Advice Type #9: Should You Get a Tattoo of Your Significant Other’s Name?

Posted on 08/20/2022 by Pisaries Creator

Someone I know got the name of the person he was dating on his body. He treats tattoos as if they are candy to be eaten. There’s nothing wrong with it. I was a little more discerning about what I got permanently etched on my body although looking back, I wonder why the hell I got some of them. The ones I thought were cool are still cool but need to be touched up in the worst way. The ones I don’t particularly care for need to be touched up in a severe way. I still want to get seven more as that was always my goal of having 13 of them. Here I am, 20 plus years after I got my first one and still have an even number of them. I would be satisfied with having seven and my last one being on my neck. I doubt that will happen until much later such as after I retire or maybe if I’m pretty much secure in a job where my work says it isn’t perceived as a job stopper or looked down upon. There isn’t much taboo anymore about tattoos but not everyone is hip to them.

The one tattoo I think no one should get because nothing is forever (even if you think it is) is getting the name of the person you care about etched on your body. I’m adamantly against it because people marry for the right reasons and get divorced 30 years, people marry because they feel pressured to marry and get divorced 10 years later, or people marry for the wrong reasons and get divorced 5 or less years later. My point is if you are okay with permanence whether you stay together with the person or not, then getting a tattoo is not a big deal of the person’s name. Yet, you will always have the reminder of the person. A good example is Johnny Depp’s tattoo of Winona Ryder that now says Wino Forever unless he got them lasered off, which is a solution to take if you want them removed. Of course, you need the money to do it and not everyone is Marky Mark/Mark Wahlberg. The other issue with that is it’s painful and it takes more than a few visits to completely remove it.

However, my viewpoint of getting the name of a pet you once had is okay because that will probably be my last tattoo. Some people might find it stupid but if it has significance, then ultimately why not? But and a huge but is nothing is forever except a few universal principles. The love of an animal hardly ends after s/he dies. This is my advice to people who like tattoos. They should be inspiring and have meaning in a perfect world. If they don’t, it’s okay but don’t get something just for the sake of inking up without any thought. I did that once and I sort of regret it although I do get compliments on the pretty simple design. Relationships whether short term or long term and married or unmarried shouldn’t be taken lightly. Instead of getting a name tattooed on your arm, get something more discreet like a symbol. I’d rather have a symbol I can sort of hide if I ever find myself single vs the in-your-face name of a person. Think smart and logical. How many people are out there wishing they didn’t get a butterfly on their lower back or barbed wire on their upper arm? just saying.