deeperthanwar

Well, I'm glad this one's resolved.
I know I seem a little late on this one, but I figured I'd like to write something about it anyway, and it's better late than never, right?

Most of you probably heard about this.  To sum up: a Belgian girl claimed she had gone to a tattoo parlour, asked for three stars on her face, and then fallen asleep.  When she woke up, she had FIFTY SIX stars.  Despite the fact that she thought that she looked "like a freak", for some reason she still paid for the tattoo.  And why would the artist do something like this?
Doesn't quite add up, does it? 

Well, that's because she was lying. 

Apparently, she loved the tattoo, until her dad saw it and flew off the handle.  She made up the sleeping story to appease his wrath.  Not very fair on the artist, though, eh?
She has now admitted that she asked for the tattoo, confirming most peoples' suspicions.  I feel a little sorry for her, but it does raise some interesting (and some obvious) points.

1. That was a stupid idea.  If you're going to get a tattoo, think about it carefully first.  It's not going to come off easily, you know?

2. I'm not sure that the artist should have agreed to the tattoo.  Let's look at the facts: She is eighteen.  Very young and at an age where she might make decisions that she regrets.
She doesn't seem to have any other tattoos at all.  Had I been the artist, I don't think I'd have agreed to do her first tattoo covering one half of her face.

When she was first interviewed by the press after her father had gone to the police, she said "I cannot go out on to the street, I am so embarrassed."
I suspect that she might be a little more embarrassed now.

Lessons to be learned by all, methinks.

This is interesting.
It's taken from a blog on the Wall Street Journal about parenting.
This is an interesting one for me.  The article is discussing the signals that a tattoo gives to your children.  In particular, it mentions that a number of people visiting a New York tattoo removal clinic are new parents who 'find they underestimated the image they want to project'. 
For me, I didn't experience this feeling at all.  I won't be encouraging Addie to get a tattoo.  But I have nothing against her getting one when she reaches the age of majority, so long as she thinks it through properly.
Yes, tattoos are becoming more mainstream, and that brings different attitudes.  I don't think that it always has to be about your job, though.  I would suggest anyone getting a tattoo, be it a tiny butterfly on their back, or a large full-colour piece on the side of their neck, think carefully about what they were getting and why. 
My own opinion is that if you think you might ever want to get it removed, then don't get it.  I know it's more complicated than that, but it's a good rule of thumb to start with.