Tattoos and Body Modifications

Okay, not sure if this is in the right thread. This seemed to be the right one. Please feel free to move it if it isn't!

So, I've noticed that in some pictures of mers out there (men and women) you guys are sporting some body art!

How, as a performer, does that affect your look? Do you feel it detracts from your work or adds to it?

I have two tattoos, but both are hidden by a tail. I plan on doing both children's parties and events that may be just a gathering of adults for a fundraiser to just going to the beach, and also doing a bit of modelling.

Those of you out there with tattoos (or piercings) - How does it affect you? Do you use make-up to cover them up if at a gig? Or do you use them as part of your mersona?

I'm Native. You can see the tattoos on my collarbones and my back. I plan for the theme of my outfit to incorporate this heritage and all my tattoos are Native symbols, so I don't think it'll be an issue for me. And, if someone mentions them, I'll explain the meanings. They all relate to the earth and to healing, so shouldn't be a big deal . . .

Oh wow! I'd love to see pictures of those. <3

I have a huge tattoo of a Benu bird on my back. It goes down below where a tail would sit so I'm thinking of just covering it with a netting top and thick belt.

Ah... That would work! I am hoping to get more tattoos, but I plan on getting them on my legs. I do want to entertain children, and I don't know how they would take to that, well, more how parents​ would take.

I have a tribal tattoo of my own design that goes from my neck all the way down to my tailbone. I plan on having my tail fit around that so I can incorporate it into my mersona. I also have a tattoo on my hip, and the beginnings of a sleeve on my right arm. :>

All of my tattoos are family-friendly, and I definitely have NO problem or qualms about showing them off.

I have four and only one of them is covered by my tail. The one on my ring finger goes mostly unnoticed because it is hebrew and my engagement ring covers it. The second is on my wrist and says still alive (from a song done by Flyleaf) that I dont mind the kids seeing it. And latestly is my large scales patches on my hip/side I feel like that really helps my performances because the kids who say I'm fake then see the tattoo and take it back :p

Awww the scales sound cute!

Ah, scales on the hip is nice! I want to get an octopus on my hip/thigh area and have the arms going up my side and down my leg a bit.

I'm addicted to tattoos! XD

i have a celtic triquetra knot on my left hip, but it's covered by my tail. it looks just like this picture: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...interlaced.png but with shading at the overlaps.

i have NO issues showing it off though.

Oh my! I love those! ^_^

I wouldn't want to get scales, just in case I chose to get multiple tails and the scales don't match... Maybe just "skin tone" scales would work?

I thought about that too, technically the scales on my tattoo dont match my tail because there is more yellow, green, and different shades of blue.. but I love it anyways becausw even when I dont have my tail on people still think I'm a mermaid :) the long red hair helps too haha

I am so jealous of your hair. It's the EXACT colour that I dye it and everyone thinks I'm a natural. haha I think I'll just start using your pictures at the salon. "What colour of red are you going for?" "See this mermaid? Yeah, her colour."

Haha

I might get the scales. Like a "greyscale" colour in patches on my sides. :D That'd be awesome! ^_^

I love mers with ink. I think it looks so cool, it looks cooler when the tail and tattoos match.

I haven't finished my tail but all the kids I swim with see my belly ring and either go "ooh pretty!" or shrug it off.

I plan on getting a blue ringed octopus on my shoulder and when kids ask ill tell them I saved an octopus from a fishing net. So he used his ink to give me a tattoo as a thank you. :p

OH MY GOSH THAT IS ADORBLE, DACORA! <3 I love the blue ringed octopus!!! I just don't know if I'd wanna get it inked. I will get an octopus, but I just don't think my skin will take to colour well. (My little red heart for my treble clef is kind of meh. )

To be honest, too, I haven't seen very many octopus tattoos. A blue ringed octopus sounds like an awesome tattoo~ :D
As far as skin taking to color: 3/4 of my tattoos are in black and white because I was worried about how color would look on my skin. My sleeve, however has started with koi and turbulent water and the color is FANTASTIC. Vibrant and clear. You can make it a point to tell your artist that you want colors that are going to be vibrant and pop. It'll make all the difference. :>

Hmm... I'll have to remember that! I'm working on a tribal "sleeve" it's more of a trail haha going from (right above) my left ankle (outside) and going up the side of my calf, then possibly thigh. It's of animals that are important in my life. Also, it will all be my artwork. :D I am seriously considering scales though, but in a way that they would look "skin tone" because I like my tails to have that "blended waistline" y'know? haha

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Originally Posted by Mermaid Nerinae

Ah, scales on the hip is nice! I want to get an octopus on my hip/thigh area and have the arms going up my side and down my leg a bit.

