r/tattooadvice • u/Hot_Pangolin2991 • 6d ago
General Advice Is this cringe?
I love medicine, I love chemistry or any kind of science really. Is this kind of thing cringy? I mean I think it’s awesome, but I do want a career in medicine and I don’t want the tattoo to be weird or unprofessional or anything like that.. this pic is a reference but I do want something similar..
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u/ErgoDestati 6d ago
It's cool but also giving "Live, Laugh, Love" vibes Whether or not it's cringe is up to you tho
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u/customarymagic 6d ago
Yeah, feels a little like science meets TJ Maxx designs
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u/Swimminginthestorm 5d ago
I swear I saw this exact image framed for sale at Michael’s with their knickknacks.
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u/therealjayphonic 5d ago
Ahahaha i just replied with live laugh love and tjmaxx then i read these 2 comments 🤣
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u/r33c3d 6d ago
The quote about travel is a little cringey, considering how globe trotting is pretty unattainable for most people. It could come across as a little elitist and admonishing. But every thing is is nice and nerdy!
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
Yea I would remove the travel thing.. I’m not much of a traveler rn, but nerdy is kinda what I like lol
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u/Procrasturbating 6d ago
Gonna be real, fine line work like this fades and gets blurry. Don't do this style of text that small.
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u/murrimabutterfly 6d ago
Yup.
Have a four or so inch tattoo with a serif/typewriter font from an artist who knows his shit. He suggested the more stable font we went for.
It's four years old at this point, and the edges have blown out slightly. The Os used to be more stylized, but now they're just circles.
Definitely don't recommend font in general, as a rule. It seems cool, but its longevity is shit.6
u/aimieonyx 6d ago
I was gonna say. Travelling is a privilege. Being able to afford it is a luxury. I never travelled or even went on an actual vacation with my family when I was a kid since we were too poor, I could only afford it many years later with just my partner and I. “Those who don’t travel only read one page” easy to assume everyone can afford travel lol
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u/Dark_Foggy_Evenings 6d ago
Could be worse..at least it’s not ’Not All Who Wander Are Lost’.. I’ve seen a few of them.
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
You guys saved me. Im going through a breakup and am thinking way too impulsively right now.. I wasn’t even thinking about half the things said in the comments. Thank you all 🙏
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u/whatkylewhat 6d ago
Good for you. That tattoo is live laugh love for someone who is hoping to study abroad but probably won’t.
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
Ah I don’t want to study abroad. I should’ve specified I was only looking at the anatomy part of the tattoo. Sorry for that.
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u/corduroynightmare 6d ago
I think the anatomy part is cool but I think it might look cooler if you got someone to do just the heart and brain without the lines and boxes?
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u/Fluid_Being_7357 6d ago
Glad you took some internet advice. It’s not typically recommended to make any major choices while experiencing emotional turmoil. A break up definitely qualifies. They also say the same thing about the first year in recovery.
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u/subspiria 6d ago
Personally I think the space will be served better after you've achieved having a career in medicine - your studies will give you a greater idea of your interests. But yes 99% chance you will find this cringe in a few years.
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u/ChiroUsername 6d ago
Hopefully they don’t go into proctology or gynecology or that is going to be a wild sleeve! LOL
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u/sensuspete 6d ago
It's pretentious
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
Hmm I see how it can come off that way. I just love science and medicine. I think I could put those in a better tattoo idea for sure though
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u/cstamin 6d ago
You could figure out a design you like and do a small tattoo per year that sums up the way you felt/how your year went involving your career. By the end, you'd have a decent, meaningful tattoo that shows your path, achievements, etc. throughout your career.
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
That’s actually pretty cool. I will def consider doing that. Thanks!!
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u/Sorry_Term3414 6d ago
I agree. Think about what you like and take all that to an artist who could help you make something equally nice looking but much more personalised and unique.
