Hello! Welcome to episode 59 of I’d Rather Stay In. This week we are chatting all about tattoos.

Episode transcript

Welcome to I’d rather stay in with your hosts Megan Myers and Stephie Predmore. This week, we’re chatting about tattoos. Stay tuned.

Hello.

Hi.

How’s it going?

Pretty good. I did a very responsible thing today, and my entire family went to the dentist.

That is a trek all of you like at the same time? Yep.

How did it go?

It was good. Actually. We all got good, good remarks. And it’s actually it was really efficient. Because they were able to do three of us at the same time.

Oh, that’s nice. And then you go to the place that I go to? I did nice. They’re really nice. Yeah.

Yeah, they were really nice. Bob. So back in Texas, we Bob and I went to different dentist, because I was very concerned about at the time, you know, going to a place that was like, calm and relaxing, and they didn’t pressure you because I had a lot of teeth problems when I started to take care of myself again. And then he just picked the dentist that was closest to our house.

As you do,

yeah, but his place that he would do his his place that he went to use like lasers and stuff. I don’t know, they did like all this weird stuff. And then mine was also always like, you have to come in every three months. We just want to take extra care of your teeth. So but they were really nice. I really I did really like my dentist. And so this these people were they were just like, everything looks great. See you in six months. And I was like, oh my god. I’m like a normal person. Now.

The only thing I don’t like about that dentist, that one in particular is that they use the sprayer and the the sucker thing for like rinsing out your mouth. Instead of having I really prefer the places that have like the little sink and actually let you like get a drink of water and swish around and like spit. Oh, I had it on the little sucker thing. Yeah, that’s just me.

I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a place that had a sink. Oh, I

love it. Because I hate it. Because invariably they like shove the sucker thing in your mouth. And then they’re like spit and it’s like sucking your tongue like up the machine and you’re like, like you’ve sucked every bit of spit out of my mouth. I have nothing to spit what is happening. But although these, although the hygienists at that office are actually they’re pretty good with it, but I’ve definitely been to dentists before where I’m like, Oh my god, get the fucking thing out of my mouth. A very distinct memory of going to a dentist when I was like 10 or 11 or something. And they did and I literally they’re like spit and they were like, weren’t giving me the chance to actually spit before they put the little sucker thing in. And, like took the lady’s hand and I pulled it out of my like, away from my mouth. And I was like, if you want me to spit let me spit. Like oh my god.

My old dentist actually they used the tool that had like the scraper tool that has spits out water at you.

Oh, uh huh.

So you will always had the little sucker thing in your mouth.

Oh, god, there’s too much

so like Sheila, they would like hook it into your mouth while they were like scraping in with the water and stuff so too much I can’t hear that’s experienced

experience. So Megan, I learned something borderline devastating today. Do you tell I’m still processing it. So I learned I actually can’t remember if I learned this like late last night or sometime this morning. But sometime in the last 24 hours. I learned that apparently. According to the infants that rule Tiktok apparently, you’re old if you wear your hair in a side part.

I can’t believe you found out about this possibly 24 hours ago and I am just now learning about this.

Well, I didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of not been an old because you wear your hair in the middle part. I don’t know. I don’t know why. I don’t know why I texted the people that I did about it this morning. I texted only the people that have signed part I guess I don’t know I texted Taylor and Kat and all day and I was like, guys What is happening? Like what is happening because apparently you are also old. If you wear skinny jeans and if you use the laugh, cry emoji and those are like sidebars skinny jeans laugh cry emoji apparently the three things that the Gen Z years say show that you are an old

and cable what other jeans Can I buy because I would love to not have skinny jeans anymore. I know apparently

the really ugly ones that the Zoomers are all wearing of like the really baggy ones that stopped like high waters above your ankle.

No those are stupid.

Well that’s what they were I girl I don’t ask hard pass like i’m

not i i had a pair of super ultra wide leg jeans and I got rid of them before I moved in. I

really am sad about it now apparently you could have got passed as a Zoomer in those and then with your middle part I don’t know it was it’s a very strange because at some of the people are like, Well, it’s because we’re we assert we’re associating middle parts with Democrats inside parts with Republicans. That doesn’t make any sense. It makes no Well, it makes no sense. And this article that I read about it was like a quick Google search deter is that that is not a logical connection. But also the strange thing, because I saw it on I can’t remember where I saw it, but I saw it and then I was like, I have to Google this and because I’m not on tik tok. So what I’m not gonna find it on tik tok. So I googled it and all the articles I found about it were from like, October, but I’m just now hearing that I am an old. Well, that’s

because we’re not on tik tok,

I guess, but I don’t. But everybody it’s like other people in my like, social media bubble are also learning this at the same time as me, I don’t know. But I shared about it on my Instagram stories just before we started recording, and I am getting so many. I’m not sure the last time I got this many messages about like, I immediately started getting all of these messages. And so then I had to go find one of the articles and I just had to screenshot some portions of it and put it in my stories because I was like, Okay, you guys are going crazy. Like and I am tired of sending the link to this article to all of you. Here you go. It was it’s truly, it’s truly wild. Well in this one gal. On Tick tock, I guess was like, everyone looks better in a middle part.

