Symbolism of your current (or future) tattoo or piercing

[Daizey 0]

There are so many threads out there on who has what tattoos or who has what pierced...so how bout telling why you got your tattoo or piercing (or plan to get) and/or the symbolism they have?

Mines kinda silly, but very true...I have my tongue pierced. When people first meet me im rather quiet and kinda shy....but once they get to know me they find out im much wilder and crazier than they thaught on first impression....so it kinds symbolic cause when you first look at me youd never know i had it pierced (as long as im not playing with it or yawning!) but once you get to know me, youll probably end up seeing it....(corny i know lol) So m ine kinda symbolizes my inner self...make sense?

Ok, your turn...

*daizey*

[skysprite 0]

I got my tattoo just after Spring break last year. I don’t have a pic of the tat itself, but have a pic of the original design that I’ll attach. I got my tattoo kind of randomly. I mean I knew for a long time that I wanted a tattoo, but didn’t know what or when. Early spring semester last year I had a friend do a few doodles with my initials for my first and two middle names (TDC). She did one I liked, so I figured that’s the one I want. But I still hadn’t decided when to get it.

I ended up breaking up with my at the time boyfriend right after I came back from Spring break. The day after the breakup I decided “I’m going to get my tattoo today!” so I called up my friend and asked her to come with me. She was shocked that I of all people was going to get a tattoo on impulse. I got it that day, hung out with friends, also got blonde highlights done in my hair, then we all went out dancing that night.

Funny thing when I think about it is my relationship with that boyfriend really screwed me up. He played a lot of mind games. In a way, I “forgot who I was” if that makes sense. So it’s almost fitting and symbolic that the day after I broke up with him I got my initials tattooed, in effect taking that part of me back. If I ever “forget” who I am, I can just look down and be reminded. It just has that kind of symbolism to me.

~skysprite

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

I have 2 tats currently.
One is an eagle, in full flare, about to land
the other is a single feather, dropped by the eagle a few inches away.

The eagle is my husband who's nickname is Soaring Eagle.
The feather is my daughter who's nickname is Little Wing.
If I have another child, another feather will be added.

[flygirl03 0]

I have two. Both have specific meanings.
A Heart with Wings-on my ankle (Heart= Love, Wings=Flying)
I got the wings when I flew my first Solo (airplane) and added the heart when I got my private pilot rating.
The other is on my shoulder. A Dove with a Rose
(Rose= Love, Dove= flying)
Got the Dove when I flew my first Solo Cross Country.. added the Rose when I passed the written exam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
earthbound misfit

[Brains 2]

I have two tats that don't really mean anything other than the fact that my brother designed one and actually did the other. I have a piercing that is kind of the same as Daizey. In the fact that most people don't know it is there and if you first met me you wouldn't have any idea that i had it.

Never look down on someone, unless they are going down on you.

[piisfish 140]

gonna get me a circle made of 3 pins, sustained by 2 standing freeflyers.
my version of titan carrying the world.

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[goose491 0]

Cool thread... lots o' threads about showing your tat... not enough about 'splaining 'em.

I've got a Peace sign on my chest with a Rose whose stem passes through it. The meaning:

"Peace and Love"

My Karma ran over my Dogma!!!

[Blahr 0]

Mine symbolize that I thought drawing pictures on my skin with needles was cool

I have 6 tattoos. 2 on each arm and 2 on my chest.
They are nicely done as tattoos go but if I had them to do over my skin would be clean and picture free.

[chapdog 0]

Excellent Q!
1. Dragon head-left shoulder/arm/chestand back
Chasing the "pearl of eternal wisdom"
Symbolises me!Because its a life long search
for something I will never achieve.
Its ones journey thru life that counts not the end
result.
2.Crazy looking guy surrounded by fluffy red bra`s
phsycedelic swirls etc.
This one,drawn by a close friend,represnts the
end of my "party era"Whenever I`m tempted
to the dark side a qwick look at this reminds me why
I shouldnt.

3.a few more that are about places travelled
people met.
4.My latest,1 week old.
A pair of seahorses,on my chest.
Me and my wife to be,we`ve been together a
long time,and they mate for life.Plus they like
to "parade" with each other.-----------------------------------------
No need to stare just ask.
----------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------
No really,if only someone had a camera!

[Nightingale 0]

no tats...

got a piercing when I started teaching... I had to be so conservative in the way I dressed for work that I wanted a little bit of rebellion that I could hide under my clothes. Ended up taking it out later, because the guy I was dating didn't like it. After we broke up, I got it re-pierced, kinda as a reminder to never let someone else try to change who I am.

The other piercings were pretty much just for fun, the one I wrote about above is really the only one with any kind of meaning.