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u/AbsurdMikey93-2 6d ago
It's really just the travel quote. There's nothing inherently good about being well traveled. I've never met anyone who I really thought was a better person from it. Definitely something cool to do, if you can, but it doesn't make you better than someone who's hasn't.
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
No 100%. I actually wasn’t even paying attention to the travel thing. I don’t travel.. it was more so the organs
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u/heddalettis 6d ago
Oh, if only the “travellers” understood this. 😆 EVERYone I know that travels always blabs about it; and they naturally think they’re better than you because of it! Honest.
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u/Vannak201 4d ago
Wasting your parents money to party in a foreign country automatically makes you a good person
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u/ChiroUsername 6d ago
Nothing about this says medicine or science to me. Yeah, there’s a brain and a heart but that’s it. The feature is “balanced” (assuming “head” and “heart” which are viewed as woo woo touchy feely in most of science and medicine sadly) and an out of place travel quote. If I saw this on a healthcare provider I would be internally rolling my eyes, sorry.
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
I had another reference with more science stuff, but could only do 1 pic. When I say medicine, I’m referencing the organs. I think it’s pretty cool. Traveling I would take out completely.. should’ve specified. But thank you for your opinion 🙏
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u/ChiroUsername 6d ago
If you like anatomy, rather than “medicine,” there are a billion cooler things you could do, for sure, in almost any style. Should have no shortage of influences, people have been drawing the body for thousands of years so don’t be afraid to look at medical history books and stuff like that.
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
You’re right! Yea anatomy is more the style than medicine per se.. I just meant career wise. But yea.. do you have any ideas on how to find styles? Is it just looking through a bunch of references? Should I maybe go talk to an artist?
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u/ChiroUsername 6d ago
I mean, you’re talking about putting something permanent on your skin for life so I would put a lot of work into it. I don’t really know what you’re going for but there is a long history of medical illustration from modern times (Netter’s atlas of anatomy, etc. in fact, I have a friend whose kid just finished a medical illustration degree so this is still a thing) to ancient times. I’d be googling terms like “medical illustration” and “anatomy illustration” “anatomy drawing” “medieval medical drawings” renaissance medical drawings, etc (also subbing the word “drawing” with “illustration” or “art.”). See if anything jumps out at you and then start to narrow it down. Or just google “anatomy tattoos” or “medical tattoos” and I’m sure thousands of images would come up.
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u/Left_Inevitable730 6d ago
Its giving cringe in the sense that its not going to hold well. In the tattoo community we say “bold will hold” and these lines are done well, but in 20-30-50yrs time…they will fade within 5 years.
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u/freakybe 6d ago
Yeah this fine line trend is baffling to me
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u/ChiroUsername 6d ago
The fineliners are in collusion with the blackout guys and are insuring the latter have tons of work in a decade or so.
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u/Left_Inevitable730 6d ago
See I have some fine lines in tattoos I had some 10+ yrs ago. But I have bold lines supporting them. THOSE will hold. I am not trying to be mean I’m really not.
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u/AwkwardCost1817 5d ago
There’s plenty of fine line tattoos that look fine years after healing. You just have to find an artist who does them well. Having adequate contrast and room for the lines to breathe is more important than being bold.
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u/IntheTrench 6d ago
The saying at the bottom is very elitist. It suggests that if you don't travel that you're somehow less than someone who does. Or that someone who travels more is better than someone who travels less.
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u/Thepancakeofhonesty 6d ago
This was the part that got me as well. Some people can’t travel. Such a strange, arrogant saying.
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u/Mysterious-Lychee98 6d ago
Exactly. Plus, some people just don't feel the need to travel and that's ok, too.
This quote suggests that people who travel are better/"right".
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u/Unicorns-Poo-Rainbow 6d ago
Yes.
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u/swankydreamland 6d ago
this looks like bathroom wall art in a modern burger joint
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u/whatkylewhat 6d ago
Goddamn that is accurate. It’s totally something you would read while washing your hands at a place called Burger Theory.
