This week's topic is "bad tattoos." I'll note that I have two tattoos — one on my shoulder blade and another on my foot. I love tattoos. New ink is expensive, however, and a permanent piece of body art isn't something you want to "cheap out" on. The only thing that a cheap tattoo will get you is a faded blob of ink that looks horrible 20 years down the road. Spend the money and get something that's worth it.
What I'm irked by, though, is when tattoos are close to one another but completely different. The differences between the tattoos can be quality−based or subject−based, but we can all agree on one thing: They just don't look good.
I'm a big supporter of the "get a tattoo because it means something" idea. It's stupid to walk into a tattoo parlor and pick a stencil design off the wall, only to have it tattooed somewhere on your body that same day. No matter how much you insist to me that the stencil "means something" to you and that it's "unique," I will still chuckle as I walk away.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have a tattoo just like it, maybe even in the same location. The stencil tattoo is the perfect cop−out for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of money, but who wants to have a tattoo because it's "cool, bro." If you want to have a truly unique tattoo, come up with an idea yourself.
Most parlors will require that you have a consultation before you get the tattoo you want, and during that time you can talk with your artist about ideas you might have for your future tattoo. The artist can work on a design suited to your desires — this design will be truly unique, unlike that mass−produced stencil you found on the wall.
Now, back to my original point. Tattoos that don't go together just look dumb. Like a mermaid and a portrait placed side−by−side, for instance, with one obviously less expensive than the other. Or some stars and a big, detailed rose vine.
When I see people at the beach with tattoos like these, I do laugh to myself. The idea of making sure your tattoos go together isn't unfamiliar to those who have considered sleeves or large works — you need to make sure your piece has a theme, or otherwise it just looks like you've slapped a bunch of random tattoos all over yourself without rhyme or reason. It looks like a busy mess of stencils and words, slapped on a random body part.
I have strong feelings about tattoos, maybe because I am an artist myself. Composition is a huge part of any piece of artwork, tattoos included. If you're going to have a permanent mark on your body, you shouldn't be cheap about it. Save up for a quality tattoo — years down the road, you'll be glad you did.
And think about the tattoo before you ink it into your skin. It's a lot harder and more painful to remove the ink once it's there than it is to get the tattoo in the first place.
The tattoo parlor isn't going to go anywhere, and you have all the time in the world to make sure you have your perfect tattoo all planned out before you make the commitment. Consider any tattoos you have already, and tattoos you might get in the future, before you get your next piece. And make sure it means something to you! Because, in the end, that's really the most important thing.
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Kacey Rayder is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Kacey.Rayder@tufts.edu.
