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Old 12-13-2001, 05:28 PM   #19
deepsoup
Dojo: Sheffield Shodokan Dojo
Location: Sheffield, UK
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 524
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Hello All,

I have something I want to say about almost every post in this thread, so please bear with me as I ramble on.

To Jason:
Congratulations on getting your tattoo. I'm going to assume that you thought about it in advance and didn't just go out and get tattooed on a whim.

My advice is, dont hide it, but dont flaunt it either. Hopefully people who disapprove will be too polite to mention it, and people who do aprove wont be too polite to admire it aloud in the changing room. Unless you had it tattooed on your forehead, its going to be hidden by your gi anyway, so it shouldn't be an issue on the mat.

It isn't a design I'd chose for myself, but good luck to you.

To Edward:
You wrote:
"I myself dont like people with tattoos"

Does that mean you dont like me, Edward? I'm hurt.

To Ben:
The barcode on the back of the neck thing would be cooler if so many people hadn't already gone for it. Your tattoo is a personal thing, sometimes you dont want a design a whole bunch of people already have.
(And Colleen has a point about the career option thing, a tattoo high on your neck is really tough to cover up.

More to the point though, you have only so much skin, a tattoo is permanent and tastes change. Do you see what I mean if you think back to a band you thought were really cool a few years ago? How about if you were stuck with their name written on you for ever?

Maybe you could choose a design now, keep it safe and see if you still want that exact same design in three years time. Chances are you won't. (Its a cliche, sorry if you're sick of hearing it, but you're probably going to change more in the next 5 or 6 years than you will in the rest of your life after that.)

You could look into Henna 'tattoos', where you stain your skin with henna paste. The design lasts for about a month or so before it fades, and it looks pretty good with bold 'tribal' style designs. (I bet you could even get a barcode on the back of your neck in black henna, horrify your parents, impress your pals and let it fade away before the job interviews start happening. )

To Colleen
It really doesn't make any more sense for a tattooist to risk spreading hepatitis, HIV or whatever by reusing needles than it does for a doctor to do so. Needles are pretty cheap, lawsuits are not.

To Peter Goldsbury
You wrote:
"I think that aikido 'senseis' have no right to pontificate about such things as tattoos and hair length/colour. I think this is an invasion of privacy"
I find it very reassuring to read that point of view in this otherwise quite authoritarian thread, especially from one who brings such gravitas to the discussion.

To Peter Rehse
Any chance of a JPEG of the teddy bear on your butt?

Sean
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