The ladies thread

[SeeSea]

I haven't seen a thread that focuses on gender-specific advice, information-sharing and support for the wonderful ladies around here. Little gems are randomly sprinkled here-and-there within other threads. I thought it would be a nice idea to collect that type of stuff in one place. Questions like, "what do you do about wearing a bra after getting a tattoo?" and "does it really hurt more to get a tattoo the week before and during your period?" And the empowering stuff like the wonderful thread about using tattoos to feel better about your body - especially the delightful discussion of beautifying the horrendous "batwings."

In addition to starting new topics here, when we find relevant nuggets of info elsewhere (I'm kicking myself for not making bookmarks of them), we can add those links here so we don't have to repeat everything or we can refer back to existing stuff.

About responding to existing content: When you find good stuff elsewhere, if it's part of a well-encapsulated or dedicated thread, it would be best to reply over in that thread so content is together (and put a link here if there isn't one already). If the good stuff you find is randomly spread through a larger or unrelated thread, then include the link to the first post where the good stuff starts, and respond here so your new info doesn't get lost over in an unrelated thread.

The boys are welcome, too, you know, because anything related to boobs and bras and the lack of bras surely has universal appeal, etc.

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So I'll start with the period question - does it really hurt more the week of and during your period? Have you dealt with it in any special way...rather than praying to the menopause gods or demanding a hysterectomy just to get more tattoos? :D

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Here's the start of a thread about bras and tattoos in the bra area: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-after-care/32-best-post-tattoo-care-page10.html#post51734

[Pugilist]

Love this idea! I am not sure I've ever been tattooed while in the crampy/painful part of my period, thank goodness, so no insight on that. I did get tattooed a few months back while having other kinds of lady problems (but during the tail end of it) and I think I did take it harder, but it was a quick tattoo in an ok spot, so it wasn't particularly difficult.

As I just spent like, 20 minutes trying to find tights opaque enough to cover my leg tattoos for work, I think that is a worthy topic for discussion too, as ladies' clothing tends to cover up less tattoo-wise. For those of you who don't show tattoos as work, strategies for making sure backs, legs, etc. are covered are helpful! (For example, my collection of shrugs has massively expanded since I did my back.)

[TrixieFaux]

My weekend "look" is jeans and a tank top or t-shirt... My weekday work look is nicer jeans and a tank top or t-shirt WITH a teacherly cardigan! Keeping it simple. :-)

Never had a problem getting tattooed during that time o' the month. Luckily, I don't really get crampy or moody during that time either. It has no effect or bearing on scheduling appointments or pain for me.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[growltiger]

Great idea :D

Is it a good idea to link to previous threads that might be useful? For example, the fat people thread was nicely body-positive:

fat-people-tattoos-your-thoughts

There's a pretty cool one about whether ladies should get dragon tattoos. It can be summed up as "Yes". I'll dig it out.

Here be dragons: dragons-women

Edited March 26, 2014 by growltiger
update

[beez]

About the period thing...I have been tattooed while on it and it SUCKED. (But it really didn't suck anymore than the first few days suck anyway). Not only that, it was a two day session and focused on my lower back :/

But I'm kind of whiny when my hormones are in revolt, soo...

But as much as it sucked, it was also okay. Ladies, if you can get through those miserable few days (I am usually pretty miserable!) then you will have no problem getting tattooed in addition to getting through through the tough days.

If you have really difficult periods (due to endometriosis etc) then i would just wait and let your body focus on one thing at a time. But honestly, it ain't no thang.

I also preload ibuprofen, echinacea, all sorts of goodness for my body when I know I'm going to be tattooed, anyway.

My .02

[beez]

Great idea :D Is it a good idea to link to previous threads that might be useful? For example' date=' the fat people thread was nicely body-positive: fat-people-tattoos-your-thoughts There's a pretty cool one about whether ladies should get dragon tattoos. It can be summed up as "Yes". I'll dig it out. Here be dragons: dragons-women

Uhhh DUH. :p

a resounding yes!