Oh,

it was like, that is a truly wild

thing to say.

It really is. I almost I almost wonder if the reason why they’re thinking that is because like I feel a middle part. I have a middle part. And frankly, it’s because I’m too lazy. My hair, but I didn’t see that. They were like Oh, a middle part makes you look polished and like you take care of your hair. No, I do not. My hair. I’ve

seen a lot of people with metal parts, not you To be clear, but I’ve seen a lot of people with metal parts and their hair just looks like raggedy and gross.

Yeah, I was just thinking though, that maybe because it’s like all the children on tik tok. They are doing the middle part because they want to appear older. Whereas they’re thinking that anyone who does a side part wants to look younger, and so they automatically think that they’re older. Like is their reverse psychology kind of thing like their first psychology?

I don’t know. But I’m just like, well, I’m one of the people. One of my followers messaged me, she’s like, I’m 39 and had a middle part forever. And then was told I was old fashion so that I switched to a side part and I’m questioning everything.

Right,

what is happening?

So

apparently, if you have a sidebar, you can join us in the old club. We will not be on tik tok. You can find us on Instagram because that’s where we reside. We’re not so old that we’re only on Facebook. or Instagram old apparently. You know, whatever.

Well,

speaking of something that maybe is not cool for the young uns these days. I don’t know actually.

What are the young uns do and we’ll never know because we’re not on ticktock.

Right. We thought we talked about tattoos this week.

Yeah, I got some I’ve got some thoughts and advice and feelings about this. Which, if you’ve ever seen a picture of my arms, you will understand because I have a number of tattoos. Meghan has several as well. I do as many as me but I do but we both do have Multiple. So before we talk about actually like the nitty gritty of getting a tattoo, Megan did some research on the history of tattoos for us.

I did not do a ton of research about this, because I very quickly realized it was gonna become a huge rabbit hole. And I had other things I had to do. But one of the reasons why I wanted to take a look at this is because I remembered when I first got my first tattoo around that time period, like late 90s, it was kind of like old tattoos, like, Are you trying to be cool? Like, tattoos are only for, you know, this kind of person, blah, blah, but actually hates it, but actually all y’all but tattoos have been part of human history, basically, since forever. They have been able to trace tattoos, all the way back to the Neolithic times. That famous ice man mummy that they found, dates to about 5200 years ago. And they were tattoos on that. The ancient Egyptians depicted tattoos on tomb artwork, as well as their mummies with tattoos. And they even have found tools that they believe to be have have been used for tattoos, and mummies from other cultures all over the world, from Southeast Asia to like old Aztec empires, and even like parts of Africa and parts of northern Europe basically, everywhere, have been found with tattoos on them.

They’re everywhere,

everywhere. And tattoos did become more popular in Western culture, as a result, basically of exploration, and the printing press. Because even though tattoos were popular in certain cultures all over the world, in America, I guess it wasn’t necessarily or not America, but in Western culture. He wasn’t as big a part of the traditional culture. But then when James Cook traveled to the South Pacific, where there’s a very strong tattoo culture, he wrote about it, and there was, you know, print culture stories and images of tattoos were more easily shared. And so he colonialism Haha, we’d always steal things from other cultures.

We do love that.

So they kind of became a mark of aristocracy in, especially in England. But they were very, very painful and expensive. Until 1891, when the first electric tattoo machine was invented in New York. Oh, that’s so cool. Yeah. And then after that, basically, it was an explosion of tattoo artists exploring the medium and especially in the 1960s. The style and popularity just like went crazy, especially when you think about like that time period and timing it into feminism and civil rights and everything else that was going on in the United States. You can see like, why it got so huge. Yeah.

Thank you for that little thanks for that little mini history lesson.

It was a very brief overview. And I found so many books that I would like to read once the library open.

Like this. So my to read list. Right? clicked. I love that. I love that. Yeah, I think it’s it is interesting. The sort of stereotypes that have come with having tattoos over just even our lifetimes and how that has changed. You know, because I do think, you know, especially when you were getting your first which, which was your first Megan actually.

