Tattoos

Despite it being common practice, there is a controversy surrounding name tattoos.  Many people get name tattoos without considering the consequences—what if they later regret the tattoo?  Is our society too hasty when it comes to having someone’s named tattooed on their body?  One only has to look at the example of modern-day celebrities to answer the question.

Reasons For Name Tattoos—Whose Name Is On You?

The first question you might have about name tattoos is, “Why would you want to have someone’s name tattooed on your body?”  There are several different reasons; each pertaining to a different type of relationship that one could have in their life.  Sometimes people will choose to honor a loved one who has passed away with a name tattoo.  Other times, someone will choose to have the names of their children tattooed on their arm or shoulder.  

However, the majority of name tattoos are done in order to honor a spouse or partner.  Yet, this is the most dangerous name tattoo of all.  While tattoos last forever (unless you decide to go through the painful process of having one removed) a relationship might not last that long.

The Name Tattoo Controversy

The practice of having a spouse or partner’s name tattooed on your body has resulted in a controversy.  All one has to do to realize the possible downside of getting one or more name tattoos is to look at the example of celebrities who have done so.

Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thorton, for example, had each other’s names tattooed onto their arms.  Yet, this Hollywood couple is no longer together.  Similarly, Johnny Depp had “Winona Forever” tattooed onto his arm when he was dating Winona Ryder.  However, once that relationship came to an end, he changed the tattoo to read “Wino Forever.”

A Personal Choice

About Skull Tattoos

If you have ever seen a skull tattoo on someone, perhaps you became a beat wary of that person if you did not know them well. The skull has long been the symbol of death and danger, and that is why some people choose to get skull tattoos – to make them look tough.

In fact, skull tattoos are often associated with biker gangs. Perhaps the sight of a skull was meant to warn people that the bikers were to be reckoned with. Skull tattoos are also popular amongst young people as a sign of rebelliousness. However, skull tattoos can have other meanings.

For example, if you are a literary person and you like Hamlet by William Shakespeare, perhaps you would want a skull tattoo to symbolize that play, since Hamlet’s famous soliloquy is made while he his holding a skull in one hand.

Some people wonder how a person could ever want a skull tattoo. After all, isn’t a skull by itself rather boring? Well, not today, since tattoo artists are better than ever at their craft. For example, by just adding some lighter ink, a tattoo artist can make a skull look three-dimensional by having the sunken eyes glow.

If you are thinking of getting a skull tattoo, and you want to have a professional career, keep in mind the placement of the tattoo. Some professions do not want to have tattoos visible on their employees, so be sure to place it somewhere that can be visible informally, but easily covered if need be.

Also, are you getting a skull tattoo because a skull really does hold a deeper symbolic meaning for you, or are you doing it just because you can? Remember that a tattoo is meant to stay on your body forever. If you want one removed it will coast both time and money.

About Tiger Tattoos

Tiger tattoos are both beautiful and ominous at the same time, much like the actual animal. The vibrant orange color and black stripes make for an excellent tattoo design. However, while the tiger is indeed beautiful, there are many other reasons why people might choose to get a tiger tattoo.

For example, if a person is an athlete and wants to have a reminder of the wonderful times spent on a team that had a tiger name, that would be a reason why the athlete would get a tiger tattoo. Or, perhaps a person has the nickname “tiger,” which would be another good reason to get such a tattoo.

Of course, there are also deep, symbolic reasons why people decide to get this kind of tattoo. For example, if a person is a “fighter” by having overcome many tough times in his or her life, the person might want to get a tiger tattoo to show that no matter how hard times might continue to be, he or she will continue to get through them.

Tigers also are a seductive symbol of virility. Thus, it is no surprise to see a tiger climbing up a man’s chest or back in a stealthy motion. Of course this is also something that anyone considering getting a tiger tattoo must consider: the placement.

If you want to have the tiger portrayed “in action” good places to choose are the torso or the back. These are especially good places if you want a larger tattoo. If, however, you would rather get a smaller tattoo, you could consider getting it on your ankle or your arm.

The thing about larger tiger tattoos is that the more detailed you want the tattoo, the more money and time it will cost. Thus, if you are on vacation and you decide that you want to get a large tiger tattoo, make sure that you plan your time and your money accordingly.