[HaydenRose]

This is a great thread! I've been lucky that none of my appointments have landed on that time of the month. I also just can't bring myself to be one of those women that looks ahead on the calendar... haha

For work, I have a lot of cardigans to throw over cute tops and basic long sleeve shirts that are thin enough to wear alone in the summer with a nice necklace or a heavy scarf in the winter. I avoid white and sheer fabrics like the plague.

When I got my shoulders tattooed, I couldn't wear a bra because of the straps, so I bought bandeaus (they hold everything up a little better than strapless bras, which are worthless for "gifted" women like myself) and later in the healing I would wear spandex tank tops (underneath clothes) with thin straps that wouldn't cut into my skin, but were stretchy and kind of hold up the boobs enough. When I couldn't wear a bra at all I would wear big scarves or loose fitting clothing to draw attention away from my chest. Also being in my early twenties helps with going bra-free ;)

Looking forward to other topics that arise, this should be an interesting thread!

[Pugilist]

@HaydenRose, would love recs for bandeaus that work for well-endowed ladies. I find the bra thing very tricky when going without is not an option. When I did my back, I just wore bras that didn't dig much (I have a couple of VS ones that are very soft and don't really have seams) and found it did not affect healing at all, thank goodness.

The other thing I think is worth sharing on this topic are strategies for what to wear to appointments when getting particular spots worked on. For my back I always wore a button down shirt that I could put on backwards (often with a halter bikini top that we could untie) - this was Stephanie's recommendation and is brilliant. For my thighs (particularly upper when shorts may be obstructive), a friend once recommended wearing a skirt with men's briefs, which give you just a bit more coverage while still allowing the person to get all up in there!

[SnowyPlover]

I'll admit to scheduling around that time of month - I prefer longer sessions, so it is easier to concentrate on sitting like a rock if I don't have to worry/think about other things.

Shoulders were harder than back for bra wearing (and I need to wear a bra). After the first 24hrs, I wore an older bra healing both - soft, a bit looser and had no issues. Also, the waistband of jeans bugged my back more than a bra healing ….so I wore smocky dresses for a little while.

For back sessions, I made a very simple flowy halter thing out of a rectangle of fabric, so my entire front is covered, but the back is open and I wear yoga pants. I had part of my bum tattooed and there is only way to deal is to fold the yoga pants to where they need to be. For my thigh, I wore "boy shorts" and a smock dress.

I think I might need some fundoshi…they look useful.

[Breakme]

What a great idea!

For my thigh I wore baggy short shorts and boyleg underwear. It worked really well as I could just pull the sides of the shorts up when we started getting into the top of the thigh/hip area. The boylegs gave me great coverage too as I wasn't comfortable to be in just underwear. I was also right in the middle of my time of the month, and my skin gets super sensitive (I can't wax or pluck eyebrows). Unfortunately I had been waiting 9 months for my appointment so I couldn't have planned it around this. Anyway, as it was my second tattoo and first major tattoo, I have no idea if it hurt more than normal as my first tattoo was done nearly 15 years ago. I'm having my other thigh done in about 6 weeks, same artist same placement and size, so I should be able to compare.

I didn't realise how much swelling there would be and fortunately my work pants are of the wider leg variety so I was able to still wear my pants at work, they were just a lot tighter on one side, haha!

[Fala]

I've gotten tattooed around that time of the month - not fun!!! But, I did sleep really well that night, so it was a blessing in disguise.

My upper thigh, I wore an old bikini bottoms with ties on the sides that we taped onto me and a dress - when the appointment was done I threw the bikini bottoms out. I could not think of a better way to go to my appointment because of the location. My other thigh I wore boxer style women's underwear and a super long skirt. I'm not super reserved/conservative in that way, despite evidence to the contrary (lots of grandma cardigans.)

For healing - I found that wearing loose skirts/dresses to be the best, even though I tend to get tattooed in the colder months.

