I think the kind of opinion that we are referring to here is less of a personal opinion (like do you like them or not) and more of a factual opinion. Like for example, people can say they dont like them because your body is a one time thing, why vandalize it? Where as someone else would say (instead) that you shouldnt get a tattoo because there is the chance that it could get infected during the healing process if you arent careful.
So please, people, dont take things too personally. Some people do not like them and some people do. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But if you are one of those people thinking about getting a tattoo, dont make your decision based upon wether SOMEONE ELSE likes it or not. It is your body and you are going to be the one who lives with the decision forever.
Here are a few facts about Tattoos (these are a few things I was told when I got mine):
It hurts, period. When you get 2-4 needles buzzing in and out of your skin at the speed of light, it stings. It isnt an unbearable pain to most people, but some people have more sensitive skin than others. And some people like the feeling, it also depends on where you get it on the body, like if you get it on the inside of your thigh it will hurt like the dickens, whereas if you got it on the upperside of your wrist, it isnt so bad.
It CAN get infected while healing. It bleeds when you are getting the tattoo, which means it also scabs over, which means it is an open wound and needs to heal. You have to wash it twice a day (after you remove the bandage but I dont remember how long you have to wait for that) and you have to moisturize it though I dont remember if you do that while the scabs are there or after they have healed.
Tattoos FADE. Over time, it may be 5 years or 100, they do fade due to light, skin conditions, and other wear and tear that is normal to your skin. This causes the detail to be less noticable which in turn causes the tattoo to be less recognizable.
If you pick the scabs of the tattoo, the ink will come out. It doesnt happen every single time for every single scab (it mostly turns into one big scab for a while) but if you are a scab picker, you might want to be careful with a tattoo because the temptation will drive you nuts and the consequences are high.
Tattoos are EXPENSIVE! So, when you are thinking about getting one, take into consideration that you are paying through the teeth to get this permanent artwork put on your body, and if you dont like how it turns out, you have to pay to get it fixed (if its fixable).
Some Tattoos can be covered. So if you make a stupid choice in what you get, sometimes it can be changed, covered, or if you have the moolah, it can be laser removed though it may not completely be gone. I have 3 tattoos, 2 of them are covering old tattoos (an ex boyfriends name, and a drug symbol from when I was young and stupid).
Tattoos can be pretty, and they can be ugly. It depends on what you get and where you get it and what size it is. If you get a lifesize tattoo of a baseball on your ankle, it might look a bit tacky, whereas an anklet or a small flower would look a little more classy.
If you go in to get a tattoo, do not take breaks during the process. My husband took little breaks during his (it took a few hours to do his) and he says everytime he went back to the chair after the break, it stung 10 times more.
DO NOT get a boyfriend/girlfriends name tattooed on you for any reason. You may love them, but it is almost like a jinx lol. It is a very common mistake. There is always the slightest of chances that you will not be together forever, and you do not want that tattoo staring back at you for the rest of your life reminding you about things. I am happily married, but I would never consider tattooing my husbands name on me lol made that mistake with my ex and no matter how much I love my husband, I dont need to tattoo it on me for the world to see it.
Thats really all I can think of off the top of my head. Sorry if I have a few facts wrong, its been about 2 years since I was in the tattoo shop getting my work done so things may have changed since then or I may have forgotten a thing or two, but this is what I remember to the best of my knowledge.
Sorry for the long post too, I am used to posting on guild boards and I have a tendancy to go on and on about things sometimes hehe.