[Guest]

Quote

I have 2 tats currently.
One is an eagle, in full flare, about to land
the other is a single feather, dropped by the eagle a few inches away.

The eagle is my husband who's nickname is Soaring Eagle.
The feather is my daughter who's nickname is Little Wing.
If I have another child, another feather will be added.

I like it!

I've got a couple of ideas for tats. I'm 42, and never got any when I was younger because I couldn't think of anything permanent that I wanted on me.

Now I do, but can't afford to get them (rather, being unemployed, I can't justify the $100+ expense for each of the two designs I'd like to wear for the rest of my days).

mh

.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[mcneill79 0]

As of now I only have one tattoo, but it so full of symbolism for me.

My father died when I was a freshman in high school and I felt my first tattoo should be in honor of him. His name was Alex and he had a small tattoo on his arm that sail "Al" written in script. So I decided to get the same tattoo on my ankle.

[kris12 0]

I don't have any tattoos, but I do have 11 piercings (used to be 12).

After the typical ear lobe piercings (3 in right ear (only one left now), 2 in left), I got my tongue pierced when I was a sophmore in college. I always loved the way it looked and I wanted one (I had wanted to get my nose pierced since some time in middle school). It was me. I was trying to assert who I was, because it could be hidden in there or just flashed briefly. I had it for 6 years, as I took it out at the end of this past October because it was wearing on my gums.

Then I got 2 upper cartilage piercings in my left ear because I was still on the kick from getting the tongue done. And they looked good.

I then spent a summer (1998) in Colorado doing research and wanted something to commemorate it. In my right ear, just above the tragus in the cartilage, I had a small ring put. It was also the first piercing I had done without anyone else around.

Summer of 1999 I spent in Connecticut and decided to get another ear piercing. I got my conch done (barbell). It's a great piercing that not many people see and get freaked out when they see both sides of it.

January 2000 about 1 month after I turned 21 and 4 months before I finished college, I had my rook (top left piercing) done. It was to symbolize that I was finishing up college and a birthday present to myself. It's my favorite piercing and I can actually hide it, as it can go behind the cartilage.

November 2000, I had been in graduate school for a few months, so I got an orbital piercing punched in my upper right cartilage. When people ask me if a certain piercing hurt, I say "No, but this one did." and point to the orbital. It's cool and I like it lot, but it does have a tendency to be painful and get in the way. I am going to be going on job interviews soon, so I may have to take it out. Or maybe I will take it out, let the hole closest to my ear close up and put in new ring in the other one.

And finally, I had 2 more cartiledge piercings done (2001) in my left ear just under the 2 that were already there (see rook picture above). I was thinking about doing rings all the way down. But then I started skydiving and haven't had the desire to get anything else done.

I have thought about tattoos, but after I think about it for a while, I am never sure that I still want one. I can always get one later.

Sorry for the long winded post, but those are the stories behind my piercings, as each one means something to me.

kristen
swooo #3 MB #3587 P.M.S. #66
"so let go, jump in...what're you waiting for? it's all right 'cause there's beauty in the breakdown"

[froglady 0]

I have 2 tattoos both have lots of meaning for me. The 1st one is a tree frog, I've collected frogs for as long as I can remember. An artist friend of my gave me a drawing of one for a thank you gift and I had it copied as a tattoo. After becoming addicted to skydiving I drew the 2nd one. It's a sun with a 4-way in the middle, I've always loved the sun and 4-way is my favorite skydiving discipline.

[caress 0]

Well Daizey, My two tats symbolize respect. The respect I have for the one person who died trying to stop a man from beating up his wife. The other one helps me remember that love and respect go hand in hand.-Caress

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being
right.

[Kennedy 0]

When I got the letter that I was accepted into USMC OCS, I decided I was going to get something corps-ish on my arm. Well, I became a training casualty and was given a medical admin separation, so I'm glad I decided to wait until after training. Nope, I never got it.

I thought about a flag on my arm where it sits on uniforms for my 21st birthday, but 9/11 happened 20 days before, and I decided against it.

Now I'm in the works with a PD in NC [I'll let everyone know if anything posistive comes out of it]. If I get the tin and steel from the department, maybe I'll get that flag I was thinking about. The other option was to get a badge on my chest where I would wear it on my uniform. We'll see.

[short version: I have no tats and no piercings]

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[mujie96 0]

My genital piercing is symbolic because it represents the inability of the male species to reliably locate a clitoris with any more accuracy than I have under canopy.

I figured a shiny metal hoop would help them out....

Just keep swimming...just keep swimming....