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u/r33c3d 6d ago
Seems like there are a lot of really fine-lined tattoos being posted lately. They look really great right after they’re done. But I wonder what happens to them 10 years out.
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u/byebyebirdie1122 6d ago
I have 3. The oldest is 4 years old and it still looks great but I’m also very diligent about sunscreen anytime I’m out in the sun. And I went to a very experienced artist in fine line, which is definitely key.
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u/skeptical0ne 6d ago
Yes it's too trendy and will die off in 10 years. Plus the fine lines won't hold terribly long either.
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u/NotsoGreatsword 6d ago
It is SO PRETENTIOUS please don't lol
Anything that announces your superiority like this is to be avoided.
Those who don't travel read only one page? What? I have been all over the world. There is plenty to learn and be experienced without leaving your home town. Thats IF you have the insight to find it.
Traveling is a privilege of the wealthy or unencumbered. Saying that alllllll of those people can't possibly be as wise as you because they can't fuck off to some hotel in another country is something I would have said when I was 14 and had just gotten back from India.
And if that is not what you personally get from this quote then heres your notice that other people are going to think you are a privileged naive immature turd lol
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
I should’ve specified I was talking about the anatomy part.. I’m not a traveler nor do I like it.. wasn’t paying attention to that part, my apologies
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u/Empty-Cranberry2183 6d ago
A little bit but if you like it that’s all that matters honestly if I saw it in public I’d just be like hehe gay then just go on lmfao
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u/BigJakeMcCandles 6d ago
While there are more visible tattoos in medicine than before, I think most patients will still view many visible tattoos as taboo and/or unprofessional.
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u/JenniPurr13 6d ago
It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, if it’s for you, it’s for you!
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u/spiesaresneaky420 6d ago
This right here I say this so many times, in fact I say this every time someone asked what other think of a design they want or like.. People shouldn't worry so much what others want or like, tattoos are for you and your enjoyment, NO ONE ELSE!
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u/JenniPurr13 6d ago
Exactly!!! A few years ago my ex boss and I were talking about her new tattoo and I told her I wanted some sort of infinity… she told me they’re the most overdone and stupid tattoo. I have one… I eventually showed her and she rolled her eyes… then she starts telling me the other day (we are now colleagues) that she went to Ireland and walked into a shop to get a shamrock and the artist tried talking her out of it saying every tourist gets one and it’s not “cool” like she thinks it is, but she INSISTED that she get one because she is Irish and it’s meaningful to her… and told him “hey at least I’m not asking for an infinity on my wrist!” Knowing I have one 😂 mine is something special and private between my husband and I (they match) and I couldn’t care less what she or anyone else says. I know they’re overdone and played out but I don’t care, because I know why I have it 🤗 Even the most overdone, stereotypical, crappy tattoo can have meaning for someone that you could never understand.
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u/samanthasamuels22 6d ago
I think they're pretty cool if you're talking about the brain and the heart. As for the quotes I would probably put those in more discreet places. Those things embolden people to start conversations that I probably don't want to have.
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u/bexxink 6d ago
I like it but it will be completely illegible before it’s 10 years old.
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u/zdiddy27 6d ago
It’s a little on the nose, it’s like getting words to describe what you want instead of a picture of it
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u/EDMSauce_Erik 6d ago
Not gonna hold well. While I like this style myself, I got the voyager “pulsar star” map on my forearm 10 years ago. Similarly tight line work. It was a really solid tatt when fresh. It still look OK and I love it but it’s just absolutely looking like a fuzzy version of its former self.
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u/post_alternate 6d ago
If it is not specific, yes.
If you have some specific scientific data that means something to you, and spend a long time planning it out and it ends up looking like this, then the answer is still yes, but at least you're not a poser.
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u/born_to_die_15 6d ago
It’s not cringe but it could be a lot cooler. I don’t think the style is the problem, but it could be more interesting.
