Okay I am with this girl, we have been together for five years now, and recently she's decided that she wants more tattoos and piercings.
I want to state right now that I have no problems with tattoos in general. I don't have any myself, but I don't have a lot of cash at the moment and, hey, I'm young (22) so plenty of time left if I choose to get one. My girlfriend is older than me (I won't say how old she is because she wouldn't want me to, but I will says its more than 10 years) and she already had five tattoos when we met. I have absolutely no problem with the ones she has, she has one on her ankle of a dolphin which I think is especially random (she has never expressed any interest in dolphins what so ever) but that's the extent of it.
She kept mentioning wanting to get more but never did, so I never really took her seriously. Then all of a sudden she got one, practically on a whim. She didn't even tell me (she says she did, but as I have said she's mentioned getting another tattoo many times and she gave me no indication that this time was any different). I'm not saying I should be able to control what she does with her body, but it would be nice to have been consulted. We have been together 5 years, and I wouldn't get a tattoo without having a proper conversation with her first (it's not like I'm trying to live to double standards). After-all, they are forever.
I think tattoos can be beautiful, artistic, meaningful and sexy. But only if done right. My girlfriend's (currently) six tattoos all seem mixed and matched, none of them have any particular theme or meaning to her, they are not beautiful, artistic or sexy. She's planning to get three more on a trip to see a friend she's going on next week; a devil on her inner thigh, and the names of her two past horses (in Chinese) on the back of her neck. Which would bring her up to 9 and she has no intention of stopping any time soon.
To illustrate what I mean, I would rather she had something large and beautiful, or at least something that has some kind of meaning, rather than a dozen small random ones.
This is going to sound awful, but she starting to remind me of a small child with a sticker book. You know the sort, their parents will buy them a lovely TV, or iPod or XBOX or whatever, and they get a sheet of stickers from somewhere and just cover it with them. All they can see is those pretty stickers and they think it looks great. But then you look at their work and think "Well nice one son, you've made you £400 television look like crap." =P
As for piercings, she used to have a belly bar (which was both tasteful and attractive), however, she had to have an operation which left a scar, meaning she cannot wear one now. To make up for it she wants to start wearing earrings again. That's fine with me, although she was wants to use all the holes she has at once (meaning four in each ear), which I feel is a bit over the top (I haven't said anything though). She's talking about getting a nipple ring now. I'm not particularly fond of those, she mentioned that it could be sexually enhancing, but I have no desire to have a cold metal bar in my mouth (sorry if that's too blue for these forums, it's my first visit). She also half-heartedly joked (but with her that could mean she its serious and is testing the water) about having her clitoris pierced (sorry again) which presents the same problem for me.
I don't want to overstep the mark and come across like I'm trying to control what she does with her own body. But some of what she is doing really does bother me, and I'm actually starting to find her less physically attractive (I realise how bad that sounds but I am trying to be honest). When I try to talk to her, she gets really angry with me. She tells me its her body and she will do whatever she wants with it. And she's right. But after all this time, I just wish my feelings would play some role in her decision making.
Is she right? Should I just shut up and try and live with whatever she decided to do with her body? Am I being a bit of a fascist? Or should my feelings play a factor?