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By infmom, September 12, 2010 12:47 pm

I’ve touched on this subject before:  Getting tattoos that are usually visible versus getting tattoos that are usually covered up by your clothing.  But a discussion in the About.com tattoo and bodypiercing forums (a link to About.com is in the sidebar on the right) got me thinking about the issue again.

All of my tattoos are in areas usually covered by my clothing.  That was a conscious choice on my part, because I knew I’d have to meet employers’ dress codes for years to come and I didn’t want to ink myself out of a job.  This is not to say I didn’t want a visible tat (or more than one) but I had to put other considerations first.

Well, now I’m retired and running my own business (OK, I have to put in a plug for that here, because I am proud of it, Logan Books) I can set my own dress code, and I’m strongly considering getting a bracelet tattoo on my left wrist.  I’m proud of being a tattooed person and I’d like to show off my ink a little more. Besides, I’m hitting my 60th birthday in November and wouldn’t getting some new ink be a grand way to celebrate? 

Have you had issues with hiding your ink to please your employer?  Do you sometimes wonder what the guys and gals in the “suits” are hiding under all those conservative clothes?  I sure do.  It’s fun to think that the guy in the oh so proper suit might have a pinup girl on his leg or a koi on his back, and the lady in the go-to-meeting dress might have a dragon on her upper thigh and a Japanese half sleeve.  My Egyptian tat shows off very nicely when I’m wearing a dress, but you know what?  I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress.  Retirement means a lot less money but a lot more fun.

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By infmom, January 25, 2010 9:09 pm

When I got my tattoos, I was employed.  Where I worked when I got my first tattoo, the dress code said that tattoos were not to be visible (although I never knew of anyone getting disciplined for breaking that rule).  The second place I worked had no specific rule about tattoos, but the general feeling among our managers was that “professional attire” did not include visible ink.  So I chose to have all my ink placed where I could easily cover it up with clothing.

Now, however, being retired, and being the age that I am, I am thinking seriously about getting another tattoo that will be visible.  I’m leaning toward an elaborate bracelet, or maybe a half sleeve that ties in with my first tattoo, my seven stars.  I’m not sure exactly how I’d go about that, but I have been mulling over asking my favorite artist, Kythera of Anevern, to draw me a mythical being of some kind that would work well with stars.  I’d get the colors touched up on the stars at the same time, since over the last 12 years they have faded quite a bit.

The stars are visible already if I wear the right neckline, and when they are visible I get asked about them a lot.  I like that.  I’d like to have something else that’s easy to display, which is one reason I’m thinking bracelet.  The first time I really notice how great a tattoo could look was when I saw a picture of the bracelet Janis Joplin had done. Up to that time I was still just drawing a little green flower doodle on my ankle. 

If you have visible ink, where do you have it, and why did you choose to have it visible rather than hidden?  I’d like to hear what other people think about this particular issue.  And I’m still mulling over my designs.

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By infmom, July 13, 2008 11:37 am

My daughter and I were shopping yesterday, and she commented that “cropped” or capri pants seem to be
the in thing these days, and it’s not so easy to find regular pants. I’ve noticed that too, especially in larger sizes (I wear plus sizes, she doesn’t.)

I don’t happen to think the style is very flattering, but I do have to admit to owning one pair of capri pants. And I bought them specifically to show off the tattoo on my ankle. Which I think is a good reason to buy something like that, which I ordinarily wouldn’t be caught dead wearing.

I have also bought other clothing with showing off my ink in mind. I have one hot pink shirt with an asymmetrical neckline that showcases my swirl of stars perfectly. Showing off the dragon on my back is a bit trickier, because I don’t think I look good in spaghetti-strap tube tops… but I have a couple. They show off my stars too, of course.

Most of the time I’m too averse to showing off my fat arms (aka Old Lady Wings) so the back tat stays covered. But once in a while I’ll get covered up with sunscreen and let it all hang out. Especially if I’m going to a tattoo show, where nobody cares about fat arms and short pants.

My daughter buys short-sleeved shirts to show off her armband, but she rarely displays the knotwork on her leg. Although she does have this dynamite evening gown with a slit up the side. Too bad there are so few occasions to wear an evening gown when you’re a grad student.

I’m seeing more and more ink on more and more people as I wander around during the course of the day and it makes me wonder how much more is covered up (like mine). Do we as multicolored people dress more often to reveal or to conceal?

photo credit: leogetz

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By infmom, December 28, 2007 12:49 pm

When I got my most recent tattoo, I certainly didn’t expect it to be the last one I ever got. However, the healing process was unusually slow, and it’s only now (more than two years after the fact) that the swelling and itching under the red ink has finally subsided.

I had pretty much made up my mind that it would be a bad idea to get more ink, since I had (and have) no way of knowing what exactly I reacted to. And that was dismaying. Because tattoos are addictive. (The photo at left shows my dragon, which also remained itchy under the red parts for quite a while after application).

But since it seems that I do evetually heal, I’m thinking about getting a visible tattoo this time around. My other three are usually concealed by my clothes. I’m proud of being a multicolored person and I’d like to show off my ink on a more regular basis, but really, the only practical way to do that is to get another tattoo.

To show or not to show?

I’m considering a sleeve, an armband or a bracelet. My daughter has an armband that she designed herself, and I’ve always admired it. I wouldn’t get something quite as elaborate as hers (which includes a picture of her great-grandmother’s totem animal, the red-tailed hawk) but I would definitely have a talented artist design it (and, of course, pay her for her skills). That would be a reasonable compromise between visibility, size, and price.

But on the other hand, the idea of a bracelet appeals to me too. I never wore “real” bracelets much till fairly recently, but now I find myself picking one out nearly every day. Would I do as well with a permanent one? The older I get, the fewer real constraints there are on visible ink placement, and a bracelet would certainly be visible.

I suppose I’ll have to come up with a design with no red ink in it, just to be safe. Oh, and find a local artist. That’s going to be the fun part.

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