I think that summer has to be a time when many of us who love tattoos make the decision to start checking out ankle tattoo designs with the idea of getting one for our ankle. It just seems to be the kind of thing that goes with the beach and warm sunny days. Everyone is wearing sandals and the perfect thing to accompany that are ankle tattoo designs picked out fresh. And then in the winter, when the weather outside your window is cold and snowy, what better way to feel cheered than to look at those chosen ankle tattoo designs and admire your options once again!
Of course, there are probably as many kinds of ankle tattoo designs as there are types of people to wear them. The traditional chain of flowers always looks great on a young woman’s slim ankle, but that is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to choosing from a wide variety of ankle tattoo designs. You can do anything from an art deco swirl that moves up your leg to swaths of design that would look good on your favorite romance book cover.
Of course, the primary sex that tends to consider ankle tattoo designs are women, but men can wear them too. It is simply that women with their passion for shoes seem to gravitate towards the ankle tattoo designs more than men. In fact, many women who only have one tattoo often have one of the simple ankle tattoo designs because they still consider them fairly conservative and feminine.
The ankle tattoo designs that I have seen on men tend to be geometric or either sports teams or something similar. Some of the funniest ankle tattoo designs I have seen have been on men, including one of shoes laced up and another of a good luck charm that was actually more sweet than funny. So although we tend to think of women when we think of ankle tattoo designs, I think it takes a real man to wear a little tattoo on his ankle. And just in case you doubt me, I have included both men and women ankle tattoo designs on this page to inspire everyone to wear a little summer on you all year round.
Have you noticed lately that star tattoos are getting really popular? While it is true that they have pretty much always been around, it seems that in the last year or two they have shown up everywhere, and the ones that trail down a neck or across an arm seem to be the ones I notice the most.
There was a time when a star tattoo was done on a sailor because it was good luck. This is because if a sailor could find the North Star they could always navigate home, so a star became lucky. Why, even the Irish like them and consider a start a sign of good health. Of course, I don’t know if they included a star tattoo in that, since the early days of tattoos often meant infection if you weren’t careful.
In the 40s and 50s, the nautical star came to symbolize someone who had found their own path, and so lesbians adapted the sign. A nautical star tattooed on the inside of your wrist could be hidden by a sleeve during the day and displayed in clubs at night using the star tattoo to signal your sexual preference in a quiet way. This same sense of “going your own way” was adopted by the punk movement and the star soon became part of the punk way of life, a symbol of going down your own path or following your own star.
It has been said that a tattoo that shows a shooting star is a symbol of a fleeting moment in that person’s life, and that when you see a star tattoo that is a group of stars or cluster of stars it is a symbol that the person is a big fan of fantasy.
So whatever the reason, stars seem to be here to stay. Do you have a star tattoo? If so, is it a single star, a cluster, a shooting star or something else? We would love to hear back from anyone with a star tattoo about why you have it – if it has special meaning for you.
Oh- and pics. Did we mention pics? I love love love getting pics from readers of their tattoos. So share your star tattoos in pic and story with us!
One of the latest tattoo designs to gain popularity lately is the angel wings tattoo designs, particularly on the back. They range from small wings with the names of deceased loved ones, often on the arms, to full blown wings on the a back beginning at the shoulder blades and often sweeping down to the lower back or even upper buttocks. Some of the angel wing tattoo designs can be very breathtaking with full shadowing to make them appear three dimensional.
Spiritual Angel Wings
Many people who have angel wings do them because they feel they are spiritual, that they say having angel wings tattoo designs on their backs makes them feel a kinship with angels. Despite this, it is interesting to note that when angels are described in the bible, they do not mention wings. This was an element that was added by painters when depicting them in early religious art. Still, the concept of angels with wings remains a spiritual image with deep meaning for many.
Women and Angel Wings Tattoo Designs
You are more likely to see angel wings tattoo designs on women then you are on men. In fact, many women say that they love the feeling of their angel wings tattoo designs because they give them a feeling of being protected, and often find the tattoos uplifting and comforting. For others, the fantasy element is what draws them to having angel wings tattoo designs done on their back, and may women who are fantasy fans will name their favorite winged fantasy character as an influence on their choice. Another fantasy winged element that is popular is dragon’s wings, which have a more scaly appearance.
