History Analysis / EmbarrassingTattoo

* Tattoos are much more mainstream now than they were in the past. Tattooed people used to be {{Acceptable Target|s}}, but not anymore. The general compromise is not to tattoo your head, neck, or hands, which you can't cover with clothing. This is especially true if (1) it's your first time getting a tattoo, or (2) in an even more sensitive area than described previously. For a tattoo to be truly embarrassing nowadays, it's got to be something ''really'' stupid, wrong, or offensive, or one that the artist messed up beyond belief.

* Tattoos are much more mainstream now than they were in the past. Tattooed people used to be {{Acceptable Target|s}}, but [[OnceAcceptableTargets not anymore]]. The general compromise is not to tattoo your head, neck, or hands, which you can't cover with clothing. This is especially true if (1) it's your first time getting a tattoo, or (2) in an even more sensitive area than described previously. For a tattoo to be truly embarrassing nowadays, it's got to be something ''really'' stupid, wrong, or offensive, or one that the artist messed up beyond belief.

* Finally, an increasing number of tattoo shops are willing to do heavily discounted or even free coverups of racist or gang designs for people leaving behind that lifestyle. In effect, solving an embarrassing tattoo with a non-embarrassing one. It's much easier and more reliable to do this than it used to be.

* Large tattoos are expensive and require multiple sessions to complete, so you're not going to wake up one morning with an entire back piece due to a drunken whim the night before. Most tattoo parlors will require you to book an appointment weeks in advance, so it's very unlikely for you to just walk in for a session and get inked the same day. If the shop does accept walk-ins, the artist will not do anything custom (unless it's small and simple) and will have a number of designs available for walk-ins to choose, none of which are large or overly complex.

* The artists will create their own designs for your idea; you tell them what you want as a tattoo and the artist will discuss how the tattoo should look, how it will look on your body, and if the new design would still be in your best interest. If you don't like their design, they will respect your choice and won't do anything against your consent.

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to do it now. (For that very reason, you need to be ''extremely careful'' about your ''mood'' at the time you make your appointment.) They'll make you do the research on the cultural and historical meaning of your designs (such as a cultural symbol doesn't share the same meaning in every country so they'll advise you to do your homework on your tattoo of choice). They'll also recommend that you fact-check your desired foreign language tattoos so that you're 100% sure about the translation and pronunciation. They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[CondemnedByHistory are going to really date you]]. If asked to do racist pieces or other endorsements of open bigotry, they're well within their rights to tell you to take your business elsewhere (many such tattoos are amateur jobs).

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to do it now. (For that very reason, you need to be ''extremely careful'' about your ''mood'' at the time you make your appointment.) They'll make sure you know what your foreign language tattoo ''really'' means, as well as the cultural and historical meaning of your design (such as a cultural symbol doesn't share the same meaning in every country so they'll advise you to do your homework on your tattoo of choice). They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[CondemnedByHistory are going to really date you]]. If asked to do racist pieces or other endorsements of open bigotry, they're well within their rights to tell you to take your business elsewhere (many such tattoos are amateur jobs).

* If you're clearly intoxicated or in a compromised state--manic episodes being common ones--they won't serve you due to issues with consent (not to mention drunk people bleed more due to alcohol being a blood thinner).

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to do it now. They'll make sure you know what your foreign language tattoo ''really'' means, as well as the cultural and historical meaning of your design (such as a cultural symbol doesn't share the same meaning in every country so they'll advise you to do your homework on your tattoo of choice). They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[CondemnedByHistory are going to really date you]]. If asked to do racist pieces or other endorsements of open bigotry, they're well within their rights to tell you to take your business elsewhere (many such tattoos are amateur jobs).

* Large tattoos are expensive and require multiple sessions to complete, so you're not going to wake up one morning with your entire back done due to a drunken whim the night before. Most tattoo parlors will require you to book an appointment in advance, so it's very unlikely for you to just walk in for a session and get inked the same day. If the shop does accept walk-ins, the artists will not do anything custom and will have a small number of designs available for walk-ins to choose, none of which are large or overly complex.
* Tattoo parlors, or at least the reputable ones are well aware of the trope and will refuse to ink you if it's not in your best interest. They won't tattoo teenagers without a parent present (in some areas it's not legal to tattoo ''anyone'' underage). They won't put it in an embarrassing or highly visible place unless you're already heavily tattooed and it won't make a difference.

* If you're clearly intoxicated or in a compromised state (manic episodes being common ones), they won't serve you due to issues with consent. They also require you to be completely calm during the session and will try to talk you out of getting a tattoo if they think you won't be able to stay still or calm during the session. Since tattooing requires piercing the skin, they will turn you away if you have been drinking because alcohol is a blood thinner and will cause you to bleed more, which will contaminate their equipment and cause health problems for you.

* For the larger jobs especially, you may want to get your blood sugar level higher than normal, so that you don't pass out during the process (as one client on ''Series/TattooNightmares'' found out the painful way). Tattoo artists should go through any health concerns with you and explain it in a way that's easy to understand and remember, they'll also give you a phone number if you have any further concerns.

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to do it now. They'll make sure you know what your foreign language tattoo ''really'' means, as well as the cultural and historical meaning of your design (i.e a cultural symbol doesn't share the same meaning in every country so they'll advise you to do your homework on your tattoo of choice). They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[CondemnedByHistory are going to really date you]]. If asked to do racist pieces or other endorsements of open bigotry, "no, I don't think I'm going to be doing that, find another shop" is a likely response from most artists.
* Finally, racist or gang-related tattoos are really embarrassing and problematic for people who have left such ideas behind, and an increasing number of tattoo shops are willing to do heavily discounted or even free coverups of racist or gang designs for such people -- in effect, solving an embarrassing tattoo with a non-embarrassing one. It's much easier and more reliable to do this than it used to be.

