Tattoos on black men?

id never get a tattoo, looking all disgusting when your older

 

I adore tattoos, as long as they are done for the right reasons. I dislike people who get tats only because they think it's cool.

To me, my tattoo (and the future expansion of it) are visual representations of me on my skin. There are so many facets of the personality that one can't show it by looks alone, but a little ink and self expression can turn into a work of art. Eventually I will have a story on my chest and stomach (and hip!), the story of my life. Will anyone know this by looking at it? No. They'll think I just really like roses, but each rose I add to my body will represent different hurdles I've overcome and goals I've reached. The single rose I have now, black, thorny, with a drop of blood leaking out of the petals, is my past. Dark and painful. The next set I want to get if I ever get the cash represents my life as I see it now: rose buds, pale, pastel colours, growing with the potential for beauty and significance, but still in the early stages. My roses will need nurturing before they can bloom, just like my life. This part will be in the center of my chest, attached to the stem of the rose I already have via twisted vines covered with thorns. As it goes along, and as my life becomes more of what I want it to be, the roses will get brighter, deeper colours, and bloom more. The vines will become less gnarled and more decorative. Eventually the whole thing will manuever itself down the center of my chest, curl onto my ribcage, head downward a little more, and then finish curled onto my hip/ass. It will be my masterpiece, my autobiography in images.

I used to want wings on my back to represent something similar, but I decided against it after contemplating it for a few years because it became so popular for people to get wings tatted on their back that it felt like the meaning would be lost and it would just appear that I was following the crowd. I think tattoos should be meaningful, because they're permanent. I've had mine since I was 19, and I'll be 24 in less than a month, and I still adore it. Will I hate it down the line? I honestly doubt it. I spent so long thinking it over (I don't just make rash decisions when it concerns permanently altering my body) before I did it that I knew I was sure I wanted it when it finally came down to it.

One thing I will never do is get a name tattooed on my body, unless it is the name of my future children. I will likely just have roses to represent them instead, but I would never get other names on my body. Especially a significant other. It's a nice gesture, but come on...relationships end, whether you want them or not, and you've no promise anyone will ever be in your life permanently. If I had a lover that I cared about more than myself and something bad happened to them, say they were killed somehow, then perhaps I would get their name in a design to honour their memory. But that would be about the only exception, I think.

But of course I'd love tattoos. Artists love self expression We eat that shit up.

As for tattoos on black men...gorgeous. I love how on darker guys it's harder to see the designs until you get up close. As long as they look nice I adore them, and as long as they mean something to the person who owns them. If it's just something stupid you did because you thought it would be cool, then I don't respect it. And gang tats? Eh. I'm not a big fan of those but everyone has a right to do what the will with their bodies. Gang tats help me a little, actually, because seeing them on display make it obvious that the owner is likely not someone I would like to be involved with. A dude with a teardrop on his cheek bummed a smoke from me at the bus stop yesterday...seemed like a nice guy from the brief conversation we had, but had he asked for my number he would've been shot down politely. I know what those tats generally mean, and that's not someone I want to be a big part of my life.

My ex boyfriend only had one tattoo. His mom's name on his arm. I thought it was sweet. Kinda cliche, but sweet nonetheless. I like guys who care a lot about their moms.

 

You never know what tomorrow brings... you might not even get 'older'. Besides, you really plan on walking around with your shirt off when you wrinkle?

 

Absolutely.

 

Disposable Heroine,

Your tattoo ideas are beautiful. It reminds me of an Ojibwe teaching on the Medicine Wheel. The rose became the earthly reminder for the two-leggeds (all of us) about the essence of life, its journey.

The rose is in the centre of the Medicine Wheel to remind us about the sadness and the joy of life, to remember how to be kind to ourselves and each other.

The parts of the rose: the stems, thorns, leaves, buds and finally blossoms are our stages of life where thorns are our hard won teachings in life's journey. Like the rose, we decay many times over in our lifetimes so that we may be reborn, revitalized like the newly formed bud.

I love your ideas, very poetic and beautiful.

 

ooo. I shall be googling this. Very interesting!

Aww, thanks. I'm an artist. My art is my life, and my life is my art. The poetic part probably comes from the fact that I do write a lot of poetry. I love to intermingle my images with my words when I do paintings. I did one not long ago (still needs a bit of work though) where I wrote the first thing that came to mind. It's looking rather interesting, though I'm not sure which direction I'll take it in, in the end.

My original idea for the wings tattoo I wanted on my back was a full back piece, wings starting just over my shoulders with the tips ending halfway down my ass cheeks. I didn't want any color, just shades of gray and black, and written on the feathers were going to be bits of poetry and quotes I felt define me, both my own and words from other people. I think instead of getting the tattoo, even though I wanted it badly, I'll just incorporate the imagery into a painting eventually.

I love your screenname, by the way. Athena has always been one of my favorite goddesses. I think she's wonderful. Strong, wise, the heart of a warrior and the mind of a sage. Athena is a name I'd actually like to name one of my children someday, if I'm ever able to have any.

 

Yeah, I feel the same. But everyone chooses for him/her self.

 

Im not really one for tats. My son is planning to get a few...he's an artist - it's his body...his choice.

I do appreciate the art and thought/reasons that goes into some of them. I've worked on some men who have some amazing stories being told on their bodies.

I will say though...I have one client with an amazing body that I would love to photograph, but I'm not sure that it will show as I would like because of all the tats he has.

 

I think it depends on the tattoo you get.

 

Let em have their problems with it. It ain't gonna stop you from expressing yourself, and it ain't gonna stop me :smt023

 

If the Bears won the Super Bowl in 06' i would have gotten some sort of commemorative tattoo. But that's pretty much the only time i've ever thought about doing it.

 

That probably means Black monkey in arabic.

Asian tattoo artists do shit like that to Black fools all the time..

Tattoos are some nasty-ass shit.

Seems like people go from one abomination to the next.

 

:smt043

 

Chinese people do that to Russians who buy T-shirts with Chinese hieroglyphs. One girl bought a T-shirt and later found out it said "I'm stupid" in Chinese. The girl was like, I don't care, nobody knows what it says and it's a cute shirt, I'll wear it.

 

true, but its just tacky to me but whatever floats your boat