for my 21st bday on sunday my girl is gettin me my first tat (scheduled for tomoro). wish i woulda posted this earlier but didnt think bout it. im gonna get the trans anchor symbol, close to 3x3 size on the inside of my left forearm. it will be darkish blue like the background of this pic

only 2 things- chances of not gettin a job (in psych or social work) your opinion? and also ill always be sorta outed unless i wear long sleeves

both of these things dont bother me but i jus wanna hear opinions

That's coool.....I want a tat ... just can't determine what I want

Thats a cool tattoo.

I have a tattoo on my lower left arm - a chocobo. I haven't had much problem with getting jobs, but not professional ones. In my job in the pharmacy, I had to wrap my arm up so that it couldn't be seen. If you decide to get something on your arm, I would say get it on your upper arm. It's easier to hide. As it stands, I can't even roll my shirt sleeves up in interviews comfortably, despite the fact that it is just a cartoon bird. As for the symbol itself - if it has personal meaning and you connect with it, its a great choice of tattoo. However, bear in mind that if you get it in a visible place like your lower arm and potential employers see it and know what it represents, they may find a way to not hire you - they will find some reason not to if they are not comfortable with it. My birdie on my arm lost me a job just because the interviewer didn't like tattoos (though on the paperwork it was listed that I didn't have the desired training). Sucks, but life's pretty much like that.

Also, since it is reminiscent of the Navy Anchors, I would put it on my upper arm, since traditionally the Navy got upper arm tattoos. But, bear that in mind too - if someone didn't know what the symbol was (I didn't) they would assume a Navy connection. Employers may or may not like this, but also people could assume something about you without you ever saying something. As someone who grew up in the Military, I can tell you that military folks tend to get pretty... inclusive about certain tattoos. If you live in a Navy heavy area, just keep that in mind.

I wouldn't worry too much about being outed by it, most people outside our community will just see an anchor.  If you're worried about jobs maybe get it on your bicep or something?  Easier to hide, and it'll look great when you flex.

What if someday you fully transition and consider yourself no longer trans*, but just male?

As Jimmy Buffet says: "A permanent reminder of a temporary feeling".

@randi - itll always be apart of me, the trans thing. i already consider myself jus male but i cant deny that im transgender

I have worked with a lot of psychology professionals that have tattoos. If they are with a patient they are worried about it with, they just cover it up.  I have 5 tattoos, but I got them all in areas that are not too hard to cover. I think tattoos are a great way of expressing yourself.

do you think my forearm is place that cannot be or is difficult to cover up? some ppl say yea but i say it isnt as low as my wrist and its not a neck or face tattoo. longsleeves can do the job

Quote from: Brayden on October 18, 2012, 08:23:13 PM
do you think my forearm is place that cannot be or is difficult to cover up? some ppl say yea but i say it isnt as low as my wrist and its not a neck or face tattoo. longsleeves can do the job

One thing to consider is the weather in your area. If you live in a place that gets hot most of the year, you may want to reconsider the placement. However, if you only want to cover it up at work or nice functions then I don't think it is much of an issue.

My husband has both forearms tattooed, and he just wears long sleeve shirts to interviews. It works just fine, and most people don't have a huge problem with it. My wrist is tattooed, but I wear a watch anyway, so that's not as hard to cover as most people think. And there's always concealers if it just must be hidden. The hassle is just irksome for some people. I personally wouldn't want to always have to wear a long sleeve shirt, but that's because I'm a flippin' heater. I'd cook myself out, haha. Other people don't mind, and if it means that much to you, dooooo it! :p

arrite arrite decision made...thank you so much everybody! now...im a fair skinned kid...black/grey tat or color(dark blue)? or black/grey wit accents of color

Quote from: Brayden on October 18, 2012, 09:10:38 PM
arrite arrite decision made...thank you so much everybody! now...im a fair skinned kid...black/grey tat or color(dark blue)? or black/grey wit accents of color

if you go with a dark blue then people will definitelt think it's a navy tat. i think black and grey is a good idea. i'm a fair skinned dude too and i've got 5 tattoos. 3 black (hip, back, forearm) and 2 w/ color (wrist, ribs).

I interview lots of people for jobs. Tattoos are no problem unless they are racist, sexist or offensive in some other way. Avoid getting your face tattooed.  That does become a problem in many professions. Woman have more problems with tattoos at job interviews than guys do. It is a sexist thing; it is increasingly common for young people to present at interview with Tats. I doubt that anyone outside of the GLBTG community would have a clue to the significance of the anchor.

Good luck.

Quote from: Randi on October 18, 2012, 06:45:58 PM
What if someday you fully transition and consider yourself no longer trans*, but just male?

As Jimmy Buffet says: "A permanent reminder of a temporary feeling".

I agree with this. However, if you say that youll always consider it a part of you, then I guess thats not a problem. I would still bear it in mind though, just in case.

One thing to keep in mind is that sunlight greatly speeds up the aging process of a tattoo. If you get it on an exposed area such as the forearm, you'll have to wear long sleeves or keep sunblock at hand when under the sun if you don't want to have to have it touched up every few years (especially if you're going to have the little rope included, fine and close lines get the brunt of the aging process).

Black generally ages better than colors, although it varies a lot depending on the quality of the ink and of the tattoo itself.

If I may ask, who are you getting it done by?

Quote from: Make_It_Good on October 19, 2012, 11:13:34 AM
I agree with this. However, if you say that youll always consider it a part of you, then I guess thats not a problem. I would still bear it in mind though, just in case.

Same here.

If it was me I'd go for shoulder and in black.  I'm not too keen on coloured tattoos, maybe I've just not seen enough good ones, I don't know, but personally I feel black looks better for most things, and the design just feels like it would suit a shoulder placement well to me.

At the end of the day though it's your tat and your life it represents, and we're not you.

Quote from: Brayden on October 18, 2012, 05:43:56 PM
only 2 things- chances of not gettin a job (in psych or social work) your opinion? and also ill always be sorta outed unless i wear long sleeves

most people would just see an anchor and also when you're working you will probably be wearing a shirt and tie. right?
you could  make it a bit more anchor like less squared edges would make it look less like a symbol and more like an anchor.

As others have said, just see what potential jobs are going to think.  I have 4 tattoos [three on my ankles (hush ) and one on my upper arm], but I have to cover them up for the job I'm going to be entering unless I find a place that doesn't mind the tattoos I have (they're non-offensive, but I currently live in an area that frowns on tattoos).  If you get on your forearm and have to cover it up, but it's hot, you could go for some sort of cover up like the one put out by Kat Von D which is a little pricey, but covers up tats pretty well.