Fairy tattoos are far more common on women than men, for obvious reasons, and because of their generally small size, they are normally located on the shoulder, back, ankle, or calf of the women that sport them.  Fairies are colorful and whimsical creatures with an infinite amount of design variations, making them easily customizable for different personalities.  Because fairy tattoos are small, they can be some of the quickest and least painful designs available.

Customizing Your Fairy Tattoo

Fairies are commonly represented in art and literature, and many women use these designs as a jumping point to customize their own fairy tattoos.  These fairy designs can be customized by color, hairstyle, clothing design, the possibilities are endless.  The wealth of fairy designs available to be created as a tattoo almost guarantees that no two fairy tattoos will be the same.

Fairy tattoos can signify magic, mischief, or charm, depending on the personality of the wearer.  There are many different types of fairies, but most are depicted as a young girl with gossamer wings.  In many designs, the wings designate which type of fairy is being depicted, whether a woodland fairy, a mystical fairy, or a fairy created in the imagination of the bearer.  For many, fairy tattoos symbolize freedom, beauty, nature, and eternal youth.

The term “girl tattoos” used to refer to tattoos of pin up girls, such as Betty Boop, that would adorn the bodies of the sailors, gang members, and bikers that would commonly wear tattoos.  However, as tattoos have become more common-scene, girl tattoos are now known for being gender specific tattoos that symbolize femininity and delicacy.  Today, there are a wide variety of different girl tattoos with different symbols and meanings.

Common Girl Tattoos

There are many common tattoo designs that are gender specific to girls.  These girl tattoos typically have meanings behind them.  If you know the meaning behind common these tattoos, you can learn a lot about the girl and her personality.

One common girl tattoo is a butterfly tattoo.  A butterfly is one of the most popular girl tattoos, and it can have several different meanings associated with it.  For example, a butterfly could symbolize a beautiful change.  A butterfly tattoo can also symbolize freedom.

Another common girl tattoo is a flower tattoo.  Flowers can symbolize happiness or passion.  The color of the flower has a lot to do with what the flower tattoo means; a red rose could symbolize love and passion, while a yellow flower often means joy and happiness.

Other common girl tattoos include those that feature a simple name or word.  When written in delicate script, the girl’s own name or even a feminine adjective shows confidence and femininity.  It is important not to use a script that is too overpowering, because that would take away from the femininity of the tattoo.

Placement Of Girl Tattoos

Girls commonly choose the same areas of their bodies to place their girl tattoos.  These areas are typically ones associated with being more feminine or sexy.  Some common areas where girls choose to place their tattoos include: shoulder, lower back, hip, and ankle.  However, just because these are common areas where girls place their tattoos doesn’t mean that they can’t be placed anywhere else.  A girl tattoo could be placed on the arm, wrist, or stomach as well.

Not Just For Men Anymore

Some women may opt for a little rose or other flowers on their ankle.  It looks nice and it will only be visible when they want it to be visible.  The small tattoos don’t have to have a meaning when they are small and hidden.  They are just what the person who has it wants it to be.  It’s a way to be different than others and its there for the person to always see it.

Small Tattoos And Men

Most men who have a lot of tattoos have them for their own reasons but also to make themselves seem stronger or tougher.  There are some men however that don’t want giant tattoos of a ship firing at an island or a skull and cross bones dripping with the blood of and animal they killed.  Some men have a small tattoo because they work somewhere that doesn’t look kindly upon a tattoo that rises from their shirt collar with the last supper tattooed on their forehead.  It must be discreet while at the office.  On the weekend when they are doing their own thing, they may show it off.  There are a lot of men who have Harley Davidson’s and on the weekend they will go for rides with their friends and try to look good with the tattoo.

Tattoos have become very popular in recent years although these are expensive and painful to obtain.  Tattoos are marks on the skin that are made by skilled technicians with sharp objects.  These marks on the skin have been around for many years, and in some cultures, these are distinctive marks that are relevant to the local area.  Bedouin women throughout the Middle East have had markings on their skin for many years.  These marks on the women in the local cultures of the Middle East have significant meaning to all of the people in the area.  Some Japanese people also had these marks on their faces.  

