Are there way too many tattoos, especially on ...

[HaydenRose]

I get what you are saying Hayden. But why do you care about what others think about your body? Who gives a flying truck. Just do you. Shitty semi-appology accepted. :) Feel free to call me a douche anytime, it won't change who I am at this point in my life lol.

I'm not saying I personally care about your opinions, I'm saying that a lot of other people do and therefore, you should be careful how you say things on the internet. Like I stated in an earlier post that wasn't directed at you per se, it took me a long time to get slightly comfortable with my body. And the fact that you're so nonchalantly passing off body image issues in others, just shows how differently the topic affects men vs. women.

I don't know how this isn't obvious and why I have to spell it out since you've clearly pissed off a lot of people.

I was really hoping you would respond with even a half-apology, and maybe this could become a more meaningful conversation. It's really difficult for me to not sound bitter and maybe that's the reason you're responding the way you are..

[smiling.politely]

You make body image out to be more important than it is.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I've had to tattoo over too many long-healed upper thigh scars on girls in my generation to gloss over body image issues so easily. Or heard girls that can't weigh more than 125 pounds talk about how they want to lose weight before they tattoo their ribs or belly. Or been asked about covering stretch marks from when they had kids, despite that being a completely normal and natural thing. Etc., etc., etc.

So, rather than think you're entirely the victim and getting attacked here (which I would say has gone a bit overboard, based on misunderstanding of some of your original points due to poor phrasing and explanation), realize that you do have a warped understanding of how deeply body image can affect women who have been conditioned by society to hate their bodies.

Also, you should worry far more about poorly done tattoos than tattoos that don't fit the body.

[CultExciter]

Well said @smiling.politely

[SeeSea]

You make body image out to be more important than it is.

I've been reading along and have both agreed and disagreed with various parts of everyone's posts. There are many good points made all around. But after reading this one, I've reached the point of diminishing returns on this thread.

Everyone has their own body image. It's been developed and grown and mangled and thrust upon them over time and circumstances. Body image is not something many people can completely control. Maybe guys handle it better than girls. IDK. Maybe guys don't see it as a big deal. Some do. Many girls do. But to tell someone else what level of importance their own body image should have is insensitive and uninformed, especially since it's not something that is completely under someone's control.

I could give some f'ed up examples of stuff that's happened to me that affect my body image in hard ways and I've worked on that over time. Some things will never go away. I'm now much less "sensitive" to certain things, especially things I now realize people say out of ignorance and not to be hurtful. Why do I "give a flying fuck" as you say, about what people think about my body? I wish I couldn't give a flying fuck, but the point is, it isn't completely under my control. I don't blame most people for being insensitive (unless they are just being a complete jackass) because I don't put out in public why I MIGHT be sensitive.

The point is, you don't *know* other people's stories. Someone's body image of themselves may mean nothing to you, but affects them in ways they may try very hard not to reveal. So don't challenge people on it.

$0.02.

[iowagirl]

Women go to extreme measures to force their bodies to fit some...whatever, some stupid image that mostly males have foisted upon us that we are less, we're unworthy, if we don't look like this specific ideal. Anorexia, bulimia, eating cotton balls, exercising for hours, surgeries, heck yeah body image is a big part of our lives. Our every day lives, it's all around us, constantly. Men telling us what we can/can't do to *our* bodies, actually trying to pass LAWS to govern what males feel we should and shouldn't do..you know what after a while it gets to be a little fricking old. We're told and it's pretty much beaten into us, from a young age, little girls in elementary school, how we don't fit in w/other girls, and it never quits. Until you've been a girl, a girl who doesn't have a "perfect" body, perfect clothes, perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect teeth, a girl who has looked in the mirror and wished she was dead b/c of how she looks and how others treat her, until you've had your body completely taken over and warped from having kids and nursing, I think maybe a person should just shut their pie hole about how women should and shouldn't feel and how body image is portrayed.

[Matthew Thomas]

Weight loss-obsessed girls eating GMO cotton balls soaked in lemon juice I looked this up because I wanted to know more about eating cotton balls (not because I want to try it lol, wanted to know why people would do it) and it gives good info, including statistics about body image issues and eating disorders. I can state that even as a man, I've had some body image issues, not to the point of desperate dieting or other extreme measures, but all through school I was called fat and ugly. For a long time I believed it. But one day I decided that my opinion of myself as a person was worth more than the negativity of shallow, superficial assholes. And I am overweight, but I no longer suffer from low self esteem because of it. I also no longer believe I am ugly. I accept that not every woman will find me attractive, but some do. Anyways I'm married and my wife thinks I'm very handsome. I could care less of anyone else's opinion of me. As far as the opposite sex goes, I don't have a specific set of standards as to what makes a woman attractive. I find women of different sizes, shapes, races and age range attractive for different reasons. I just want to throw out that not every man is a superficial jerk who only finds one certain type attractive. I do typically find bbw's more attractive than skinny girls, but that's my personal preference and does in no way mean that skinny girls are unattractive.

[Graeme]

I should know better than to reply to a thread started and then fuelled by a couple of clown-ass trolls, but you all rule and have brought a lot of great discussion to this thread. All I have to add to the discussion is that I think LST's slogan of GET GOOD TATTOOS is a great one and part of taking that seriously means using this forum to empower people, regardless of their body or body image, to seek out and get good tattoos that excite them and make them happy. There's no room here for body-shaming and making people feel that they somehow don't deserve a nice tattoo unless their body fits a pre-established mode of beauty. Go fuck yourself if you disagree.

