Thinking about a tattoo, but is it what good girls did in the 1940's?

[MissAmelina]

What is it with hubbies saying they'll divorce us if we are tatted? My guy said the same thing....makes me wish I'd gotten mine before we'd met. I still plan on getting them (I have three I've thought long and hard about--something celtic, something buddhist and an ode to Freddie Mercury) I just don't want to deal with the ruckus it will cause. Boys are silly. LOVE the inkies going on here; ditto on the sewing needle. We should dress and "artify" ourselves as we please! Vintage or no. Husband or no. Just kidding. i think.

 

[Tatum]

Darn husbands, lol!

What is it with hubbies saying they'll divorce us if we are tatted? My guy said the same thing....makes me wish I'd gotten mine before we'd met. I still plan on getting them (I have three I've thought long and hard about--something celtic, something buddhist and an ode to Freddie Mercury) I just don't want to deal with the ruckus it will cause. Boys are silly. LOVE the inkies going on here; ditto on the sewing needle. We should dress and "artify" ourselves as we please! Vintage or no. Husband or no. Just kidding. i think.

Hear hear! :eusa_clap

However, mine has a legitimate reason for his threat; in his line of business, it would be pretty taboo. He has to deal with five star resorts and CEOs all the time, and the social standards in the circles he has to run in are pretty antiquated on that level. After quoting him in front of someone that HE complimented for their ink (gorgeous full-calf piece), he revised his statement to something along the lines of, "Well, you just couldn't do work for me when the opportunity presented itself, and I don't know how such-and-such client would feel about it if you were running around the resort all colorful, regardless of how professional you are." Even though no one ever says anything negative about the one on my wrist, and I flaunt that one!

So I guess I can trade professional perks for being more colorful. At least for a while....

 

[scorp79]

I have 2 tattoos and have (heavily) been wanting more. Both of mine are on my back, and I have somewhat designed a large piece to cover my lower design, (got it when I was 19 and in a rush to get something while on vacation.) My fiance has no tattoos and is highly opposed to me getting any more. Ideally, I'd like one on each forearm, one on the back of my neck and one on my right shoulderblade to compliment the one I have on my left. BUT I just found out that I may be (fingers crossed!) running the soon-to-be-Spa at the private club I'm working at within the next few years. They don't allow any tats to be showing, so the forearms would be out. I'm not opposed to getting a half sleeve done, either, though... But the man might run for the hills if I do!

 

[LelaViavonie]

My tatoos are something that mean something to me. A milestone in my life and I am able to cover them up most of the time.
I dont think it takes away from the look.. i think they tell a story...
Just my 2 cents..
Ohh.. and if u are the least bit unsure of a tattoo.. dont do it until your whole heart feels its right..

 

[Dani California]

I have 3 tattoos (1 on my back, 1 by my hip bone and 1 on my upper leg) and not once have I ever had a guy tell me that they were awful or that he wouldn't date me because of them. In fact, I get the complete opposite...they have all thought it was completely sexy. Maybe it is because I have this good girl image It's funny when I tell guys and girls that I have them, they're always shocked

I've been wanting to get another one, but just haven't figured out where to put it. I really want plumerias.

 

[Girl Friday]

I have to agree that there were probably very few (if any) "good girls" with tattoos in the 40's, but this isn't the 40's. And honestly, oh...there might be a poll somewhere, most people that I know that dress exclusively vintage have tattoos. But it is totally personal and something that will be with you forever. I have one, but will probably never get another since I donate platelets, and a tattoo or piercing would defer me for a year.

 

[Bubble Cheeks]

When I was trying to decide what to get, I spoke with my friend Pooch, who is a fabulous tattoo artist. We were out one night with friends at an art show, and I had just seen a gorgeous woman who had fingerwaves in her jet black hair, and was dressed as a sexy flapper girl. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She has a tattoo on her arm of... well.. a flapper girl. lol I asked Pooch what I should get. He said to me, "What's the first thing you ever passionately collected as a kid, and still collect to this day?" I responded, "The Florida Orange Bird. Mom and Dad used to take us to Weeki Wachee and Disney every summer as kids, and I collected all of the orange bird toys at the Florida souvenir stands". He nodded. "OK, so what's the thing you collect most of all, right now?" I smiled. "Tiki". He grinned and said "Great. Show up at my studio after hours on Tuesday night. I'll be waiting for ya." So my husband (at the time fiance) and I arrived that night, and he presented me with a fabulous drawing of the Florida Orange Bird holding a tiki mug with a tiny straw and umbrella. I couldn't have been more thrilled with it. It makes me smile every day.

My father always told me when I was growing up (and still tells me to this very day) that a woman's most amazing beauty accessory, her greatest secret weapon in the world of beauty, is her smile. And my tattoo makes me smile. So I feel really beautiful with it, and that makes the look work for me. At least I think so. And I suppose that's what really matters.

But, to each his (or her) own!

 

[MarieAnne]

I have no tattoos but I've wanted to get a sailor jerry tattoo for a number of years now. I know which one and where I want it. I even had an appointment booked but before the date I found out I was pregnant:eusa_doh:
I don't think I will rebook though because I am a belly dancing instructor and performer and I wouldn't want the tattoo showing while I'm performing or teaching. I feel like it would clash. And it's hard to hide a tattoo in a belly dancing costume. So no tattoos for me...

 

[cherry lips]

I heard a great story the other day, this older lady was remarking on my look and how much she liked it and asked about the tattoos. I joked around that some day we'd all laugh at ourselves in the nursing homes. She said she'd worked in a nursing home and went on to share a story about a patient she'd had who had been a flapper in her hey-day.

