From Low Life and Criminal to Hooker and Witch - Don't Judge Someone By The Ink On Their Skin (Real Life Story)
Though you should never judge a book by the look of its cover, it happens all the time. For many years my tattoos have been well hidden from the public's eye.
I decided to take those pieces of art for myself and I don't expect other people to like or even understand them.
It might look weird but aren't we all a little weird in our own funny way!
Or does the look of all the ink makes me a hooker, witch, criminal or low life? According to some people it does. In the past, I have been judged by people, before we even had a proper conversation to get to know one another.
Based on just a patch of inked skin I have been branded all sorts of things.
Given all the comments and prejudices, I hid my tattoos for quite a while and only dared to show them to people when they knew me a bit better. Stupid I know....
Luckily times have changed and I no longer hide behind long sleeves and pants. I am who I am. There’s no point in changing that!
And believe me, if making food and loving life, my hubby and cats is a crime, then I commit. I'm guilty!
Strange that some people make these assumptions a reality in their head before they even said one word or asked one question about your life.
Many years ago when I started working as a plant scientist, just after finishing university, I was sitting at a table enjoying my lunch with my new colleagues. We were talking about the previous jobs we had as a student during the summer holidays, going from delivering mail and babysitting to working in a restaurant.
While this seemed like a normal chat one of my colleagues then said something like “the most horrible job I did was doing line work with some tattoo covered criminals and low lifes.”
Though she didn’t take the time to chat with those people and get to know them, she classified them as criminals and low lifes.
Why? Just because they like art and ink?
And what was even worse, a lot of people on the table seemed to agree with her thoughts. How could they be so shallow and naive to judge a person by its appearance?
My hubby and I got married in Curacao and took a matching tattoo as a wedding ring. Somehow the word got out and my tattoos were no longer a secret on the work floor.
After having a chat and explaining the events of one of my first working days, the woman who made the statement earlier was standing right next to me and said yes but I didn't mean you. You are different.... but how did she know.
Apparently, she never interacted or took the time to get to know her previous colleagues... So how does she know I'm different. Well, she got the know me first with no prejudices in her mind and she started to like me for who I was...
The funny thing is that we actually became friends and it thought her a thing or two about having prejudices...
Though tattoos are going more mainstream, I still get a few looks from time to time and was required to cover them at some points…..
Only recently I was buying tomatoes at the small street shop next to our house. Since we always go to the market I haven’t been over to them quite often and while I ordered those tomatoes in my perfect broken Khmer, the lady froze and started staring at my left arm without producing a single word!! Odd!!!!!.
I had to ask a few times about the price of the tomatoes until the veggie lady’s son who strangely enough also had a big tattoo on his arm stepped in.
Later I learned that in Cambodia and Thailand, girls with big or a lot of tattoos are seen as hookers or sometimes witches by some people…
So for her son it was perfectly normal to have a tattoo, but that strange foreign girl that was buying tomatoes with a strange looking cat on her upper arm… well that’s a different story it seems.
Soulsister Stars
FROM CRIMINAL TO LOW LIFE TO HOOKER, STOP JUDGING US BY OUR INK! WE MIGHT BE THE NICEST PERSON YOU EVER MEET!!!!
Love the detail of your steampunk tat!
Thanks... love that one too. Speical thanks to my Finish friend Nico who spend 16 hours on that one.
Dear @amy-goodrich!
What a wonderful post!
That´s you and I just can be happy to have got the chance reading it!
You are creating and you are an amazing creator!
A big thank to you also for nominating my post fruitjuicechallenge and supporting my work!
keep posting kitty! 😸
your @mynaturebody🌱
Thanks gorgeous for all the support and love!
Wow what a nice real life story. In fact, I like you a lot for your kind heart, and will always accept you with Tatoooooo. Cynicism leads to hate . This is the same issue (even more worse ) faced by people of color everyday of their life and no way to cover it with a cloth. Fortunately, those cynic haters and ignorant people will be minorities in the near future. Thanks for sharing your story and I find your belly tatoo so captivating!!!
