Tattoo Regret

[Kim 526]

Hi,
Trying so hard to be male years ago, I went through stages like building motorcycles and joining a gun club. During one of those stages I got tattoos on both shoulders. They're not offensive at all, but I just don't like them. They're just not pretty. And now I don't wear sleeveless tops out because I'm self-conscious. Wish I hadn't done it!

Is anyone else in the same situation?

Hugs,
Kim

[jillian]

I have a tatoo on my shoulder of a burning monk, one on my calf of a beautiful dragon, I have a banner across my shoulders and a spider on my fore arm.
While I think they can be considered masculine, they reflect my inner spirit which I believe transcends gender.

At first I wanted to eliminate them, but instead I will just add to them to give them a feminine flair.
Plenty of girls have tatoos, so Im not too concerned.  the good thing is none are colored in.

http://www.inkedmag.com/promotions/inkedgirl/gallery/

[Jenny_B_Good]

I know just how you feel. I too went through the 'I'm a macho man' stage and got two tatts. Both are pretty masculine, but there's really nothing I can do now. Removal just doesn't work that well to make it worth the effort.

Too be honest they don't look too masculine just... Slutty ... Not that that makes me feel that much better.

I've heard that those mineral make ups like thin lizzy or sheer cover when used enough actually cover up well; although I have no personal experience.

[spacial]

I understand, from a number of notable sources, that the only really effective way is to get tatooed over them. Either to alter their appearance, or, sometimes, a good artist can tatoo something that doesn't look so much like a tatoo.

Something I've never done, personally.

[Kim 526]

Hi,
My tats are a Celtic knot on one shoulder - not too macho really, Chinese characters on my shoulder (private), and a rose on the right side of my right calf which I've dedicated to the memory of my daughter.

The Chinese characters are the ones I'd really like to get rid of. Maybe I'll have it covered up but I don't want to make another permanent mistake.

Oh well - act in haste & repent in leisure.

Hugs,
Kim

[Keaira]

I have a green, red and yellow dragon wrapped around a swords that starts from the top of my left shoulder to the bend in my elbow. Its a part of me that I love and means lots of things to me. So no, I don't regret getting it. 

[Tamaki]

I had a large lotus done on my shoulder, it's actually a Japanese woodblock print. I had it placed so that short sleeve shirts would cover it. The problem now is that girl short sleeves tend to be shorter and some of it is visible. Had I known at the time that I was going to transition I would have done something smaller and in a different location. At least it's kind of feminine. I don't regret getting it, just it's location.

[AbraCadabra]

Well, I also had my regrets about a silly self-induced arrow-through-heart tattoo on my left lower arm.
Long before transitioning (poor girly still boxed up inside) I did have an eyelift! Pretty mortifying for that "macho" guy image, hey. I asked the surgeon to remove that tattoo on my arm whilst anesthetized for the eye-lift op.
It was smallish and yes it was gone -- but now I have a zigzag scar there since donkeys years and ALWAYS be visible too. (fine white scaring even showing the suture scares and not easily covered by make-up)
I've seen laser removal marks and they looked like some well healed sort of burn scar, more white-ish then the surrounding skin.

This idea to pretty-up a tattoo if it was initially well done has really some appeal to me. It's a "picture" rather then some unattractive medical scaring blotch.

Mine still looks like I'd been caught in a barbed wire fence. Sometimes I actually used that when still in my boy-mode days as an "excuse" – all so silly.

Nothing wrong with a pretty tattoo as such, bit sluttish maybe - but then so WHAT?! Any critics can come kiss my butt, hee-hee.
Axelle

[Kim 526]

Thanks Axelle, I like that attitude about critics, or s#i+ters as I call them (thank you, Stephen King). The little rose on my calf is something I will never get rid of. It's pretty & has great meaning for me. The Chinese characters are the big regret. Maybe I will have them surgically removed after FFS - yah right, like I'll ever be able to afford FFS...
Huggs,
Kim

[niciwer]

I have quite a bit of ink myself, and like it.  But one thing that I've been noticing recently- its common for women to be heavily inked.  At least in California.