The elderly lady had a small fleur-de-lis tattooed "down there" and couldn't fess up to the story behind it because she could no longer speak, but would wink and laugh as she remembered. If only that tattoo could talk!!!

So I bet not all "vintage" ladies were all that prim and proper *wink wink*

Inky, thanks for sharing that amusing story!

 

[Spaugs]

As far as jobs go, if you want a tattoo just get it somewhere you can hide it. I work at a funeral home and plan on doing so for a very long time, however I have ALWAYS wanted a tattoo. My mom has been getting tattoos my whole life so I've always wanted one. When I finally decided what I wanted I got my job so I had to find a good place to get it so I could hide it. I plan on getting the tattoo on the inside of my right hip late Dec. early Jan. I AM SOOOO EXCITED!

Another option most people don't know about is white ink. A friend of mine is going to get a tattoo on the cartilage of her ear in WHITE ink. White ink is easy to hide until you get a tan (or have darker skin to begin with) but it's still an interesting alternative. [huh] Just something for you ladies to consider.

 

[Girl Friday]

I carried around the picture I wanted for a year, so I knew that was it. My cousin got a longhorn on a whim and later had it removed. Which was probably a lot more than she paid for the tattoo.

 

[Miss Caroline]

I have quite a few tattoos. They're all of an "old school" style.
Sometimes I do wonder about how i'll feel about them once i'm old, (not having them or regretting them, but with age they'll end up looking oldand blurred) but having spoken to my grandmother, she said that by the time you're 80 you couldn't care less what you look like. And besides, I can't see the person I am changing drastically. I've been this way for quite some time and even my family stopped about 4 years ago treating it "as a phase".
I love getting tattooed, but for my first one i had the design on my wall for 6 months before i got it. The key is just to be sure.

these are just two. Strangly i don't seem to have pictures of the rest. I have my back, both wrists, behind my ear and cherry blossom on my right foot.

 

[pdxvintagette]

Think HARD, then do what feels right.

I have always had super classic, girl-next-door style - sometimes bent to the 40's, sometimes bent to rockabilly, and I do like a little glamour now and then. But the year after I got divorced, I went a little over the deep end, and ended up with three tattoos - one on each shoulder blade, and one on the side of calf, just above the ankle. None are good tattoos, although the two on my back could have been, but I didn't think, research, wait - or anything.

They are classic designs, and very girly, and very me - but having them on MY body isn't.

It was finally suggested I get the thing on my leg removed, and in fact I may end up having all three taken care of. I will still have to cover the leg area, as that tattoo scarred badly.

It is funny. In some ways, I don't regret doing it, because it shows me where I was during a really turbulent time in my life. And because it showed me what I value about my style, and opened my eyes to other people's body art and personal styles. But if I can go back - I probably will.

 

[Odalisque]

I have to agree that there were probably very few (if any) "good girls" with tattoos in the 40's, but this isn't the 40's.

I totally agree. Nowadays, women can get tattoos without the shock and cries or "Harlot!". If truly want a tattoo, don't not get one because it might clash with the vintage image you have going. If you love it and it makes you feel beautiful and happy, then you are set.

As I tell my mother when she complains about my tattoos;

Your body is a temple. Adorn it!

 

[cherry lips]

Strangly i don't seem to have pictures of the rest. I have my back, both wrists, behind my ear and cherry blossom on my right foot.

Miss Caroline I like the tat above; I love roses and believe in true love. Please show me the cherry blossoms!

 

[VintageGirl143]

My tatoos are something that mean something to me. A milestone in my life and I am able to cover them up most of the time.
I dont think it takes away from the look.. i think they tell a story...
Just my 2 cents..
Ohh.. and if u are the least bit unsure of a tattoo.. dont do it until your whole heart feels its right..

I completly agree!

 

[VintageGirl143]

these are just two. Strangly i don't seem to have pictures of the rest. I have my back, both wrists, behind my ear and cherry blossom on my right foot.

These are beautiful. I agree with cherry lips, I would love to see your wrists and the cherry blossom on your foot.

 

[cynroux]

I tattoo for a living. I absolutely adore my profession and art.
However, it's not for everyone. It's a personal decision. Only you know if it's right for you. Not everyone HAS to have a tattoo.
To the non-tattooed, I'm a heavily tattooed person. To the heavily tattooed, I'm a semi-tattooed person. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

And I LIKE the way my tattoos look with my vintage attire. But then again, that's me.

Honestly, do I look like a "bad girl" to you?

 

[SayCici]

I have tattoos and am not rockabilly. I don't think it interferes or takes away from the way I dress - which is 40s/50s, every day. In my opinion, if you like tattoos and feel they express you, there's no way for them to 'contrast' or 'mess up' your look, because they are both expressions of yourself.

Get one when you know what you want, and you've sat on it for a long time. And then wait a little longer until you find the right artist, and have a consultation with him/her.

 

[MissWink]

I tattoo for a living. I absolutely adore my profession and art.
However, it's not for everyone. It's a personal decision. Only you know if it's right for you. Not everyone HAS to have a tattoo.
To the non-tattooed, I'm a heavily tattooed person. To the heavily tattooed, I'm a semi-tattooed person. It's all in the eye of the beholder.

And I LIKE the way my tattoos look with my vintage attire. But then again, that's me.

Honestly, do I look like a "bad girl" to you?

I just have to say you look absolutly wonderful. Such class!