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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2012 11:47:07 GMT -5
mahailia -- about that picture of Adam in the spiked shorts that I posted yesterday. I happened to be studying it and ... does it not look to you as if the shorts are kind of sheer? As if you can see Adam's leg through the shorts? We need Aleks to weigh in on this important question. :D I was reading in the main thread about how Adam has gotten another tattoo. Rather than go round and round with the usual I like/dislike tattoos, I thought it would be fun to try to understand why people get tattoos in the first place. I found an older book on Google Books called Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos by Sam Steward. Apparently this is considered a landmark book in documenting what was a gay subculture until recent years. That in itself was news to me! Steward was a tattoo artist who later went on to become well known for writing gay erotica under the names of Phil Andros and Phil Sparrow. In the book he shows a deep curiosity about the reasons why people wanted tattoos and wrote extensively about it. Although the tattooing subculture is out in the open now, the motivations are really interesting. Those of us who do not have or like tattoos often say the tattoos are ugly. It seems that misses the point. In fact, Steward says only a very small category got tattoos simply because they found them aesthetically pleasing. Steward starts with the motivations that might be considered more simple-minded. Gangs, sailors, groups of buddies following the herd; exhibitionism and showing off; and possession -- i.e. tattooing the name of a boyfriend or girlfriend on one's body to express the feeling of "this is mine; no one can take it away from me." What I found most fascinating were the more complex emotional reasons Steward went into. There were several but this one seemed the most like Adam to me: "Aliveness." The sense of existing, of feeling, of enjoying life, came to many with the touch of the needle, and not merely the compulsives. It was simply a generalized euphoria which increased with the progress of the tattoo. Had Bimbo and his kind been gifted with the talent of a Walt Whitman, they would have written down their impressions about the general joy of living, of feeling, of existing. This is not an observation born of romanticism. It was noticed often, and emphatically enough to merit its mention as a very genuine motivation. There was more, but I reached the viewing limit for the book. LOL. Here is the link: books.google.com/books?id=oNMAZhTdQVsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
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mahailia
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Post by mahailia on Nov 27, 2012 12:07:11 GMT -5
had to check in to see what Junie has posted for our thought of the day.................. On the spiked shorts, will have to go back and study that some more, I admire your dedication to the prospect.......... Tatoos ~ I have one that I reluctantly got to placate my dh, it is in a place where I never have to see it. It shut him up after several years of trying to coax me into getting one, they are obviously not my thing. Dh, on the other hand, served in the Navy, and didn't get his first tatoo till he was in his 40's, and he is a biker, so his tats are biker and military service related. My son that is 31, is working on a full sleeve at the moment. IMO, tatoos are art, and they are symbolic of what is important in one's life, and to some they are addictive, you can never have quite enough of them. To Adam, they are symbolic, so can't wait to see the actual tatoo, and to hear what it means to him and why he chose it. Not wanting to see tats on his chest, though. Ok he posted it, with meaning: Adam Lambert @adamlambert New Ink instagr.am/p/SipjruuNPC/  Adam Lambert @adamlambert It represents my Astrological Birth Chart, along with Pagan, Buddhist, and Greco- Roman Archetypes related to balance and the life cycle. ETA: Adam Lambert @adamlambert My chart is AQUARIUS Sun, Libra Rising, Aries Moon. All three are represented. Read more: atop.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=daily&action=display&thread=1225&page=8#ixzz2DRoGjeqII F**KIN LOVE IT!!!!!!!! |
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Post by winter on Nov 27, 2012 14:00:26 GMT -5
