What's the deal with hand tattoos?

October 7, 2005 3:24 PM

What's the deal with hand tattoos?

In the past few weeks I've noticed more and more tattos on people's hands, between their thumb and first fingers. I would say "oh they were in a group/club/gang/prison" or something, but it's cropped up at all sorts of retail places from people of many races and appearances and ages. Young and old, white and non-white, female and male, all sorts of little odd markings on their hands.

I haven't had the guts to ask anyone directly, but is there an obvious reason I'm missing?

posted by mathowie to Human Relations (29 answers total)

People trying to look badass by imitating guys in gangs/prison?
posted by jonmc at 3:26 PM on October 7, 2005

I think jonmc's got it right. Or they are badasses that have been in prison.
posted by fenriq at 3:30 PM on October 7, 2005

The only people I've ever met with tats like that were folks who traveled in those kind of circles.
posted by jonmc at 3:33 PM on October 7, 2005

A friend who is thinking of getting a tattoo was recently told that it's "in" to get tattooed someplace where the bearer will see it often, like the inside of the forearm. You would see a hand tattoo everytime you look down - possibly the same logic.
posted by clh at 3:35 PM on October 7, 2005

Hmmm. "He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name." If people start vanishing in plain sight, it would a good time to start worrying.
posted by nkyad at 3:44 PM on October 7, 2005

Unless it was a barcode I wouldn't worry about it ;-)
posted by konolia at 3:55 PM on October 7, 2005

or RFID tag.

I agree with jonmc.

Did they look anything like this?


posted by keswick at 4:03 PM on October 7, 2005

I seem to notice lots of people with star tatoos between their pointer finger and thumb. It seems like alot of kids in my high school had these but I'd often see older people with the exact same tatoo in the exact same place. I've always wondered what the significance was.
posted by ttrendel at 4:09 PM on October 7, 2005

Living in Santa Ana, CA, I used to see the three dots tattoo (in the web of skin between the thumb and index finger) fairly often. They call it "mi vida loca" ("my crazy life"), the appropriate nihilistic stance for a gang member, I suppose. Some asian gangs have picked up the practice, and I met a Japanese lowrider who did it as part of his total chicano makeover.
posted by planetkyoto at 4:10 PM on October 7, 2005

Three dots tattoo.
posted by planetkyoto at 4:11 PM on October 7, 2005

I have nothing to add except that keswick's picture is hilarious, and it is good to see that jonmc survived his medical treatment and now has the raw materials to pave his own driveway.
posted by Cranberry at 4:35 PM on October 7, 2005

Chalk it up to the mainstreeming of the tatoo. I saw a teen girl at rite-aid the other day with a tear inked under one eye.
She also sported pacific islander "style" ink. I felt bad for laughing out loud, but she was as hardcore as a box of cheerios.

I know guys who have the tears, cross and/or three dots on the web between forefinger and thumb, the elbow web etc. and it's all like evidence to them, little badges of experience that were somehow earned.
posted by snsranch at 4:58 PM on October 7, 2005

Any idea what a "nike swoosh" tat on the forearm might signify? It's obviously self-made, and it isn't an actual Nike swoosh, just a mark that kinda looks like one. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to signify something not-Nike.
posted by five fresh fish at 6:17 PM on October 7, 2005

keswick, (possible) stupid question.... is your hand tattoo real?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:41 PM on October 7, 2005 [1 favorite]

That's not me, but he has my haircut. I know the guy (via SA), and yes, it's real.
posted by keswick at 7:28 PM on October 7, 2005

Any idea what a "nike swoosh" tat on the forearm might signify? It's obviously self-made, and it isn't an actual Nike swoosh, just a mark that kinda looks like one. I'm pretty sure it's supposed to signify something not-Nike.

Did you see what they had on their feet? I think it just means they are branding whores.
posted by delmoi at 7:45 PM on October 7, 2005

ttrendel: star tattoos on the forearm or on the hand are an emo kid trademark.
posted by limeonaire at 7:54 PM on October 7, 2005

Those finger moustache tattoos are a huge fad right now. Not clever anymore.
posted by drobot at 8:16 PM on October 7, 2005

A friend who is thinking of getting a tattoo was recently told that it's "in" to get tattooed someplace where the bearer will see it often, like the inside of the forearm.

