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'Straight up not having a good time."
By Megan Quinn — Last updated on Mar 30, 2023
Online dating can be challenging enough for single parents who have to balance their kids' needs with their romantic endeavors but for one single mom, there's another issue at play.
A single mom shared her experience with men getting the wrong idea about her personality and commenting inappropriate things simply due to the fact that she has tattoos.
The tattooed mom says she’s ‘not having a good time’ online dating since people always comment about her tattoos.
Rachel is covered in ink on almost every part of her body, and she’s proud of it. Her tattoos hold a lot of meaning to her and there is nothing about herself that she would change. She just wishes to change the mindset of those who come across her on dating apps.
“Dating online when you have a lot of tattoos is a f–king trip,” she claims. In what she calls “tat calling,” she shares the many statements she has received from people on dating apps. They include: “you’re bad, huh?” “Can I lick your tattoos off?” and “you look like a lot of trouble.”
Although Rachel claims others’ perceptions of her are far from the truth. “I go to bed at 8 PM reading a fantasy novel. I get up at 6 AM to take my kids to junior high, I have two dogs and I don’t even drink,” she says. “I’m the opposite of f–king trouble. She calls on people to stop making assumptions based on appearance.
A 2017 research study in The Journal of Social Psychology found that a majority of participants perceived individuals with tattoos as possessing less favorable traits relative to those without tattoos. These assumed traits included that they were less athletic, attractive, motivated, trustworthy, honest and pleasant but more rebellious, thrill-seeking, sexually promiscuous, and dangerous.
Other TikTok users with tattoos related to Rachel’s claims.
"'Oh I know you're trouble,' no sir. I'm sober and I am a tattoo artist and I can't even drink caffeine before an appointment,” one user commented.
“Oh, and ‘my parents would hate it if I bought you home..wanna go out?' I feel this,” another user shared.
“Literally at this point if they mention my tattoos in the first few messages I block immediately,” another user declared.
“Tattoos are memories and art also, I don't understand how people don't get that. It's just people being judgemental of you because they don't know you,” another user pointed out.
Tattoos have gained popularity over the years. Around 36% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo. 43% of tattooed people get them for personal meaning.
Many men on online dating sites, and in general, may take an interest in women’s tattoos. However, it is not necessarily always a negative thing. In fact, 46% of men agree that an appropriate tattoo makes a woman more attractive. Even if they do not care for tattoos, they claim that there are more important qualities they look for in partners.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.