Multi.Colored—tattooed people, tattoo dreams

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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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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