It’s bad luck to get someone’s name tattooed… Light colors hurt more… Tattoos bleed a lot… A tattoo needle is just a needle… Tattoos turn blue when they age… Red ink fades fast…Anyone who knows how to draw can get a tattoo…Only sailors, bikers, circus men and tough guys get tattooed…Tattoos cost a lot of money…Tattoos are forever…
Many of these urban legends started a long time ago, when there was basically some truth to them. Everything from the types of people who would venture into a tattoo parlor, to the types of skin dyes used, made the myths popular in the first place.
Modern tattooing is much more about the art form, hygiene, and attractiveness to people from all walks of life, than it is about maintaining outdated stereotypes and falsehoods. Let’s take some of these tattoo myths and turn them into factual statements.
Having someone’s name tattooed on your body, while not necessarily bad luck, is a personal choice. And while any relationship can fail, if you already believe that getting your name tattooed is a guarantee one way or another about the outcome, then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons anyway. Relationships fail for all sorts of reasons, getting someone’s name tattooed on you is not one of them.
Tattoos hurt, and depending on your pain tolerance, some will feel more pain, others less. Light colors are usually done last when the skin is most sensitive, so for most these will be the most painful colors. As for other ink colors, tattoo ink innovations have come a long way. During the 1950s and 1960s, tattoo ink pigments weren’t as refined as they are today, so bright colors like red or blue faded under the elements and normal use. However, that is no longer the case, and all tattoo colors resist fading if properly cared for while healing.
Tattoo needles are grouped into solder groups of odd numbers, 3, 5, 7, etc. While most tattoos bleed minimally during outlining and up to 10 minutes after shading is done, by the time you leave the shop the bleeding will have stopped. Your tattoo will be bandaged for hygienic reasons only.
With modern medical advances in dermatology and skin care, tattoos are no longer a forever commitment. Laser tattoo removal and fading creams can remove a tattoo without a trace.
Stereotypes about tattooing arose at a time when tattoo parlors were rare, unregulated, and often located in seedy areas. Many sailors got tattooed according to myths and legends that said tattoos and piercings were thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to the wearer. The prevalence of motorcycle enthusiasts enjoying tattoos is simply a cultural bias. Nowadays, anyone can have a tattoo and no one would know about it, and conversely, just because someone has a tattoo, it doesn’t mean they are part of a seedy subculture. The dominance of tattoos in society and among the most publicly notable figures has also done much for tattooing to take its place as a dominant form of art and personal expression.
If you think that anyone who can draw can tattoo and that you need to bargain shop for your tattoo, chances are you’re getting one for the wrong reasons and you need to reconsider your decision carefully. There are truly exceptional tattoo artists who have embraced a style in which they are highly skilled, and there are tattoo artists who are just that, tattoo artists.
While most artists come from an artistic background, there are some who simply love art and wanted to make a living doing something they enjoyed. Tattoo artists are ordinary people, like you or me. They have good and bad lives and days just like the rest of us. Peruse the work being done, or better yet, find someone who has a tattoo you admire and find out where they got it before putting their own skin under the needle. And remember to choose an artist whose style matches the tattoo you’d like to get.
Finally, if you buy your tattoo at a bargain price, you will get a tattoo at a bargain price. If you’re worried about how much it’s going to cost, it’s probably not a good time to be thinking about a tattoo. While they aren’t too expensive and good quality tattoos can be had for less than you might expect, it’s still the kind of purchase you only need to make when your wallet isn’t an issue. It’s mostly permanent, and it’s your skin after all.