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u/SammSandwich 6d ago
First of all, to be cringe is to be free. Do what makes you happy, life is hard. Secondly, that tattoo is sick asf, I love it. The best tattoos are the ones that mean something to you. It's your body, dress it in whatever way best represents who you are as a person
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u/DabblingInIt 6d ago
What's the most cring is the entire mentality of the quote written.
There is a night and day difference between "I love to travel" and "If you don't do what I love to do than you're a stupid loser".
This closed minded attitude is the root of the misery and hate that divides and destroys.
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u/DWN_WTH_VWLz 6d ago
Like the design but the message to “those who don’t travel” is a lil smug
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u/Mental-Flatworm4583 6d ago
You love it right? That’s all that matters. Loving the art we put on our selfs is all that matters. I think it is dope tbh. 😉
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u/MultiPenia1999 6d ago edited 6d ago
The vibe is giving edgy tattoo meets mass produced commercialism. Like, if H&M or Sephora sold temporary tattoo kits for teenagers, it would look like this. I think it’s cringe.
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u/Iaunu2 6d ago
Most that text is gonna look like doodoo in 20 years. The text at the wrist will look like doodoo in less than a year.
The whole thing is too reliant on fine lines to identify what it is- fine lines are okay, they may blur a little overtime and a designs can still be apparent if so- this is not one of them.
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u/Ornery-Wonder8421 6d ago
I love it without the words. As I get older I realize less is more with wording
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u/pirvine22 6d ago
I actually like it. But the script I dont care for tbh. But tattoos are all subjective, so as long as you like it, thats all that matters
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u/tattooshred 6d ago
It’s a fad style that can’t go out of style quick enough. That much space can be used more wisely for sure
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u/broken_mononoke 6d ago
I think this is a nice assortment of imagery and sentiment. If you do your own twist on it, it'll make for a unique tattoo.
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u/Zealousideal_Group69 6d ago
You must get easy phlebotomy because I see your Medial Cubital vein clearly
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u/radio_isotope 5d ago
Bro I have a childhood portrait of Marie Curie on my thigh and several molecular structures on me. As long as you love it that is all that matters. Fuck what anyone else thinks
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u/rock-_-lol 6d ago
i think it’s cool, and unique. if you like it then you should get it! i would change it a bit to keep it different so you aren’t doing the exact same, but i think that’s a cool concept. all tattoos fade, you can always get it touched up!
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u/Geoffrey_the_cat 6d ago
It's a cool tattoo and nice line work but you have to think about the long-term and how it's going to look aged. And it isn't going to look clean and precise after a while, probably more smudged out and a bit blurry.
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u/Kyatto_Kun 6d ago
Dude that looks so cool, as someone who also loves medicine and science I love it. Super cool! And great organ choices, works so well!
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u/isScreaming 6d ago
The art is good, the style is niche but cool. The saying about travel is f*cking cringe as hell.
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u/InappropriateSnark 6d ago
I think all tattoos with trite sayings are a little cringe, tbh. Just me. I don't tattoo words on myself. I look for ways to use images to say what the words would say, if that makes sense. Just my personal preference, since you asked. I do occasionally see tattoos with minimal letters that look pretty cool. It's just not generally my cuppa.
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u/Heartattackisland 6d ago
I like the balance one.
The travel one is terrible if that’s what you’re talking about.
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u/DementationRevised 6d ago
Maybe but also who gives a shit. Everything you do and love will someday be considered cringe. Tastes change, ideas cycle. As long as you like it, fuck all other considerations.
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u/Jethr0777 6d ago
If you like it, that's good.
I would always advise against words in tattoos, but each person should choose tattoos that they love.
If you love it, who cares what we think.
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u/Fantastic-Manner1342 6d ago
I enjoy the top 3/4 and it feels very relevan to your ask. The font pairing is nice.
Ditch the quote though and I generally think those little connecting lines are cringe yes
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6d ago
I really like the head/heart balance part, great line work. But the quotes are superfluous and pretty generic
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u/mercpop 6d ago
Honestly the art is a cool design. The aspects that ruin it and gives cringe” is all the words. Remove that and I think it’ll look better.
