Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Wear It on Your Heart

I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo lately.  Then I remember that I’m not really a tattoo kind of girl—not yet, anyway.  The tattoo I think about getting is something like “13.1” to celebrate my love for the half-marathon distance, the race that rekindled my love for running.  At this time in my life, I can’t imagine not training for a half each year.  Going through that training cycle and running those miles with strength and confidence is being carved into my sense of self, and it only makes sense that I might write it on my skin as well.

But here’s the truth, and please don’t hate me: I’m not a fan of the tattoo aesthetic.  I’m probably in the minority here, and seriously, to each her own decisions about her body, but I’m just not into ink on the skin.  Instead, I’m thinking about having a pendant made with this design:

Slide1

I know this sounds like a grammar mistake, but you get it, right?  13.1 miles for the half-marathon distance, and Feels Like Flying for this blog, which has helped me realize my running dreams.  The heart is self-explanatory.

I think I will look into commissioning this design from someone, either a jewelry store at the mall or an artisan with an on-line shop.  If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

Happy day, speedsters!

2 comments:

  1. I love it as either a tattoo or a pendant.

    I'm not sure you're in the minority about disliking the tat aesthetic, as there's plenty of discrimination against inked people in all sorts of work environments. More than one person - some even complete strangers - have made snide remarks about mine that suggest that I'm trashy or classless. And I have friends who have to cover theirs at all times when they're on the job because the company they work for deems tattoos unprofessional.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aw, thanks!

    Wow, that's a great point about inked people. So many of my friends and family have tats that I'd never thought about the discrimination issues. My feelings about tattoos are more about the tattoo aesthetic as art: I'm just not a big fan of it, the same way that other people don't like the color pink or soul patches on men.

    "Professional appearance" is often a controversial topic, and I'm not surprised that inked people run into that problem. My questionable choice of professional wardrobe? Fishnet tights. I love them, think they're fun, and will wear them to work, but a friend of mine thinks they are completely unprofessional. She has no problem wearing short skirts to work, though! To each her own, I suppose.

    ReplyDelete