I keep wavering between (another) bird or a dragon for my back - looking forward to your suggestions other than going braless for weeks on end. Not that going braless isn't fun and all, but at work it isn't always a good idea.

[Brock Varty]

In b4 pillow fight spontaneously breaks out...

[Delicious]

For tattooing my chest I wore a cut up t-shirt. it basically scooped down low enough to be out of the way.

Just cut it up like an emo chick ;)

Never been tattooed around my period, so no advice for that. I do like the idea for how to legs tattooed while maintaining some modesty.

[s3rndpt]

What a great idea for a thread! I have a feeling I'll be looking for some interesting ways to cover my arms, as I am about to embark on what I hope will eventually be 2 full sleeves. While I don't *have* to cover anything up at work since I work in a creative job, I'd rather avoid all the nosy questions I'll be bound to get, as I'll be the only woman with openly visible tattoos.

[TrixieFaux]

Oh @Brock Varty :rolleyes: :D

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What a great idea for a thread! I have a feeling I'll be looking for some interesting ways to cover my arms, as I am about to embark on what I hope will eventually be 2 full sleeves. While I don't *have* to cover anything up at work since I work in a creative job, I'd rather avoid all the nosy questions I'll be bound to get, as I'll be the only woman with openly visible tattoos.

The regular way to cover arms: tunic, cardigan, long sleeve t-shirt...

An INTERESTING way: those tights sleeve thingies: armery Armery from Mary Portas - Mary & Charnos Armery - from Mytights

(The armery idea was from another thread, too, the Tattoos in the Workplace thread, idea originally posted by um @HaydenRose was it???). Still have yet to get some but it seems like a good idea.

[s3rndpt]

Those armery things are exactly the kind of "interesting" I meant :) thanks for the link!

[SeeSea]

Awww - excellent! I'm psyched that this thread is being well-received, and thanks for the advice about Time 'o The Month. Friday night should be fun. Ugh.

As for what to wear for a back session, I wear a hoodie backwards so we can unzip it, and a fleece button-down backwards on top of that. It's been cold lately so I need the layers, and we can just do the top button of the fleece and it keeps everything together on the top. I wear yoga pants/sweat pants and sometimes a camisole all the way down around my waist for extra warmth if I need it it we're not working near my waist. It took me a couple sessions to work all that out but it works great for me. I might not need 2 layers with summer coming and the shop will be warmer. And everything goes right in the washer afterwards and so far only one spot of the pants have permanent stains. It's now all in my "tattoo bag" along with snax, DVD player, water, etc.

[SeeSea]

Also, the waistband of jeans bugged my back more than a bra healing ….so I wore smocky dresses for a little while.

This! I was trying to roll over the waist of work pants and then I couldn't button them and couldn't pull them down far enough below my tattoo without the crotch ending up at my knees! I found some really nice yoga pants that I am pretending are work pants and wearing them with longer sweaters :D I want to get a couple larger dresses - mine are tighter and I ended up sticking to the lining inside of one. It's at the dry cleaners now. Ugh.

For those of you wearing tighter shirts or tank-tops to give some support to the girls - @HaydenRose, doesn't that gunk you to the shirt early on? And rub off flaking skin and any scabs later on? I can let the girls be free, but still need to cover things up not to advertise, so I have been wearing very thin and soft, cheap Tar-jay shirts a size too big. ("Tar-jay" is how we refer to the Target super store in our fancy snobby French accents. Target is a step up from Walmart around here.) That makes getting into the shower to soak off early on much easier.

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In b4 pillow fight spontaneously breaks out...

We promise you get first crack when tickets go on sale, with all proceeds going to our new venture to design and produce our new product line: "Support the Girls in Style - the Perfect Post-Tattoo Bra Solution."

Hmmm, I think I would buy this product.

[HaydenRose]

@TrixieFaux, I believe it was @Tesseracts? But great idea for sure!

