Now I'd like to show the reverse side of that coin and chat a bit about tattoo snobbery. To be fair I have to state as a tattooed woman I am slightly biased. I'll come right out and tell you that when I see a gal in vintage and and a certain style of tattoos I give her (often mistakenly) more 'credibility' -(whatever that means!) I left any scene many years ago, although I brought my tattoos and vintage clothing with me. I love running into older gals like myself and clothing and tattoos are one way I recognize them. We have a bit of shared history-like running into someone from your graduating class.
My closest friends though do not wear vintage or have many tattoos-if any. It's refreshing!
My issue is with tattooed women feeling superior to those not tattooed or not tattooed with THE right kind of tattoos. My opinion is traditional styled tattoos go best with vintage clothing- BUT a tattoo does not have to be custom, meaningful or traditional style to be a good tattoo. I have seen many bad tattoos that contain all these elements. Get tattooed with what you want. There is nothing wrong with walking in and choosing a design off the wall (gasp!) if that is what you want. A good tattoo is a good tattoo and a bad one is just that. My hope is that gals love their own tattoos-good or bad. (most are fortunate not to know the difference so keep your opinion to yourself) Just like your clothing they are a reflection of you, not someone else's ideal.
Also to all the tattooed masses out there I wish you could stop complaining about people judging you for your tattoos. Yes, they will judge you, say dumb things, and sometimes strangers will reach out and touch your tattoos. You have put yourself in that position, deal with it or invest in a sweater.
Now let's all look pretty and play nice.
I'm with you....I don't care about what tattoos people have as long as they are done well! And if they aren't, trust me, I'm not gonna be the one to say anything because it ain't my business!
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regardless of if we choose to admit it about ourselves we ALL judge.If you don't have tattoos you're going to be judged by something else.Yes,I wish people were more open minded but yes I also understand and expect that they're not.More often than not I immensely enjoy proving the stereo type they have of a tattooed woman wrong.I don't cuss people out or act rude.If you don't want attention be a wallflower.If standing out from the crowd is what you like go for it but don't be shocked when it draws attention.
ReplyDeleteThis, and the previous one, are fantastic posts. I am just at the moment making my first moves into the vintage clothing world, I have been fascinated with it for years and I am now just gaining the confidence (and income) to invest in this way.
ReplyDeleteI also have old school inspired tattoos. The thing is, I could easily look like I am desperate to be a part of that 'scene' when really the two interests evolved completely independently from one another! In fact until about a year ago I didn't have any idea there was this scene where people are judged for how they are conforming to that look.
My concern is that I'm now in a place where I cannot comfortably embrace both interests without being pigeonholed into something I don't personally connect with.
Luckily I see my tattoos as something quite personal for me, so very rarely make clothing decisions based on what will be visible (other when needing to cover up for work purposes). I guess as long as my tattoos don't take over my vintage leanings I should be able to embrace both, well I would hope.
Thanks so much for writing on this, and thanks to Solanah to introducing me to your blog!
I think that people who are into vintage are easily attracted to the 'vintage' style tattoos, it's a matter of taste. But like you I don't really care either what designs you might have, I do feel sad as well for the people with tattoos that are badly done. But that's everyone's own responsibility, do some research I say, not every tattooist is a good one. I do admit that I'm judgemental about that, because I care so much, I don't like to see people with bodged up tattoos, I just don't understand it, don't people see the difference when they walk into a 'good' shop or a 'bad ' one?
ReplyDeleteBut, I also have to admit that I've seen people absolutely in love with a tattoo of which I think it's badly inked. I would never burst their bubble. I have no opinion in that case, who am I to judge?
As for others being judgmental of me... I haven't noticed really, maybe they are, I always have the feeling we (my tattooing boyfriend and I ) always let them change their minds quickly if they are prejudiced. We are like everybody else, maybe a bit more colourful on the outside :). I like that feeling, 'being normal'. Cause that's what we are!
Personally, I don’t think that because a person has tattoos that they should have to deal with people’s rude reactions. Disrespect is disrespect, and to put the blame on the person on the receiving end just doesn’t make sense. Yes, it is common knowledge that you’re going to encounter people who are going to make nasty comments or grab your body, but that doesn’t justify their actions. I understand that we all have certain judgments or preconceived notions, but that doesn’t make it any less rude to voice them to someone’s face. As for the touching, so what if a person has a tattoo? It’s still unwanted and unsolicited touching. I would never, for any reason, go up to a stranger and put my hands on them.
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