So this is embarrassing.

I love an embarrassing tattoo

story.

Because I was 18 when I got my first tattoo, it was like, I don’t like to know week after my 18th birthday. She had an 18 year old you had to be 18 to get a tattoo and I had wanted one for like two years and so I was just waiting for the day. And so I went with my friend, and I was gonna get this cute little dragon. And for whatever reason, we got to the tattoo shop and me having never been inside of a tattoo shop. Got stars in my eyes or whatever. I don’t know and I have these Stupid Japanese kanji on my hip.

I mean, I but like that is the quintessential 90 1998

days tattoo. It’s

either it’s either that or like a tribal armband. Yeah.

Which I think God you didn’t do that.

It is, it is not like the Japanese word for taco or anything stupid like that. It’s, it’s fine. It’s been checked out, but I am gonna get it covered up,

we have we have confirmed

I am going to get it covered up because it is from when I was 18. And it is quite faded and I’ve had two kids and it is in that area. So needs to just need some

needs to need to go away. It needs to go away, needs to be.

Um,

the funny thing is, is that after I got my tattoo, then suddenly and both of my parents were interested in getting tattoos.

That is funny.

And they they both have tattoos and they got their tattoos. After I did.

They’re like a daughter. So cool. That’s funny. I love that.

I love that. Yeah, my

mom was 57 when she got her tattoo. Yeah, she was when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. And like she was not the type that you literally ever would have thought would get a tattoo and I had a few at that point. I think I had three at that point. And she when she was diagnosed with colon cancer, she texted me and she was like, when I beat this, I’m getting a tattoo and I was like, Alright, I’ll be there with you. And so we went together. When she got her tattoo, and she did it. She didn’t tell my dad because my dad he was very anti tattoo. And so he did not know, for years that I had one until it was after I got my second one and was like out of the house that he like finally found out or whatever. And so she just like didn’t know how he was gonna react. But she just like, did it. She went home. I was like, so I did a thing today. And he just looked at it and he was like, You literally never cease to surprise me.

He was like, Okay,

I love that. But it also was kind of funny, because then at my wedding, my mom was like, nervous that her dad was going to see, like, get really mad. Like, at that point, she

was 58

like nervous that her dad was gonna get mad about her tattoo.

Oh, Julie.

I mean, I don’t think he was pleased. But also, you know, whatever.

I mean, it’s one of those things where like, what are you gonna do?

It’s there. It’s there. It’s there. Like literally well, and I think like also, like, by it’s like I’d had, I’d had my second one for a little while before my dad saw it the first time. I saw I think he had this like, Oh, she’s had this for a while and like I didn’t notice so clearly, it didn’t turn me into some sort of like Satan worshipping criminal or something. I don’t know, like,

you didn’t get a Harley, you don’t start roughing people up outside the

bike. Weirdly, I’m exactly the same person I was before I had that tattoo, who’s just my skin looks a little different. That’s literally it. I know multiple people who have like, either waited or been nervous to get their first one because they don’t know like how their parents are going to react or they know that their parents like don’t like them and aren’t going to approve or whatever. And at some point, if you really want one, you sort of just have to say like, this is my body. And I get to choose what I do with it.

Also, you’re in adults also you’re an adult

right and I mean yeah, I suppose like if you are living in your parents home and like you don’t have your own job and your own money, then that might be a little bit different. Right like,

Well yes, I guess if you if you do not have your own money, you probably should not spend your parents money.

Exactly. I want you to have like, you should probably wait until you’re out of the house and on your own unable to pay for it yourself. Like a like an adult. But once you’re at that point like you’re an adult you Do what you want with your body. And if somebody doesn’t like it, then that’s their problem. And it’s not your problem. I mean, it’s funny because I’ve had people be like, Well, what does your husband Think of your tattoos? First of all, he loves them. Second of all, I wouldn’t give a shit if he didn’t.

I don’t think Bob cares about my tattoos one way or the other.

Like, because I had I had to when Alex and I started dating, and now I have lost count of how many I have. So like, this is not what my this is not what my skin in arms looks like when we started dating or even when we got married, but like he does not care. Because I right, because we so you and I last? I guess it’s not last fall anymore, because I would be 2020. So what was that fall of 2019?

We were all out I guess it was Yes.

When we were on a work trip. We got spontaneous tattoos. It might have gotten a spurred on

it might be pina colada tech tattoo. Yeah, they

might have been spurred on by having a couple pina coladas in the hotel pool, and then saying, Hey, we should go get tattoos and then we like did. But I remember like it was a work trip. And I remember like coming back for the dinner or whatever. And our like our boss, like looked at me and he was like, he put your your husband like, he You didn’t tell him. I was like, my husband knows who he married.