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to do it now. They'll make sure you know what your foreign language tattoo ''really'' means, as well as the cultural and historical meaning of your design (i.e a cultural symbol doesn't share the same meaning in every country so they'll advise you to do your homework on your tattoo of choice). They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[DeaderThanDisco are going to really date you]]. If asked to do racist pieces or other endorsements of open bigotry, "no, I don't think I'm going to be doing that, find another shop" is a likely response from most artists.

* For the larger jobs especially, you may want to get your blood sugar level higher than normal, so that you don't pass out during the process (as one client on ''Series/TattooNightmares'' found out the painful way).

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to doing it now. They'll make sure you know what your foreign language tattoo ''really'' means, as well as the cultural and historical meaning of your design. They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[DeaderThanDisco are going to really date you]]. If asked to do racist pieces or other endorsements of open bigotry, "no, I don't think I'm going to be doing that, find another shop" is a likely response from most artists.

* Any good artist will stand behind their work and will do touchups as needed - sometimes certain parts fade, don't come out right once they've completely healed, or age poorly, and while age and weight fluctuations will still usually warp a piece beyond what an artist can reasonably address, minor touchups to address small issues are a perfectly normal and expected part of having tattoos.

* Tattoo parlors' clients are like their walking advertisements, so they have a big incentive to convince you not to get a tattoo that's going to embarrass you in the future, even if you totally consent to doing it now. They'll make sure you know what your foreign language tattoo ''really'' means, as well as the cultural and historical meaning of your design. They'll do their best to talk you out of doing anything particularly embarrassing, and they've seen it all -- lovers' names, memes, fads, and other things that [[DeaderThanDisco are going to really date you]].

* More and more jobs care less and less about visible tattoos, meaning that individuals with visible body modifications are less likely to have trouble finding work, and there are a decent amount of fields (construction, most trades, graphic design, restaurant back-of-house, and hairdressing being among the more common ones) that simply do not care if you have highly-visible tattoos as long as you're professional and do good work. The general assumption, if you walk into a tattoo shop already covered in tattoos, is that you clearly have a job that pays enough to allow you to afford that work, the job doesn't care and you're not worried about future job prospects, and you're comfortable with your chosen career.

* Large tattoos are expensive and require multiple sessions to complete, so you're not going to wake up one morning with your entire back done due to a drunken whim the night before. Most tattoo parlors will require you to book an appointment in advance, so it's very unlikely for you to just walk in for a session and get inked the same day. If the shop does accept walk-ins, the artists will not do anything custom and will have a small amount of designs available for walk-ins to choose, none of which are large or overly complex.
* Tattoo parlors, or at least the reputable ones are well aware of the trope and will refuse to ink you if it's not in your best interest. They won't tattoo teenagers without a parent present (in some areas it's not legal to tattoo ''anyone'' underage). They won't put it in an embarrassing or highly visible place unless you're already heavily tattooed and it won't make a difference. And if you're clearly intoxicated or in a compromised state (manic episodes being common ones), they won't serve you due to issues with consent.

* More and more jobs care less and less about visible tattoos, meaning that individuals with visible body modifications are less likely to have trouble finding work, and there are a decent amount of fields (construction, most trades, graphic design, restaurant back-of-house, and hairdressing being among the more common ones) that simply do not care if you have highly-visible tattoos as long as you're professional and do good work. The general assumption if you walk into a tattoo shop already covered in tattoos is that you clearly have a job that pays enough to allow you to afford that work, the job doesn't care and you're not worried about future job prospects, and you're comfortable with your chosen career.

* Tattoos are much more mainstream now than they were in the past. Tattooed people used to be {{Acceptable Target|s}}, but [[OnceAcceptableTargets not anymore]]. The general compromise is not to tattoo your head, neck, or hands, which you can't cover with clothing. This is especially true if it's your first time getting a tattoo. For a tattoo to be truly embarrassing nowadays, it's got to be something ''really'' stupid, wrong, or offensive, or one that the artist messed up beyond belief.

* The artists will often create their own designs for your idea; you give them the idea of what you want as a tattoo and they'll discuss with you about how the tattoo should look, how it will look on your body, and if the new design would still be in your best interest. If you don't like their design, they will respect your choice and won't do anything against your consent.

* The artists will often create their own designs for your idea; you give them the idea of what you want as a tattoo and they'll discuss how the tattoo should look, how it will look on your body, and if it would still be in your best interest. If you don't like their design, they will respect your choice and won't do anything against your consent.

* Sometimes, the artists will come up with an alternate design of a tattoo idea, so tattoos don't look identical to another (unwillingly). For example, if you want a tattoo to remind you of a lover, the artist may suggest a tattoo that represents them or reflects a trait of theirs. Tattoos of an ex's name is a frequent source of embarrassment for tattoo owners. For example, if your boyfriend or girlfriend is a sailor, then the artist may suggest a tattoo of a lighthouse or a boat.

* Tattoos are much more mainstream now than they were in the past. Tattooed people used to be {{Acceptable Target}}s, but [[OnceAcceptableTargets not anymore]]. The general compromise is not to tattoo your head, neck, or hands, which you can't cover with clothing. This is especially true if it's your first time getting a tattoo. For a tattoo to be truly embarrassing nowadays, it's got to be something ''really'' stupid, wrong, or offensive, or one that the artist messed up beyond belief.

This trope is slowly becoming a DiscreditedTrope for several reasons: