Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pocketfluff]

For anyone with tattoo's, I'd like to know how Koreans have reacted to them. I know there is a subculture that is growing in Korea and artists especially have no qualms about getting tattoo's, but my general understanding is that they're still taboo.

Personally, I think tattoo's are fine as long as they're meaningful and not trendy, as Hanzi and Kanji tend to be among Americans. It amuses me to no end to see people with no understanding of the language or culture with which they're inked.

So basically, I've two questions: 1) how do Koreans react to your tattoo's; and 2) what do you think about non-Asians getting Asian tattoo's?

*EDITED to bump the following URL to the front page
Take a look at www.hanzismatter.com for examples of botched Asian tattoo jobs. It's like the cultural opposite of www.Engrish.com. People have actually picked characters at random, lol.

My personal favorite is some guy who had gotten "ding dong" inked on his arm. Hysterical.

[pidgin]

I have several and sport them on weekends occassionally. I've seen a few reactions ranging from surprise to disapproval to awe. But not really in my face. I don't really care what people think. Anyways, my Korean friends have no problem with them, and only initially asked where I got them, what they mean, etc... general interest. A couple Koreans I know now want one (or two) after seeing mine. ( I don't think they're very inspired to get pierced after seeing mine though)

Non- Asians getting Asian tattoos?? It's a free world, get what you want. I have a Chinese symbol that has a deep personal meaning to me, tied in with a volunteer position I once held in Thailand and the Tsunami disaster and resulting cleanup efforts.

[yellowroseoftexas]

The older koreans are afraid and/or somewhat curious. the younger ones usually want tattoos.

regarding the asian, usu. chinese character tattoos, i think they're waaay better than that fratboy tribal crap. but pidgin is right, to each his own. art is for everyone.

i think one of the worst tattoos i saw was of jesus laughing... it's kinda freaky now that i think about it.

[seoulsucker]

I want to get a full-body tattoo of myself, only taller.

I got one done here and aside from a few odd glances on the subway when I wear a tanktop/cutoff, no one has ever given me any flack about it.

Non-Asians getting Asian tattoos? Doesn't bother me any.

[Hobophobic]

my left forearm is sleeved...I use a long elastic sports band to cover it at school...(public elementary)...

I covered it for my first year at a hogwon, but later the kids in the area all saw it on the weekends and such, so for the next few years I just couldn't be bothered...

...I used to get the gangstar teacher and tattoo teacher alot...the kids didn't care...if anything the worst part was when they tried many a time to erase it...the kids saw past the BAD stigma...they knew I was a big pushover...

...I did have a drunk halabojji try to push me into traffic at a crosswalk two times though, and slap my arm and tell me go home...same guy almost a year apart exactly...strange..

...it,s great for getting space on crammed buses and subways, and walking along on sidewalks too...oh, and the saunas...

...and have had people try to discreetly take pictures of my arm and me quite a few times...and heard all the crazy talk or admiration...

...seems much like home...different people have different views of them..

[mole]

I've never felt stared-at in the bath house. I'm a waygook, they think it's a normal rite of childhood.
When I've shown my students, they believed I was a gangster back home.

Missed a ?. One of mine is Tibetan. I've never been there and for all I know says Kick Me, or I'm a Fag.
Supposed to say Angry Spirit, though. And it looks cool, whatever it means.

[Benicio]

First off, you get the 2 dumbest questions from non-tattooed people

1- "Is it real?"

Now, the completely stupidestest question:

2- "Did it hurt?"

I say "No. Having a needle rapidly thrust into your skin for an hour or more feels wonderful!"

[cj1976]

When my 2nd grade kids first saw my tatoos they were amazed. One of them wet is fingers and tried to rub it off. When he realized that it was not shifting, he looked absolutley bewildered. I thought that it was pretty cute!

[caligirl]

I'm wondering if most of the posters are male. It seems like there's a big tattoos=gangster connotation, but I'm a petite, very normal looking female with large tattoos covering my calf and back of my neck. Do you think Koreans will think tattoos are even more inappropriate on females?

[caligirl]

Also, can't a tat have deep personal meaning even if it is "trendy"?

[Bill Brasky]

[Fredbob]

I have chinese characters on the inside and outside of each forearm and the only time there has ever been a real problem was with middle schoolers, all the other times I wait about a week before I let my students see them, by that time they've usually adjusted to interacting with me so it's not too much of a distraction.

In public is a different story, it depends what else I'm wearing, put me in a black t-shirt, jeans and a pair of sunglasses and I get a wide birth but a lot of curious and/or appreciative looks from women (somehow they don't seem to understand that I can see their eyes even if I can't see theirs. One out of ten people will just get a little bugeyed and nervous.

It is a useful way to get some extra space on a crowded subway car though.

Just like in the states, in a professional situation I hide them.

[chipotle]

[mole]

[Delirium's Brother]