Foot Tat..Yay or Nay...

I hope to form a great relationship with my artist(s). I dream of having the sort of artist who understands my style of bodmod, drawing up lovely tattoo sketches when I propose an idea, grabbing perfectly appropriate jewelry that also fits my style. And then I'll give hi/r a tip - some personal gift that I know s/he'll appreciate. And then.. then I'll call later. Just to talk. ^_^

Anywho. Point is, I try to make a home base for where I get modified. That way it's not anonymous and dumb. I do share your point, though. I made sure my first needled piercing was done by myself, and there are more self-done to come.

And regarding the fad, yes piercings and tattoos have become greatly incorporated with popular culture. But so what? You're only complying with the fad if you comply with pop culture's distorted and cheapened version of body art. If you run off and get some random tribal on your arm at some shop you didn't even check out regarding sanitation, experience, etc, or if you trot into some McStudio and get your tongue pierced without researching it and so you can fit in, etc etc. Then you are complying with the fad.

However, body modification is not a fad. It's a beautiful, intense, and for some, spiritual ritual that has been around for hundreds upon hundreds... upon hundreds of years. Contemporary bodmod is not about what society thinks of it - it serves to allow one to claim their own body as their own and modify it as their heart and soul desire, choosing meaningful modifications, and caring for them with something akin to love.

When my ribs are covered in poison oak vines and a bed of ivy, when my clitoral hood is split, when my tongue web is once again pierced at 8ga, I will be modifying my body, not society's, fuck all societal trends and expectations!

 

Please, first of all, know that I am not trying to antagonize, make fun of, or criticize you for your choices.

That said, I don't see how it comports, that you say this is all about your personal expressions, but you are going to an artist to have him/her come up with ideas. Just because it's your "style," doesn't it change it all if he is the one who comes up with the ideas?

Yes, but the problem is, how can anyone tell who is a fad-follower and who is some legitimate rebel original? They all end up looking the same. A tongue stud does not tell a story. Nor does an eyebrow ring. The reasons behind them, or who did them, or how well the piercee knows the piercer -- those are all unknowable to a person who sees simply a person with a piercing that looks like anyone else's.

That is not lost on me. I know it. But the fact that SOOOO many people are getting the McTattoos these days, and the McPiercings... that is part of what keeps me away from it. I also do not fit in with the way-underground subculture of people who are top-to-bottom tattooed and/or pierced. I have my ear done, from back in '89, and I have never not worn a stud or hoop in it since then. So, you can see, I'm not against piercing. I like the look of my earring, and I like the look of some other piercings, and I even like the symbolism of some. When I got my ear pierced in the summer after I finished high school (it was Thursday, July 13, actually ) it was after wanting to get it done for a long time, but waiting for a while because at the time it seemed like everyone was getting their done in my school, just to fit in. I waited until it would not appear that way for me.

I don't see how the body of a person without "mods" is any less "their" body. Sure, I can see that you are personalizing or customizing your appearance, but I don't see it as necessary in order to be an individual. I could go out and get duplications of every mod that some dude has, but does that mean I'm individual now? Do I diminish his individuality? He better hope to hell that his individuality does not rest on how his body looks.

Presumably, you'll be 18 when this is all done? I'd like to see that split clitoral hood then, that's for sure. I'm curious -- this is the first time I've ever even seen mention of splitting the clitoral hood! Wow! I am having trouble visualizing what it would end up looking like, what the effect would be. Got a link?

-Jeffrey

 

I think a foot tat would be awesome. I had actually thought of getting lotus flowers on symbols on my feet, but I'm afraid of the pain too. My feet are real bony and I don't have any tats yet, I don't want to get turned off by them right away because I want a few.

 

Hey,

I have a foot tattoo, its a gecko spaning across the whole foot(like it just crawled up there). I did it myself and it did hurt more than other places but it is bearable and if you really want one there dont let the pain factor stop you.
ill post a pic soon

 

A friend of mine wanted to get a tattoo on her right foot. She was afraid it'd hurt because it does more so, on the bone and anywhere on your body. She was into religious images so i suggested a simple, small, cross and see how she goes. It was a thin line down and acoss which meant that didn't take a lot of time and she got to see how painful it was.
To anyone who wants a tatt on a boney area, think of something small and have it done, then something bigger if you can bear it. Otherwise, pick out what you want, then have it done drunk :-? You'll get what you want and the booze will numb the pain.

 

Actually booze will make it hurt more...or maybe that's pot...I'm not sure...

I had a friend that got drunk and got his neck tattooed and he said it hurt worse than any tattoo he's ever gotten. I think alcohol increases blood flow, therefore, it expands capillaries which will make you bleed more for sure...I'm not sure about the pain factor though.

 

I wouldnt get somthing small, thats one of the biggest mistakes people make when getting a tattoo(besides bad design). Small tattoos tend to look like stickers more than tattoos.

Its also a bad idea to drink and get a tattoo.
I had clients who were drunk and im never doing it again. Besides them acting stupid and moving, it thins out your blood and flushes out the ink you are trying to put in.A beer or two is fine but nothing to get ya wasted.

 

By getting drunk i meant choose your design, then drink. It's worked for a lot of scaredies i know Not get drunk and then get the tatt, that "is" silly.


And for a lot of those it does help with pain.

As for small tatts looking like stickers? Never heard of anyone thinking that, tatts on the feet tend to be small at least the ones i know of. Tatts are obviously tatts because they aren't on the skin like a sticker would be.

What's with all this blood talk? If blood is being drawn while tattooing i'd be interested in this. I've never experienced that or has anyone i know. What millimetre needle do you use?

 

no blood when tattooing?there is blood that is flushing out as you tattoo. The only thing is you dont know it because its full of ink and isnt red. Especially when you are doing shading or coloring. And as for depth there is no other depth to go in order to tattoo properly and that is 1/16 of an inch. I have been tattooing for long enough to know what im saying. The whole sticker look happens when you get a whole bunch of small tattoos in area that suit a large tattoo. I have seen it many times where people will get a tattoo the size of a quarter right on there back. (it just looks off)


And small tattoos arent always fatser then medium ones. Small ones have to be very precise and it somthimes takes a little longer to complete those ones.

 

I was talking about small tattooes on feet not looking like stickers. Obviously on the back for instance, since it's a larger area it would look funny and almost non existant.
You people and your inches I'm used to a 3 millimetre needle. No blood "flushes out of you" maybe it depends on the artist but where i come from there is no amounts of blood. I sure would not like you to have done mine. Unless my memory is failing, mine have not bled.

 

thanks everyone for your thoughts and experiences..

theres blood when tattooing, no massacre or nothing but there is some...

and alcohol makes your blood thin so you're not suppose to drink before getting a tattoo..

Ive decided to go for it and am hopefully getting it done in two weeks.. if i cry i cry so be it..ive decided to get shooting stars coming off the top of where my foot begins and have three or four little stars going in a downward direction..hard to explain (haha and might sound lame) but i drew it out and it looks pretty neat..

Thanks everyone of you very much...

 

sounds cool I seen somthing like that before, check out the bme website for great ideas.

 

Mine didn't bleed, regardless of what the other guy said.

Put it this way. Are you going to have kids? A tattoo to child birth is nothing. If you're going to handle that then you'll be fine