When are Tattoos a Bad Idea?

Tattoos, when done well and for the right reasons, are brilliant.  They are a fantastic way to mark yourself out as an individual, they can be utterly beautiful and they can be really personal and meaningful to you in a way that little else can.  However, you shouldn’t get a tattoo lightly.  You have to remember that they are extremely painful and expensive to remove; usually if you get a tattoo you are stuck with it forever.  There are therefore many things to think about before you get inked, and many reasons to not get a tattoo.

If you’re not old enough to get one legally, or if your parents/guardians won’t give consent, you definitely shouldn’t get a tattoo.  Reputable tattoo parlours will not tattoo someone unless it’s legal, so you’ll more than likely end up with some unskilled amateur poking you with a needle.  Getting a tattoo from an unskilled artist is not good — it could become infected, possibly even so badly that it will kill you.  Plus your tattoo might look rubbish.  Not good.

Secondly, don’t get a tattoo until you are absolutely sure of the design that you want and have enough money to get exactly that.  Don’t get something because you think you might like it later.  Don’t get something that you saw that morning.  Don’t get something that’s almost what you wanted but a bit smaller/with less colour because that’s the only way you could afford it.  Tattoos are for life.  Make sure it’s perfect for you.

You should also never get a tattoo unless you’re of a 100% sound mind.  Never, ever get a tattoo when drunk.  It’s illegal to do this anyway, which has its own problems (see my first point) but you’re also probably not going to end up with a decent design.  You might choose something really ugly and because of your blood alcohol levels your tattoo probably won’t heal well and will just look messy.

Being of sound mind also includes being so in love you get the name of your partner tattooed on you.  No matter how in love you may be with your girlfriend or boyfriend, you have absolutely no idea of what will happen in the future.  People fall out of love all the time, and you don’t want a permanent reminder of the failed relationship with you forever, do you?  Getting a lover’s name tattooed on you didn’t work for Johnny Depp, so it probably won’t work for you.  Sorry.

And seriously, don’t get a tattoo because you lost a bet or because all your friends are doing it.  So what if all your friends are getting Chinese symbols for their names tattooed on their butt cheeks, it doesn’t mean you have to.  And that’s another thing; don’t get symbols tattooed on your until you are absolutely sure what they mean.  You might think you have “Peace, love and hope” on your arm but you could have “I am a prat” and wouldn’t know.