[shananay 0]

Ohh I love talking about Tattoos! I think they are so cool and really have a lot to tell about a person.

I have three, two of which I am proud and the other just goes to show how freakin messed up and off balance I was as a young adult...my favorite two; one being a dolphin. Not much explaining needs to go there, I collect them and have the most respect and admiration for their species. They are horney little bastards though. That part I am torn on.

My latest addition is on the lower back, a compilation of tribal, vines, flowers and accented by two butterflies. I am a huge plant and flower lover; the vine, the root of the plant and the lifeline so to speak. The flowers are of fantasy decent and look like they belong on the moon or in the midst of jungles with fairies and elves..butterflies..something so beautiful and free that you must admire from a distance. They can never be touched for if you touch them they can never fly again...I have always loved butterflies; They fly where they please and please where they fly. Something like that...

Do it Again!
P.M.S. #22
LaLa Gang #4

[turtlespeed 220]

Quote

My genital piercing is symbolic because it represents the inability of the male species to reliably locate a clitoris with any more accuracy than I have under canopy.

I figured a shiny metal hoop would help them out....

I'm speechless.
Really i don't know what to say.

I'm sorry, I guess.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[skyyhi 0]

Quote

I got my tattoo just after Spring break last year.

Tiffany, I NEVER would have thought you would be one to get a tattoo. . .lol! You wild woman. . .

As for me, I lost a HUGE amount of weight this last year and after I get a tummy tuck I intend to get my bellybutton pierced. . .Symbolic of what I have been through to get a tummy worth piercing. . .lol!

________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

[Darius11 12]

My tattoo is religious. The ironic thing is tattoos are against my religion so they say.
The reason I got mine was it is the only thing that I would want on my body till the day I die.
It is a reminder that there is a god and how small we all are.

Oh yea the translation for the tattoo is. There is only one god.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

[Zenister 0]

Quote

My genital piercing is symbolic because it represents the inability of the male species to reliably locate a clitoris with any more accuracy than I have under canopy.

I figured a shiny metal hoop would help them out....

lol....no worries there i can get that PRO rating with his eyes closed without the additional indicators..

although rings can be very interesting....

no tattooes yet (thinking of a couple but no action on it yet...maybe for my next b-day) I had both nipples pierced but had them off for just 2 weeks and they healed quickly enough i'd need to get them repierced

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[smiles 0]

symbolism?????

While spending some time in a rehabilitation center as a teen- with a sewing needle and ink I tattooed my aries symbol on my body.

In the years that passed it was a symbol of my rebellious days- (tough biker chick- ya right!) Getting dressed in a pretty blouse or dress it became a symbol that did not represent me as I wished 100% of the time.

I went in to a tattoo shop and had it changed by adding wings & color....re: aries symbol to butterfly.
Then when I became a skydiver it finally had symbolism.....representing flight.


My next tattoo I designed a more beauty butterfly...

SMiles

[Daizey 0]

Wow, theres some great stories behind some of these tattoos and piercings....

Since i haven't looked at this thread all day im gonna attempt to give my opinions all in one post haha...sorry if i left anyone out!!

Skysprite-love the meaning behind the initials, so awesome! Never forget who you are! Youre such an awesome person!

Bodyflight-yours is one of my favorites. Its soo symbolic and personal and must looks so nice...Do you have any pictures of it?

Flygirl-such nice meanings!

Brains-isn't it great? I love it for the fact that noone can really see it unless i show them...and its fun too!

Thanks Goose, Yours sounds so nice as well!

Chapdog-nice! Yours are some of my favorites too! So much meaning behind them!

Nightingale-my tongue was done partly out of rebellion too....i really like how you decided to go back and get your piercing redone a reminder to never let anyone change you-thats great, is so true, and has such a strong meaning!

McNeill79-How special and what a nice idea!!

Kris12-your piercings sound awesome. I have 7 in my ears at the moment. Only 3 are kinda symbolic and thats just cause i got them when i was away from home for awhile. My uncle signed the permission form thing...i thought for sure my parents would freak but they didn't. 2 others were done when I was a baby..and the other 2 were done cause I was bored at the mall one day...lol

froglady-nice! i love skydiving tattoos. I've gotten a chance to see a bunch of them and they are all great!

caress-Such nice meanings! i love how they go hand in hand with one another

Mujie-Thats Great!! I laughed so hard when i read that! I love it haha

Shananay-sounds absolutely gorgeous!

skyhi-i really like that idea-its so nice and you deserve it!

Darius-its nice to have soemthing that has so much meaning to you and its nice you can tie it in with your beliefs as well

Smiles-wow. Nice story behind them and so pretty too!!

Thanks everyone for sharing so far!

*daizey*