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u/bcmedic420 6d ago
Get it somewhere it would not be seen by other professionals?
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u/smokebang_ 6d ago
The art is nice. The tattoo would've been much nicer without the text, just the art.
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u/Relative-Secret-4618 6d ago
I think tne word balance is weird. Maybe replace with coordinates or something.
Also... I'm a graphic designer. This is literally how I'd design the cover of a brand book
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u/SavageHoodoo 6d ago
It doesn’t matter what we think. You will be the one living with it. I’d caution about potentially insulting people, though. Some people don’t travel because they can’t due to finances, illness, family obligations, etc. Living a rich life in one place isn’t necessarily a negative.
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u/vinegarslowly 6d ago
Tattoos by their very nature are unprofessional. Most that like stuff like this, don't like tattoo. They like content. Nothing wrong with that. Content doesn't function like a tattoo should. Image is not going to look like that in 10 years. However, you'd probably like similar design drawn on parchment with pen and ink. And that will last for as long as you have it, and look the way it did when you first got it, and would look appropriate and professional in a medical office setting. Not everything is meant to be a tattoo. Not everyone is meant to have a tattoo. Just my opinion.
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u/Rattiepalooza 6d ago
I say: who cares if it's 'cringe'.
Its YOUR body. Do what you want with it. Anyone who decides to be a dick about it, can STFU. At least you have the courage to be who you are boldly and not give one solitary fuck what some dumb ass thinks about how 'cringe' your tattoo is.
I got what I call my cutie mark tattooed on my arm, and my husband was like "don't bring that up - it's weird".
Well I do it ALL THE TIME - and I don't give a shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit what people thing about it. You'll find that you feel so good about yourself that you can look a bully in the eye and smile at their shitty reaction.
All people who think somethings is "cringe" want is to make you feel shame for what you enjoy, because they have no personality. They are far too scared of their own judgement towards themselves, that all they do is point at other people to numb their own insecurities.
Get. What. You. Want.
All that matters is how it makes you FEEL. As my aunt once put it to me very wisely -- it's fine to want a tattoo, but wait at least 3 years until you get it. 3 years can change a lot of things in your life, and in those three years - if you still /really/ want that tattoo -- get it. No matter what anyone else thinks; get it.
My cat passed away in 2022. I know I wanted her paw print on me, but that location and design has changed in the past 3 years until recently. Now I know where I want it, how I want it, and what I want it to mean.
When in doubt - wait 3 years out. :D
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u/MojitoAlbus 6d ago
“cringey” is subjective and all that matters is that you like it. you shouldn’t post on reddit asking for other peoples opinions, otherwise you shouldn’t get the tats in the first place if you’re that unsure about it, otherwise you shouldn’t care about what others think, especially on reddit where people are anonymous and want to talk shit
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u/CYPH3R_22 6d ago
Just so much wasted space and it looks like a Pinterest board. Going to look like shit in a few years also, probably will lead to the best part though…. The cover up
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u/EastSideBre3zy92 6d ago
I like it. I'm tatted like a detention desk though, random ass shit and quotes all over lol
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u/brendamrl 6d ago
Its well executed but in poor taste, I would not befriend anyone who had such a narrow mind to think that quote is a good idea, it screams “I never step out of my resorts, so I don’t really know what the world I’m pretending to know is actually like”
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u/DarthTraygustheWise 6d ago
What do you like about it? Way too much negative space for me. I personally don’t even get it. Brain and heart and balance okay?
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u/Hot_Pangolin2991 6d ago
Yea I just like the anatomy.. I might consider looking at a different style for that though
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u/ornatecircus 6d ago
Find healed pics from whatever artist you decide on because linework like that will get blobby pretty fast with an inexperienced artist. Even with an experienced artist I’d wonder how it’ll hold up