Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tattoos

Holy Tattoos!

grapefruitmoon — Mon, 04 May 2009 13:10:47 -0800

DalaiLamaFilter: Does the Dalai Lama have tattoos? In some photos of the Dalai Lama (for example) four light marks can be seen on his arm. While the size and symmetry of them suggests tattoos, they're rather faded and could definitely be birthmarks.

Does anyone know if the Dalai Lama is indeed sporting some ink, and if so, what it means?

I don't read Chinese, but I do speak Science.

i_am_a_fiesta — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:57:02 -0800

I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of a bunch of organic molecules that represent positive traits, feelings, etc. More along the lines of serotonin representing happiness than ethanol or caffeine representing happiness. What are your ideas for emotions/ traits and their corresponding chemicals?

Words, words, words.

bookwo3107 — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:53:16 -0800

Tattoo Typeface Troubles: My sister and I are looking to get a line from Hamlet tattooed on our wrists, and want it to look like it was printed out of a book. Help me (us) choose a good typeface! The exact line is "Words, words, words." I'm kind of thinking something that looks timeless, but at least slightly unique. Thanks in advance!

A tattoo as permanent resource.

(bb|[^b]{2}) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:47:00 -0800

I have some space available for my next tattoo that I'd like to fill with some sort of reference piece (i.e. a perpetual calendar, a conversion table), but I'm having a hard time thinking of anything beyond that. Any other ideas? The only guidelines are that the design must be informative, able to fit in a roughly 2" x 3" rectangle, and perpetual (a dollar to euro conversion is out of the question). So what say you mefites? What informative tattoo would you like to have branded on our forearm?

What does one do while getting a tattoo?

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:29:31 -0800

What does one do while getting a tattoo? I'm getting my first tattoo soon. The tattooist scheduled me for two appointments, each two hours long. I'm curious about the etiquette of getting a tattoo. Do you chat with the tattooist, like you do with a hairdresser? Do you tip? Is it okay to bring a book? An iPod? Any other suggestions for what to do during the actual appointment?

Un-tattooed Olympians?

chookibing — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:53:40 -0800

Are competitors in the Beijing Olympics required to cover up or mute their tattoos? Or is my mind playing tricks on me. Every person that I've seen with a tattoo looks like its been at least partially covered with makeup. Mostly I've seen this in the track and weightlifting events.

You like to what, now?

Cricket — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:27:00 -0800

Does anyone remember a site that had symbols for designing a comprehensive logo reflecting one's sexual practices and orientation? Some time ago, a friend of mine had a site bookmarked that had small images designed to be combined to show what sexual practices someone enjoyed, including instructions for indicating whether the person preferred to "give or receive.".

My friend wanted to design a tattoo around the idea, and having the original site would help. Does anyone remember seeing anything like that?

Need an experienced artist for Egypt tattoos

corwalch — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:21:38 -0800

I am looking for a good tattoo artist/shop in the Denver area. Specifically one that has experience or interest in egyptian art and tattoos. I am looking to have some tomb art done, and want it done in a realistic manner. Any help from the hive mind would be greatly appreciated.

Are people getting tattooed more?

(bb|[^b]{2}) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:02:16 -0800

Are there any documented studies or similar evidence showing that more and more people are getting tattooed? Based on my own (tattooed) observations, and those of my (non-tattooed) friends, it would seem like tattoos are becoming more prevalent. Perhaps it's because there's not as much of a social stigma attached to them as there was, say, 20 years ago, but that's just a wild guess.

I'm simply wondering if there's any proof to back up these observations.

Tattoo Cluelessness

mkb — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:36:53 -0800

A friend of mine has hired someone to draw her next tattoo, and she is wondering about the best delivery format. "Do any of you have experience with taking a piece of art and getting it translated onto your body? i.e., should I be asking her to draw it on graph paper or something to make it easier for the tattoo person? My last tat was so simple and easy that it didn't require much, but this one is going to be relatively elaborate."

What's this tattoo mean?

comeonsurferrosa — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:05:28 -0800

What, if any, significance is the imagery in this tattoo? A friend of mine emailed me a picture of this tattoo, and it's made me decide that I want one similar in style to this one, but I don't want to rip this dude off. Any idea about the significance of the imagery? My initial thought is of crossing the river Styx, but someone may no more. Also, any similar ideas to this one would be appreciated.

Seeking scientific tattoos

nightengine — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:17:55 -0800

Help me choose a physics/astronomy-related design for a tattoo. I'm looking to get some ink soon, and I want it to reflect my passion for physics/astronomy. I am aware of Carl Zimmer's blog, but many of the tattoos there are biology/chemistry/mathematics-oriented. I've considered the astronomical symbol for Pluto or a Feynman diagram but want to explore other options I may have overlooked. Any astrophysicists (with or without tattoos) out there with ideas? I'm not a scientist, so don't assume I have prior knowledge of the more esoteric subjects in the field.

