"Girly" tattoos

[jamesdoran]

Anyone else have a tattoo they got before they realized they were trans that feels strange now?

I don't think I worded that well. But for me, I have a tattoo behind my ear that I detest because you never see guys with tattoos there. And it's something I feel like is fairly "girly" too. Meh, I've just been trying to accept it for a while now. It's not that I think I won't pass because of it. It's just that it doesn't fit in with the image of the manly man I want to be. The good thing is that I don't have to see it. Anyone else have an undesirable tattoo they got while living as their birth gender?

[Athena]

You can always get the tattoo extended around your neck to make it more masculine

[blink]

You could always get it removed. If it's relatively small, shouldn't be too big a deal in the grand scheme of things to get it removed.

[KamTheMan]

Ugggh yes of course I do. I got three stars on my ribs with some blue swirly background. It's very feminine imo and I can't wait to cover it up. Someday when I have a few grand to burn I'm going to cover my side with an insane deep space scene.

[adrian]

I have two smallish ones, the Chinese character for dragon and one that's hard to describe - it's two "intertwined" dragons. It's not particularly feminine per se, but it's definitely not masculine enough for my taste. It's on my lower back, so I'm not too concerned with it right now. I'd love to get it covered up with something big and manly (totally obsessing with Valentin Hirsch atm), but I'm too worried how I'm going to react to the ink. I've had mild multiple chemical sensitivity for the past two years, I don't want to mess with that.

[AdamMLP]

It depends what style of tattoo it is.  I know a guy who's pretty masculine, and he's got a few stars behind his ear.

[Mosaic dude]

I've seen quite a few guys with tattoos behind their ears.  Admittedly they also have scalp and/or neck tattoos.

[KamTheMan]

And I don't think tats behind the ear are girly, I'm planning to get one there.

[aleon515]

I don't know if it was here or somewhere else. But I saw a guy with quite a girly looking Koi fish tattoo. He had the artist make it more masculine which was done with a darker background, and it looked pretty good.

--Jay

[jamesdoran]

Idk I don't think neck tattoos are girly...but mine isn't at all on my neck, just right behind my ear. I have no interest in extending it because I don't want the tattoo there at all and I really don't want to look "unprofessional" lol

Removing it is one option, but tattoo removal is expensive and painful, and right now there's a lot more important stuff for me to worry about.

Mine is the teal outline of a four leaf clover and I can't think of any way to make it more masculine

Wasn't really looking for advice though...just other people to empathize so i know I'm not the only one haha

[KamTheMan]

Don't even sweat it bro, you're definitely not the only one. Mine is easy to cover day to day because I always wear my binder. But after top surgery I have a lot of plans for my torso.

[LittleBoyBear]

Mine is the teal outline of a four leaf clover and I can't think of any way to make it more masculine

Wasn't really looking for advice though...just other people to empathize so i know I'm not the only one haha
[/quote]

I dunno, that doesn't sound that girly. You might actually be projecting the girlishness of it, because you got it when you identified as female?
I can't empathize though, since one of the "critisisms" I get is that my tatts are too masculine

[LittleBoyBear]

(apparently I need to work on doing that quote thing...

[Kreuzfidel]

I never got a tattoo, but if I had one that I didn't like - regardless of the reason why - I'd just get a cover-up.

[LittleBoyBear]

As for tattoo regret, I can only say that all of mine have some sort of meaning to me. Therefore, they represent my journey. The really crappy one I have on my back is part of that journey and I thank it for teaching me something every time I see it.

[wheat thins are delicious]

Mine is the teal outline of a four leaf clover and I can't think of any way to make it more masculine

That doesn't sound girly at all.  I'd say just get the outline covered over with black or something, so it's not teal.  Even if you leave it teal, there are tons of dudes out there with teal tattoos. 

[Rainbow Brite]

I think there's quite a few of us girls out there who have a similar but reverse problem with our tattoos. Some of ours are a bit more masculine than we would want now. I have the following tattoo which I got when I was 18. And while I still like it, it's like, "Was I really thinking this through?"


Sorry, it's an old pic.

[Satyrane]

As far as I see it, having a tattoo automatically puts you in the hardcore category regardless of how feminine it may be perceived. As a body mod enthusiastic, I appraise that this more a classic case of tattoo regret than anything else, especially concerning your line about looking unprofessional.

I believe total removal of the tattoo will yield the most satisfying results for you. If you feel you are mot in a position to do so, there are plenty of cover up creams.

There is a chance that it can be covered up with another tattoo if decided to go that route. It is perfectly fine that you don't know how to rework it into something you'll like more. I didn't know either when I went for a cover up. An artist has to work with the current design in order to render it undetectable. This limits your options of what is possible but a good artist can give you recommendations of what will work and could inspire you.

I wish you well.

[Bimmer Guy]

That doesn't sound girly at all.  I'd say just get the outline covered over with black or something, so it's not teal.  Even if you leave it teal, there are tons of dudes out there with teal tattoos.

I think this is an excellent idea.  I think the idea of it being girly is questionable.  I suppose it may be read this way.  I don't know much about tattoos.  However, it seems to me that going over the teal in black would be helpful with moving it away from any "girliness" you are concerned about.

[Rainbow Brite]

I think this is an excellent idea.  I think the idea of it being girly is questionable.  I suppose it may be read this way.  I don't know much about tattoos.  However, it seems to me that going over the teal in black would be helpful with moving it away from any "girliness" you are concerned about.

you could always accent with black tribal bands/shapes  or celtic bands.