[The Dude]

Not sure about anyone else here, but I've had to tattoo over too many long-healed upper thigh scars on girls in my generation to gloss over body image issues so easily. Or heard girls that can't weigh more than 125 pounds talk about how they want to lose weight before they tattoo their ribs or belly. Or been asked about covering stretch marks from when they had kids, despite that being a completely normal and natural thing. Etc., etc., etc.

So, rather than think you're entirely the victim and getting attacked here (which I would say has gone a bit overboard, based on misunderstanding of some of your original points due to poor phrasing and explanation), realize that you do have a warped understanding of how deeply body image can affect women who have been conditioned by society to hate their bodies.

Also, you should worry far more about poorly done tattoos than tattoos that don't fit the body.

Couldn't agree more. I find it odd that those who labeled me a sexist added likes to the post, but hey whatever. ;) Trixie.

Topic of poorly done tattoos is a HUGE topic. That is my #1 concern and complaint always with tattoos. And the degree that I place on tattoo proportion to body location is minimal, but it is a small factor to consider, at least to me. Kudos to those who can say they don't give a rats ass and are happy with wherever their art goes.

I agree that body image and standards is a serious epidemic that girls and women suffer for greatly over shitty marketing and hollywood. Mind you this problem is mostly seen in the States. Just something to consider when you choose your television, movies, social media, and all the other crap that is out there. My girls, luckily, didn't place too much value in those things but I think it is because of their parents outlook on topics like this. I know body image is important to people and I suppose I shouldn't dismiss the importance of the topic but it's hard for me to care about something that I truly give two shits about. I just know that its something I consider when it comes to my tattoo selection, but no more than I consider it when I have to buy a suit.

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I should know better than to reply to a thread started and then fuelled by a couple of clown-ass trolls, but you all rule and have brought a lot of great discussion to this thread. All I have to add to the discussion is that I think LST's slogan of GET GOOD TATTOOS is a great one and part of taking that seriously means using this forum to empower people, regardless of their body or body image, to seek out and get good tattoos that excite them and make them happy. There's no room here for body-shaming and making people feel that they somehow don't deserve a nice tattoo unless their body fits a pre-established mode of beauty. Go fuck yourself if you disagree.

Graeme, your post is the most Cpt. Obvious post I have ever seen. Anyway, everything you stated is 100% spot on and would be argued by no one involved in this thread. Perhaps you were under the impression that this was the conversation and argument and you were making a point towards me? Not sure.

Not sure if people have even read the thread or if they just start kicking me while down because they see other people doing and assume I'm the criminal lol. I'm still waiting for the explanation for those who labeled me a sexist and supported those who labeled me a sexist. And the one idiot that categorized me as a racist. With that said, I think I have read SOME coherent responses that have taught me to be more conscious of women and body related issues and I'll be more careful of what I say in this topic to not fuel what I deem as an epidemic of shitty marketing targeted at young girls. But Mostly I have read shit birds picking fights that weren't there just to sound like a hero on a forum. Mob mentality sort to speak.

Maybe I'm crazy but I think it was some good dialogue with lessons to be learned. I'll certainly try to smooth out my edges on this topic for future dialogue based on reactions.

[TrixieFaux]

Depends. I have seen too many on the wrong girls. I suppose it depends on their body and the tat.

I was simply responding to this ^^^. I never actually used the word sexist but the comment you made came across as rather judgmental. That is all. The original post that started this thread was from a troll. Yes, I have "liked" many of the things said on this thread. You don't seem to understand but it's ok. Life will go on. Good tattoos will happen.

[growltiger]

The problem is, The Dude, that you come across as one of those boorish oafs who shouts everyone down and can never be wrong. You made an ill-advised comment, people tried to explain this to you. Instead of taking in what they were saying you attacked them whilst playing some sort of weird victim card. If you'd just tried to engage with people and understand what they were saying, even if you didn't agree, this could have gone a very different way. You could easily have accepted your comment might be offensive, explained why you didn't mean it to sound like that, job done.

A brief aside: calling ladies "shit birds" is a pretty poor example of not being sexist. Just so you know for future.

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[motsimus]

let this thread die already.

[The Dude]

A brief aside: calling ladies "shit birds" is a pretty poor example of not being sexist. Just so you know for future.

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The term shit birds referenced those who are shit birds not those who are female. Gender was irrelevant and still is in my mind. Shirt birds IMO equal those who supported or called me sexist and racist. Couldn't care less what someone's chromosome make up is but if you refer to someone as a sexist based on my "ill advised comments" then yes you are a shirt bird, regardless of your gender. I don't disagree that they are ill advised comments mind you. But I certainly wouldn't deem someone a sexist on them. If you don't know what sexism is look it up. Same goes who wanted to bring race into this. It's awful. But I can't stand the way society casually throws around sexism and racism like they are labels they can put on anyone that makes a judgmental comment like mine. They exist and they are awful, but don't lump me in with them based on that comment, hence my beef with some of you.

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I was simply responding to this ^^^. I never actually used the word sexist but the comment you made came across as rather judgmental. That is all. The original post that started this thread was from a troll. Yes, I have "liked" many of the things said on this thread. You don't seem to understand but it's ok. Life will go on. Good tattoos will happen.

Fair enough Trixie. Toss me a hatchet and I'll bury it in my backyard. Looking back on the posts I believe I wrongfully blamed you for some very ignorant comments that Delicious made that set me off. My appoligies.