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Monday, March 24, 2014

Tattoos on Men--Love them? Hate them? Indifferent?

Tattoos on Men--Love Them, Hate Them, Indifferent?


Tattoos are very popular now, with men and women, young and old. How do you feel about tattoos on men? On anyone, for that matter?

Several years ago I decided I wanted a small, classy tattoo on my ankle. Many of my female co-workers had them. When I announced this to my family, my father-in-law blew a gasket. I was shocked at how angry and appalled he was for a woman to get a tattoo. He was close to ninety then, a generation to whom tattoos were reserved for sailors and lowlifes.

I certainly wouldn’t let my father-in-law’s attitude stop me. To see if I’d like having a tattoo, I got a temporary one on my ankle and wore it for about a week. I hated it, absolutely hated having that “thing” on my ankle. My feelings surprised me. Needless to say, I didn’t get my tattoo.

I like most tats on others, but tasteful ones, strategically placed. I don’t like seeing them all over a person’s body. Lady Gaga has several tats, but the one that gives me pause is on the underside of her upper arm. Does she have any idea what that tat will look like when she’s older and has upper arm flab that flaps in the breeze? We all get that upper arm flab. Tattoos should be placed on those body parts that don’t turn to fat, like ankles or maybe forearms.

A well-placed and creative tattoo on a man can be very sexy. You’ll see from these pictures here just how sexy. I like giving tattoos to my romance heroes, but only if the tats have meaning for them. In my short story from Boroughs Publishing Group, Love Potion, my hero Jonathan has a tattoo of a snake on his arm. That snake is to remind him to be careful who he trusts because of two people who betrayed him in the past.


In my novel, A Groom for Christmas, Jake has a tattoo of a falcon on his arm. In high school his nickname was The Falcon. He has the tat to remind him of how shabbily the close-minded townsfolk treated his family. He’s back to exact his revenge, only things don’t go as he planned.

I intend to have other heroes with tattoos. It can give a story another dimension if the tattoo has meaning.


How about you? In general, how do you feel about men having tattoos? Do you like romance heroes with tattoos? 


Blurb, A Groom for Christmas

Finalist-2013 Snow Globes Award Contest
2014 Readers' Choice Nominee, Best Couple, Love Romances Cafe

Family pressures might just make her do something crazy...

This sensuous romance is like a Hallmark Christmas movie with some intense love scenes.
This title is also available in the Wedding Dreams Boxed Set.

 When a young woman hires her hometown's former bad boy to be her
pretend fiancé for the holidays, she finds she can't wrap up her feelings as
easily as a Christmas gift.


New York jewelry designer Graceann Palmer has two days to find a fiancĂ© to bring home to Pennsylvania for the holidays so her matchmaking mama will quit fixing her up with jerks. The Falcon, a motorcycle-riding, leather-clad former high school crush, helped her out once before. Maybe he'll do it again.
Jake Falco, man of many mysteries, is back in town on a mission--one the people of Spirit Lake most likely won't appreciate. When Graceann presents him with her crazy scheme, it gives him something he's always wanted--a chance to get to know Graceann. It also gives him the perfect opportunity to add fuel to his project of revenge.
But as Jake and Graceann grow closer, their engagement-of-convenience begins to feel like the real deal--until Jake's secrets are revealed.
Can a relationship that began with lies and secrets bloom like a rare Christmas rose into happily-ever-after?

Blurb: Love Potion

For uptight veterinarian Nicole Caruso, a fortuneteller's prediction, a vial of gold liquid, a handsome man with secrets and some very strange happenings prove there's no escaping the magic of love.


15 comments:

Paris said...

I view tattoos as body art and a form of self-expression. Where the person was in their life when they chose the tattoo and the form it took, tells you a little bit about that person. Your hero seems to have done much the same thing. As for me, I think I'll pursue other forms of self-expression:)

Renee Vincent said...