Belly Tattoo thanks to Terry Pratchett (our favorite author) and his Discworld series. He is been missed. RIP. Thanks for your lovely comment ;)
I think everyone well almost everyone in the states has tattoos.
My generation even ..not me but everyone else.
I think the others agreed with her to remain at peace. People do that. I would have said something then. That is how I am .. I think you did the right thing waiting.
I have a story but will save it for another time.
At least your tattoos are nice work.
later ❤️
Thanks, @rebeccabe. The first incident with the colleagues was years ago and tattoos weren't as mainstream as they are now. At least not in Belgium. The other incident was only a few months ago. Tattooed women are still a rarity here in Cambodia!
Love the tattoos! They have great detail. It is great that you do not cover them up anymore.
Thanks, @chefsteve... all credit for that goes to my lovely tattoo artist friends who for some reason don't seem to make it to steemit. They would do very well here I think... maybe I should push them a little more! If only they lived here too I would go to their house every day and make them an account!
How funny, I've been thinking about writing a piece about my tattoos for some time. Currenty I have an unfinished draft about one of mine. Every time I try and finish it my baby decides it's time to be fussy!
That's mental that people judge you for your tattoos, surely those times are behind us, it's 2018!
I used to live in New Zealand and there you're weird if you don't have tattoos. I saw news presenters, politicians, teachers, and many other professionals all have visible tattoos. I do try and cover mine for work, just incase any of the parents of the kids I teach secretly judge me. But with one on my hand and one of the back of my neck there is no way of completely hiding them. Now that I'm a parent and so are most of my friends, I know it won't be long before I'm teaching my own generations children and I'll feel confident that no parent will care less whether or not I'm covered in tattoos!
I know, they are becoming less a rarity... the incident with my colleagues is years ago but here in Cambodia it is still not mainstream.... among the expats yes but Khmer women don't have tattoos like mentioned only the hookers and witches... Looking forward to your post... finish it ;)
Really interesting post Amy, I love these intimate glimpses that help us get to know more about the person behind the blog. I love the stories that tattoos tell, and I love your wedding 'rings'! I only have a tiny bird myself, but like the idea of having a few more birds 'fluttering' all over my body! Maybe one day I will!
Thanks @woman-onthe-wing. Planning on a few more posts that show the girl behind the screen ;) I have a few tattoo artist friends.... so prob more to come hehe.
I look forward to more then! :-)
Thanks for your post, I read it twice and yeah I agree. We judge people too often by their tatoos. Even I do that and if I realize that , I try to think why I am doing it and why. What's causing it and what is it reflecting in me. very interesting what comes up sometimes. I once met a man, full of tatoos, big as a bear and he was one of the kindest and softest person I ever met. Judging him by his tatoos only I would have never talked to him. Thanks for sharing your story.
Got a friend like that with facial tattoos included... and I get it though looks kinda scary but he is the softest and friendliest man I know. Thanks for stopping by! And happy to hear that your prejudices did stand in the way to talk and get to know this person ;)
Beautiful tattoos I love those little mushroom gypsy chimney pots :-)
Yaeh for steampunk and smokey chimneys ;)
My entire family has tattoos, so it has always seemed normal to me. Though I have made sure that most of mine can be hidden if need be, I am lucky that I've never really had to worry about covering them up. I'm glad for that because like many people who express themselves with body art, mine are all very special representing someone I love or marking a particular journey in my life. I have an owl on the side of my calf that is made up of all fruits and vegetables that I got when I adopted a plant-based lifestyle. I actually get more compliments on that one from very straight-laced-looking older men than anyone else! But then perhaps I am judging too much based on their appearance myself. ;)
Hehe. Sounds like a beautiful piece. Mine all have a deeper meaning too and I love them. So nice you grow up with a family that thinks tattoos are normal. My mom had to get used to them ;) And always rolls her eyes when I get a new one hehe. Planning on getting a back piece... not good to have tattoo artist friends... cause they are always lookig for some skin to ink.