BY NATASIA LANGFELDER
Lesbian.com
How hot are women with tattoos?
That’s a rhetorical question (Image via pinuppeepshow)
I’ve always been crazy about ladies with ink. Luckily for me, most queer women seem to love getting them. Why are lesbians more likely to enjoy having strangers draw on them with indelible ink and sharp needles? Here are some hypothesis:
A) Girls who love girls are different, and we frequently choose to literally wear our uniqueness on our skin.
B) We are little sicko pervs who like the way it feels to get inked.
C) We are just awesome badasses.
Tattoos and dogs…it’s a grrl thing (Image via fuck yeah girls with tatts)
I wanted a tattoo for a few years before I actually got one. I was way too scared of the pain and too unable to commit to any particular image.
For any of you who are thinking of getting tatted let me share with you what I’ve learned from this process. You know, the kind of things no one else is going to tell you.
Treat Your Body Like a Temple
You know how some women say, “I would never get a tattoo…why would you put a bumper sticker on a Bentley?” That drives me crazy, because it implies that all tattoos are just ink and not actual artwork. The best way to combat this is by getting a tattoo that means something to you and fits your aesthetic. Do your body favor and DON’T just walk into any tattoo parlor. You deserve the best artist in the most kick ass shop in your town. Personally, I went to East Side Ink. For those of you in NYC, White Rabbit is also known for it’s amazing artistry. For West Coast queers, Black and Blue Tattoo in San Francisco is a woman owned shop that has a mostly gay clientele.
Make it Meaningful
A few people have told me that 28 is too old to get a first tattoo and those people were dead wrong. I waited until I was completely sure of what I wanted to get. My tattoo is a simple black rose with the 8 compass points rising from it, in the shape of thorns. I wanted the Rose because it’s my grandmother’s name, and my middle name, and let me tell you my grandma is awesome. The compass points are there to remind me to have more confidence that my decisions will lead me down the right paths in life. So I don’t regret waiting.
Get What You Want. Exactly!
Get what you want- get exactly what you want. Communicate it to the tattoo artist without being shy or afraid of being an “annoying” client. Artists appreciate direction. So many people care too much what other’s think of them. So yes, my first tattoo has meaning, but my second tattoo has absolutely none. It’s of peonies, it has no meaning, it just looks nice. Remember that you don’t have to justify your tattoo to anyone. Don’t let peer pressure or concerns about what people will think influence your body art. Remember this is going to be on your body forever, not anyone else’s.
It Hurts
Okay, so it hurts. But it hurts less than people tell you it will. After awhile it also kind of feels good. When people warn you that tattoos can be addictive, the good part of the pain is what they are talking about. What ABSOLUTELY NO ONE tells you is that it hurts AFTER. My first one hurt for about two days afterward, it felt like an intense sunburn. It will itch too, like really bad. You can’t scratch it though, so if you can’t reach your tattoo you are going to have to ask a loved one to smack it.
Also, if you are scared of the pain part of getting tattooed, pick a place without a ton of bone or nerve endings, consider sticking with black ink and less shading. Also, listen to the tattoo artist- if they tell you getting a tattoo on your ribs or foot or hand hurts too much for a first timer, listen to them.
YOU WILL SHED
LIKE A SNAKE IN MOLTING SEASON! Well, that’s me being dramatic. What your artist will tell you after you get the tattoo, but that no one will mention beforehand, is that your tattoo will peel like a sunburn. A gross, gross sunburn. It won’t be cute.
She looks great now, but when her arm was healing she probably stayed home watching Sex and the City reruns…BECAUSE SHE WAS MOLTING
Don’t Get Tattooed In the Summer
Because you can’t sunbathe or go swimming for TWO WEEKS! It totally blows.
Do you have any tattoos? Tell us about them in the comments!
