Relationships and tattoos

[Fala]

@SeeSea - I've come to love my hips and thighs thanks to my tattoos. It's been an unexpected blessing. As for aging... well, I guess I'll have to wait and see what my tattoos look like when I'm old. They'll probably look old too ;)

[beez]

@SeeSea @Fala +1 on loving my hips and thighs because of tattoos! so much! and I can't really speak to "aging" at this point in my life, but I know when my mom's friends saw my tattoos they were like "oohhh, I can see how that covers cellulite right up". (and in my personal experience, tattoos sure as hell do!) (also I find myself favoring my more heavily tattooed side in the mirror anyway...it's pretttttty awesome ;))

[JakeStewart]

Hope he doesn't mind :D should get some face tats and surprise him one day ahahha

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For me it;s a mystery why girls are worried about getting tattooes...girls are beautiful, with more tattooes they can only be...more beautiful?!

I agree all the girls I know, the more ink they get, the more stunning they become haha

[pidjones]

On the beach on vacation this week (SPF 50 on my ink is leaving white spots on me). Thought of this thread today and this evening asked the wife if she was beginning to think of the tattoos as more of "me". She said Yes, and we discussed making the cameo of her on my left shoulder into a half-sleeve with cameos of the two daughters, some vines, leaves, and something representing each of their interests. She even suggested things to represent each. She's not happy with my forearm tattoo (says it's too dark, and it is), but accepts it as ME. Happy man today!

[Joey Ryan]

my girlfriend said she loves my tattoos because she loves me, and they're a part of me! /loveydovey

i think shes a keeper, even if she doesnt want any tattoos herself, i still lover her. haha !

[tattoodgirlwithocd]

I really like getting tattoos and have a couple, whereas my fiance has none and doesn't see himself getting any in the future, but I am perfectly okay with that because he respects that I enjoy getting tattoos.

[Guerillaneedles]

I'm pretty heavily covered but my boyfriend has one tattoo, that I did for him! He says he wants more though, but honestly at the moment only from me. He doesn't bug me much and I don't push it (be was a bit of a little bitch when I tattooed him!) . He has some good ideas I think other artists could do much better justice to than me (I'm very early career!) I'm avoiding scribbling all over him. Haha. He definitely doesn't share the passion for it that I have.

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every guy i have had a fling or relationship with during the past 7 years has either been heavily tattooed or interested in being heavily tattooed...except Jackson. i mentioned this in another thread (i can't remember which one) where tattooing and masculinity were being compared, but Jackson is not heavily tattooed. in fact, he only has one tattoo, on his calf, and it is covered up most of the time. he's made record shopping more of a priority, and that's fine.

what is funny is that before Jackson and i clicked, i really never thought i could be attracted to another who was not heavily tattooed or did not desire to be. and now, that we've been dating for 2 years, i sort of don't feel that same attraction to guys who are heavily tattooed. it's not that i don't see myself being attracted to someone who is heavily tattooed, but i also don't think that it's a deciding factor anymore. as long as someone can accept the fact that i am becoming heavily tattooed, then that's all that matters. Jackson has expressed being attracted to my tattoos and me becoming heavily tattooed, and it's nice to hear that he likes it. i know we're kind of the odd couple on this, as it seems like there may be more heavily tattooed men dating lesser tattooed women, but this relationship has definitely changed me and my perspective on the subject (and it works out just fine for both of us).

Had to reply to this as I'm in the same situation. Been with my fella 5 years now, and as I mentioned he only has one tattoo. I did go through a bit of a crisis of confidence when I started tattooing, it was such a sea change for me, I had to consider did I want to be with someone who didn't share this all consuming passion with me? Since then I've realised I don't need him to. I have friends and colleagues for that. What's more important is that he loves me, and that he supports my decision to become more heavily tattooed (and he looks after my useless ass) . He's said he finds my tattoos attractive but what's funny is he doesn't like me dying my hair,(it's not a huge deal) which I find funny because that's not even permanent!

[Guerillaneedles]

As a tattooed lawyer I must say I have quite a few lawyer friends who are tattooed. That being said very few of them are heavily tattooed and all of them hide it under suits including me. Now back to the actual topic of this thread, my wife has two small tattoos and supports me and my efforts in becoming heavily tattooed. In fact recently she is becoming bit by the tattoo bug and is going to start a half sleeve at the SOG convention if the booking comes through.

Haha kind of hijacking this thread but wanted to say I know someone who tattoos a lawyer who has a full Japanese bodysuit. You'd never guess under the suit. But he's a bit of a 'character' shall we say, and has admitted he just happened to end up on the right side of the law Haha!.