Tattoos and Sun

unknowncommand — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:50:51 -0800

I have large, detailed, black-ink tattoos that take up my arm from elbow to shoulder. I like them very much and don't want them to fade (they're 2 years old). I walk around outside a lot (not to mention the beach and park), and I would like to keep my tattoos as protected from the sun as possible. At the same time, though, it's very hot to wear sleeves, and if I only wear half-sleeves then I get a stupid-looking tan (especially when I will be attending weddings where I will be wearing spaghetti straps). Not to mention the fact that I enjoy them being visible in public.

Does anyone else worry about this? What do you do about it? Just put on sunscreen and forget it, or can you recommend some sort of lightweight but opaque-enough cover up? I've considered fake tanning the upper part of my arms and shoulders, but I'm worried the color will be really different from my forearms.

How do we hide extensive tattoos under makeup?

elendil71 — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:15:23 -0800

PerformanceArtMakeupFilter: Asking for a friend who needs advice on full body cosmetics over extensive tattoos. A buddy of mine is going to be in an amateur performance art piece that will involve him being covered in body makeup (think Blue Man Group) but he has extensive tattoos (full sleeves etc) and the makeup he's tried doesnt quite hide his art and sort of melts off under hot lights. Any suggestions for professional makeup that will hide his tats and survive a vigorous physical performance? My google-fu was inconclusive as to what brand names to recommend and whether it can be obtained online (or locally) in a relatively brief period of time.

Please dress this tattooed financier

InstantSanitizer — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:50:02 -0800

Heavily tattooed, need some wardrobe advice.... I have sleeves on both arms. For the past three years I have kept my arms covered at work. The dress is business casual for the most part and I have not wanted to cause distraction or unwanted attention with my artwork. While not particularly uptight, my colleagues are fairly conventional, not particularly creative with their style of dress.

At this point, I feel I am more than adequately respected and established at work to not have to constantly wear long sleeves. I am having difficulty selecting clothing that works well with my ink. I have a lot of color and no images that are inappropriate beyond the fact that they are permanently part of my body.

And summers are a beast in DC!

So, please help me find examples of professionally dressed women showing their tats!

New Jersey Tattoos

FunkyHelix — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:24:50 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for tattooists in New Jersey. My husband wants a tattoo on his bicep and is looking for shop and artist recommendations. He'd like the design to be colorful and he has a general idea of what he wants done drawn out already.

allergies, dogs, and tattoos

gally99 — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:10:13 -0800

A two part question about allergies, dogs, and tattoos. First is it possible to be allergic to a specific breed of dog?
I am allergic to cats, and get itchy eyes and hands, and asthma type symptoms if I handle them, but I'm getting similar symptoms with dogs now.
I work at a kennel so I am around 100+ dogs all day. I only feel allergic about once a week, but it's the same symptoms as with cats, except I also get hives a little. Can it be a specific breed that's doing it?

Second part: I've gotten small itchy bumps on my forearm three times, always when I'm having the itchy eyes and asthma thing. They go away a few hours after they appear.
The tattoo part is this- my right arm is completely tattooed with no bare skin above the wrist. My left arm has big chunks of ink, but also big chunks of bare skin. Is it just coincidence that I'm only getting hives on the bare skin or is there more to it?

Help me find this old Kewpie tattoo!

fabesfaves — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:12:19 -0800

Please help me find a Kewpie tattoo from the 40s/50s! My friend wants to have a tattoo of a Kewpie doll replicated that his grandfather got when he was about 15 years old. The tattoo is flash art that his grandfather "picked off the wall" at a tattoo parlor, and it was a very popular tattoo at the time, so his thought is that the art must exist somewhere. The problem with using pictures of the tattoo on his grandfather is that it has faded almost beyond the point of recognition, and we cannot find anything that is very close online. Pictures of the tattoo can be found here: one, two and three. He wants to replicate the tattoo as close to how it looked when his grandfather first got it as possible. Any suggestions on where we might find the art or a similar, clearer picture of this tattoo on another person would be greatly appreciated.

Insanely tacky Florida neck tattoo image

Bugbread — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:27:06 -0800

I'm looking for an image or two images I saw a year or two ago, of two guys who got drunk on a trip to Florida and got neck tattoos. I can't remember if one did or both did, or which got which images, but the tattoos consisted of a set of mickey mouse ears, a bright 80's looking flamingo (wearing sunglasses, I believe), and the word "Florida". Googling extensively has gotten me nowhere.