Yeah. Also, he also was funny, because we all had we had like the patches on and everyone was like, would you do like doing cat tissues? And like really? Like,

what do you think I

have a patch on my arm for like, wandering around. Like what? Like, we all just stabbed ourselves on a seashell? Yeah,

I was like, guys. Yeah, we really did. Like what? bless their hearts. But no, I, I feel no need to ask my husband like,

oh, what

do you think? Is this okay with you? Like, I’m going to do it? Because it is my body? Mm hmm. And he’s gonna roll with it because he knows who he married.

That’s right. So, you know,

there was that?

So Stephie, Queen of the tattoos between the two of us? How, how do you choose what tattoo to get?

So I think that, particularly for people that are getting their first i think that i think the first one is the hardest one. And I think that’s because people get really nervous. And they, sometimes they overthink it. But which you know what? And that’s actually fine, because it is going to be on your body forever. Which sidebar? Like I have definitely had people be like, well, what if you don’t like this thing down the road? Well, you do have always have the option depending on what it is, and how big it is, and and such like you could cover it up, like Megan wants to do with her kanji. You could also look at it as it was something that was meaningful to me at the time. And it sort of marks this period of my life. And like, almost like a time capsule, do you know what I mean? And so there’s, there’s different ways to look at it. But I’m not sitting around like super concerned that I’m going to wake up one day and hate one of my tattoos. Like even if it’s something that I might not choose today. It’s still there’s something meaningful to it, or it’s just something that I liked. And it’s sort of a marker of where I was at that point in my life, if that makes any sense. But I definitely think especially for your first like, obviously make sure it’s something that you actually like, I don’t necessarily recommend walking in and choosing something off the flash sheets for your first. I mean, you can but I think that it is going to be more meaningful to you in the long run, if it’s something that you have kind of thought about and that doesn’t necessarily that’s not to say that it has to have super deep meaning to you. You could get something just because you like it and you think it’s pretty but I do think you know, for your first it is good if it’s something that you’ve kind of been thinking on for a while. And it’s something that, you know, you’ve been looking at for a little while, and like, has sort of stuck with you over the period of, you know, at least a couple of months. to, you know, sometimes people think on their first tattoos for years before they get them, but, you know, like, not every single tattoo has to have some deeper meaning a lot of people’s do and, and there are definitely I have pieces that have really deep meaning. And I have pieces that I got, just because I thought that they were pretty. And so whichever way you go, like, I do think that sitting on it for a little bit, before you go in and talk to an artist is a good idea and is sort of like, Okay, do I like this, a couple of months down the road. Yep, I still do. Okay, I think I’m ready to go and talk to an artist and which is also probably one of the biggest pieces of advice I give to people who are thinking about getting something done, you do not have to go in with a picture of exactly what you want, like already drawn out already printed out. Find an artist that you really like and whose style you really like, Instagram is great for that.

Because you can pretty easily find artists in your area, or you know, if you’re going to go visit a friend artists that are you know, where they live or whatever. But really take a look through their portfolio, find, you know, that you like their style, and you like their work, and then talk to them go in and say, Hey, this is what I’m thinking, here’s examples of stuff that I’ve seen that I’ve liked, here’s where I think I’d like it to go on my body, and then chat through that with them, they may have a suggestion for you of a better place for it to go or a better piece to fit that area of your body, they may be able to draw up something that you know, tweaked it a little bit to fit that area better, they may just be able to inject their own style to the design that you are kind of coming up with. But what you get at the end of the time, is a totally custom piece. And that makes it extra special.

I think it’s really important to that people remember that. It’s basically like an interview. Because you you are putting this thing on your body that will last your entire life. And so you want to have the person that you’re comfortable with designing your art. And so just going in off the street, like if you’re just getting, if you’re comfortable getting like a flash tattoo or whatever, like we did on our work trip, right? That’s one thing, but like, if you want to do something that’s truly special to you, like you need to be able to click with that person, and you want to click with what they’re doing. Because you don’t want to go in and be like, I would like a dolphin jumping out of the water. And then they draw like some crazy metal version of that. And you’re like stuck with it for the rest of your life Exactly. Like it’s, it’s kind of like a job interview. I mean, it’s a job interview for them, right? So they have to present what they’re doing for you. And you don’t have to work with them just

