Tattoos

I have just read in the Daily Paper that one of the columnists in there thinks that women should not have tattoos, and they certainly aren't sexy. He seems to think that only men should have them done, and apparently, a lot of men agree with him.

Hang on.....I'm a woman....I have five tattoos altogether, ranging from a tiny cross on my thumb, to one that stretches from my hip to my rib cage. So now that I have "defiled" my body with permanent ink, no man is going to view me a sexy?

Angelina Jolie has a fair few, but she is still a sex symbol, as is Megan Fox. So why is it different for us non-famous people?

I love my tattoos, two of which I had done in memory of my father. Ok, so some people might think that my latest is a bit "big," but who does this guy think he is to say that women with tattoos are not sexy??

Could it be something to do with what my tattooist said? Whilst having my latest, we were chatting away, (bearing in mind that the needle at this point feels like it is scraping my ribs), he said to me that a lot of people who have tats where mine is (mostly men, for the record,) have trouble keeping still, as it is quite a painful place. When I replied that it didn't hurt nowhere near as bad as I thought it would, he replied "Well, I have always found that women handle the pain far better than men do." This from the mouth of a man who has spent the last 15 or so years tattooing people of all ages, and from all walks of life.

Why do men feel the need to put down women who do not conform to the traditional "Housewife" image? Yes, I have tattoos, and several piercings too, but that doesn't mean I am a bad person, or that I am any different to other women. It just means that i like to express myself in a way I like, instead of baking cakes and spending all day at home caring for my "hunter-provider."

Not one person who has seen my tattoos has told me "It looks awful" or "It makes you look ugly." In fact, everyone has said how nice they are, and how they are very suited to my personality.

It is all a matter of opinion. If you don't like them, that's fine. But don't slag off those of us who do have them. What's that saying?

"The difference between people with tattoos and those without, is that those with tattoos don't care whether you have got one or not."