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Permalink Reply by Grosz on January 2, 2008 at 2:24pm

I would have to agree to with the subjective/relativist approach Dana poses.

People who don't have tattoos/body-art unquestionably refer to me as "the guy with the big tattoos" when in actuality, i just have one (at the moment). While people with much larger collections than myself wouldn't refer to me in such a way.

In the long run, as with any addiction/hobby/collection, the individual never really sees their collection as being complete. Admitting that you have a "problem" is one of the first paths to "recovery," right?

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Permalink Reply by tracy j. on November 7, 2007 at 9:19pm

I am lightly tattooed when I go to my local Whole Foods, and heavily tattooed when I go to PTA meetings!

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Permalink Reply by inkedinc on November 8, 2007 at 1:38am

Hi friend !
It is really looking so hot and nice . i will say thank for this job .

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Permalink Reply by Marisa_DiMattia on November 9, 2007 at 7:01am

So many brilliant comments here, I don't know what more I could add. I do love Tracy's comment because I think it is often not just about your own self-assessment but your environment as well.

While I have two sleeves, a back piece, my head tattooed and other random patchwork, I never considered myself very heavily tattooed because I'm surrounded by full bodysuits and because I have a tattoo plan for the rest of my body that will take quite a long time to realize, especially in light of my career.

BUT the first time I ever really felt that I was a freakshow was in Greece. The sight of my arms really astounded people -- and not just on the small island my family is from but in Athens, a major city with tons of tattoo studios. I had to cover up during a heat wave because I couldnt walk the street without people stopping me, talking phone cam picks at every turn, or even cursing me in Greek (which I understand very well). It was an aggressive attention and brought home the idea that it really isnt just about me and how I feel about myself but how my choices are reacted to in different communities. An eye opener indeed.

Quite a distinction from Brooklyn, where every and there mother now has a tattoo.

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Permalink Reply by Alex on November 9, 2007 at 7:15am

I completely agree Marisa. A friend of mine who has one, absolutely tiny tattoo on her right shoulder has just finished a six month stint teaching English in China and she says the reactions she got to even that tiny piece were really dramatic. (It's the main reason she really tried to warn me off getting my backpiece because she didn't want me to have to go through that every single day).

Even without the massive culture shift location differences are still noticable. I live in London and spend a lot of my time in Camden (which is incredibly tattoo and piercing studio heavy) where I fit right in and because of my current lack of anything really visible and very "normal" manner of dress probably look a little dull. Often are the occasions where I don't feel "alternative" enough to be drinking in certain pubs! I forget that when I go back home to the rural town I grew up in I become quite the Oddity and I certainly feel heavily tattooed then.

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Permalink Reply by BlahStuff Jake on November 12, 2007 at 10:56am

Personally, I felt I became "heavily tattooed" with my 3rd piece. Not because it was especially large, but because it was on my forearm and was visible to the world every time I left the house unless it was cold.

That tattoo was kind of a tipping point for me. By getting it, I was basically committing myself to covering myself. After that, I got more ink on both forearms as well as a big piece that is currently in progress on my upper arm, so I am definitely "heavily tattooed" now. Even though I don't have sleeves or a giant back piece.

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Permalink Reply by Aldisimo on December 14, 2007 at 10:32am

HA! After finishing my sleeve last night, my artist told me, "Well, my friend, you are now one of the heavily tattooed!" Sweeeeet!

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Permalink Reply by Deborah on December 16, 2007 at 10:06am

I agree with context as well. I have a left sleeve, chest piece and back/butt piece which all flow into each other and some small pieces located on my foot, ankle and inner side of my fingers. I do not consider myself heavily tattooed as I have so much work to do. I think when I look in the mirror or look down at my body and I only see hints of empty or non-modified skin I’ll conceder myself heavily tattooed.

That stated, when I go to my yoga and belly dancing classes (where we take off decent amounts of clothing), I seem to be one of the most heavily tattooed people there, and at a family function, I definitely am the most tattooed but at the New York tattoo convention, or walking around the Lower East Side, not so much.

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Permalink Reply by max on January 5, 2008 at 1:29pm

Great topic.

I have one minor tatt (peace sign) on my shoulder that artistically isn't much but means a lot to me since it was designed by a friend. My larger back piece is a John Lennon tribute and was inspired after seeing the movie "The U.S. vs John Lennon".

That piece is large in my eyes but NOTHING compared to the awesome work I've seen on this site. I agree with the others that i'm "Heavily Tattooed" within the context of say my office but certainly not in the confines of InkedInc.

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