because you talk to them. Exactly. And, you know, like a lot of shops will have tattooers that specialize in different styles. There are certainly like I know of some shops that were most of the people who work there tend to lean towards a certain style. For example, there’s a shop in pretty well known shop in Peoria where they’re pretty traditional, like Sailor Jerry styles across the board have sort of their specialty, there are shops where you’re going to find a lot more like traditional Japanese tattoos. But a lot of shops will have somebody with a little bit of specialty in all of those areas. And so like Megan said, like, if you go and you talk to somebody who does more Sailor Jerry style tattoos and you go and you talk to someone who does, you know, traditional Japanese style tattoos and you ask, you can ask them to draw the same thing. And those pieces are gonna look completely different. So that’s why I think it’s so important to really look at their work ahead of time. And it used to be that you had to like either find their website and their portfolio online or you had to go in and actually flip Through their books. And now with Instagram, you can go and you can search for, you know, artists in your area shops in your area, look under hashtags. And really see like on their feed, you know, if they have an Instagram, most of them are going to have an Instagram presence. And you can look on their feed and look through all sorts of stuff that they have done. And see like, Oh, I really overall, like what this person has done in the past, that’s, then you’re probably going to like what they’re going to do for you.

And if you have friends who have tattoos, and you happen to live in the same area, too, that’s a really good way to find new tattoo artists to you. That’s how I found the artist who did the one on my arm. One of my friends had a tattoo, and I really liked it. And I was I told her what I was looking for. And she was like, Oh, this person did that did mine, she really does that kind of style a lot. So that’s how I was able to find the right person for me. So your network is actually a really huge resource if you are lucky enough to live

in an area where your friends have also have tattooed. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And, you know, the other piece about what you were talking about it being a little bit like a job interview. And you really just sort of need to like jive with this person. Depending on the piece you’re getting, you could be sitting in that chair for hours talking to this person. So you like if you go in and you’re talking to them, and they kind of seem like a douche. Really want a to pay that person hundreds of potentially hundreds of dollars. And also like spend hours awkwardly in a chair having to make conversation with someone that you think is douchey. Like maybe there’s somebody else out there for you. Like my tattoo artist is awesome. He does beautiful work. And he is kind of a nerd. And we can chat for hours about books and movies, and you know, stuff like that. And so he’s, I always have a good time just chatting with them while I’m in the chair.

That’s always a bonus. Yeah,

I mean, it’s definitely like, obviously, the the artwork and the quality of the work is the most important thing. But like, if you’re going to have to be there for hours and like, you know, if you are planning to get a sleeve, that’s a lot of hours in that chair, you’re going to be sitting there for multiple sessions, like at least getting along with the person or finding them interesting or easy to talk to or bearable as a human being is, you know, also kind of a bonus.

What advice would you give to people who, you know, they’re, they’re planning their tattoo, but one of the things that I think people don’t really think that much about is the care afterward.

Yeah. So first of all, I always like to go in, well hydrated and fed.

Oh, that is really smart. Yeah. First of all, I don’t know if people realize this, but you bleed a lot when you get it.

So one of my I think my favorite, and I shouldn’t I shouldn’t say that. It’s a stupid question, but it kind of sometimes feels like a stupid question I get is Oh my god, do they hurt?

Yes, y’all. It’s a needle digging into your skin like super super

fast over and over and over and over again. Yeah, they hurt now, certain areas of the body and certain tattoos hurt more or less than others. Like line work, very simple line work. It hurts but it’s not as painful as like shading, and like coloring in a piece. Those are very different, like sensations and types of pain. areas of your body that are really bony are going to hurt a lot more than like your forearm or something like that would I just had one done on my elbow. Was it my favorite experience? I would never do the one on my foot again. That hurt like a bitch. When I had my when I had part of my half sleeve done, he like there’s one area where he got like, just not even in my armpit just like sort of close to my armpit and I thought I was gonna punch him in the face. hurt really bad. I did not like That’s all. I was like, I would I feel

like that would also, like the top of your foot and like the armpit area, like how do you not move? Like, I feel like I would

like twitch? I, I, I don’t know how I don’t move. Truth be told. I think, I don’t know, I think part of it because I do. I do know basically what to expect in terms of the pain, but also, I don’t know, I have I have a like, I must sit like a rock mindset when Yeah, doing this. But, um,

I guess that’s, that’s true. Yeah,

but yeah, so you, you do bleed a lot. So I always recommend being well hydrated, and having eaten something because people have passed out before. Either while getting them done or like after getting them done. So just kind of know your body and, you know, take care of yourself. Also, depending on the piece. And where it is, it’s, it can be a really good idea to take some ibuprofen or Motrin, when you get home. To try to keep some of the swelling down my head, I had to take Motrin for a day or two after my last one, just because of the area that it was there, like around the elbow, like it can swell pretty bad.

It’s also quite large.

