E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSWhen celebrities try to ditch their tattoos, it's usually because of a break-up.
When Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder split, Depp famously removed the "na" from his "Winona Forever" tatto, which left him with "Wino Forever."
Denise Richards divorced Charlie Sheen and had his tattooed name covered up with a fairy. (Little did she know a warlock would have been more apropos.)
Live Poll
Are tattoos a good look for parents?
For Mark Wahlberg, tattoo removal is more of a parenting decision.
In a TODAY interview with Matt Lauer, Sir Marky Mark, who has six tattoos, said he is in the process of getting them all removed. And in an effort to scare his kids from following in his inked footsteps, he says they're witnessing the painful process.
Read more: Being a dad is Wahlberg's most important role
"(The tattoos) all have meaning to me, but you know it's both personal and professional," the actor told TODAY host Matt Lauer. "I don't want to have my kids getting tattoos.... I’m taking my two oldest kids with me to the procedure, where they can see how painful that is."
Mark Whalberg dishes on his daddy duties and why he's getting his tattoes removed.
What do you think about parents having tattoos? Is it a good look or a bad example?
"Like" TODAY Moms on Facebook, and follow us @TodayMoms
Leave a Comment:
LOL....I have Tattoos myself...& for that matter so does my husband. My personal belief is that if u get a tat..it has to have a meaning,if it doesnt dont get it...& dont get hella stupid ones either....2 of boys have tatts also...U choose to put them on ur body...then u shouldnt make that choice to get them removed!! You knew 1 day u would have kids of ur own...so dont tell me when u got ur tatts back then...u were just gonna get them removed! How stupid is that?! I will almost GUARANTEE you..that 1 of these days Mark's kid/kids will get a tattoo. They r a way of ART..ur body is a canvas. Dont get me wrong...but when 1 covers their body with ALOT of ink....it looks nasty! But thats what they wanted!
Good Luck Mark...I hope u making ur kids watch u get ur "MISTAKES" removed is worth it! I dont think its gonna work out the way u think it will. I just hope 1 of ur kids dont do something stupider and u decide to remove them...bcuz of their "MISTAKE"!!!
Reading about a tattoo user defend tattoos is like listening to a religious convert preach about the devil. Either way, no sane person would give the person any credence. You may love the look, but believe me, it won't help you or your kids find a white-collar high paying job.
Do your kids a favor and insist that you made a mistake. It might just give them the opportunity to make a decent living.
I have 4 tattoos (soon to be 7) AND I also have a "high paying white collar job." I have worked for my company for 7 years, and been very successful (even with my tattoos GASP!!!) I do not mind if a person has tattoos and I also do not mind if they don't. Please don't judge my character because I did something you do not agree with. Having ink on my body has in no way negatively effected my work ethic.
As far as children go, I want my kids to make their own choices based on what they believe is right for them not based on what society believes is right for them. As a parent, I think the critical part is laying the foundation that teaches them how to make these decisions for themselves. I would never tell my children to get a tattoo because I have one, but I would never tell them not to get one either. Even if they end up later down the road thinking it was a mistake, it is their mistake to make and my job to support them through it.
I have 6 myself... 1 of which is a full sleeve (so technically alot more then 6!). I have a white collar, 6 figure plus job. I also have 2 college aged daughters who have just gotten their first tattoo's and I was there with them for it. They spent many years thinking about what the wanted, and where they wanted them. Each of theirs, like all of mine, have deep meaning. Not too mention, all of ours have been done by some of the finest artists out there (Paul Booth, Chad Koeplinger & Mike Malone for my 1st). To stereotype for anything is narrow minded & shallow. Tattooing is an individual expression, no one's expression is greater or less then the others. You may choose to wear a crucifix, or a Prada hand bag or any other visual expression that helps to define who you are. Those of us who have chosen ink, appreciate the beauty of the medium & the priceless value of the art.
Sure, there will be enviornments where having a tattoo may hinder your acceptance through the door. That is why you should plan well ahead the art & it's placement. If need be, I can walk into a boardroom and nobody in that room know exactly what lies "beneath". However, I choose NOT to do this. If those in attendance can't see beyond the skin, then they are not someone I want to do business with in the first place.
What we do need more of in this country (not just regarding tattooing) is more of "you worry about you, & I will worry about me" attitudes. If I am not infringing upon your rights or any laws, don't you worry one little bit what I do for my personal satisfaction!!! If my actions hinder me personally or professionally, that is my choice and I can live with the consequences!
Tattoos are incredibly stupid. To have a $50 per hour unknown artist "permanently" deface your body with his/her crappy artwork is the epitome of moronic.
If say...Picasso were alive today and a tattoo artist, I might make an exception. I'd possibly make exceptions for highly personal (i.e. tribute to a *permanent* relative READ: not a spouse), highly discreet tattoo.
Personally, I think you'd look far less stupid if you took a painting off your living room wall and duct taped it to your back.
I waited until I was 40 to get my tattoo - and my kiddos helped me design it!! :) Because of that, I don't plan on it ever coming off. It's on my shin and I can cover it with pants when I feel it's appropriate (in some work situations) and can proudly display it when I want. I agree with the previous poster - you need to take your future into consideration when getting a tattoo and understand that it's generally a lifetime commitment.