I'm addicted to tattoos! XD

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I've been wanting a really big tattoo of an octopus where the head/body is on my lower back, and the tentacles wrap around my stomach, and maybe my thigh and like, cup under my boobs. It wasn't until recently that I realize that's actually kinda creepy. Haha

I have four tattoos, three are on my legs and feet, and one is on my shoulder. I say that many mermaids have tattoos to show where they come from, or which clan they are a part of. :-)

That's neat! I have thought about tattoos that could be considered an origin tattoo, but I feel weird about it because I don't really have much of a "where I'm from" thing. Bit of a mutt. :-P

What about piercings? I heard about 1 belly button ring. What about multiple ear piercings? Yea or nay?

If it were up to my brain, I would have rings all along my ear, but my body rejects piercings so I gave up. It took 11 tries just for regular lobe piercings to accept, I tried 3 or 4 times for a navel ring, and once each for a cartilage piecing and second lobe holes that were rejected. It makes me sad, but it's not worth wasting any more money. I tried a bunch of different metal options, too, so it wasn't that.

Luckily my body is fine with ink! I plan on getting a full back piece of an ocean scene as soon as I can save up the money -- hopefully next year.

Oooo! That sounds neat! Sucks though about the piercings! :< Especially when you want to have so many!

I'm with you on the piercings, I tried 4 times to have my lobes pierced using everything I could think of, 24 Karat Gold, Sterling, Surgical steel, I think the last time I used titanium. I tried getting my nose pierced and LOVED it, but my nose was like...ummm no. And keloids happened and well, yeah, nose ring had to come out, it sucked major. I'm going to try repiercing my ears but by 'gaging' it, and hopefully I can pierce it with bone, or glass. Maybe my body won't reject it this time. Who knows!! But at least I can get tattoos!:-)

Good luck, harmony!! I currently have 2 regular (size 20/18) piercings and an extra piercing on my right ear that is a size 16 barbell surgical steel. It worked well, and was pierced without a gun, but the others were gun and aren't too happy. :< Boo. I'd love to have more. Maybe bone earrings would be cool for mermaiding!

When I was little, I loved piercings and said I would get my ears pierced all the way up..I currently have 6 on one ear and 5 on the other haha I've gotten some nasty keloids, but they healed, oddly enough. 3 of my piercings I did myself. Just numb it with ice and shove the earring through. Of course, this leaves room for error... ): lol Harmony, have you tried plastic? I bought a "gun" once (it was really just this cheap plastic thing. Not even Sally's quality) and it came with plastic earrings.

I also have a belly button piercing (I've been keeping it a secret from most people until I get in shape lol) but for some reason it won't really heal. It keeps...uhh..(tmi here) oozing. But I refuse to take it out because it cost me $40! :P

I had a friend who had a scab form *inside* the piercing on her bellybutton and it kept doing that. It also made it very painful for her to change her ring, like it was very tight in the middle. It could also be that, if you are out of shape, maybe your waistband on your pants rubs too tightly against it?

I have seven tattoos. All on my arms/hands. I've got a blue lily on my upper arm/shoulder. I've got love tattooed across the top of my wrist. My grandpa's birthday, initials, and day of death on my forearm, a bass clef on my right hand with music written on the side, a treble clef on my left hand with passion written on the side, "I'm gonna love you through it" curling up my forearm, and an Aries symbol tattooed on my left forearm with my sons initials and my initials. I love my body art, and think they add to my personality as a mermaid.

I have 4 tattoos; a red star on each hip bone, Chinese symbol for dragon on my lower back (my grandfather was Chinese, He and I were both born in the year of the Dragon. It was my first and very important to me) and I have a tribal heart on my lower shoulder blade. I'd love to get more but the red stars I got were the last or most recent (which ever way you want to look at it) were kind of because I thought it was cool rather than it meaning something for me. So I'd seriously have to consider it before I got more.
as for piercings, I have 2 in each lobe and a rook piercing on the left ear. I used to have a lot more than that but they've come out over time and now there a little bits of scar tissue in my ears

Harmony, I would love to get a cute little nose stud, but with my experience with piercings I'm not willing to risk it. Now that you mention it, maybe my normal lobes finally accepted because I did gauge them. Not much -- only to like a 12 or 14 IIRC -- but it might've helped. It's something to keep in mind if I try second holes again!

