Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So I've been thinking lately of getting a tattoo once I've healed from my Orchi.  I want to get a butterfly, probably in the pelvic region.  The reason for this is because I'd like something to symbolize my transition, and the journey and changes I've accomplished over the last two years.  I've come a very long way, and a butterfly speaks to the changes I've made.  Over the last two years I've blossomed into a joyful, vibrant, beautiful woman with a lot going for her.  The butterfly represents my journey, and how I've blossomed.  It's a symbol of my rebirth as a person.  Does anyone else feel this way, or plan on getting a tattoo of their own?

Jenn

That could be cute.  Just don't get a 'Tramp' stamp.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fz.about.com%2Fd%2Ftattoo%2F1%2FG%2FV%2FB%2Fjulieback.jpg&hash=12852e90dff02315d1cd25ef2ffb5102743a6453)

Janet

Oh don't worry Janet, no 'tramp' stamp for me.  I'm a Lady.  Something more like this for me:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg2.blogcu.com%2Fimages%2Fm%2Fu%2Fr%2Fmurateylul%2Ftattoo-butterfly-400a0411.jpg&hash=fc6d64fa194f409090271bd91f1d2430721075bc)

Jenn

Now that is cute.  I personally am trying to get one removed.  One of those dumb guy things.

Janet

I've been thinking about a dragon one personally...
Tis a similar notion, however.

I have my name in Chinese on my lower back, a constant reminder of my transition.

I also have a Dragon on my left butt cheek, havent a clue why I out it there.

Buffy

Im having a reverse tattoo transition, removing all my old male ones at the moment.

I might consider getting a new female one though once they are gone but after the pain and cost i will haveto really think about it. Butterflies are defo very nice :)

 Heh... Reminds me of a poem I wrote about wounds once...


And like. I wanna get one on a piece of discolored skin from a burn a long time ago. Something symbolic.

I'm also getting cartilage piercings eventually in 90 degree angles to my lobe ones. Just simple rings.


The Gauge down to 8 is where I stopped with my lobes. It was highly symbolic of growing up and permanent change and a start to transition for me.

*has a tramp stamp*

>:(

cute little butterflys when you're are young look like Mothra when you're 40

Quote from: Janet Lynn on August 29, 2008, 10:59:43 PM
Now that is cute.

Thanks Janet!  ;D

Quote from: tekla on August 30, 2008, 02:59:47 AM
cute little butterflys when you're are young look like Mothra when you're 40

Yeah, I'm also thinking about that...will I still want it when I'm a middle-aged woman?

Jenn

Most women regret their tattoos within five years.

I have 3 tatoos, 1 I have had covered upv2 times and am finally happy with it. 1 I am hoping will fade (and is) and one I may have removed. My words of wisdom (after the fact). I now only get custom stuff so it is totaly original. I plan on getting a few new one, I am in the processs of designing it now. Maybe you can find one you like and modify it a bit so its special to you.
Myles

Quote from: tekla on August 30, 2008, 11:43:17 AM
Most women regret their tattoos within five years.

Its why I'm doing it over an old burn. Its just minor enough for the skin to be fine for it, yet has the pigment all weird cause of the burn.


Anything I do over it just makes it less bad looking. Hahahah. I'm actually going to make the wound maybe more wound-ey.

Maybe put like.. Exposed circuitry on there lol

Plan to have a dragon on chest after top surgery and after it heals.  Hopefully designed in a way to detract make the scars blind into the image lol.

But as for trany stamp, already figured bad idea.  might see if can find a necklece with the symbol that way if change mind about being as open as I am can just not wear it lol

I'm going to be getting a valkyrie on my right shoulder blade sometime in the near future after my name change.  It's been in the planning stages for almost a year now, since I discovered my name.  After SRS I'm getting a raven tat on my right thigh.  Then for my 40th birthday I'm getting one to cover a tat on my right forearm, but it hasn't come to me yet.

Val, not even mentioning the piercings...

Quote from: Aiden on August 30, 2008, 12:33:11 PM
might see if can find a necklece with the symbol that way if change mind about being as open as I am can just not wear it lol

Thats a good idea Aiden, I might do that instead but I'm not sure.

