What's in a name? Photo by: augrust
Who has been so foolish as to get a name tattoo of a beloved one? Plenty of people. And plenty of people, when the bloom is off the rose, say to themselves, “It’s gotta go, one way or another.”
In the early days, some 5,000 years ago, methods for removing body art included sanding, cutting, and burning. The later left terrible scars.
Since the early 1990s with the development of new and improved laser technology, most opt to blast it off. Another option is to add more ink. Both are relatively safe and effective. The former, which is a medical procedure, is more expensive. Neither is pain-free.
Consider Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold. At the height of their relationship, she had “Property of Tom Arnold” tattooed on her thigh. She covered it up with an elf frolicking among some flowers. He had a smiley face, hers, engraved on his chest and “Rosey” on his butt. He chose to erase the past. Laser surgery left barely a mark.
Angelina Jolie has gone both ways. After five trips to a clinic, “Billy Bob” and the dragon under Thornton’s name were expunged, while the abstract line tattoo they had created together became an Arabic script tattoo. It is alternatively translated to mean “strength of will” or “determination,” which she has in spades.
It’s hard to believe, but once Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards were so much in love, she put his name on her ankle; he placed hers on his wrist. He waited only two days after she filed for divorce to have it removed. She had “Charlie” turned into a fairy on her reality TV show.
Need I go on?
Staying with the same crowd: after Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and actress Heather Locklear split, he began seeing Richards, and Locklear, formerly Richards’ best friend, turned “Richie” on her left hip into a rose.
Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, who had “Heather” etched across his chest when he was married to Locklear, dropped the “H”. His tattoo then read “eather,” whatever that means.
When Pamela Anderson got together with Lee, she put “Tommy” around her ring finger. Divorced and married to each other twice, it now reads “Mommy.” Her kids must be pleased.
Is a name tattoo really the best way to express your love?
© 2012 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved
I'm a writer, a reader, a television watcher, a movie-goer, a theater attendee, and a museum visitor. I believe our stories make us who we are. What's yours? Drop me a line: SusanMargBlog@gmail.com
The More Things Change... 
Hello … I need to admit that I don’t have any tatoos anywhere on my body at all. Most people I know have at least one. Living in Scotland I had thought of permanently adorning my face with blue wode a la Braveheart but I thought that would be just a tad bit much. My late Dad was in the Royal Navy but he didn’t have any tatoos either. At the risk of sounding like a psychiatrist … I guess that you can never really erase what was there simply by replacing it with something else. I think you’re quite right that tatoos are a tribal thing anyway with a history stetching way way back into the murky past. Some of us like them … some of us don’t.
My dentist has a tatoo of a flower on his right wrist … but I still want to hit him!!
Chris, I think you have a very colorful background.
Nothing wrong with a tatoo, but why be so personal, maybe something like “taken” or “don’t bother”.
I won’t like a name for a tattoo. That’s too common. Not even the name of my boyfriend. I am planning to have a tattoo on my right hip. Still thinking for a nice design.
Dottie, there are lots of nice designs to choose from, but choose wisely. Thanks for stopping by.