Hey everybody its qcknd
and welcome back to another episode of Tattoo Talk Tuesday
So if it is your very first time joining us
Tattoo Talk Tuesday is our weekly interactive talk show
where I take user submitted questions
and try to lend my experience to you guys as a tattoo collector
so, last well, let me start over
so I feel like the last couple episodes of Tattoo Talk Tuesday
have been really like information based
or like questions that are much more
generic and not really like questions
directly from you guys
especially with last week the question came from my friend Justine
so last night I put the word out
and I was like hey I want questions from you guys
and a lot of the questions were really good questions were really good
a couple repeats so I definitely do recommend if
you're a little newer to the series
checking out the playlist that I keep in
the description of all of the episodes
of Tattoo Talk Tuesday so definitely
worth checking out there are over 80
episodes of Tattoo Talk Tuesday in the Tattoo Talk playlist
definitely worth checking out
if you feel like "hey, I had a pretty good question
and that freakin qcknd just ignored me"
so I got this question last night and it's something I love to explore
something I've definitely talked a little bit about on this channel
but for me spring, the first day of spring was yesterday
so I feel like this is great timing
and this question is "not so much regretting a tattoo
not so much regretting a specific tattoo
but when you suddenly realize you're heavily tattooed
and how you deal with the public's reaction to it
example: I've been working on filling up my right arm for some time now
and it's almost there and I find myself
pulling down my sleeve at work
or around disapproving family
because I don't want to deal with people's reactions
or talk about tattoos in general
I love my tattoos but it's hard when other people don't"
so this is something I find a lot of confliction in
in my very own life
especially with spring coming around the corner
I feel like we shed our winter skin
and our tattoos come out
and I completely understand the language used
like it doesn't feel like I regret these tattoos
but it feels like every spring, every summer
I have to go through this like series of like coping all over again
and it's always really really hard for me to express this feeling
because it's often combated immediately with
"well you got all these tattoos, reap what you sow"
and it's hard because there's so much more nuance to it than that
because I am a person who wants to be tattooed
and I'm happy to be tattooed
I'm happy to go through the process
obviously I talk about being tattooed all the time
it could be exactly why you subscribe to this channel
but a lot of feelings go into it all the time
and it's something that every year I like go through all over again
and a lot of that with me
it's so surprising because every winter I tend to get tattooed
and it's a lot more difficult to get tattooed in the summer
so in the winter you know you're covered
you get your tattoos they're healing in your pants, in your shirt
and you don't necessarily see them every day
and then spring comes and the short sleeves come out
and the skirts come out and the shorts come out
and all of a sudden you're a tattooed person again and it's visual
and every winter I kind of allow myself to forget
exactly how strangers interact with me
and then every spring and summer it's like my guard is back up
and it's hard, I need to cope all over again
and like the question said, you know, sometimes it can be hard
answering people's questions all the time
it's exactly what inspired this show
because I felt like I was somebody who was being asked questions
and it seemed like so appropriate to create an index
for all of these questions that I'm constantly being asked
because, you know, sometimes you really are running late for work
and you're running to the trolley
and somebody stops you to talk to you
or they holler at you and you're like
"well I want to be polite
and I want to represent tattooed people in a good way
but I got to go, like I can't"
and even last, last summer we were walking around South Philly
and there was like a woman just liked parked up on her stoop
and when we walked past, um it was Justine and I
when we walked past, she was like
"hey girls, hey girls I like your ink I like your tattoos"
and both of us were like "thank you"
and kept walking and she was like "alright, bitch"
and it's like what were we supposed to do?
what was the ideal interaction that the woman expected?
us to turn around and chat?
because even if it was about anything else we wouldn't have turned around to chat, you know?
she was in the city for the day, we had things to do
when someone says "oh I like your shirt"
do you turn around and go "thanks, it's a really nice wool blend, I got it on sale, do you love it?"
then people would be like "ugh no"
so it's hard because
do you walk around and do you open yourself up to be this like
interactive index about tattoo information?
