Tattoos are a creative and interesting way to showcase your personality and to pay homage to a certain person or memory. People usually think deeply about the design so that it truly reflects who they are, and that’s also why the tattoos are so meaningful.
In this story, a woman got her entire back tattooed with designs that were copied from her boyfriend. She saw it as the best way to honor him and to maybe push him to take their relationship seriously. He didn’t see it that way at all and got concerned about her behavior.
More info: Reddit
Tattoos are extremely personal and should be customized to fit each person’s personality and interests
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that he had been with his girlfriend for a year, and that since he was recently divorced, he made it clear to her that he didn’t want anything serious
Image credits: cheekicandice / Reddit (not the actual photo)
Things took a turn when his partner, who just had one tiny tattoo, suddenly got her whole back done with the exact designs that he had on his body
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
She said that she got the designs to honor him, but he felt turned off and annoyed because the pieces were meaningful to him, but meant nothing to her
Image credits: Timur Weber / Pexels (not the actual photo)
In an update, the man mentioned that even though he thought he had been clear about wanting something casual, it seems like she had not been on the same page
Image credits: bilahata / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Eventually, he had to break up with the woman because she wanted their relationship to become serious at some point, and this was her way of making it happen
Image credits: chris0427
The guy told his ex to see a therapist, and he got his tattoo artist to fix her new back piece and cover up many of the designs in it
The poster had been clear with his girlfriend right from the start that he didn’t want anything serious, as he had recently gotten divorced. He also had primary custody of his two kids, so he wasn’t looking to take things to the next level. Unfortunately, his partner disregarded that completely and professed her love for him by getting a complete replica of most of his tattoos.
To get a better insight into this situation, Bored Panda reached out to The Fox’s Mark tattoo studio in New Zealand. They are the best spot for folks to get unique, one-of-a-kind nerdy or pop-culture pieces. They told us that “in most cases, copying someone else’s tattoos exactly as they are, especially without permission, is 100% not okay.”
“If a client brings us a tattoo image they’ve found online, even if they don’t know the person wearing it, we explain that we can use it as inspiration for the general idea or vibe, but we won’t copy it directly. Instead, we create something original for them. Part of our process is working out exactly what it was about the tattoo that resonated with them and building from that.”
“Tattoos are often deeply personal, both for the person wearing them and the artist who created them. Replicating one exactly can feel like taking ownership of someone else’s identity, experiences, and creative work,” they added.
The OP was definitely shocked, and both he and his friends felt that the woman was crazy to do something like that. He also felt less attracted to her as a result of her badly done, copied designs. The Fox’s Mark artists also mentioned that “copying a partner’s tattoos directly and without permission could feel incredibly invasive, and for many, it would be a serious red flag.”
Image credits: Timur Weber / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One of the reasons why the man had such an adverse reaction to the incident was that his girlfriend got the tattoos without even asking him if it was okay to do so. The Fox’s Mark artists mentioned that “if both the original wearer and the artist give clear consent, or if the design was intentionally created for multiple people (like matching friendship tattoos), duplication can be fine.”
They added that “the only time I’ve personally copied a tattoo exactly without permission was for a young woman whose grandfather had passed away. He had a small eagle tattoo from his time in the war, and she chose to get the exact same eagle, in the same spot, as a memorial. They were very close, and the tattoo was something she said always fascinated her as a child.”
The man eventually decided to break up with his partner because he realized that she had done all this to try to boost their relationship to the next level. Since they clearly wanted different things, and he felt worried by her actions, it was better that he ended things as soon as possible.
The artists we interviewed mentioned that “if the goal is to honor someone, a better approach is to create a custom design inspired by elements of their tattoos rather than duplicating them. This might mean reinterpreting certain symbols, weaving in shared memories, or working with a tattoo artist to create something that reflects the connection while remaining unique.”
“Ultimately, tattoos are as much about personal meaning as they are about the art itself. A design that’s unique to the wearer shows respect for the original piece and preserves the individuality of both people’s stories,” they added.
Hopefully, the woman realized that her efforts to tattoo trap her boyfriend didn’t succeed, so she won’t try this stunt with someone else. Do you think that if she had gotten a small design to honor her partner, the outcome would have been different? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
People were shocked by the woman’s actions, but also felt that the man had been shallow to string her along just for her looks
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