Is there any etiquette to telling a friend they got a **** tattoo?

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Stringy

Stringy

Stringy

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A friend of mine has gotten a couple of tattoos done and plastered facebook with the images of them. In my opinion they look like pants quality amateur hour jobs; they are both quite large, one covering the majority of the upper arm, the other one side of the other bicep. Every sycophant and his dog has raced to tell her how ace they look and that they're amazing, I'm left thinking "if they were on my body I'd feel ripped off".

I'm not about to post as a comment "omg they are proper **** tatts" but I don't understand why everyone's commending them, some people must be thinking "a bit mediocre, but I'll compliment to make her feel better". Has anyone ever broached the subject with a mate before about rubbish tatts or is just best to proverbially massage their ego about the poor inkwork they've gotten?

edit: and I know I know "TTIWWP" but for all I know friends of hers might be on here so I won't be that daft
 
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The vast majority of people with tattoos that I have seen are of poor quality. I guess people compliment her tattoos because they want to make her feel good, if I were you I would just state my opinion if asked, don't sugar coat it, she needs to know her tattoos suck balls.
 
billysielu said:
Why do you care?
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I'm merely intrigued as to why everyone has piled in with shouts of "AMAZING" when one of them is in fact rubbish to anyone with semi-functioning eyesight. I understand that you're not going to publicly insult the tattoos but I doubt many people would have the guts to tell a friend that their new inkwork was in fact dire, even if asked directly.
Question is: Are you a better friend for
- ego massaging
- not saying anything so the silence brings doubt/the truth into their mind
- openly saying you don't like them
I can see how the first and last options both have elements of being a 'good friend' in them, but with tattoos being for life it makes it all the harder to choose what I'd consider the correct option - being honest.
 
Ok, how bad are we talking?

This bad or ..?

sa_tasteful.jpg


5a3k7o.jpg


hello-kitty-candy-tattoo-1.jpg


helveticatat.jpg


dude-1.jpg


mj.jpg


tattoo2.jpg
 
Problem is you can't really get rid of a tattoo, so telling her it looks terrible won't achieve anything positive.
 
For her birthday book her an appointment with a laser tattoo removal clinic. Tell her you think she'll appreciate the lasers.
 
I'm not going to say anything as obviously it will achieve nothing and who knows, they might improve when they fade a little (unlikely). All I know is it's turned me off getting my ridiculous back-spanning tattoo at least for now; if it goes **** up then I'll be stuck with it for life and no one will be honest with me if it is rubbish!

Discuss away GD, if you're lucky I'll get drunk enough on NYE and post the pics!
 
[FnG]magnolia;18103873 said:
Ok, how bad are we talking?

This bad or ..?


5a3k7o.jpg
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:confused: what is wrong with that one?

No idea who it's supposed to be but it's well done for a portrait.

As for the OP, it's not like ripping someone for buying a crap car or getting a bad hair do. If you say you think it's crap or it will do is effect the person with it and they can't do anything about it.

I've a friend with final fantasy tats that I think are ****, but all I say is "not to my taste tbh," and then pick something good out about them.
 
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Woops, sorry. That was actually used in the thread I took it from to show how a good artist can produce a great result from material which might be a bit 'meh' to some. My mistake.
 
AHarvey said:
:confused: what is wrong with that one?

No idea who it's supposed to be but it's well done for a portrait.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think that looks quite good if you wanted one like that. Although there does seem to be something a little odd about the eyes... are they a little small/misaligned/mispositioned... I can't really tell what it is.
 
I'm firmly of the belief that most people have a very limited range of quality perception, and once they can make out what it is, it looks "great" and they can't see beyond that regardless of if it's technically a poor reproduction.
 
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