And it was a really large piece. So when I had just the line work done on it, that was fine. But when I had the shading and the coloring Done, done, he was like go home and take some Motrin and stuff like that, because you want to try to keep that swelling down. So when you get it done, they will, you know, clean you up, and they will wrap you up with plastic wrap, like literally they will put plastic wrap over it. And essentially, what that’s trying to do is to keep the blood and the plasma from like, crusting up. So depending, and again, it sort of depends on the piece. And where it is, when I had the line work done on my most recent one, I took the bandage off after like two hours, but I left it on overnight when I had the color done just because there was more bleeding and more plasma. And he didn’t want that to like, keep coming out and get crusty overnight basically. So but your artists will tell you how long to leave the bandage on for. And then when you are able to take the bandage off, you’re going to take that bandage off, and you’re going to wash your tattoo with I like to use antibacterial soap. And just like super gently with your hand, like you’re wanting to want to, you know, kind of get off all of the gunk and anything that feels that plasma will feel kind of like slimy, almost. And get that off. And like I pad it, I always use like paper towels, you know, clean paper towels to dry it. And then the biggest thing is to keep it moisturized. And just like basic bitch lubriderm lotion is honestly some of the best stuff that you can use. And just keep it moisturized. And then and don’t submerge it in water for you know until it’s healed and healing will take about a week. Sometimes it’ll be a few days, just depending on how big it is and how extensive it is. But healings about a week and on day three or four is when it’s going to look absolutely terrible. Because you’re going to look like you’re molting. And you’ll be like what did I do? Oh my God was like all of the kind of new skin comes in. They’re good to go. It’s this the healing is actually not bad at all. Considering what you’ve just done to your body. It’s kind of shocking how easy the healing is. And the main thing is keeping it clean and keeping it moisturized. Don’t go Don’t go stay out of the sun, all that kind of stuff. But just be nice to it.

Yeah, I find that it can get a little bit itchy but that just means that if you do get itchy that’s time to moisturize again.

Yeah, exactly, exactly. If you’ve ever had a really bad sunburn. It feels a little bit like that. The first because it feels a little tight and a little hot and a little bra and just like Your skin, it just feels a little bit like that first couple days of a sunburn. But that goes away. It feels it feels the worst on day one. And it looks the worst on day three or four. It looks great. And then and then after that, it looks great. And if you want it to look great for the long haul, keep that bitch out of the sun.

Yes,

SPF SP F. I’m serious guys. Sun is like the worst enemy of a tattoo because it will fade it like crazy.

So also, it’s just a good idea in general to moisturize it every day anyway. Yes, it’ll keeps it looking really nice. It won’t fade as much. It’ll just, it’ll just look right.

Yeah,

just like but yeah, taking care of your skin. Like how, how am I How is my skin gonna look the best, that’s also going to help your tattoo look really nice, too. So, you know, we always preach about SPF. And here we are, again. SPF, because I mean, you are making an investment, if you are going to really good artists and you know, getting a decent sized piece done, you’re spending a few $100. And so you know, you don’t want to ruin that by going out and being a sun goddess and just not taking care of your skin.

Yes. Do you have any advice for people who want have been thinking about your tattoos, but say like, you know, they want one, like, in there? I don’t know, I was gonna say the belly area, but that’s not quite right. In parts of your body where you expect, you know, stretch marks to happen or your skin, your skin is going to stretch or you’re expected to stretch back down, like bodies change. How do you deal with like, the reality of like, you’re putting the picture on your body? What’s it gonna look like? If you have a baby? Yeah, things like that. Um,

you know, I mean, so our skin is not gonna look the same when we’re at as it does, when you’re 20

only look the

same, you know, after you’ve had a baby, or if you know, you gain weight or lose weight or like anything like that, like, our bodies change. And, you know, I think that that actually is like the one like big area where I don’t have any pieces. Not that it would matter, being a super infertile. But I saw a really cool article one time. That was basically a clap back. And the people they’re like, Well, why don’t you guys think of your tattoos when you’re 80. And it was a, it was pictures of people in their 70s 80s 90s with lots who had lots of tattoos and like showing what their tattoos look like, and they look fucking awesome. Yeah,

I saw that article too. Great. Really cool.

I was like, I would be totally happy to look like. So you know,

I mean, I think that,

again, it kind of I just I sort of think of that, like, Time Capsule mentality. Like, did you really love this piece when you got it? And maybe you do decide down the road, like, okay, I want to get it touched up, or I’m gonna get it covered up after I’m done having babies or whatever. And that’s totally fine and totally up to you. But also, I think if you are happy with it, and you love it, even if it doesn’t look the same way that it did on day one. If you love it, then then that’s great. Yeah, yeah. If it’s if it reminds you of a different time in your life that you’re in, it brings back happy memories for you. Rock that. Fuck anybody else who would say otherwise?