[Miniar]

My first tattoo was a poorly chosen peice of ink, but you know what, I still appreciate it, because it's a "symbol of that part of my life and what I learned through it" ...
sometimes, attitudes are easier to change

[Rock_chick]

I like being a tattoo'd woman

[Padma]

Looking forward to having this more on the curve (above/between my boobs-to-be )

[Maddi]

being very much into body mods I have alot of tattoos and stretched piercings. I was thinking that if I ever did transition how would they effect or how would I feel with them. As of right now, with no plans to transition, they would make me, in my opinon, an unattractive girl. Assuming you tattoos hold a special meaning, message, feeling, etc as mine do, even if you don't like the tattoo later on, they still represent you. They show you at a slice in time. How you felt, how you were, and in effect who you were. Now some people get random stuff with no thought so thats different of course.

If in the end you really don't like them you can laser them. I have seen varying results, mainly depending on who is doing it. It is expensive and painful.


((I hope thats readable. lol. It's late and my pain meds have me loopy  ))

[Herwinteress]

I'm about to get my first tat....butterfly with a sprig of tendril vines. On the right forearm. (Butterfly will be about 2"-2 1/2", vines will be about 7")

Definitely girlie, which is cool whether or not I transition. I'm not going to try to be all macho anymore...not that I was much anyways.

The design sounds amazing.

My childhood best friend owns a tattoo parlor and has been after me for years to finally take the plunge and get some ink.

I've always resisted, probably because I always knew about my TS feelings.

I'm not out yet. I wonder what his reaction would be if I went in and got a 'tramp stamp.' LOL.

In all seriousness, he's shown me designs of women who've gotten tattoos at the base of their back and some of his work is amazing...may be more leaning toward top of my should blades, maybe a flower motif...

[justmeinoz]

A fair number of the women I worked with up until recently have tattoos. Several have them on the lower back, and one girl has quite a few tatts.  All highly qualified medical scientists, not bogans.
It should be possible for a good artist to alter most I would have thought.
Never been interested in them myself however, probably because I secretly felt it was too masculine.
Karen.

[Herwinteress]

Here's my drawing for what I want:




I figure it'll work with either gender.

Wow. Gorgeous!!!

IMO I'm not sure if it's really neutral-gender wise though. To me that image conveys serenity, peacefulness, feminitity. 

I can't recall seeing many guys who walking around with a butterfly tattoo - but that's not to say it couldn't be done!

[Cyndigurl45]

I don't regret my tats (Bat signal left shoulder and German eagle Celtic knot and Hawaiian hibiscus flower on right arm (my heritage)), now I just have to be a little creative to give them a feminine twist

[Naturally Blonde]

Hi,
Trying so hard to be male years ago, I went through stages like building motorcycles and joining a gun club. During one of those stages I got tattoos on both shoulders. They're not offensive at all, but I just don't like them. They're just not pretty. And now I don't wear sleeveless tops out because I'm self-conscious. Wish I hadn't done it!

Is anyone else in the same situation?

Hugs,
Kim

No. I've never liked Tattoo's personally. I never tried to be anything I wasn't and had no urge to try and be macho. I always wanted to look fem. But tattoos are not related to gender.  Both genders have tattoos done!

I saw this very pretty young blonde girl today, she must only have been about 18 or 19 and she had a lot of Tattoos all over her body. She even had a climbing one on her neck. Why?

[Keaira]

WARNING: Rant imminent.

I'm sorry about this but I have to let this out.

I just get irritated by people who look at my tattoo and say, " shame about the tattoo" (My Mum actually said that in an email right after saying I'm starting to look like a girl) or anything like that. I know a lot of girls with tattoo's, some of them are way more colorful and bigger than mine.  If I had a problem with my tattoo, I'd never have gotten it done. I have a F@#$*@# up left leg too, did you notice that? I dont see a "ooh, shame about the leg." No, its all on my green and yellow dragon.  I'm keeping my dragon and I dont care what some people here think about it making me look a little more masculine. At least its not some homemade scribble or some nude bimbo with a gun.

Okay, I'm done.