Awesome tattoo designs by Kerby Rosanes
Before you get hand, finger, neck, or face tattoos…
Stop and goddamned think.
With your brain.Not that impulsive part of your brain that says, “BUT OMG IT’S SO CUTE AND I WANT IT!”
The adult part of your brain; the rational one.
I know, I know, you’re 18-25 and you know everything and I’m being a stick in the mud gatekeeper or something equally stupid, but hear me out.
Why?
Because the really shitty bottom line that a lot of people don’t think about before they start tattooing in visible areas or getting multiple (or large) visible piercings is that people will judge you, and they will sometimes judge you very harshly, whether you ask for it or not. Your looks, despite what Tumblr and your parents tell you, do matter and do send a message to others based on what’s considered a societal norm for where you live.
Should they matter? Not really.
Do they matter? Yes.You will get commentary on you as a person (or, rather what people assume you’re like as a person) and on your tattoo work, whether you want it or asked for it or not, and part of being a visibly modded person is going to result in you being able to cope with it, ignore it, brush it off, or tell people to fuck off in a way that doesn’t end in a fist fight or screaming match on the street (and, let’s face it, getting into that only reinforces shitty, negative stereotypes about modded people).
Being visibly modded will affect your self esteem, and not always in a good way.
It will attract attention, even on those days when you’d really rather just be left alone and not get any attention at all.
I’m long past the point in my life where I give two fucks what a stranger on the street thinks of me, but at one point it would have been something that hit me hard or would have ruined my entire day; your own state of mind and state of self-esteem is something that does need to be considered before you go through with visible body mods.
In an ideal, happy rainbows and unicorns world, would it happen?
Nope, but we don’t live in that world, and in this world, you’re going to be judged based on your outward appearance whether you like it or not.
In fact, you do it to other people, whether you want to admit it or not.
That’s neither here nor there, however, and the TL;DR point is: If you have visible body modifications, you will be judged for it, and a lot of that judging will mean that you make an inaccurate first impression on people that you meet or even just pass on the street.
Let’s keep it personal for this example.
This is me, as based on comments from people I’ve passed on the street see me when my tattoos are visible (short sleeves and/or shorts).
Some are more ridiculous than others, but these are all things I’ve overheard people saying about me as I passed multiple times:- Unemployed.
- A criminal.
- Someone who must have had bad parents.
- Unemployable.
- Probably hates animals (that one confused me, as I have a lot of well cared for, mostly rescue animals).
- Dangerous.
- Someone to avoid.
- Not a verbal thing, but people have often crossed the street to avoid having to walk past me.
- Someone who makes “poor life choices”.
- Impulsive.
- Immature.
- Aggressive.
- “Scary”.
- Unsuitable to be around children.
- Uneducated.
- “High school drop out”.
- “Probably owns a pitbull.” (…okay?)
- Drug addict.
- “Probably has self esteem issues”
- “I’d never hire someone like that.”
- Apparently perpetually “probably barely 20”—that’s…not unflattering if, at 36, people still think I’m in my 20s, but still.
- “Must be in a gang.”
- “That’s why you stay in school and study.” while pointing, very obviously, at me. Remember that part when I mentioned being a college graduate? Yeah, that’s irrelevant because it’s not something visible.I could go on for pages with similar remarks that I’ve heard over the years and that were based solely on a stranger’s first visual impression of me. These are just the most common things I hear in passing.
That list above?
That is frequently how people who have never met me see me based solely on my visible body mods.The fact that none of it is accurate isn’t relevant because that’s not how first impressions work.
One thing you do need to consider, and consider quite a bit, before getting tattoos in areas that cannot be easily covered with clothing is whether or not you truly believe you can withstand being under that sort of scrutiny every single time you go out in public.
Will you be able to handle the snide comments as you pass, the looks and head shakes from people who ‘disapprove’ and have formed a negative first impression of you, people coming up to you to straight up say something shitty based on you having visible tattoo work, even when you’re just out grocery shopping or buying a cup of coffee or out on a walk?
On a near daily basis?
Without it wearing you down or making you start to regret or hate your body mods?Will you be able to handle sometimes on the spot rejection when you apply for a job, even a job you’re more than qualified for and really, really want?
While attitudes toward visible tattoos are slowly changing, the fact is most employers have dress codes that forbid tattoos that cannot be covered by the uniform or by wearing long sleeves and trousers, and if it comes down to you or ten other applicants for the same job, and you’re the only one with visible body mods, your chances of being the applicant chosen go down significantly.
Will you be able to deal with the possibility of being turned down for renting, for loans, for volunteering, etc…based solely on your visible tattoos? Even if that’s not the reason outright given, it’s often the underlying reason. Why? See the list of shit perceptions people have about me based on my tattoos for the why. People make judgements based on your looks, whether it’s fair or accurate or not.
Does that all sound horrible to you?
Maybe like something that’d fuck you up for the rest of the day, make you miserable and unhappy, and make you wish you’d never decided to leave the house, or make you wish you’d never been tattooed?If it’s the latter, if it sounds like something that would wear on you after awhile, bring you down, make you regret your body mods, and make you feel terrible, do yourself a massive, massive favor and keep your tattoos in locations where they’re easily hidden by clothing.
This is perfection.
If you ever want to shut me up, let me ride shotgun, turn the music up, wind down the windows and drive me down a dark road under a starry sky.
This is when I’m at my best.
I have a passionate love affair with the way the world looks from a moving vehicle.
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@aslaveobeyssThis dog looks like hes wearing a mask