The strong reactions to Adam's new tattoo reminded me of something an 18 yr old girl recently posted on list serve. I thought she expressed her point of view very simply but eloquently - and could apply to other passions as well  . "One thing I feel passionate about is body modification. Somehow my standards of beauty have developed in a way that put piercings, tattoos, implants and scarification at the forefront. However, my parents have threatened to cut off their funding for my education if I modify myself in any way. I already have piercings, and though my family will never see them due to their private locations, I would love to be able to share this important part of my life with them and express myself through modification in a more public way. Essentially, they have rejected my lifestyle, and through this, they have pushed me away. What I'm trying to say is: Don't let your standards of beauty bully someone else's into a corner. Don't judge people based on their standards of beauty. Shaming what someone finds beautiful, putting down what is truly important to them, can really undermine their happiness and their willingness to share any part of their life with you, so don't lose people because they think that full-body tattoos are wonderful and you find the idea nauseating or stupid." |
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sugaree
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Post by sugaree on Nov 27, 2012 14:23:57 GMT -5
Popping in on the tattoo thing. Interesting quote winter. I don't normally use the word, but I hate tattoos. However, I don't think I judge people who have them. I certainly don't shame them. Kind of a silly way to explain my dislike would be to say that you wore a beautiful dress to the prom and it was your favorite dress ever. It truly spoke of who you were and how you perceived yourself at the time. Unfortunately I see tattoos as if that dress became your only attire for the rest of your life. Perhaps if tattoos were temporary and expressed how you feel at the time, I would feel differently. I know you can keep getting them as you go through life with the different thoughts and feelings of the time.
The first time that they really really bugged me was seeing a beautiful woman wearing a beautiful strapless dress. Her arms, and back were covered in tattoos. IMO, she looked horrible. Half of the tattoos were covered by the dress so you couldn't tell what they were. Just looked like a bunch of jumbled ink stains and her whole look was not something I found pleasing to look at.
Sorry for the negativity. I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. I hope Adam and anyone else who has them continues to love their tattoos as they grow old.
Back to lurkdom where the tomatoes thrown can't find me. :-/
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2012 14:50:40 GMT -5
I personally do not like tattoos, but am distancing myself from it emotionally by trying to understand why people do it.
This book I was quoting earlier spoke quite a bit about how little beauty played into the motivation to get tattoos. The author wrote that the permanence of the tattoos was a big motivator for a lot of people. They liked the idea of staking this ground out, i.e. this is forever.
The very thing that turns so many of us off! Jewelry, clothing, hairstyles are all impermanent but tattoos are forever ... even if they are removed there is a scar. Our bodies change but the tattoo lives on.
I think Adam's tattoos are very reflective of his inner self, like his music. In this case he chooses to do it permanently. Not something I would do but characteristic of the man.
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Post by midwifespal on Nov 27, 2012 17:05:32 GMT -5
Lol--I personally love tattoos (unless they, you know, suck) though I've been too wimpy/sensitive to my parents' feelings to get one myself...yet... and I'm an inveterate tattoo starer. It's true, it's terrible, but whenever someone walks into a room with a prominent tattoo I get a little thrill and stare at it like a total creeper ;D.
When the rumors emerged yesterday about Adam's new ink, I felt that little fizz of excitement that reminded me what fun it is to be a fan. I was (and am) in the midst of a big ol' stressful too-serious-for-this-girl mess work-wise at moment (not a bad mess, necessarily, but tough for me emotionally), and when I read about the tat I really felt a sense of a mini-break, a 2-minute joyous speculative mental vacation, pondering what it might look like. Adam's tattoos are of course 100% his business, but I do feel like he gives me my money's worth, fan-wise, lol.
None of Adam's tattoos are ones I would have chosen for myself, but they all suit him, and this latest one is easily my favorite of the lot. I can't wait to see other pics of it, and how it continues to unravel down his arm (which I'm assuming, one way or another, it eventually will). I love it's oddness, and its intricacy, I love the crowdedness of the image contrasted with the strangely calm naivete of the freckled cheeks on that curious hybrid creature. I love the balance of the image and the imbalance of the eyes. I love the tangled, almost scrappy flowers and vegetation (and would love to see some color added there). It's all pretty exciting to me--makes for extra-good staring ;D.