People in other countries have had these marks including people in the Philippines, Borneo, Cambodia and China.  Tattoos have appeared in many different cultures and countries although the attitudes toward these marks on the skin vary from one country to another.  Some of the tattoos are merely considered to be marks of beauty while in other countries these may have significant meaning to all of the people of that culture.  These designs on the skin could be a sign of age, marriage or tribal affiliation depending on the culture.  Tattoos have also been used to mark people for nefarious reasons such as those used by the Nazis.  

Tattoos Are Now Made With Modern Machines

The procedures for creating tattoos vary in different places, but in the modern world there are machines specially designed to create these marks on the skin.  These machines can create many different images according to the requests of the customer.  Rather than using the one needle that might have been used in the past, these machines use many needles to insert the pigments under the skin.  These needles work quickly to create an image on the skin of the customer.  Although the procedure is painful, the pain involved is bearable for each customer.  The machines are operated currently by people who realize the importance of sanitation when inserting these needles to create the preferred image.  

Love tattoos have been a way to express your feelings for another person for a long time.  Whether it takes the form of a heart, a rose, or a name written in delicate script, many people choose to show their love for another person with love tattoos.  It is becoming more and more common for couples to get matching tattoos (known as couple’s tattoos).  This practice has even become common among celebrities.

Is getting a tattoo the best way to express your love for another person?  Perhaps it depends on how comfortable you are with such dramatic personal expression.  Whether you want to send a loud message, or simply a subtle tribute, there are all kinds of love tattoos that might appeal to you.

Heart Love Tattoos

Heart tattoos are a great way to express your love for another person, and they have been a popular way to do so since the beginning of the 1900s.  Early on, it was common to see men, particularly sailors, with a heart featuring the word “Mom” on a banner across the center.  As soldiers left for World War II, many soldiers would stop by a tattoo parlous to get the name of their girlfriend tattooed in a heart on their arm or shoulder.  

Today, there are a wide variety of heart love tattoos, and they are still a common form of expression when it comes to love for another.  Some of the different kinds of heart tattoos include: the sacred heart, the locked heart, the broken heart, the pierced heart, the Celtic heart, and hearts with a name inside of them.  For the best results when you are choosing your heart tattoo, make sure that you work with a tattoo artist whom you trust.

Couple’s Love Tattoos

Oftentimes, a couple will get matching tattoos in order to show their love for one another.  These love tattoos frequently consist of song lyrics or children’s names.  The danger with these love tattoos is that the couple might not last, while the tattoo is permanent.  

Recently, it has been a common trend among celebrities to get couples tattoos.  Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, for example, had a pair of matching dice tattooed onto their wrists after their wedding.  Victoria and David Beckham have matching couples tattoos that read “I am my beloved’s, my beloved is mine” in Hebrew.

 The Key To My Heart

You are a creative person, and so you want to make sure that you have various outlets for that creativity. You have a band, like to paint, and you are starting work on what you think might possibly be the greatest novel of all time. However, something seems like it is missing, so you have decided to get your very first tattoo, and have decided that it will be a dolphin tattoo.

About Dolphin Tattoos

To understand why people get dolphin tattoos, you first have to have a basic knowledge of dolphins. Yes, dolphins are cute and playful when they squirt water at people, but there is so much more to dolphins than that. It’s that deeper symbolic meaning that draws people towards getting a dolphin tattoo.

Dolphins are very smart creatures. In fact, it has been said that if dolphins were human, they would be smarter than us already! Dolphins respond well to training techniques, and are known for the especially strong bonds that they form with humans.

Thus, if you are the kind of person who wants a tattoo to signify your intelligence, but at the same time your more playful side, consider getting a dolphin tattoo! Another reason people choose to get dolphin tattoos is because they want to signify their love of the sea. So, if you love to swim or got boating, a dolphin tattoo is an interesting way to indicate your love for various sea hobbies.

Dolphins, in addition to being very smart and funny, are also know for being very protective. Dolphins in the wild have more than once saved a person from drowning. Thus, if you are looking for a tattoo to indicate your protective nature, whether it is towards your family, friends, or both, that is why you might consider getting a dolphin tattoo.

There are many different ways to implement various designs into a dolphin tattoo. You can have the dolphin jumping out of the water, for example. Or, if you are having a tattoo done in the name of a loved one, you could have two dolphins form a heart. The detail of the tattoo will depend on the specialty of the tattoo artist you choose.