@Pugilist I don't have any brand suggestions since I typically shop at Marshalls/TJMaxx (not sure if you have those stores in Canada), but I usually just look for really elastic ones and order like XL or XXXXXXL haha never buy them at places like American Apparel or Urban Outfitters, they tend to be to flimsy and lack the tightness to stay on.

@SeeSea, I usually wear tops with straps after the first week or two, once its peeled significantly. If I have major scabs ...forget it. And the tanks I have the straps are super thin and sit very light on my shoulders. The important part is the torso of the tank is tight so it holds everything in a bit better than nothing. I have no idea what brand it is either lol ^see above.

@Breakme for the record, I'm so freaking jealous of your work from Emily! Can't wait to see the new piece!

[growltiger]

Yikes - being tattooed on Saturday! I'm going to have it on the back of my shoulder, so all this bra talk is very handy! I'm another one that can't manage without a bra so it is going to be interesting. Will a halterneck vest and bra be okay for the appointment? I can take the strap off, so leave my shoulder completely free for the appointment then slip it back on and throw a tshirt and jumper over for the journey home.

For healing, I might be able to get away with wearing a regular bra with one strap left down - has anyone tried that?

[Pugilist]

@growltiger - I really think having something you can put on backwards, like a button down shirt or a hoodie, really helps with the awkwardness of back tattoos.

I will reiterate that in my experience, wearing my most comfortable and least digg-y, but still regular, bra did not impact healing my back at all. But we all heal differently so that is probably not universal. If your tattooer is female, she can definitely give you some advice on this too. If they are male but thoughtful, they may also have some idea of what past female clients have found helpful!

@HaydenRose - thanks for the rec! I had no idea they made bandeaus that could in any way hold up big boobs. I am going to be on the lookout!

[SeeSea]

Yikes - being tattooed on Saturday! I'm going to have it on the back of my shoulder, so all this bra talk is very handy! I'm another one that can't manage without a bra so it is going to be interesting. Will a halterneck vest and bra be okay for the appointment? I can take the strap off, so leave my shoulder completely free for the appointment then slip it back on and throw a tshirt and jumper over for the journey home.

For healing, I might be able to get away with wearing a regular bra with one strap left down - has anyone tried that?

Wow - a halterneck vest is a GREAT idea!!! I think you have a plan for the day.

I love this halterneck vest - great back access but a tad to fancy to waste on getting a tattoo. But I love it! This could definitely be used over a thin shirt or sweater to hid a bra-less day.

I have a bra that has straps that unhook from the band at the back so you can make them like a regular bra or a criss-cross by lengthening the straps. I bet you could use something like that, but just tie the straps together behind your neck like a string bikini.

[dredrebinx]

Love these Ideas!! I don't have any tattoos on my arms, but my legs are pretty worked on. When i had my thigh done, i did wear Boxers to the event, it was just easier, and when i got my vine done, i actually wore loose, loose pants and just rolled up the leg. i put the tattoos in places that i could easily cover if need be, but for the most part, at work and home, i don't care enough to cover them. lol

[Breakme]

@HaydenRose thank you! I'm getting a horse head next, so excited!

@growltiger not too long ago I wore a regular bra with one strap down under a one shoulder dress and it was surprisingly supportive (I'm a D cup)

[El Dolmago]

Honestly this thread cemented my decision to join the forum (though I've lurked a bit over @Mark Bee 's shoulder previously)

I've always scheduled my appointments so I wouldn't have my time of the month during a tattoo as I lose all my ability to deal with pain then (no waxing ect... ).

As for clothes I have a couple of cotton/ jersey dresses from that have a kind of extended halter can be wrapped a myriad of ways (halter, strapless, one sleeved) that I've used while getting my back done. As for bras I cannot go without one - with my shoulder/ back piece I wore a bra with a removable strap and just used one strap to keep it all secure - I also used a super old soft tank top and wore it under the bra while things were still raw - it kept the elastic off my healing back.