’s name in a crowd, everyone may hear it but the message is only meant for the person being called.</p>
<p>I have tattoos. If you saw them, you might think anything - one guy glanced at it and thought the one was a swastika. If you were in my field, you would recognize most of them right away. If you are one of a certain group of friends, you would understand the other one. In neither case would you know anything about my ability or my education - well, a little about the latter, not too many high school grads with differential equations tattooed on them.</p>
<p>I don’t judge you by your shoes, your hair, your earrings, etc. Changeable or not, I may or may not like them and may or may not adopt any of them. But my opinion of you as a person and as a professional is based on what comes out of your mouth, not from your sleeves or what peeks out from under them.</p>
When I am 80 years old and/or a hundred pounds heavier, my tattoos will be reminders and story starters, and far from the worst complaint I have about my appearance.</p>
My wife was very worried about her tattoos when she went back for her masters. She was out with a bunch of her fellow students and some of the professors, and it turned out that only one of the bunch didn’t have tattoos. Conversely, in my field of engineering, tattoos are pretty uncommon, although I have yet to experience any problems from having them.</p>
<p>The choice to ink or not ink is a personal one. Neither is right or wrong. People will judge those with tattoos whether or not you agree. I do know business owners ho will not hire people with visible tattoos because it is not an image they choose to have represent the company.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of getting a tattoo for my 60th birthday. I have to admit that part of the appeal will be to horrify some judgmental, uptight folks I know. </p>
<p>I can see no reason for the OP not to get the tattoo.</p>