The 7 Common and Tiring Misconceptions About Tattoos

There are a lot of reasons why people want to have tattoos on their bodies. And you yourself may have known of their personal reasons for doing such. Well, it could be that it gives them the chance to look cool, tough and/or macho.  Or sometimes it just allows them to be like their favorite rock stars, take for example Justin Bieber (thanks Yahoo!).

                                                                                               Yahoo!

Yes, her mom is always watching him even his fucking douchebagery.

For centuries, this art has been used to signify social class, community rank, uniqueness, and yeah, religion. Historically speaking, before motorcycles and skateboards were even invented, tattoos were as popular as Nicki Minaj’s twerking today. Yes, the most common of them is Edward VIII, the European royal of the late 19th century. That said, I can’t fucking understand why there are people, despite the historical figures involve, saying that getting a tattoo only applies to those who are less fortunate, the type who can’t afford to go to school thus decides to form a gang. And because I, too, have (always) been deemed a leader of a criminal syndicate by my fucking friends and relatives, I want to share to you, especially the oldsters, the common misconceptions of tattoo.

#7. You Can’t Donate Blood

Of all the fucking reasons that I have to deal each day, this one never gets old.  When I got my first tattoo done, the initial argument I had was with my Philippine Red Cross friend.  Basically, he kept on shoving to my face that, “Hey, Felix, guess what? You won’t be able to donate blood anymore. Congratulations, Stupid,” and he did this as often as taking a meal, three times a day. Yes, a real friend indeed. I mean, he could’ve had at least appreciate my newly found art or maybe, offered me some antibiotics at the first place. But no, he was too dumb to fucking realize that this idea is as stinky as his grandmother’s diapers.

                                                                                                                      Daily Dot

I bet this legalizes everything, eh?

According to Ronald Sacher, MD, director at Hoxworth Blood Center, a person can donate blood as soon as the scars are healed; the same thing applies for piercings. One has to ensure, however, that the equipment/tools used by their tattoo artists are sterilized. Of course, you are not fucking stupid not to realize that this one here is important. He also added that “there are various ways to have a body art done and still be passionate in your commitment to helping others.” Sad to say, a lot of people, including my Philippine Red Cross BFF, are still hysterical when it comes to this topic.

#6.  Tattoos Will Look Ugly When You’re Old 

Actually, this one here made me laugh. Let me tell you why; when I searched on Google for “tattoos look bad on,” even without finishing the phrase, the first one to appear was “tattoos look bad on black people.” I definitely burst into laughter. Hey, I’m not being racist. Nope. It’s just that tattoo has really gotten too mainstream that even people have to fucking search for reasons why it looks bad on blacks.  And its level of stupidity is the same with the notion that tattoo will look ugly when you’re old.  Honestly, it’s as stupid as saying that PSY’s Gangnam Style is the proof that the world would’ve had ended last 2012. I mean, regardless of having a tattoo or not, we won’t look like America’s Next Top Model when we’re on our 60’s or 70’s. There’s no such thing as “sexy or macho senior citizen.”

                                                                                                                     Daily Mail

Well, sad to say, this is not even close enough. 

As a matter of fact, old folks are more concerned with Obama’s fucking Health Care Plan than the slightly wrinkled tattoos on their bodies.  And personally, it’s the fucking last thing I will ever think about.  In other words, as you get older, you (should) tend to become less concerned with your physical appearances. Instead, live your life to the fullest, like try to rob a bank when you’re at your “golden age” or you can choose to climb Mt. Everest. Now, that’s fucking hardcore!

#5.  It Will Impede Your Career Probabilities

I got my first tattoo, a typographic one, when I was on my 2nd year in college. So, it felt like, “Fuck yeah, I’m in college. I must have a tattoo.” But of course, before displaying my teenage angst, I had to court my parents first. And as what I expected, my pursuit of happiness was not easy. I did it anyway. So, night and day I had to hear my parents preaching, “You won’t get a stable job.” It didn’t scare me, though. But hey, I’m not saying that I’m a bad, bad son for not following them. I just know what I’m doing.

                                                                         Verbatim Report

A great example of how CEOs look like nowadays.

“Now, you’re going to be broke for the rest of your life.” As this article is written, most tattooed individuals have heard this from their friends and relatives.  But at last, someone from the corporate world in the name of John Challenger has given answers to one of the most fucking worthless idea on getting a tattoo. The consulting firm CEO explained that “even in this tight job market, most companies aren’t going to view tattoos too harshly. Companies have vested interest in hiring the most qualified candidate.”  More and more companies are now starting to recognize the indefinite diversity amongst individuals, including ones with tattoos, and that there are differences that need to be valued in order to make a company stronger. In fact, you might find it ironic that most companies nowadays are run by people with tattoos.