While I totally understand the concern, in some ways it's funny to me when people worry about future wrinkles and the permanency of the tattoo. Permanency is of course part of the point and the thrill of it, but on the other hand, nothing is permanent, not youth, not youth's impulses, and even tattoos go the way of all flesh in the end. Frankly, a wrinkled tattoo is the least of my worries on that front.
People worry: what if he no longer likes the image, years down the road? How would I know, but I suspect Adam doesn't think about it like that at all. A tattoo may not always be a perfect expression of your current point of view, but it will always be a perfect reminder of your past, and there's value in that too. We carry things with us all the time that speak as much to our changing as to our consistency--memories, scars, friends, enemies, regrets, nostalgia, bruises and ticklish-spots and soft spots...those things just aren't always easily visible for all to see. But I don't see why a tattoo should be any more troublesome than any of the other baggage that we pick up during our lives and can't possibly unload. And Adam definitely seems to be the sort of dude who views this kind of collecting as part of life's richness. He's explicitly said that he never regrets experience. I wouldn't worry about his regretting this one. (I should say I totally get, and sympathize with, people's personal feelings that they don't like the way it looks on him, and that those people of course aren't denying that he's free to do as he likes with his own body.)
Sorry to go on...I think I'm a bit sentimental right now because I'm nervous about things in my professional life and can't help worrying that I'm making bad choices and taking stupid risks and doing everything wrong, lol. I so admire Adam's willingness to take leaps of faith, firmly supported by hard work. You know, I was thinking the other day...(I know, I'm still recovering from the effort)...about Adam's famous "Burning Man Epiphany." Being the skeptical little prude that I am, my first reaction, honestly, to that story was an indulgent eye-roll at Adam's new-agey-ness and a vague feeling that the story emphasized our differences...
But the other day as I was struggling with my own decisions I thought suddenly about Adam's big one that he made that night, and began implementing when he returned home after that burn...to be more proactive in his life...to take his fate into his own hands...to make what he wanted to happen to him happen by sheer force of bravery, effort, and will...to "put himself out there," to use language that is perhaps closer to his own.
And it occurred to me: Who does that? Who has a 'shroom-fueled epiphany in the middle of the vast empty desert, staring up at the infinite empty night sky, and instead of emerging with the thought of ones own smallness and powerlessness in the face of the wide universe, comes away with the opposite lesson--the idea of the power of the individual--of the self-determining force of ones own personality and potential. What kind of special, rare personality does it take to expand ones self-image in that experience, rather than shrink it. I don't think that's a sign of egoism--I think its a sign of incredible openness to the future.
And maybe its because my own future seems so obscure to me at the moment, but that's the feeling I get from Adam's new tattoo, too: That openess, to his own passions, to the future, that sense of ones fate lying in the force of ones own personality (which is, in a way, though I'm sure I'm butchering it, an Adam-y take on astrology), that sense of accepting the balance of life--the certainties of the creative side--the open eye, the beautiful self--but also the uncertainties of the other half, the closing eye, the inner beasts. What an enviable attitude.
I'll try to borrow a wee bit of it if I can...(my response, in the desert, would have been to refuse the shrooms, worry about the size of things, dig a little deeper into my comfort zone, and think to myself that small things have value, too).
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mahailia
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Post by mahailia on Nov 27, 2012 18:55:31 GMT -5
great post, mwp. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
You Rock!
Hang in there, it will all work out fine. I believe in you!