I like tattoos as long as they have meaning. They don't bother me...in fact, my first teen fan craze was with Tommy Lee from Motley Crue and you all know how tattooed up he is LOL

I have a friend (male) who has one brightly colored sleeve and is working on the other arm. He's probably the first REAL person I ever knew that had tattoos and somehow, I still found them sexy.

The stories about why they are there are just as intriguing too.

Tina Donahue said...

I love tats on guys. Young guys. Have to wonder what those tats will look like when they're eighty. :)

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Cara. I'm not an all over body tattoo person, especially on women. Tastefully done in a spot or two is fine. I'm with you, however, they fade, we age and the laser removal people will be making some bucks. Hugs!

The Reading Frenzy said...

I love tats on guys, girls too if they're tasteful. Just remind youngens that tats fade and stretch with time :)
deb

Nicole Morgan said...

Tattoos on men? Umm.. YES PLEASE!!! LOL sorry but I find them super sexy. Unless of course their tattoo is of a unicorn riding a unicycle... because that's just WEIRD. ;)

Adele Downs said...

I'm probably the lone voice on this subject, but I hate tattoos. I've never wanted one and married the only sailor in the history of the world who doesn't like them, and never got one.

Some of the characters in my books have tattoos, and on them, the tats are sexy.

Have you ever seen a tattoo after decades of hard living? Yikes! Not so cool or pretty when they're faded, wrinkled, and stretched out of shape from weight gain or muscle tone loss. LOL.

Great post, Cara!

Best--Adele

Sandy said...

I'm with Adele on this one. Men may look sexy with tats while they're young. I think Adam Levine, head singer of Maroon Five is hot, but I wish he didn't have tats. When he's old, he won't look so hot.

Great post, Cara.

Cara Marsi said...

Paris, I agree that tats are body art and forms of self-expression. I'm with you about pursuing other forms of self-expression, like the fuchsia streaks in my hair now.

Renee, you and Tommy Lee! I can see it now. LOL. When a tat has an intriguing story, that makes it sexier.

Tina, yes, tats on young men and women look good. Not so much when the skin starts to wrinkle.

Vicki, maybe tattoo removal is a good business to get into.

Debbie, even reminding younguns that tats fade and wrinkle with age probably won't stop them.

Nicole, I love the unicorn picture. Thanks for the laugh!

Adele, like I said, I decided not to get a tat because I couldn't stand having something I couldn't wash off on my ankle. Every time I see a young person with a tat, I think about how that tat will look when the person's skin wrinkles with age.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Great post, Cara. I always saw power in tribal tattoos, but the tattoo craze has left me less impressed. Like everything else, it's a case by case judgment. I've seen guys with great tattoos that make them look sexy, but I've seen other men who have overdone it and they look sleazy. I don't usually like tattoos on women for some reason. My SIL got several and it really turned me off. As humans we like change so much, I wonder how people like looking at the permanent reminders of decades earlier.

Melissa Keir said...

I have two tattoos and will get two more. I love them on guys and girls. I have seen some on older guys, on their arms. Still sexy at 80. :)

I think that tattoos should have meaning for the wearer. Mine do. :)

Cara Marsi said...

Thanks, Gemma and Melissa.

Gemma, I'd rather see tats on men than women too. Don't know why

Melissa, wow, 2 tats. You go, Girl!

Marianne Stephens said...

I guess I don't mind tattoos if they're not naked women or gory scenes. Not something I'd do...I'll express myself in writing instead!

Molly Daniels said...

I like tasteful tattoos. A few years back, Matt on Big Brother had a sleeve tat that I loved:) What I don't like are tats for the sake of tats. I've become a fan of Ink Master (and Tattoo Nightmares!), and this season the contestants are so inked up it's distracting.

I'm not a fan of women wearing a lot of ink. If they have one, that's fine. I think it's Holly Marie Combs (Piper from Charmed) who has one on her wrist that resembles a bracelet. That one I actually like. Just not a fan of large ones or on every body part.

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