Designing a restless heart tattoo

Roman Graves — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:42:44 -0800

Trying to design a tattoo symbolizing a restless heart for my forearm, preferably one that will be only black (or contain just a small amount of color). Hit me with ideas, hive mind.

tattoo ideas to honor a buddhist.

Soulbee — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:27:57 -0800

i need a memorial tattoo idea to honor my partner who has unfortunately passed. my partner, a devout buddhist, has passed unexpectedly this week. i want to memorialize him in a fashion basically consistent with my previous body art. first, a bit about him.

now about what i have already. as most people do, i've taken my choices very seriously and have very basic and non-ornate sanskrit script for strength, joy, and grace on my shoulder blades. a tiny symbol in my (for the lack of a better description) cleavage area that for me signifies "bear in mind" to help remind me to...well...bear and mind and life that way. plus i have a geometrical derivation of the theories of harmonics on my ankle, and a crane on my lower back that was garnered from a tarot card (queen of cups). i have a large open space in my back region between the sanskrit and the crane but i am not seeking a large tattoo, i want something perhaps the general diameter of a regular soda can.

any idea how i can honor a beautiful, pure person who was a devout buddhist, devout naturalist, positively fastidious about organic living, recyling, reduction of footprint etc...a buudhist symbol would make sense in some ways however i am not a buddhist myself so i don' tknow where to go from here. at the same time my plan for my next (and probably last) tattoo had always been something signififying "balance." the order in which my tattoos were received was first the "joy", then the "bear in mind/mindfulness/bear in mind" then the "strength and grace" all of which i think is a rather natural progression of a young person anyway, and now I"m a bit older balance has always made sense to even things out. any ideas of imagery or symbology that may serve my purpose.? best regards to all you mefites; i'm feeling strongly compelled to share my love for the universe right now as nathan was well known for doing that vocally, actively and often, so thanks in advance. best regards.

ps adjunctly my beautiful boy was never vocal about his faith and it's something i'm learning about more closely for the first time since his passing last week. any thoughts about the progression his spirit/energy is going through right now would be welcome (am I breaking askme rules by including 2 fairly different questions? maybe one can truly tie into the other by taking into consideration the journey he's undergoing). I have been assured that he is currently in rigpa surrounded by pure light, truth, and all his spiritual guides, awaiting the time when he chooses to return to this earth, if he ever does. any buddhists want to way in?

thanks in advance and be well. please disregard typos, punctuation and grammar errors, i'm trying to do this eloquently while as you imagine struggling quite a bit. thanks for your time.

Is the Dharma Wheel a commonly recognized Buddhist symbol?

aebaxter — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 12:42:16 -0800

Non-Buddhists: Would you recognize the Dharma wheel as a Buddhist symbol? I'm a Buddhist, and I'm considering getting a tattoo of a Dharma wheel on my left forearm. My girlfriend, however, thinks that I'm overestimating American society's knowledge of Buddhist symbolism. She insists that the symbol looks nautical, and the average person would not know what a Dharma wheel was or how it was related to Buddhism. She thinks people will see the tattoo and ask if I'm in the Navy.

So, my question: if you're not a Buddhist, would you recognize a simple Dharma wheel (Wikipedia image here, Google image results for "Dharma wheel" here) as a Buddhist symbol? Do you think the average person would see it as a nautical (or other) symbol?

Note: I don't really care whether other people recognize the tattoo or not, as I'm not getting it for other people, I'm getting it for me. But it will be the first tattoo I've gotten that's in a very visible spot, so that's why my girlfriend is concerned. She thinks it'll get irritating having to explain it all the time.

Symbols for night?

Roman Graves — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:16:57 -0800

AncientSymbolsFilter: My google skills have failed me. I'm looking for a symbol representing night or darkness. Preferably from Antiquity or Celtic societies. Help?

White Tattoos: Yay or Nay?

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:24:51 -0800

My sister is interested in getting a white tattoo. She keeps asking me what I think. My internet research turns up little reliable information. The limited stuff I've been able to find about all white tattoos (damn you, Lindsay Lohan, for starting this trend) suggets that, a, not a lot of tattoo artists can do them well, b, they don't show up well on dark skin (and my sister is ultra very VERY tan), and c, they can sometimes fade away or turn weird colors. But I haven't found any real solid information. So I turn to all of you. What do you know about all-white tattoos? Are they a worse idea than getting a tattoo of any other color? If she decides to get one, what should she look for in an artist?

Translation Help Please

AlliKat75 — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 12:58:43 -0800

Please help me translate from English to Latin. And for my next tattoo, I want a piece of text that reads "The only constant in life is chage." However, I want to get it done in Latin. Any chance a couple of you can agree on this translation?? It is kind of a permanent thing that I want to get right. :-)