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Slightly off topic but I recently read some stuff out of Herbert Hoffmans biography and he mentioned that when he first moved to Berlin and started his passion for tattooing that he would 'sometimes notice people without tattoo's, but they were like air ( to him)' hopefully I didn't hack that up too much, but it was a beautiful quote and it will stay with me forever.

This is a beautiful quote! And makes me think, when I see people without any visible tattoos I just feel like they'd they'd look better with nice tattoos, so I guess I do find tattoos very attractive indeed (though they do need to be tattooed art). I'm not too into tribal dragons and script, not my style. I think if someone has a nice collection that's hot! I know they've got good taste and a passion (there's nothing sexier than a passion for something!)

[bruceparker]

My girlfriend has always loved my tattoos, so I never encountered any kind of problem. But I think if someone really loves you, they wouldn't care if you did or didn't have any. And if they don't like them to begin with, then they'll just need to get used to them if they want to stay with you!

[Littlefs]

Been married 11 yrs to a man I met while we were both active duty military. Now we are both retired and I'm looking to get 4 tattoos (I'm tattooless at this time). Medium to large visible tattoos, not a little butterfly on my ankle. He just smiles at me and says he loves getting to know the side of me he didn't know 11 years ago. He has NO desire to get any but it's intersting to him and seems to give us new things to talk about. Anyone married 11 yrs knows the conversation can become a little....well, lacking. This is opening us up to new explorations of eachother.

[soraya]

@Guerillaneedles -I react the same way when I see people without tattoos. As a tattooed woman, I really pay attention to other tattooed ladies. Sometimes when I see a woman in a tank top or something that shows the back, my first reaction is that, "Oh, she would look great with a back piece." More and more I think that people look incomplete without tattoos.

[malina25]

i think it doesn't matter when people love each other. as for me tattoo looks like very interesting and sexually actually. don't understand why people dont like this beautiful thing

[TheHappyPeanut]

I personally don't mind either way. I think that horribly designed tattoos would be a turn off, but other than that I don't mind whether or not a significant other has them.

[Devious6]

Been married 11 yrs to a man I met while we were both active duty military. Now we are both retired and I'm looking to get 4 tattoos (I'm tattooless at this time). Medium to large visible tattoos, not a little butterfly on my ankle. He just smiles at me and says he loves getting to know the side of me he didn't know 11 years ago. He has NO desire to get any but it's intersting to him and seems to give us new things to talk about. Anyone married 11 yrs knows the conversation can become a little....well, lacking. This is opening us up to new explorations of eachother.

I retired from the Army after 26 years of active duty - thank you and your husband for your service!

I am on the distant end of the age timeline here I think. My wife and I have been married for over 41 years - and I just got my first tattoo 10 days ago. Although I'd thought about it for years, I didn't for many reasons. Several weeks ago, after watching the rash of deaths in musicians in my generation, I decided I wanted to make it happen. My wife and I were talking one day and she mentioned what she wanted for her birthday (coming up in a few days). As I always have done, I agreed and she asked me what I wanted. Her initial reaction was shock...but within seconds she said OK. She asked me if I had any idea what I wanted and, since I'd already researched it, I showed her. She said to go for it.

Today, when I got home from work she mentioned she'd been talking with a group of people from our church, and the topic of my tattoo came up. No one was upset and when they asked Lynn why she said yes, she told them that for our entire marriage every time she wanted to change her hair style or do something different I always told her to do it - that what was important was what made her happy.

Married life isn't always fun and games - when people ask us how long we've been married I will normally respond with "24 happy years.....out of 41 total. That's a pretty good batting average." We were married at age 19 and oyr son was born 2 weeks after my wife turned 20 and 1 day after I did. The odds of making it were not in our favor. Supporting each other, letting each other have their own personality and interests isn't always easy but I think it is what helped keep us together and in love.

So, I now have one tattoo...will be getting more. My wife has talked about it sometimes, but I don't think she will ever do it. But, that's OK - it's her decision and it's about her body and I am OK with that.

[Michaelshane]

I retired from the Army after 26 years of active duty - thank you and your husband for your service!

I am on the distant end of the age timeline here I think. My wife and I have been married for over 41 years - and I just got my first tattoo 10 days ago. Although I'd thought about it for years, I didn't for many reasons. Several weeks ago, after watching the rash of deaths in musicians in my generation, I decided I wanted to make it happen. My wife and I were talking one day and she mentioned what she wanted for her birthday (coming up in a few days). As I always have done, I agreed and she asked me what I wanted. Her initial reaction was shock...but within seconds she said OK. She asked me if I had any idea what I wanted and, since I'd already researched it, I showed her. She said to go for it.