I have tattoos on my the bottom of my forearms and they are rarely noticed by other people (one's tristero's horn, the other is a symbol that looks like the old Bell telephones logo, but repurposed for a personal meaning). My parents, who point out and complain whenever they see a new tattoo on me went at least six months before they noticed. I think people just don't look closely at forearms.
posted by drezdn at 8:21 PM on October 7, 2005

In my old neighborhood- San Fernando Valey, CA- circa 1979, a dot between the forefinger and thumb indicated a promise to yourself ( left hand), or a promise to another (right hand) like a permanent handshake.
This may have been a very local meme, but was common there/then.
posted by tcy at 8:52 PM on October 7, 2005

i can add the following, somewhat relevant experience to this discussion: almost 10 years ago when i went to a tattoo artist to have my wedding ring installed they initially refused to tattoo me, quite vehemently. in fact, they asked me to leave... the artist said they were a reputable establishment and did not, for any reason tattoo hands. period. "only criminals and gang members get hand tattoos... and hand tats don't last; they fade way too fast." well... i explained what i intended in more detail and they eventually relented... more, i think, because i desired to have 3 simple hebrew letters written on my ring finger, and the tattoo artist had attended hebrew school as a child, than for any other reason...

there has been no perceptible fading...
posted by RockyChrysler at 9:10 PM on October 7, 2005

I might add, that among our crowd, most of whom could, did, and found it necessary to, rebuild car engines before they were old enough to drive; tattoo "machines" were simple devices that anyone could construct out of a stiff wire or needle bent to a shape like "b" , with the point wrapped in string to hold the ink, and the circle part attached with some applied knowledge of elementary geometery to any little motor shaft. Sterilized everything of course. Hey, we were 15, but we weren't dumb..y'know...we had 17 year olds showing us what to do.
And, let me tell you...it's still there, 26 years later....
posted by tcy at 10:00 PM on October 7, 2005

I've been amazed at the facilal 'tats, necks included.

I started getting inked in 1987, and back then anything like that was strictly verboten. You'd have to look far and wide to find any artist that would undertake that work. Not that I tried, but I've got lots of ink and it's something that sometimes comes up when you're getting to know a new artist.

I saw some 20 year old at an Iggy Pop show a few years back and I hope and pray to this day that the starburst around his eye (BIG - extending over left cheek and forehead) wasn't a real 'tat. Looked like it though.
posted by Mutant at 11:24 PM on October 7, 2005

I've heard hand tattoos and other very visible tattoos referred to as "rock and roll insurance" by musicians.
posted by maurice at 1:53 AM on October 8, 2005

Here in the UK, you often see men (mainly) with a picture of a bird tattooed in between their thumbs and forefingers. I've heard that this means that they have "done bird" or been to prison. I must stress, however, that this story is possibly (probably?) apocryphal.
posted by ninthart at 2:31 AM on October 8, 2005

As a kid I thought that a tattoo beteween thumb and first finger would be cool. Open that area, and out it comes, close it and it disappears. I'm not into tattoos for myself now, but back then I always used to draw on myself with pens, most frequently in the area described. Maybe it's just one of the more interesting parts of the body that's readily visible.
posted by lorrer at 12:49 PM on October 8, 2005

Open that area, and out it comes, close it and it disappears.

Like tattooing "BLINK!" on your eyelid?

Aren't those teardrops for years in prison?
posted by StickyCarpet at 3:47 PM on October 8, 2005

Brian Setzer, who has many many tattoos lives by the advice his dad gave him. "Never tattoo someplace that you can't cover up for court appearances".
posted by edgeways at 4:53 PM on October 8, 2005

According to last week's nip/tuck, the teardrops are for # of people killed. Like pilots used to have for # of planes shot down.
posted by MeetMegan at 10:59 AM on October 10, 2005