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mika
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Post by mika on Nov 27, 2012 19:07:50 GMT -5
I love it's oddness, and its intricacy, I love the crowdedness of the image contrasted with the strangely calm naivete of the freckled cheeks on that curious hybrid creature. I love the balance of the image and the imbalance of the eyes. I love the tangled, almost scrappy flowers and vegetation (and would love to see some color added there). It's all pretty exciting to me--makes for extra-good staring ;D. While I totally understand the concern, in some ways it's funny to me when people worry about future wrinkles and the permanency of the tattoo. Permanency is of course part of the point and the thrill of it, but on the other hand, nothing is permanent, not youth, not youth's impulses, and even tattoos go the way of all flesh in the end. Frankly, a wrinkled tattoo is the least of my worries on that front. People worry: what if he no longer likes the image, years down the road? How would I know, but I suspect Adam doesn't think about it like that at all. A tattoo may not always be a perfect expression of your current point of view, but it will always be a perfect reminder of your past, and there's value in that too. We carry things with us all the time that speak as much to our changing as to our consistency--memories, scars, friends, enemies, regrets, nostalgia, bruises and ticklish-spots and soft spots...those things just aren't always easily visible for all to see. But I don't see why a tattoo should be any more troublesome than any of the other baggage that we pick up during our lives and can't possibly unload. - I'm on the record as being a big fan of your writing but this post is an exceptionally gorgeous piece of prose. Brava! I too am fascinated by tattoos - esp the more artful ones - yet I also have no desire to have one. winter's post also made me think about how love can spur us to try to hold onto our vision of others - too hard sometimes. I have a young relative (def older than 18 though) who has taken a similar path with body modification and, while it is enough to understand and support, I often wish I could see what he sees. With every piercing and scar, my instinctive reaction is fear that this young person is rejecting, even mutilating his 'natural' self, his inherent beauty - but he sees himself ~becoming~ with each alteration. I want to be evolved like mwp and accept that physical change, whether through aging or choice, is really just life - and sometimes art - happening. Regarding Adam's tat, it's interesting how closely some of the debate echoes the old conversations regarding make up and glam and authenticity. The subjectivity of beauty strikes again! 'Scuse me while I unpack my adjectives - the Adam fun pack . |
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Post by annala on Nov 27, 2012 23:29:18 GMT -5
About the tattoo -
First of all - mwp - great post - I really appreciate getting your perspective.
While my first reaction to Adam's tat was "whoa!", I'm now fascinated by it. I keep going back to look at it, discovering different nuances - it's like I'm looking at two different faces, the dark side and the light side, but yet the same being - just as he has been talking about all this time. I believe he thought about this tat for quite awhile and I also believe he designed it - he knew what he wanted to express. He just needed to get the right artist to bring it into being.
I showed a picture of Adam's tat to my three grandchildren who live with me (ages 14, 16, and 18), each one at a different time of day. I try not to talk about Adam too much around the house, but I got an immediate reaction from these kids - all three loved it and thought it was great!
The only person in my family who has a tat is my daughter in Arizona. She does Ironman competitions and always finishes, so she has a small Ironman tat on her ankle. It's her badge of honor and it's very important to her.
So I'm learning about tats and how they can have important meaning, especially to people like Adam and my daughter.
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sugaree
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Post by sugaree on Nov 28, 2012 9:41:20 GMT -5
junie, re the tattoo, you always say things so much better and nicer than I do. mwp loved your thorough and interesting post as always.
OT from the tattoo. I found a schnauzer puppy that I want desperately. There are 2 females to choose from. The breeder is 30 miles away and has been sending me a bunch of adorable pictures. They're black and silver, 4 months old, house broken, parents on premises, come from champion stock, have all their shots, microchips, vet certification for health and eyes. I like the fact that they are a little older. Shadow was 4 months when we got her. Hubby said that he wants to wait a while, so I haven't told him about them yet. As you can see, I'm gathering ammunition to talk to him tonight. Wish me luck. I really, really, really want a new puppy to love. I'm home alone all day and even if I wanted to find a job, I can't because of my damn injuries. I''m not even allowed to drive yet. I'm lonely and I WANT ONE OF THESE PUPPIES! My last bit of ammo will be my Mom sending him an e-mail or calling him to beg for me. Wish me luck tonight.
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