Today, when I got home from work she mentioned she'd been talking with a group of people from our church, and the topic of my tattoo came up. No one was upset and when they asked Lynn why she said yes, she told them that for our entire marriage every time she wanted to change her hair style or do something different I always told her to do it - that what was important was what made her happy.

Married life isn't always fun and games - when people ask us how long we've been married I will normally respond with "24 happy years.....out of 41 total. That's a pretty good batting average." We were married at age 19 and oyr son was born 2 weeks after my wife turned 20 and 1 day after I did. The odds of making it were not in our favor. Supporting each other, letting each other have their own personality and interests isn't always easy but I think it is what helped keep us together and in love.

So, I now have one tattoo...will be getting more. My wife has talked about it sometimes, but I don't think she will ever do it. But, that's OK - it's her decision and it's about her body and I am OK with that.

That is so much like my story I can't believe it.I was in the Navy though.The rest of the story makes us sound like twins.After four years with one tattoo I started getting more.Still at it.Im getting a gypsy girl in three days.

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[jen7]

I am finished my back today but have another day scheduled later this month so now I need to go home and start talking to my husband about whether he will be able to live with a forearm piece on his wife. Each new tattoo requires an awkward conversation. I feel kind of like a freak but he always says get what I want. I never quite believe him though, which is part of my problem I suppose.

[Michaelshane]

My wife has no tattoos.She says she doesn't care that I'm getting them but I kind of feel like a freak around her too.It seems like she doesn't notice them at all.I don't think she likes them.

[polliwog]

Each new tattoo requires an awkward conversation. I feel kind of like a freak but he always says get what I want. I never quite believe him though, which is part of my problem I suppose.

This sounds familiar. My dude tells me to get what I want but there's always a lot of heavy sighing and grimacing. Hasn't left me yet, though!

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Each new tattoo requires an awkward conversation. I feel kind of like a freak but he always says get what I want. I never quite believe him though, which is part of my problem I suppose.

This sounds familiar. My dude tells me to get what I want but there's always a lot of heavy sighing and grimacing. Hasn't left me yet, though!

[soraya]

This is sort of a microcosm of life for all couples, tattooed or not. There are couples who are on the same page about things and they have a great relationship, while there are others who seem to never be on the same page, and you wonder how they survive together, yet they do. And others who seem to be on the same page, but their relationship still falls apart. And everything in between. I guess relationships are complicated - with or without tattoos.

I just feel good knowing that we are "a tattooed couple." It is a bond, something special, out-of-the-ordinary, that we share. We are different together.

[Marwin3000]

Me and my girlfriend has been together for 6 years now. When we first met I only had one small tattoo. Now I 10+. She's fine with me getting what ever I want, where ever I want it. It's not like she doesn't care, but she doesn't really think about it.

I find it weird that tattoos can be an issue to couples. Why would it matter? The tattoos doesn't change a person, just like a hair cut doesn't change a person. From my pov, if tattoos cause problems in a relationship, then there's bigger issues to be delt with.

[Colored Guy]

A tough dynamic when one partner is out of synch with the other over something. My wife always sighed and went along with it, now she's gone I'm so far off the leash it gets scary at times. No new tattoo work this year so far, contemplating a shoulder piece though. Last year I had a lot of work done.

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A tough dynamic when one partner is out of synch with the other over something. My wife always sighed and went along with it, now she's gone I'm so far off the leash it gets scary at times. No new tattoo work this year so far, contemplating a shoulder piece though. Last year I had a lot of work done.

[Synesthesia]

I've posted a lot in this thread throughout its existence, I can't remember where my relationship was the last time I posted. But here's the latest. My boyfriend has no tattoos and hated tattoos when we first met. He still has no tattoos, but he appreciates them a lot more than he used to. He's getting into more blackwork/geometry type stuff and says now he's considering getting one along those lines after he buys himself a new car. Pretty crazy to see how much things have changed. I'm just happy that he appreciates tattoos as art now, and he no longer gives me a hard time at all about any of mine or my ideas for future ones.

[Gingerninja]

I've been with my guy for 26 years - over half of my life. I was always crystal clear about my desire to be tattooed. My husband doesn't have tattoo's nor will he ever. But let me just say this...my tattoo's are proving to be better than Viagra. Huzzah!

[mmmsarah]

I've always found tattoos attractive and it was one of the first things I noticed about my boyfriend. Then after we got together he gave me the confidence to get my own. Now I've gotten the bug!

[pidjones]

35 years celebrated yesterday! Judy has no ink, and was a little surprised when, at 62, I started. She now actually likes a few of them (although I doubt she would ever get one or become a tattoo "fan"), and is growing to like all but the one that I am getting lasered to be corrected. For the same reason that I hate it - too dark and too poorly done. I will then have it redone properly and we will both love it!