and it's something so personal to some people
that all of our answers aren't the same
although I do like being able to talk about it and explore the concept
so, like I said, it's such a conflicting thing with me every year
and every year I happen to get really surprised by the amount of tattoos I have
and it's kind of confusing
it's not this feeling of like regret
but it is a jarring experience
and let me know in the comments if you know what I'm talking about
because like it's not very often I get to see my back tattoo
but every day I see my arm
and even if it's quarter-sleeve like today, or full-sleeve
it's almost like it's pretty difficult to hide the star and the blood drops
so every day I kind of see those
and I like them, I like that they're there
even last night, I was cutting Mike King's hair
and he said, um you know I was wearing long sleeves and I reached out
and he was like "I always liked that little flower
like not the bird, not anything else
I just like the concept of 'the tattoos you hide can be exposed'"
and I totally agree, you know I like having little secrets
and I like that my tattoos can be hidden
and I like that I can be a tattooed person
or put a sweater over this outfit
and then, purple hair aside, then I can kind of walk amongst people
and disappear in a crowd
and it's something I've always wanted to do
and of course you always come back to that confliction
because even when I was more like heavily visibly modified with piercings
you take yourself out of the popular culture
and all of a sudden there's a spotlight on you that you didn't anticipate
because you thought that you were removing yourself from, you know, everybody else
but then all of a sudden, in that action you have further isolated yourself
and turned yourself into a commodity
now, I think tattooing is becoming much much much more popular
it--you can almost guarantee that one of your friends has a tattoo, if not is tattooed
and, of course, that's a comfort
but then, all of that aside
every spring you bring it back to yourself
and you have to cope all over again
every year I go through this thing where it's like
tattoos, you know, where--where do you fall on what tattoos look like on you?
and it's kind of hard because like all winter
and, you know, on Instagram and stuff
and seeing advertisements and watching your favorite TV shows
you're constantly viewing people with no tattoos
and you're not just like "hey I want representation"
It's not like -- I don't feel that way
but that's what you view
and then, you know, it's the end of the day
you're done watching TV
you're done scrolling through Instagram and stuff
you take off your clothes to take a shower
or to get into your pajamas or to just get comfy
and every day I feel like I'm reintroduced to my skin
and it's--it's a sensation that I still haven't gotten over
and it's it's something I chose
and it's something I wanted
and I wanted to customize my skin
and create a body that was mine
and that was exactly what I wanted
and then it's hard 'cuz people flirt with the idea of regret
and people want to tell you regret all the time
"you'll regret what you did, tattoos are a permanent decision"
regret, regret
"take them seriously they're permanent"
but even with that it's like, what about the scars that we obtain?
and what about the like cool scar you got playing soccer in high school
or the scar you got at McDonald's that still hasn't gone away
and all of those things still come together, for me at least
and they're always like -- always like a brand new thing for me
every, every spring, or almost every time I get undressed
I notice the back of my leg
and I think, wow, that's a lot of tattoos
your tatt--your leg is basically covered
you don't have, like, everybody else's leg anymore
you have a very specific leg
and without thousands of dollars, you know, of cosmetic surgery
this is a permanent feature that you have
telling yourself that can be startling
and it's something -- it is -- I'm looking for the word, you know
and, you know, you can flirt with that feeling of regret
because there are the late nights where you're like, what have I done?
I've completely tattooed my body
I feel this way because, you know, I'll never have my back back
I'll never have my one leg back
you'll always be tattooed
and with all of us getting tattoos, you know, that--that original planning process
that may have been there with our first tattoo is a little more absent
there is the idea of us just running out and getting a tattoo for fun
or something we saw that very day and getting it, permanently
and then you're like, a few days later like, okay I'll never have my knee back
I'll never have my forearm back
and in the beginning I used to take pictures of the part of my body before I got tattooed
to be like I have this little picture before I got the tattoo
and obviously it was pretty quick
for me to fall out of that ritual and almost completely forget it
but there was something behind that idea
like, that body part that we all shared is now different and gone
I definitely understand the feeling of this question
like what do you do?
