by Holly Rogers

Created on: April 14, 2008

There was once a day when only the people from the wrong side of town, in the wrong crowd and destined to go no where would be the one's getting tattoos. These days this negative opinion of individual's with tattoos has greatly diminished, with most individual's finding tattoos somewhat socially acceptable.

Getting a tattoo is a big step. It is something you need to think through very carefully, since afterall, tattoos are forever, unless you want to spend an excessive amount of money to have lasers remove it, which is likely to be both painful and unattractive in the end. Since tattoos are permenant, you should never rush into them.

When I turned eighteen, I got my first tattoo. I had been planning to do so for a couple of months and just had to save up enough money to actually get it done. The thing is, I probably did not think it through in too much detail. I was dating a punk rocker covered in tattoos and I was the intellegent university girl, who had a wild side but never anything too extreme. But one day I decided yes I am getting a tattoo. A butterfly on my lower back to be exact.

My mother was accepting. My father thought it was a stupid idea but has never been one to stop me from doing what I want. So I saved up the money, went along and picked a design off the wall. While I got lucky and still love my first tattoo best, now having a total of three butterflies in my tattoo collection, I do not think my tactic was ideal.

You should always pick your design well before the day you decide to get tattooed. This gives you time to consider if you really want to have this design on you forever. If you are in two minds, it is important to change your mind and re-think the neccessity of you even getting a tattoo. However if you fall in love with a design and your thoughts remained focused on this one design for quite some time, perhaps that is the design for you.

Tattoos should have something meaningful for you. They should not merely be empty pictures you choose to have inked into your skin. Choose something sentimental and significant for you. It is also best to choose a place less obvious for your first tattoo. This is important because you never know what you may choose for your future.

Tattoos may be socially acceptable now but they do not belong in the workplace. You should alawys get your tattoos in a position that is easily hidden. I msyelf am a psychologist. People are often shocked to discover I have tattoos, because each is located in a place only viewable if I choose to show them or if I go swimming. This is recommended because our decisions now effect us later in life and the placement of your tattoo could easily effect you in the future.

Just remember before you get a tattoo, think it through very carefully. Plan months in advance so you have enough time to consider if you really need it, or want it enough to have it for the rest of your life. If you are doing it because you are drunk, or because all your friends are doing it or any other external reason, a tattoo is not for you at this time.

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