Best Tattoo For You

I’m guessing that when somebody says the word, “Tattoo”, the very first image that springs into your head is that of a heart or a heart shaped object.  Am I right?  Heart tattoo patterns have been popular for ages.  I can see a Popeye-type of figure with huge forearms and a red heart (complete with ribbon) with his girlfriend’s name written right across it!  Do you remember when Bart Simpson (despite his parents’ protests) went out and got a heart tattoo with the word, “Mother” on it?  If you remember the episode, it didn’t quite work out for poor Bart as he was dragged from the tattoo parlor before the tattoo was finished, leaving the word, “Moth” inked on!

Declaring Your Love

The heart shape is often associated with romantic love (even though the heart shape is not the shape of an actual human heart – luckily for us!).  One of the reasons heart tattoos are so popular is that they can often act as much of a “I’m taken” brand as a wedding ring.  Also, you can’t loose a heart tattoo as you can a wedding ring.  Getting a heart tattoo with your beloved’s first name on it is considered a romantic gesture, because it implies commitment. (That, and you’re willing to put up with any kind of pain in order to declare your love for So and So).

A Portable Memory

Some people associate the heart shape with any kind of love – familial, platonic, whatever – and not just for romantic love.  As a way of grief, they can choose to get a heart tattoo with the name and birth and death dates of their dear departed.  This kind of tattoo is considered to be socially acceptable in many countries and societies, especially if it is on an arm or over the person’s own heart so a shirt will cover it up.  This can help in the grief process.

The Heart Shape Itself

Heart tattoo patterns have always been popular and always will.  Why?  Well, they’re very easy for the tattoo artist to draw.  Often, it takes no more than one sitting to have a heart design inked.  Obviously, this also depends on the size and complexity of the heart tattoo, but generally speaking it is not a difficult design to have done.  Bonus side-effects include saving yourself time, money and pain!  Many consider a heart tattoo pattern to be calming, relaxing and non-threatening (unlike, say, a skull and crossbones!).  On the other hand, maybe you like that ambiguity and so a skull in the shape of a heart might be just what YOU are looking for (many people like a Yin Yang Skull design, for example).  Hey, let your imagination run riot!