because there are plenty of times that I prefer to be non-tattooed in a situation
like for a Christmas party
like yeah, I have tattoos and I could show them off
but I can also keep them covered
and, you know, as someone with breasts it could be the same thing
you could be like "yeah I'm gonna go to a party with cleavage out"
or you be like "I'm just gonna keep the girls inside tonight"
I'm not comparing tattoos to like, cleavage
but at the same they are -- it is like a sensational kind of thing
to come up and go to a party and have your tattoos exposed
and then having them covered can also be something that is exciting for me, too
I mean especially for me
with all the jobs I've ever had
I have always preferred to have a non-tattooed body present at work
and even when I started getting tattoos
and you know you get your like first or second tattoo and you're like a little hiked like that, like
"owie...hey"
um I think that feeling kind of wore off really quickly for me
because it was something that was a celebration of self
and I think that that's completely valid and completely okay
people ask me all the time
like do you make connections with body image and tattooing?
and body positivity and tattooing?
and I--I definitely do because I'm 100% more comfortable in the body that I have curated myself
than the one I hated in high school
and who's to say that I wouldn't have grown up and turned 25
and been like "hey body positivity, all over tumblr, hey I love myself now!"
but it--it's hard and it's not always a sensation I want to share with strangers
and that's that big like spring reveal confliction
like do I want to walk around and be tattooed?
or do I want to walk around and hide what makes me love myself
because it's personal to me
and something I can choose to celebrate with the rolled-up sleeve
or choose to keep to myself
and go to a dinner party with the sleeves rolled-down
or, I've said this before on my channel
um, you know, sometimes when I would go home to visit my parents
if I haven't seen them for a while I would prefer an organic conversation
not inspired by something they saw on me
like I would prefer to go home in long-sleeves
and my parents ask me how I've been
and not them look at my tattoos and try to talk about tattoos with me
um
but you know if it's something you and your parents relate about, go ahead
but sometimes it's just so much more than me having tattoos
and that's something I would prefer to focus on sometimes
so it's--it's hard
like I said, it's not like a feeling of regret
but it's almost a feeling of interruption
like sometimes my tattoos interrupt my everyday life
and that becomes a nuisance
but I also, you know, love to see them
and I'm excited for spring because I can wear a skirt
and I can have tattoos and walk around
so I'd love to know what you guys think
do you have the same sensational like feeling of interruption?
that your tattoos interrupt your daily life?
or is it a feeling of regret?
do you feel regret that sometimes your tattoos do interrupt your life?
and does spring time come around and strangers are stopping you to talk to you
they're touching you, it's invasive, it's strange
I feel like I receive a lot of negative attention that I don't like
and I don't feel like I ever deserve it
so it's always like confrontational to me
and I got a comment on my previous video that was like
"you just love feeling oppressed"
and I don't think it's a feeling of oppression
like if you come to this channel
um this is an open discussion about how me, like a young woman in a major city, feels
and experiences life as a tattooed person
it's not a feeling of oppression
but I do share those feelings with you guys
so let me know how you feel
um do your tattoos interrupt your daily life in a negative way?
do you plan on continuing to be tattooed?
I mean, I plan to continue to be tattooed until I am satiated and feeling fulfilled
and this year, you know, there's tattoo artists who I want to meet and get tattooed by
and it's always an exciting thing
and there's places I want to travel to
and I want to keep the feelings going
and, I don't know
in the community I feel safe
and I feel admired and I can admire others who are doing the same thing
and then you walk outside without tights on
and all of a sudden you're still kind of a freak
let me know
one more question for you guys though
do you want the subculture to remain more taboo?
or do you want to find acceptance and, you know, disappear in a crowd without tights on
without the pants on, the long sleeves
do you want tattoos to gain more acceptance?
or would you rather live with the interruption?
let me know
thank you guys so much for all the questions you submitted to me on my twitter, on my tumblr
you can always follow me and talk to me on twitter
my handle is @quietcoolkid
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and until next time guys, bye