With my navel, the skin in front of the piercing just died I guess (it formed a scab) and the skin behind the jewelry healed itself and pushed the barbell out every time I tried. I kept having piercers tell me it just wasn't done deep enough previously, but it kept happening so I knew it wasn't that. I have a star shaped scar above my belly button from it -- it's actually kind of cute.

Yay for cute scars! Boo for body rejecting piercings. :<

I have a tattoo of piano keys along my left side, from hip to armpit and a full sleeve in the works on my upper left arm of the current animation of "My Little Pony; Friendship Is Magic" by Lauren Faust. I've always been a fan of My Little Pony. I am a bit worried on how this will effect my mermaiding, but I'm not too worried as I think I've made up a solid back story for my mermaiding life. It still makes me a bit self-concious that I have these tattoos, and I'm in the works of getting more, all over my body that are easily seen, but I figure anyone will accept my backstory for my mermaid persona, especially children.

Ooo that's cool! I love how everyone has so many wonderful ways around their tattoos! I was so worried, and now I'm not! ^_^

Omg, another brony? Yay!

Kalani wanted to see pics of my tattoos that were Native / Earth / healing related. The first one of the hamsa hands isn't the best, but here it is.

Positioning of the hamsas.

Attachment 11903



A close up of a hamsa

Attachment 11904



My backpiece - the medicine wheel is now filled in with color. This pic is good, but a little old.
On the low back is a crescent moon surrounded by smoke and stars.

Attachment 11905


There you go! I've also got one on my right ankle and one on the top of my left foot, but those won't show while mermaiding.

(( Kailani** >< Sorry, there's two of us KAlani and KAIlani. Confusing... @.@ ))

Oh wow!!!

Those look amazing. I'd love to see the medicine wheel up to date. Those can totally tie into a mersona! <3

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Originally Posted by Kakarotte

Omg, another brony? Yay!

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Well not really, since brony's are males at least from my understanding, but I guess you could call me a brony if it came down to it. I've just been a huge fan of Lauren Fausts work since "Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends" and a MLP fan since I was a small child. I'm planning on getting a lot of "The Little Mermaid" work done. I can't wait to show you all my King Triton when I get him done at the end of this November!

Nice..I want just add here that. My friend diagnose a skin disease by doctors few days ago. The reason is tools were not good enough to make tattoo on her back. So, I just want to say that make it sure everything is okay before any tool touch your body.

Are you looking for real fashion

I don't have any tattoos or piercings, not even my ears! For a very long time I was phobic of needles and have only recently been getting over that, though I see need to look away and listen to angry german metal on my iPod when I have to get blood drawn. I might get my ears pierced at some point, but I'm thinking more and more on getting a tattoo. I have a few ideas, but I'm not committed to a design enough to get one. I would have to REALLY like it to overcome my needle aversion!

To people getting scales, if you don't get them colored you can use water proof paints or make up to make them match your tail. My friend has a large paisley pattern chest tattoo that's just the outline, no color. Every so often we get out the colored Sharpie collection and fill it in. It lasts pretty well until the next shower, when it fades a quite a bit. Unless you want the faint, faded color look, I would recommend waterproof paint or make up, not markers, to color in the scale tattoo.

I have my ears pierced once, but that's all I'm going to do... I'm afraid I'm a bit of a wuss whenever it comes to pain...

Hugnation logo:
Attachment 12905
Abney Park tattoo, photo by Captain Robert himself!
Attachment 12906
Heart of Dance from the Beats Antique music video "Revival":
Attachment 12907
(My "sister" has the same tattoo, it was her idea that we get them. She's always been a dancer; getting this tattoo really helped me be able to dance better)


I also have my bf's "signature" symbol of the back of my neck.

I have pierced ears, the "regular" holes stretched to 00 with steel tunnels, and a second regular lobe piercing above that. I used to have my tongue and labret pierced; took those out because my teeth are going bad and I was chewing on the jewelry. Had an eyebrow pierced, lost the ball to that (fell off after a long time of not being able to get it off). Had "the girls" pierced but had to take those out because of reasons.

I'm a steampunk airship pirate mermaid, that's how my tattoos fit into my mersona :)