You know what I mean?

Yeah,

that’s true. So that’s, that’s my two cents on it.

I think that

if it’s something that you really love, then rocket, you know,

just go for it,

go for it. And also, I think that tattoos in the workplace are definitely becoming more acceptable. Even if you work in a more traditional office setting. Now, do I think that maybe you should think carefully before you get one on your neck or your hands? Yes, I do think that you should probably consider your career and your, your desired career path. Before you would do pieces in those places, but for the most part, I mean, my arms are, I’m not gonna say they’re, like, pretty covered, but I guess they are. And you know, for a person that like works in a boring marketing job. And like I could, I could easily cover up all of my tattoos, if I really, really had to, do I No, not really, because I don’t really care what other people think. And I think that if you walk into a room with a certain level of competence, like other people, and you show that you are competent at your job, other people really aren’t going to care either. But I do think that for certain careers, having a neck tattoo or having tattoos on your hands, could be a hindrance. Now, you’re going to work in a restaurant kitchen, you do whatever you want. Ain’t nobody giving a shit. They’re also that’s it’s also along those lines. It is kind of funny, because people always ask me like, well, how many tattoos Does your husband have? My husband has zero.

He’s got one. And it’s a map of a cow and the cuts of a cat.

Honest to God, that would not surprise me if he does end up doing that.

I mean, that’s probably like one of the top 10 chef tattoos. He probably wouldn’t because I mean, like to cross chef knives,

he probably wouldn’t end up doing anything like that just because it is cliche. But and that’s like the main reason that he doesn’t The only reason he doesn’t have one is because he’s just been suffering over what it should be for so long. Like he wants this. He wants a sleeve. He’s just, like, really wants something like unique. And so he’s, that’s his, like, little struggle. But yeah, people always assume that my husband must have tattoos a because he’s married to me because he works in a restaurant. And I’m like, nope, sure, dad and

my husband has no tattoos and has no interest in tattoos so

that I can see.

He did for a while. think that I should get a lower back tattoo. No tattoos for himself. I do not have a lower back to let’s just be clear.

Literally the last person I could see getting a lower back. Like, dude, I already have the Japanese kanji on my hip. Like, I think

this really fits my aesthetic.

Oh,

my goodness, I

love him.

So Stephie we love our tattoos. They bring so much joy do but what else is bringing you joy this week. So

What’s bringing us joy this week?

I only recently started following the Instagram account. Sharon says so do

i do not follow her yet, but a whole bunch of my friends do and so she pops into my stuff anyway. Some other people sharing.

She’s great. Her bio is America’s not boring government teacher, official curator of facts and fun, hashtag fact revolution. She’s hilarious. She always has like so many stories. And she hosts she hosts these government for grownups classes. And basically it’s like, a much more interesting version of high school civics class. And every day, she’ll kind of break down some of the top government headlines. And like, if there’s a big story going on, she’ll kind of break down what it means. And she’ll put up a question box and she’ll be like, What questions do you have for me today? And people ask her the stupidest shit. She answers them so patiently. And she also really loves Wales. She will share it’s like all of this like government stuff, but in a really fun, like fun and accessible way. And then all of a sudden, they’ll just be like a few slides where she’s like, check out this beautiful, like humpback whale. video of this whale.

She’s,

she’s great and she’s from Minnesota. And she I think she she tames her accent. But every now and again, her Minnesota accent will like leak through. She’s adorable. I think I love her and I god bless her patience with the dummies in her questions because like she was Talking about, like the situation with my anmar right now. And you know how we kind of have to decide, are we going to get involved? Are we not going to get involved as the US like, what are we going to do? And somebody was like, Whoa,

have?

Have we ever gotten involved in stuff like this before? And

she was like, Oh, honey child,

the Korean War, the Vietnam War, like, just like, like, she lifted off literally like, four things. And you’re like, there’s so many more she could have listed. I was like, Oh, Oh, sweetie. So that’s my, that’s her account is bringing me joy. And I actually feel like she’s making it making me smarter. Because while I do know, the basics of things like, Yes, we have gotten involved in other countries affairs before. There are some stuff that she breaks down. And I’m like, okay, that actually made way more sense, and was more interesting to read than whatever this Associated Press article was. Thank you.