Of course, if you wanted to have your own angel wings tattoo designs done, the smart way to do it would be to design them yourself, using various illustrations for a guide. Many young women who have the designs done as a spiritual protective device will come with their own very intricate designs and will proudly design clothing that show them off. The ones we show here are just a small sample of some amazing looking angel wings tattoo designs that anyone would be proud to have for themselves.
Thinking of getting a new tattoo? Maybe you were considering one on your neck? If so, you need to know that your new tattoo could cost you a chance to serve in the military. State Senator Ron Crimm for Kentucky wants to pass a bill that would require tattoo parlors to post a warning, because he says that many who go into the parlors for tattoos are not aware of this fact. The reality is that in the military they can decide on a case by case basis, but on the whole any tattoo they decide is racist or sexist they can ask to have removed before they can accept a person who is applying to enlist.
So what kind of tattoos are the military concerned about? It is pretty much up to the recruiting battalion commander for each state. The general rule of thumb is no tattoos that are offensive to others or degrading to women; and that is a pretty wide rule. So if you aren’t sure, and you are thinking of getting that next tattoo somewhere pretty upfront and out there, you might want to consider if it is offensive to anyone before getting it done.
So what does this mean to tattoo parlors? On the whole, most of them agree that anyone coming in to a tattoo parlor to get a new tattoo will know if they are in the military or thinking of signing up, that they need to restrict what they have. In fact, most tattoo artists can tell at least one story of someone coming in to get a naked woman tattoo “cleaned up” for military inspection by adding some clothes to it.
Of course, most people who come in to get a tattoo on their neck will probably have a discussion with the artist about why and what they want tattooed in such a prominent place. But the bottom line for most people is that they want to get tattooed what they came in to get tattooed, and having a sign telling them that the military may not want them if they get an offensive tattoo on their neck will probably not slow anyone down who is determined to get that four letter word above the collar line.
When it comes to sports, celebrity tattoos seem to just go hand in hand with just about any sport you can name. Basketball has certainly had its share of players who love their tattoos. Recently Oklahoma City Thunder player Kevin Durant has decided to tweet about his latest tattoo, to commemorate the National Basketball Association’s recent lockout. It turns out that Durant is no stranger to tattoos, having shared via twitter a massive tattoo he had done while whiling away some time during the lockout that left players eager for some kind of past-time while waiting for the owners and players to work out a deal.
The back tattoo he shared with everyone shows the words “Maryland” across the top with an angel below holding a basketball. The hands on either side are displaying on the left three fingers and on the right five fingers to represent his number “35” on the court.
Although as of today’s writing all we have heard is that he plans to get a tattoo on his ribs saying “survived the NBA lockout 2011” there is not yet any word of his having gone ahead with the tattoo, or even if the tentative agreement will hold to have players back on the court by Christmas Day. Just another celebrity tattoo, you may say, but one that for Kevin will be a piece of history.
Not long ago, Carl Zimmer, who writes a blog for Discover Magazine called The Loom, wrote about his recent discovery of several tattoos on the bodies of some friends of his who happened to be scientists. The first discovery was by accident, the second and third came about from curiosity and he finally asked his readers if this was an anomaly or were there more scientists out there with tattoos related to their love of science? He was surprised by the flood of responses he received.
The first tattoo he spotted was on Professor Sandeep Robert Datta who is a neurobiologist at Harvard. Yes, that Harvard. He has a DNA coiled around his arm and not just any DNA, but one that spells out his wife’s initials. I won’t get into the intricate background of how this is accomplished; just trust me that it all make sense to anyone who is geek enough to understand it. And you would probably have to be a geek to even want to get into how it was done. But the tattoo, shown here, is pretty cool looking.
And then there is Marcus Davis, a developmental biologist at the University of Chicago who is studying the genetic instructions stored in the fins of fish to understand better how they came to develop into things like hands and fingers. He just happens to have the tattoo of a eusthenopteron on his arm, a very old species of fish that was one of those early guys that crawled up on land. The kind you see in all the cartoons about evolution.
It turns out that many scientists have etched on their bodies symbols of the passion that rules their lives, the science that draws them out and makes their curiosity a tool to change the world around us. The end result of his conversations with all of these scientists is a wonderful book, which if you are the kind of person, who is curious about science and tattoos, might be just the thing for you. I know that I am just enough of a geek to love a book like this. Here are a few more pictures from the book, called Science Ink, which you may have you wanting more.