#4.  When You Have Tattoos, You’re a Member of an Outlaw Gang

Although there might have been an element of truth on this one when tattoos were still famous with outlaw gangs or ex-cons like rapists, tattoos nowadays are very popular across different people and all types of cultures. They appreciate tattoo as an art, a form of self-expression. And this is not for the sake of displaying the number of girls one has killed and yeah, raped. So, when you hear people saying, “tattoo as taboo,” fucking punch them in face. Tell them that it’s 2013, and Danny Trejo (Machete), with all the tattoos over his body and the mere fact that he’s a fucking ex-con, had read bedtime stories with kids.

                                                                                                           Risen Magazine

"Kids, for tonight, I'll read to you the story of Humpy Dumpy and his Illuminati tattoo."

A person’s personality is not distinguished by his/her physicality, except for Koreans, of course, where you really have to consider things. Basically, we are now living in the world where only 99% of human beings are only here to occupy planet Earth while only a percent still believes in changing the world for the better, like Manny Pacquiao’s pastors.  That said, people should not give a damn whether that punk came from prison. Instead, they should mind their own fucking business, like what the fuck are they going to eat for dinner.

#3.  Tattooed People are of Low Intelligence or Crazy

The last time I heard one of my relatives telling me that I look crazy and stupid with my tattoos and piercing all over was when my grandmother died. And that’s not something you want to hear especially on an event of mourning and loss. Well, she seems to be confident when to think our brains are quite far in comparison. Yes, I do know that for a fact because she once was a bitch for seeking love. And no matter how fucking hard we shove into her face that that man is dim-witted, she won’t believe us. Anyway, so much for my aunt’s worthless love story. Going back, having a tattoo is often deemed by people as a de facto indication of mental issues, one that is being crazy or stupid,  although there’s no clear evidence to why such idea should be real.

Instruction: To look dumb, place tattoo here. 

However, studies on specific populations, particularly prisoners, show that these tattooed inmates are of both lower and higher intelligence, some are even higher than non-tattooed ones. And you can say that this is true when most serial killers, who delivers an out-of-this-fucking-world killing scheme barely solved by the FBI or police. Right, Ms. Joanna Dennehy?

#2.  You Can’t Go Abroad, Like Fucking America

Here in the Philippines, every person has this idea that only fucking America can help him/her rise from poverty and yeah, be able to live the fucking American dream. Well, I can’t really blame them when our country’s government officials are corrupt and fucking filthy. The isolation of relief goods and donations after the devastation of Haiyan Typhoon is a proof. With this, however, I always get told to remove my tattoos because if not, I won’t be able to go abroad. First of all, how and why the fuck would I remove my tattoos? Do you really think it’s as easy as licking an ice cream on a hot, sunny day? And of course, why the fuck should I remove my tattoos?  But anyway, the heart of the matter is that people with tattoos will not be able to go abroad. It’s because their visa or whatsoever papers/documents won’t be approved.

                                                                                 Cambodia Visa

If you're hardcore enough, you can try this trick over here.

According to my legitimate sources, this could be a posing problem if and only if one has a potential for infectious disease. Nevertheless, once you’re medical papers state that you’re free from diseases like HIV/AIDs, which are the common issues, your US Visa is then approved.  As a matter of fact, I’ve seen a lot of people with tattoos, mostly in the music scene, going in and out of America and other countries like they’re just a block away.

#1.  Tattoos Are Only For Rock Stars

For sure, this is one of the worst things you’ll ever hear from the people around you. “So, Felix, I’ve heard you have a tattoo? You’re a rock star, eh?” And I don’t seem to understand why one needs to be, at least, Elvis Presley before having a tattoo. It’s the same as saying that you’re going to hell for not praying the rosary during the month of October.

"Is this rock star enough, Felix?"

I often get to hear this especially from my folks as they try so hard to explain to their friends that I only have tattoos because I play in a rock band, and that it just seems legit so I can amplify that, you know, I’m a rock star. For god’s sake, of course it’s a NO. I mean, I didn’t decide to have one neither for the reason of being a musician nor because I want people to deem me as the next Freddie Mercury. I define tattoo as an art, a form of self-expression, not because I want to look fucking cool or macho. My tattoos are there, however, to explain my love and passion for the art, that I appreciate it as a much as I appreciate my monthly salary. Anyway, I do consider myself to be a rock star for the reason that I’m playing on a rock band, and yeah, I do have fucking tattoos all over my body.