Yeah, I think there’s a lot of things where it’s like youth, you think you might know the answer to it, but you’re afraid to ask because you don’t want to be stupid,

right? Or like by if you Google it, then you kind of fall down the rabbit hole of, you know, multiple different articles and trying to figure out where it originated, and what’s the background, and she kind of breaks that all down for you. Which is not to say that you should not also do some reading on your own. But sometimes it’s nice to at least have a starting point for things, especially if you are like me and have a tendency to come in to the party late. Like I feel like I’m very rarely, like, on top of the news as it is breaking. Like you were watching this whole GameStop thing. Oh, my God, I figured out it was a thing. And then I had to catch up. That’s, you know, she breaks that kind of, you know, that’s where someone like her comes in handy. Because they’re like, here’s the TLDR version

of what’s going on. Yeah.

So it’s funny that you brought that up, because that is my joy.

I had a feeling.

Not necessarily like, the actual like, I don’t know, it was very fascinating to watch. But it’s like we’re both being very nerdy this week, in our joys, because it it was more my joy was like, watching it all unfold, and then also watching all the people learn about how stocks work. Yes. And like all of the things that go into that. And everybody like putting their little take on Twitter and reading articles about it. And I thought that was awesome and amazing. And all of a sudden, everyone’s like, oh, stocks interesting. So I just thought that was like, super cool. And because I mean, we shared and our Instagram real. favorite podcast is marketplace? Yes. Because they do stuff like that, where they like break it down for you and you feel smarter. And I just really appreciated that suddenly, everyone in the country was like, What are stocks? And how does the short sell? What is this? How can you How can you sell a stock that you don’t actually own? And I’m like, exactly,

yeah. And like I appreciate all the different analogies that I saw people using like, they’re the one that really clicked it in for me was like, an analogy of buying shampoo at Ulta. Mm hmm. And I was like, okay, no, I get it.

Right? Because it doesn’t necessarily, first of all, if you have to use all of these analogies to explain it, maybe there’s something wrong with the system. I mean, maybe but it was a really good way to teach people about how it works. Yeah, but it’s also interesting, because I’m gonna go off on another tangent for like a second. But

we,

we kind of like base our whole country economy on this stupid system of the stock market, right. But also, you don’t learn anything, no one teaches you about it. And

it’s like,

as like all the classes in school that you have to learn about, and you don’t learn anything useful, like the stock market, or taxes or

anything that’s a little less abstract. But the stock market to me like, in a lot of ways is kind of abstract because like you’re selling something you don’t own like that doesn’t make any sense. And so it’s you’re you’re talking about these concepts that have no real there’s not a real thing. There’s there’s not an item that is being traded. And so it’s all in a little bit abstract. And so depending on how your brain works, sometimes that just it just doesn’t click and you’re like what is happening?

Yeah, and I think the the analogy with the shampoo especially was really interesting to me because traditionally, women are not like big players in the stock market, right? Because of like, all this ridiculous nonsense of how they, how you’re enabled to learn it, and they make it complicated on purpose, as we have seen, because they don’t want people to get involved. Right. Um, and so that was a really good way for women to suddenly like to not just say that, like, we need things broken down for us in terms of makeup, but like, it’s something that applies to our everyday right. And so that way you can understand it and that’s what I think a lot of things should really be broken down into.

Yes, I will agree with that.

I will, I will, I

will tell you something that you should be joyful for you. So you were talking about the reel that we put up on Instagram of our like, podcasts and we’re listening to right now.

Mm hmm.

You shouldn’t be joyful that I did not include one of my trashy bachelor recap podcasts on there.

I was shocked that you did not because I was looking at like I was reviewing what you had made. And I was like, we all agree on these. This is very weird, like, throw in anything like super crazy.

I did not include my trashy bachelor recap podcasts even though I love them. Because I know that

real is a lie.

Because I know I said say it was just nine of them. I didn’t say it was all I was like Megan might come after me if I say if I make it sound like she listens to a bachelor party.

No, I was highly disappointed and you’re not living your truth.

It’s fine. It’s whatever. So anyway, you’re welcome. I if I had included it, I would have had to include like a Megan does not condone this disclaimer on it.

Fair I, I might actually really enjoy a bachelor podcast even though I’ve never watched the Bachelor. So I mean, I do really love how they make fun of the people. It’s great. So I do enjoy that because I’m a trash person so I

can confirm both trash people.

Next week’s episode

Well, next week, we are going to be talking about changing careers.

Now we know that not everyone stays in the career that they start after college forever. Most of us don’t. So we’re gonna be talking about that. So until then, be sure to leave us a review on Apple podcasts and listen to us on your favorite platform. You can also follow us on social media at irsipodcast or send us an email at idratherstayinpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from our listeners. Bye

Transcribed by https://otter.ai