Marie Thompson

I visit family there every few years. It is really weird to hear about the stigma, but my family there were always accepting about my tattoos. I didn't know the tattoo stigma still existed there since there is a huge counter culture trend. I see many young and older adults looking punk, goth, emo, club kid, hipster, or just an oddball look. Many of my tattoos are concealed though, except for 1 small one. I never had an issue with it over there. Some of my family members over there have tattoos, too. Lol. The tattoos they have are Western traditional looking and concealed, though. I guess my family is very liberal compared to the standard citizen. I will say there are some unsaid rules in society, like I should not eat/drink at a noodle shop or bar alone. I would be consider a lady of ill repute. :rolleyes: I mentioned I am racial mixed somewhere in another thread. My family said never say I am Japanese or have some Japanese to strangers there. The average Japanese citizen, that is not influenced by Western thinking, take that shit literally. To a Japanese citizen, I am not Japanese and I don't have a right to say it, even though I can trace my family roots there. They will insult me and say I am an unwelcomed half breed freak. Lol:rolleyes: Everyone there knows that if you look yakuza-like, you are not permitted to use public transportation like the bus or train or eat at many "respectable" places.

Hello! Beautiful work being done! I am sorry to hear about your psoriasis and I think it is awesome you have a tattooer willing to work with you. My doctor tried to talk me out of further tattoos and I told him that wasn't going to happen. I have some autoimmune issues, too, and the doc was saying my body could reject the ink. I told him it hasn't happened yet and I have had tattoos on me for 18 years. Btw Godzilla fan? I haven't seen the kanji for it. Does the steroid cream lighten or thin your skin or the tattoo's ink? I was curious if steriod injections would work for you. I have had to use the creams, too. This year my autoimmune pains and skin flare ups have been minimal. I am a vegan that eats healthy, avoids processed foods, and anything artificial. My doc did mention dairy and gluten can cause autoimmune flares or allergies, too. I wish you luck with your tattoo completion and your autoimmune issues.

Hi and welcome! I love bird tattoos and your's lovely! I avoid the sun and use spf, too. Honestly, who wants leathery skin and pre-mature aging? It kills me when ppl have nice tattoos and they refuse to use sunblock outside.

Wow, Mike from Evolve has excellent work. Thanks, I did not know about this shop.

I have a few tattoers in mind, but I am not sure to go with a talented but less known person or someone with a flashy rep. Is it ok to post their names or instagram link here? The deposits are all non-refundable so I want to confirm if you tattoo aficionados see the style or name is worth it. Honestly, a lot places have not even called or emailed me back except for 1 really high end shop and 1 newbie shop.

Sometimes I am surprised strangers blatantly stare. At Disney World, the happiest place in the world (lol), the attendant said to the crowd, "wow, look at her tattoo. And the big guy she is with." I am petite under 5' and my husband is 6' tall large guy with plain skin. I guess i look more bad ass than my husband?:o Ugh, one time I was working, I was slightly bending over and a tiny bit of tattooed skin was showing...this fucker lifted my shirt to look at my tattoo. What kind of person would do that to a chick he doesn't know? Do people have boundaries at all these days?

Most of my tattoos are birds, Japanese theme (I am part Japanese), and jewelry work (pearls, chains, and pendants). Strangers always notice the birds. I tell them I like birds. Lol. Most of the tattoos I am planning for are animal designs. I am an animal lover! It is true...I love my dog and my 4 birds.

I have not really enjoyed anything new this year. However, Against Me! came out with a live album. I like punk music:cool:

You are an awesome parent!

My mom flipped out when she saw my back tattooed....I was 15 and still in an all girl Catholic school. She was very upset. Lol However, my father never saw my tattoos before he died. I was actually withholding that info from him because I know he will say, "you need tattoos like you need a hole in your head". I am the only one in my religious family that has tattoos. My family is traditional and rather narrow minded, but they got used to it after a few years. My auntie was ok with the tattoos but asked me not to get any tattoos on the thighs. Lol I guess she thinks that is tacky for women; I didn't really get into it with her. It is my body and my life, I try to have "tasteful work" done so at least they can say it is pretty. :rolleyes:

Wow, lots of interesting and talented work! Thank you! - - - Updated - - - Many of these tattoo shops I never heard of until recently. I am scouring the threads of this forum and looking at tattoo shop reviews on Yelp, Nj.com, Time Out NY, Gothamist, and other sites. Even the comment section on online articles are a wealth of info.

Thanks for the referral! I have been looking at Immortal Ink's website recently. I have been planning to set up a consult with 1 of the tattoers.

My last tattoo was 5 years ago and now I want to add more to it. It was an anklet style pearl and metal chains that have a St. Andrew pendant with a swallow swooping in. My aesthetic is jewelry realism. It sounds weird but I like jeweled, intricate work. I am a girly chick, if that explains it. I wanted to add reddish chains to the anklet, on the top of the foot. Maybe even update some of the work to make it more cohesive. All my tattoos are black and grey. Color bothers me sometimes.... I am not sure if it would go with my skin tone being olive tanned, like Penelope Cruz. I also wanted to get a tattoo on my ear, from the conch to the lobe, possibly behind it, too. However, not on the tragus portion. Would an ear tattoo be possible? Some people, not tattooers, have told me it will fade and the skin of the ear is a terrible spot. I have talked to tattooers and I haven't met anyone that has tattooed on the ear. 1 guy wants to do it for me. I appreciate his enthusiasm but I would like to have more info. I do have a Japanese kanji tattoo behind my ear from 18 years ago. It was done by a Japaense tattooer from Japan and the kanji was not selected off the wall! Lol Also, I am getting laser removal done from a back tattoo from 18 years ago done by my friend. It is almost done, just 1 more session. I think the ear tattoo is the 1 I want to get done first, then the add on to the existing tattoo. I have enjoyed reading threads here and I have been looking up ppl's awesome tattoo referrals. I would love a classic and elegant tattoo that looks awesome years later. Any thoughts about ears? I take care of my skin, use spf everyday, and wear hats and protective clothing over my skin. Btw, protecting your skin from the skin helps with aging. I am almost 34 and ppl in college think I am 20 something. I am getting my second degree as a RN. Ok, so you know a lot about me... Any advice would be awesome. I live in NJ, close to NYC, and I have been meeting tattooers that have insanely long bookings in advance. Most are 2 and some are 6 months to 1 year long waiting. Is this normal?