My husband has 5 tattoos and I have one small one below my ankle. We both think about getting more and we both sometimes wish we didn't have any. As long as the tattoos are not inappropriate and have some sort of meaning I don't see how they're a bad influence. Having tattoos doesn't necessarily make a child more likely to get one. If my kids want tattoos or piercings when they're older my husband and I will probably support their decision to get one (or more) as long as they think carefully about what they're getting and where they're putting it. As long as they don't get carried away and end up looking like a tattoo artist when that's not their job, they have the freedom to do what they want if they're of legal age.
My dad got a tattoo when he was in the navy, I remember how I thought he was so brave! You only live once and I love wolves so what better way to see one everyday than a tattoo! For my 50th Birthday I wanted one and my 20 year old daughter was the one who said okay Mom lets go make the appt. She thought I would never go because I hate needles! If you decide to get one make sure you give it much thought and somewhere you can see the creation to enjoy it!
I have tattoos with my older girls' names. I'll get my third daughter's name added somehow when I can afford it and one day I will prob get my husband's name added. I know it is a tattoo no no, but I want it and he is my first and only love and the father to my three beautiful girls.
Having tattoos has no effect whatsoever on a person's parenting skills, so I don't see any problem with them. If having tattoos is a "bad example" for kids, so is drinking alcohol in front of them when they're underage.
I get a lot of compliments on my tattoos from all types of people. Even elderly women stop me to say how beautiful they are. One woman said "wow, it's like art, isn't it?" I told her it's not like art, it IS art. There is such a thing as a tasteful tattoo and my tattoos do not effect my ability to be a good parent in the slightest. I spent time researching an artisit who's style was compatible with the art work I wanted. I asked my kids how having tattooed parents makes them feel and if their friends say anything about it. My daughter is 9 years old and she said it doesn't bother her that her Dad and I have tattoos, she said her friends never comment on it and if they did she would remind them that it's ok to be different. She is wise beyond her years! I have tried to teach my children to be accepting of others and not to judge people by their appearence. So I don't feel like I'm setting a bad example at all! :)
Tatoos make people look trashy, I don't see the need or reason to graffitti your body that bad, look at graffiti walls in ghetto areas. Do you really want your body to look that way? besides, they will look all pruny and ugly as you get older,makes people look less respectful. So much for getting an individual look, everyone is tatooed.
Oh, and I have 7 tats, one on my arm, my ankle, my neck, my back.... and so on and so on. Yea, so like everyone does it so you do too?!?!?!?!?!? Do you think for yourself or do you like to be part of the mindless mob?!?!?!?!?! For one who practices energy medicine, Chinese and Tibetan medicine, don't tell me piercings and tattoos don't disrupt the body's life force into disease patterns. I also have to wonder why indulging in pain to be part of the tribe is not some part of group ritual, self mutilation.injury. Most who have extensive tattoos have some pyschological anger or pain that they've repressed. Like most things in a particular gen today, you wear your pain and abuse on your arms and legs, backs, ass, belly, and shoulders. Get some therapy!!!!!!!
After 25 years working inside prison walls, you can bet I do not want my girls getting tats. I am already upset that their mom allowed multiple ear piercings. Lick and stick tats bad enough.....
I figure there are better ways to "express yourself" or "make a statement" than to get a tattoo. I thought a few years ago about getting one and even came up with a design that I was sure I would "love forever". Found the drawing a week ago and laughed. I would have gotten SO sick of it.
There are few things in my life that I know for sure will always be important to me. My non-tattooed statement that I make on a daily basis are my "cancer bracelets". My dad died of cancer when I was 11 years old and since I was 12 I have worn both a yellow Livestrong bracelet and a purple ACS "Hope" bracelet on my right wrist. I never take them off except when I'm performing - I'm a classical singer and I also act. Hence, I would never get them tattooed. They're my "expression" of something that's important to me - supporting cancer research so that no one will have to go through what I went through when I lost my father. However, bright purple and yellow rings on your arm just don't look good with a gown or in period costume :)
The difference between people who have tattoos and people who don't is that we don't care if you have ink or not
I understand why people are so against tattoos, having grown up in a religion which explicitly bans any body modification and in a culture where it is not socially acceptable to have any tattoos. I recently got a tattoo, although my parents always threatened to disown me, asking what could possibly be so permanent in my life that i would want it tattooed on my body for the rest of my life. I tattooed something on my ribs in tribute to my younger brother who passed away a few months ago in a motorcycle at the age of 19. i do not believe that having that tattoo makes me a bad person or should be considered a parenting "don't". To each their own, I believe the person you are and the values you instill in your children are far more important to parenting. If my children ask me about my tattoo, i can honestly tell them i found something in my life that meant that much to me that i wanted it on me till my dying breath.
I have 5 tattoos. Everyone of them have a meaning. They represent a point in my life that had deep emotion for me. I do not belive in getting names on me other than blood relatives. I have my son's name on my leg. But to celebrate my marriage I have a shark on my foot. (We got married at the beach) I am now divorced but in no way do I regret the tattoo. I don't regret the marriage either. My son has seen all my tattoos and his fathers tattoo but he is showing no interest in wanting any. And that is fine. It's his decision.