A
female
age
30-35,
*eathernicole17
writes:soo i turned 17 in april.. and lately ive been thinking a lot about wanting a tattoo. the problem is my mother will probably nott let me get one. she wont even let me pierce my tongue but has let me pierce my bellybutton when i was 15. the past couple days we have been talking about tattoos a lot and she said "well if you wanted one youd have to give me a pretty good reason why youd want it to be on your body forever". my idea is that i want it going down my side; like on my ribs, going down the curve of my waist to my hip. and it would be one of those dandelion wishing flowers ya know that you can blow on and all the little white puffy things fly off? with the words "every little minute and every little way" (part of a song my mom wrote when she first had me and used to sing to me). so my question is, if you were my parent would you let me get this tattoo for sentimental value? and also does this sound like a good idea to you in terms of placement on my body and the general look of it? thank you !
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female
reader, heathernicole17 +, writes (14 July 2011):
heathernicole17 is verified as being by the original poster of the questionim planning on waiting to make sure it will look the best that it can on my body. if i still have this same idea whene i turn 18 then possibly i will get it but i dont wanna rush it & then have it not look like i really want it to. thanks all!
A
reader, anonymous, writes (14 July 2011): OP just wait until such a time as your mother no longer has a say. You know when you've moved out and started gaining your independence.
I think it's a great idea for a tattoo and a nice place for it too. I love tattoos on that part of the body and it doesn't sound tacky or stupid, with the right artist it would look brilliant. But give your body a bit more time to grow, give the idea a couple of years to settle in and wait until you're an independent adult. There's no rush is there?
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female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (14 July 2011):
 yep your body will change... there is the whole children thing to consider too...
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female
reader, heathernicole17 +, writes (14 July 2011):
heathernicole17 is verified as being by the original poster of the questionwell the location is another part that i like about the whole idea. i have no problem waiting a bit tho for my body to settle into what its gonna be for while.. tho i havent seen much change in myself for the past year. im slim w/ a defined curve of the waist and larger hips which ive heard is one of my good features. i am worried tho that possibly i will change a lot over the next few yrs. is that a legitimate concern?
thanks everyone again for answering!
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female
reader, So_Very_Confused +, writes (14 July 2011):
tattooed lady here... voting NO NO NO
not at 18 and not in that location....
I did not get my first tattoo till I was past 40...
can you scale it down and do it smaller say on a shoulder or thigh if you really must have it now? or is the location (which btw will hurt really badly as that area is full of nerves and near your ribs will hurt bone) critical?
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (14 July 2011): Don't do it. Hips/sides of your body is the worst place to have a tattoo for a woman. You're not always going to be the same shape as you are now and a tattoo in this area will stretch and become distorted and just look really ugly, if not through natural weight gain (you're still developing hips and a feminine figure) then definitely through pregnancy.
If you do decide to have a tattoo have it somewhere else. Don't use colour. Lots of people are allergic to the colour in tattoos, especially yellow and red for some reason. YOu'd then have to have it removed or be on meds for the rest of your life.
Finally, I know what I'm talking about because I had a tattoo at your age. It wasn't on my hips (although a friend did, she's now pregnant and really regretting it. Mine was on my right ankle. It cost me $60 to put it there and it's costing $800 to have it removed. I'm a corporate lawyer for a big London firm and it's just not professional to have a visible tattoo. I spent my first year having it covered up or wearing pants but I'm just tired of that now and I'm having it removed.
One other aunty on here said that you can't have it removed without scaring. That is no longer true. Modern technology involves blasting the tattoo with a high frequency laser. This laser basically breaks up the ink molecules and your body flushes it out of it's system. It's expensive but now possible to have it completely removed.
To be honest I still like my tattoo, it has sentimental meaning to me, but I really wish I hadn't had it done. It's a right pain in the arse having it removed. Even if I'd not needed to for work I would still have had it removed as my husband and I are having children and I just think it's a bit tacky these days... I won't allow my kids to have it done, that's for sure.
If you do decide to have it done put it somewhere that's not visible to other people, don't make it too large and don't use colour. Actually one of the coolest tattoos I've seen wasn't done in black ink it was done in a white/cream colour. Not too visible from a distance and I thought it looked great. Almost like a really cool scar if that makes sense. Google 'white tattoo' and I'm sure you'll get an idea of what i'm talking about.
Good luck
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female
reader, Gabrielle Stoker +, writes (14 July 2011):
 Wait until you are at least 18 and your body is in the sort of shape you expect it to be for a while.
Secondly, the tattoo you are proposing will be painful and a bit too large, I do think. (I have a few tattoo's myself so I do know what I'm talking about)
From the fact that she let you pierce your belly-button I don't think she's exactly a prudish mother, so she probably has your best interests in mind. I'd advise listening to her.
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female
reader, TasteofIndia +, writes (14 July 2011):
 I remember when I was exactly your age, I talked my Mom into a tattoo, but the parlor (in the state of NY) said it was illegal to tattoo until 18 because the skin continues to grow, the tattoo stretches out and the artwork looks horrible. They recommended waiting until 21, but legally were able to at 18. (Any legit tattoo place will say the same thing, because their priority is their artwork and your life with it on you. So don't find some creepy underground place that will throw the rules to the wind. They're just after your money and don't care about the longterm!!)
That tattoo idea I had meant an awful lot to me at the time. I thought about it for months, had it all designed out... I really wanted it. And now, a mere 7 years later at 24, I can not for the life of me remember what the tattoo idea was and I'm just so grateful I didn't get it!
I ended up with a different tattoo, a smaller one on my ankle, and I like it fine... but now I'm a different person than I was all those years ago, and now new things have a bigger significance and meaning for me. It's definitely not what 17 year old me would have gotten. Honestly, I don't think 17 year old me would be a very good representation of the person I have grown to be, though I was a good person and all that. Life has just happened and I've grown!
It does sound like a lovely tattoo. So at the very least, give your body time to get into its permanent state so that the artwork won't get ruined! Especially with such a detailed piece.
Things to think about... good luck, sweet!
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female
reader, anonymous, writes (14 July 2011): I would not let you do it if I was your mom. Why? It may offend some people but that is the way I think and observe I don't see professional people wearing tattoos like doctors, lawyers, etc ... many places don't consider the tattoos "professional" and as I know some places will not hire you if you are inked. But the most important reason that I am against it because Tattoo is permanent and you will have it for rest of your life if you get one. YOU CAN NOT REMOVE IT without some scars if you change your mind one day. You are so young and you will change as you get older like many other people that I know who regret to have tattoos that they got when they were younger. I really don’t understand why people abuse their bodies and get tattoos and I don’t see anything beautiful or sexy about it. I think is better to hold on to it and if you really like to try get some temporary tattoos for a while to see how you like it. That is my opinion I hope it helps.
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female
reader, heathernicole17 +, writes (14 July 2011):
heathernicole17 is verified as being by the original poster of the questionthanks for answering! & ive been researching a bit & found advice saying to keep the idea in mind for 6 months, if the idea hasnt changed & i still feel strongly about it then go for it but it most likely will change. im thinking thats what im going to do?
oh, & of course i would pay for this myself no matter when i get it.
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reader, Molly9945 +, writes (14 July 2011):
In sentimental value it would mean a lot to me if I was your parent. In terms of size I would ask you to make it smaller but be happy it was hidden even if you were just wearing a tank-top. Also were you want to get it is very painful, especially going over your ribs, but then again tattoos are always painful :P
Just make sure it is something you want to live with the rest of your life, and if she agrees go to MANY different tattoo artists to find the best artist for your tattoo, instead of getting a crappy one you'll regret.
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