Where on my body should i get a tattoo?

 

This may seem VERY trivial, since the answer can be “anywhere you please!” The ONLY places you cannot technically get permanent tattoos are your hair, teeth and nails (even the cornea used to be tattooed years ago for medical purposes). Interestingly, women and men tend to get tattoos in different locations.

This, according to sociologist Clinton Sanders, is because men and women get tattoos for different reasons. Men, he says, get them to show others, while women get them for the sake of decorating their body--and often place them where they can’t normally be seen, so that it doesn’t prompt comments about her “reputation.”

However for the sake of this FAQ, the following is a short list of areas to get inked. I am included the statistics from Clinton Sanders’ study on the body location of the first tattoo for men and women as well (there were 111 men in his survey group and 52 women).

  • Head

    The “head” here refers mostly to the area where your hair grows. You’ll need to shave the area for the tat to be most visible. If you need to hide your tat, you can grow your hair out. Areas more commonly inked are the sides of the head (above the ears), and above the nape of the neck in the back. There are people who have their entire heads inked. I am told that the tattooing process vibrates your skull!

  • Sides of neck (nape).

    Back of neck: I’ve seen some tribal pieces, and bats done on the back of the neck. You’ll need to keep your hair short or tied up to keep it visible.

  • Face

    Various areas possible. Facial tattoos could fall into the cosmetic or standard categories. Cosmetic would include darkening of eyebrows, eyelining, liplining, etc. Getting a tat on the face is serious business and crosses a portal because people will never look at you the same way.

  • Upper chest

    One of the standard areas for tattoos for both men and women. Allows lots of flat area in which to get a fairly large piece. One of the areas where you can choose to get symmetrically inked on both sides. (Men: 5%, women: 35%--chest & breast combined)

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