Jenn

Quote from: Janet Lynn on August 29, 2008, 10:59:43 PM
Now that is cute.  I personally am trying to get one removed.  One of those dumb guy things.

Janet

I have several tattoos, one being tattooed by Ed Hardy; it's in the text book of his work. Another one was a homemade mess that I was going to remove myself with a hand grinder. My therapist suggested leaving it alone, and I eventually had it cut out by a cosmetic surgeon while I watched. It was a black bar, about 1 inch long, 1/4 inch wide. I will end up with a thin white line on my arm, which is preferable to a meaningless and rather ugly black bar. I had looked into laser, and the "doctor" explained that there would be no guarantee, but it would take 5 sessions, $500 each, and the laser may only lighten it. He then said that if it didn't go away, I could just tattoo over it. I said that for $2500, I would do it myself, and to give him $2500 so that I could tattoo over it was an insult! I could easily tattoo over it if I wished to do so, why would I throw away $2500???

My advice to anyone planning a tattoo, would be to think carefully about its placement. Where you put it has as much to do with how you feel about the design in the coming years as anything else.

My laser treatment has been very successful so far,

3 are all black and fading fast after 2 treatments and i cant really see them being around much longer. The swallow which is colored i had done when i was nearly 14 is fading very well too.

I would think after transition you would want to forget transition.

Different for different people I think.

Yes, no, maybe so...

I will be getting some sort of ink. Something small and meaningful. The symbol of Mars, maybe? I don't know. But I have a few tattoo ideas in mind that I might explore in my 20's and 30's. I'm definitely not getting one any time soon.

Whatever you do, just don't get it on your tits. It ruins them for me. And go with something small. You don't want the tattoo to be ALL anyone sees when you're naked.

Quote from: Nero on August 30, 2008, 08:10:55 PM
Whatever you do, just don't get it on your tits. It ruins them for me. And go with something small. You don't want the tattoo to be ALL anyone sees when you're naked.

LOL why not :)    and wouldn't be over entire torso, plus I'd probably be keeping price in mind as well.  Shrugs

Quote from: lisagurl on August 30, 2008, 04:49:52 PM
I would think after transition you would want to forget transition.

Move on afterwards, yes.  But never forget the struggle I had to endure.

Quote from: Nero on August 30, 2008, 08:10:55 PM
Whatever you do, just don't get it on your tits. It ruins them for me. And go with something small. You don't want the tattoo to be ALL anyone sees when you're naked.

Never planned on it Nero sweetie!   :laugh: :laugh:

Jenn

Guys with tats can be cool.  Women with a small one are cool.  Women with a lot are ugly.  IMHO.

My Laser tech said she can remove my tattoo.  Thank God.

Janet

I've wanted for a long time to have a long tattoo across the shoulders on my back. I want it to say something somewhat meaningful to me. Originally I wanted the word "Imagine," from John Lennon's song, but I realized the word could be seen somewhat pervertedly, and no one else would really get it. Unless I said Imagine John Lennon, which is too long and I don't want anyone's name on my body... :/ It's the concept I want.

Quote from: Elwood on August 30, 2008, 10:37:47 PM
It's the concept I want.

^*nods* I understand that thought. For me though I want symbolism.

It will be interesting to see if I ever do anything, heh.

think twice before you get them  I have sleaves and am in the processs of changing the left lower arm damn theat laser really hurts bad and will only get it lighten to change the artwork  but I would love to have none but ohwell It is me so be it stills goes good wth my harley

I got 2. one on my back & one on my shoulder. I got a piercin on my right eyebrow to. u cant see it on my foto but its there :laugh:

Quote from: Nero on August 30, 2008, 08:10:55 PM
Whatever you do, just don't get it on your tits. It ruins them for me.

I had the idea of getting a young Jerry Garcia on a breast before HRT, then when I grew he'd either get fat (and remain true to life) or go psychedelic (and remain true to life).

One day I'd like to get Frank Zappa on my arm just below the shoulder (under the sleeve).To stay on topic it could be argued to be a symbol of transition in that I want to be my own person and not care what society thinks about that... but really it's a nod to my idol.

I got this wonderful piece done to cover up two of my fairly masculine tattoos:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.noobtown.co.nz%2Ftatt2.jpg&hash=35f761f1a8d8fc159b24f84b85779afd4f35013e)

I'm planning to have tattoos done to cover the surgery scars after top surgery.  I'm actually thinking of having an entire vest done.  We'll see.

Vexing - That's very pretty.

An FTM friend of mine went to a tattoo artist to do exactly the same thing.
The artist said he was reluctant to do it without waiting two years for the scar tissue to heal - because he had seen from experience that the scar tissue could rip during the needlework.
I'm sure the artist you choose will give you the right advice at the time - after all, chest scars are not very usual, so the healing time may vary :)

Yes, I had read that a few places as well.  But I'm in no hurry.  It will take me a while to save up the money for a tattoo after blowing all my savings on surgery anyway.  ;D

I don't have any tat.s as of yet. But I do have an assortment of scares. So I was thinking to get some tat.s to cover some of that. Some scares remind me of a butterfly and a flower so I was thinking to go with that. The other scares look kinda like lightening. Butterflies, Flowers and lightening sounds like a good combo  :icon_chick:

I have a butterfly also. It is a symbol of metamorphosis. Maybe I'll get another larger one.

I have three tatoos and have a full back, full shoulder and wrists planned for the next pieces of work.
The full back one is personal, connected to my transition but also a constant "note to self" to let myself "exist" even if it's maybe not the "myself" that others "think" I should have.

I have 9 tattoos already and I plan to get a ton more (full sleeves, back piece, chest piece) and a lot of them have to do with transition
+ I'm a butchdyke so I wear the women-with-lots-of-tats-are-ugly thing like a badge of honour :P

• I'm planning on getting the male symbol in pink around one elbow (with an exclamation sign in the middle of it) and the female symbol in blue around the other elbow (with the classic fist in the middle of it).
• I'm working on one arm that is going to be all pink and the other all blue with purple filling in the negative space
• I'm going to get a chameleon on my pubic region after SRS
• I'm going to get a simone de beauvoir quote across my upper back that says "The body is not a thing, it is a situation: it is our grasp on the world and our sketch of our project"
• When I've gotten my sleeves finished I'm going to get the word FEMINIST on the outside of my knuckles and TRANSEXUAL on the inside of my knuckles.(I'll have to include the thumbs for the latter)

I think that's all I can think of now.

xoxo
Kate

I've seen some women with some pretty cool tat.s  :laugh:

An itty bitty rose on my left ankle..does that count?

For the longest time I wanted to have a tattoo; a phoenix on my left shoulderblade.
The last couple of years, I'm not too sure anymore. I am beginning to feel that I don't need a reminder of the fact that I survived a lot of pain.
I already know that I am strong, I don't need a tattoo to convince me of that.


PolarBear

I've always been far too repressed to get a tattoo, but always wanted one. I need to do a bunch of weight loss first, but think I'll get one to celebrate getting to my goal. A beached whale? :)

No, seriously, what I want is something in a Pacific Northwest tribal style, like these:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3005%2F2342499675_aed2dacb29.jpg%3Fv%3D0&hash=fd03c7c686a872690a2ab9990e58717abff4a100)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffc04.deviantart.com%2Ffs37%2Ff%2F2008%2F250%2Fa%2Fe%2FTribal_Tattoo___Otter_by_Windspeaker_wolf.png&hash=2a7cdd8b169beef9e67111636890a225bc6a7044)

Quote from: PolarBear on May 10, 2009, 04:00:57 AM
..... a phoenix.....
PolarBear

I AM a phoenix. 

Yeah, I've thought about a tattoo, but, nah.....probably not..



Bev

I have a couple of tattoos I wanna get, but not all related to transition.

I want an ankh and a mercury symbol. I've been playing around with combining the two symbols and doing something artistic with it.

I wear an ankh all of the time -- I have an ankh necklace I've been wearing for about three years, all of the time. LOL

The ankh means life, of course. And the mercury means fluidity/adaptability/changeability/etc ... it's also seen as a trans/intersex symbol as well (although, I know non-trans people who have tattoo's of the symbol as well).

I don't know where I want the symbols yet. I also have a few other ideas for tattoos as well.

--natalie

I have ideas for tattoos floating around, but the only concrete design is the male female combination design, which I've wanted done since I was 13.  I haven't changed mind on location or approximate size, either.  Now I just need to figure out coloration, but no hurry.

By the way, Natalie, you look fabulous in that picture.

as long as you think about it and are pretty sure you won't regret it later on...i have four so far...may get one relating to transition after everything is done...

Quote from: Elwood on August 30, 2008, 10:37:47 PM
I've wanted for a long time to have a long tattoo across the shoulders on my back. I want it to say something somewhat meaningful to me. Originally I wanted the word "Imagine," from John Lennon's song, but I realized the word could be seen somewhat pervertedly, and no one else would really get it. Unless I said Imagine John Lennon, which is too long and I don't want anyone's name on my body... :/ It's the concept I want.

I've wanted something like that for awhile now.  Across my shoulders.  I don't know what yet, though, because it has to mean something extremely important to me.

This is the only tattoo I have so far:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi284.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll8%2Fsunny_eyed_hope%2Fbody%2520mod%2FPhoto11.jpg&hash=ee4f16fd6a803f7193c3e4cdb00fbc51c5ee85bc)

The two symbols in it represent the biggest things in my life that I've had to "Radically Accept", which are my trans identity (the purple triangle, it was originally two triangles, one pink and one blue blending together, but I got the tat too small for that, so it's all purple), and my lifelong struggle with my physical and mental health, represented by the chakra or lotus.

Quote from: Kayden on May 13, 2009, 07:10:01 PM
This is the only tattoo I have so far:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi284.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll8%2Fsunny_eyed_hope%2Fbody%2520mod%2FPhoto11.jpg&hash=ee4f16fd6a803f7193c3e4cdb00fbc51c5ee85bc)

Awesomness :D
It suits you well.

That's a really nice tatoo Kayden, I like it. I think it is pretty unique looking, and it looks like it was inked by someone that knows what they are doing. 

Quote from: Vexing on May 13, 2009, 07:17:40 PM
Awesomness :D
It suits you well.

Quote from: Nicky on May 13, 2009, 07:23:27 PM
That's a really nice tatoo Kayden, I like it. I think it is pretty unique looking, and it looks like it was inked by someone that knows what they are doing. 

Thanks, I designed it myself and really talked to the guy before I had it done.  I'm really pleased with it.  I've had it for a year now.  I also forgot to mention, the tattoo is a reminder to Radically Accept other things in my life that I can't change instead of doing something I will regret or that will hurt my family (which is what the tattoo is covering, actually).  If I've accepted being trans and done all this work to get where I am and have made it through as much with my health as I have, then this is a reminder that other things in life are transient and that I can get through them.

I've been thinking about getting one too for a while now. Kinda got to playing with photoshop and came up with this really simple idea. Nothing extremely fancy but I liked it.

I've been planning on one for a while, though I would need a proper artist to do it, I'm a bit picky

essentially what I am planning is a black widow (yes the spider) perched on top of an emerald green rose.  I was thinking somewhere in my lower back, but not near my butt, because that's just silly, for me at least.

The black widow on an emerald rose is a symbol I have used for a long time, a theme in my life so to speak, just something that is a representation of me.

Quote from: Rachel on May 14, 2009, 03:11:00 PM
a symbol I have used for a long time, a theme in my life so to speak, just something that is a representation of me.

Usually a good rule for tattoos.  If it's something you're attached to for a long time, your less likely to regret it a week later.

I definitely am going to get a tattoo =D and I already have the one i want in mind...still thinking on a good location though =\

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.decaljunky.com%2Fcart%2Fimages%2FPRODUCT%2Fmedium%2F3104.jpg&hash=57095148100e32fcf6811aace114341d5942e634)

I also plan on getting a lip ring (possible snake bite)..depends on how everything goes =)

I have a "Tramp stamp" and one other very large tattoo so I guess that makes me an ugly tramp. :)  Neither tattoo represents my transition.

-={LR}=-

Quote from: Cynn on May 25, 2009, 04:56:15 AM
I also plan on getting a lip ring (possible snake bite)..depends on how everything goes =)

I have a lip ring they are awesome! :) 

I think tattoos on woman are really sexy. ;)

I am still thinking about getting a tattoo maybe a half sleeve. Still not sure.. I like tribal stuff its just having the money to get one I think is my problem.

Jay