Red Dragon Tattoo Tim Carter
I'm about to board passengers for the trip from Meredith, NH to Weirs Beach. My, what a handsome tattoo, Mr. Conductor! Photo credit: Theresa Drury
"Oh, I see you've got some fresh ink," uttered my youngest daughter's very good friend Andrea as she admired, I think, my tattoo.
Her outburst of scoffing laughter telegraphed immediately that she was mocking my gorgeous temporary red dragon tattoo. My sarcasm meter obviously was on the fritz. But it was all in good fun. She wasn't being mean.
Red Dragon Tattoo Fools Many But Not All
I had applied it two days earlier to try to blend in with the crowds that would be riding the train back and forth between Meredith, NH and the Weirs. It's Bike Week in Laconia and tens of thousands of people with real ink injected into their skin would be in the area sporting their body art.
Andrea and my daughter Kelly had just boarded my train and were on their way to see what was going on down at Weirs Beach on Saturday night, June 20, 2015. Read more on this story in my June 23, 2015 and August 16, 2015 Newsletter.
I've applied this temporary tattoo lots of times over the past few years. I feel it's pretty handsome, but anyone who knows anything about tattoos realizes, upon close inspection, that it's just not real.
There it is! The red dragon! Photo credit: Theresa Drury
Temporary tattoos look horrible just after they're applied. They have a very shiny high-gloss appearance. But that dulls down after 24-48 hours. The trick is to not rub the tattoo with a towel. If you abrade your skin, you'll ruin the thin acrylic coating. Just pat it dry after a shower.
From five or ten feet away, you'll fool most people. Those who have real tattoos will think you're a baby and a poser since you don't have what it takes to commit to a real tattoo.
Oh well, it's still fun and quite a few people look at it.
CLICK HERE to buy an assortment of red dragon tattoos and many other designs.
What I like about having the tattoo is the prejudicial looks you'll get from some people who have known you, but never seen you without long sleeves on. I often do it in social situations to just sort of get a rise out of acquaintances.
You can see their eyes taking rapid-fire glances down at the shocking site as they think I'd NEVER have a tattoo. You can absolutely have some fun with them.
The social stigma of tattoos still is powerful, but rapidly fading, and many people pigeonhole people with visible ink into a different subset.
For me, I feel they're colorful and some tattoo artists produce stunning works of body art.
Lots of people on the train had real ones, but not me.
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