I have over $2500 in tattoo work and I still have other modded folk treat me badly because they can't see it. I work an office job and I have a child with a freak of an ex who would love to use my appearance against me, so my work hides.
I've been talked down to, not taken seriously, and treated badly going into tattoo and/or piercing studios because of it. When I whip out my "mod credentials" by flashing a glimpse of my backpiece or mention the large-gauge hidden piercings I have, I get the fun of watching their attitude change and then letting them know that I'll go spend my cash at a studio where I'm treated more courteously.
Modded people are still people, and there isn't a group of people in the world that doesn't have at least a FEW twatwaffles in the bunch.
That said, I know it's hard to say "screw the world, I'm doing what makes me happy", but one thing I've learned with age is that trying to consider everyone else's feelings does nothing but make life unbearable.
It's like the old song says: You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself. No matter what, someone is going to have a problem with you for some reason. It'll be that you're too modded or not modded enough, too tall or too short, too fat or too thin, too young, too old, too weird, not weird enough, the wrong color or texture of hair, or any number of other things. If you put everything off that someone might stigmatize you over it, you'll never do anything at all. There has to come a point in your life where you let go of that fear and just do what you feel.
I won't say that it's easy, nor will I try to claim that I could have said ANY of this when I was your age. It's one of those things that has come with time.
Yeah. I see what you're saying. And now that you say it, it's so blatantly obvious, but wasn't so when I was bored at work (not even an hour ago) and getting pissed at the world for being douchebags. But I guess I feel like I get treated like I know nothing more than I'm respected. At least you can flash a backpiece or something and get respected, I could spout off everything I know (which might take more than 5 minutes) and still get treated like shit for not being ready to jeapordize what I want to get a little bridge piercing.
The thing is, if I have to flash my work to validate my presence in the shop and "earn" respect, it's not really respect. So it's not really any better.
It's a form of elitism, and it pisses me off. I get really peeved when people who are modified, who should know better than to judge people by their looks and who know how painful it is to be judged and dismissed based solely on their appearance, do the EXACT same thing they complain of. I refuse to give my patronage to any shop that does it, and I have driven hundreds of miles to go to one that doesn't pull that crap.
You really have to learn how not to take it personally, which took me a looooong time to do. They're not treating you like crap because it's you they have a problem with; they're treating you like crap because they're douchenozzles who treat everyone who doesn't fit into their "super-special snowflake" box that way.
i don't think anyone is above that sort of bullshit, it's engraved in our history. a group of people always has to have another group of people to haze. think about our own development as a nation. the pilgrims came to america to escape those who did not understand them. they turned around and belittled the native americans, and other religious groups. african americans were kept as slaves, but after emancipation and the civil rights acts, they all say we should have equal rights. today, immigrants and gays certainly to not have the same rights under the law as anyone else. i don't think anyone really has the balls to admit that it's an ongoing process. those people who felt like outcasts, who are modded [or not even, for that matter], will turn around and put someone else down for whatever reason. it's shitty, but it's true.
I've been talked down to, not taken seriously, and treated badly going into tattoo and/or piercing studios because of it. When I whip out my "mod credentials" by flashing a glimpse of my backpiece or mention the large-gauge hidden piercings I have, I get the fun of watching their attitude change and then letting them know that I'll go spend my cash at a studio where I'm treated more courteously.
Modded people are still people, and there isn't a group of people in the world that doesn't have at least a FEW twatwaffles in the bunch.
That said, I know it's hard to say "screw the world, I'm doing what makes me happy", but one thing I've learned with age is that trying to consider everyone else's feelings does nothing but make life unbearable.
It's like the old song says: You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself. No matter what, someone is going to have a problem with you for some reason.
It'll be that you're too modded or not modded enough, too tall or too short, too fat or too thin, too young, too old, too weird, not weird enough, the wrong color or texture of hair, or any number of other things. If you put everything off that someone might stigmatize you over it, you'll never do anything at all. There has to come a point in your life where you let go of that fear and just do what you feel.
I won't say that it's easy, nor will I try to claim that I could have said ANY of this when I was your age. It's one of those things that has come with time.
Anyway, that's my 2 1/1 cents.
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I see what you're saying.
And now that you say it, it's so blatantly obvious, but wasn't so when I was bored at work (not even an hour ago) and getting pissed at the world for being douchebags.
But I guess I feel like I get treated like I know nothing more than I'm respected. At least you can flash a backpiece or something and get respected, I could spout off everything I know (which might take more than 5 minutes) and still get treated like shit for not being ready to jeapordize what I want to get a little bridge piercing.
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It's a form of elitism, and it pisses me off. I get really peeved when people who are modified, who should know better than to judge people by their looks and who know how painful it is to be judged and dismissed based solely on their appearance, do the EXACT same thing they complain of. I refuse to give my patronage to any shop that does it, and I have driven hundreds of miles to go to one that doesn't pull that crap.
You really have to learn how not to take it personally, which took me a looooong time to do. They're not treating you like crap because it's you they have a problem with; they're treating you like crap because they're douchenozzles who treat everyone who doesn't fit into their "super-special snowflake" box that way.
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Douchenozzles... I'm going to have to use that one someday.
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