For a lot of you, you’re on your own for the first time ever. You know what that means? You now have the freedom to do all the things your parents never allowed you to do; one of those things being in the form of permanent ink. Yes—tattoos. We all love the idea of tattoos and how cool, expressive and creative they are. But there are a few things you should keep in mind before you go under the needle.
1. Think it through
Never get an “in the moment” tattoo or get one just to have one. Remember—tattoos are permanent. That means forever. Do you want to look at a tattoo thirty years from now and see a unicorn or even worse, your ex’s name just because you were madly in love with him at the time that you got it?
Try thinking it through before you just go and get a tattoo. I’ll admit that even I wish my first tattoo had some kind of meaning to it. I was young and didn’t really think about what I was getting; I just wanted one. Don’t be in a rush—really think about what you’re getting and what you’d like to have on your body for the rest of your life.
2. Be mindful of the placement
Depending on the profession you plan on going into, it’s likely that the placement of your tattoos can prevent you from getting a good job. When getting tattoos, it’s best to get them in places that can be covered. A lower back tattoo, for instance, will probably more than likely never be shown in the workplace, so it’s a pretty good choice for placement. You don’t want your choice of placement to hinder you from getting a job.
3. Don’t just go anywhere to get it
Tattoos can cost a lot of money. They can become even more costly depending on the size and how much color is used. But that doesn’t mean you have to go to a sleazy place inside someone’s basement to save some money. If you don’t have the money to get it professionally done, then chances are that you don’t need it.
A lot of times, people that do tattoos illegally don’t charge a lot for a reason. They either don’t know what they’re doing or aren’t doing things correctly, meaning they may not properly sterilize their equipment. You don’t want to risk getting a messed up tattoo or catching a disease just to save a few bucks.
4. They can be very painful
If you’re anything like me and hate needles, getting a tattoo (especially the first one) can be a really painful experience. Make sure that you’re ready to endure the pain of it before you begin the process. Places such as your feet, ribs and neck are known to be some of the most painful places to get a tattoo.
Keep in mind that once the artist starts, he or she has to continue with it. You wouldn’t want to be stuck with half an outline of a butterfly because you couldn’t handle the pain. Here’s the warning to you: proceed with caution.
5. Tattoos should be meaningful
Since you’ll be stuck with it for the rest of your life (unless you want to pay a lot of money to get it removed by a laser), it’s best to get something that means something to you. Some of my meaningful tattoos include my sister’s birthday in roman numerals and a rosary in honor of my Catholic religion.
Twenty years down the line, your tattoo should mean just as much as it did to you when you first got it. You should never look at a tattoo and regret it or wonder why you got it! Good luck collegiettes!