Just Ask Georgia: 9/11/2024

Georgia, I have a question,

My boyfriend (25) won’t let me (20) get face tattoos. I don’t want a big face tattoo, just a half mandala on my temple or a little heart below my eye or something. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but he says he “can’t bring a girlfriend with face tattoos to work events." He’s in law school and going to be a lawyer. I’m a hairstylist, and it’s 2024, and I don’t think anyone cares about tattoos anymore.

I feel like it’s my body and my choice, but he said I won't do it if I like waking up next to him. It IS a face tattoo - it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But is it that big of a deal? Is our relationship so fickle that a tattoo could make him leave me? He thinks it’s a huge deal that could affect him, but it’s not on him. It’s on me. It’s a stupid reason to threaten to leave me. What do you think?

Facing the Question

Dear Face,

My immediate reaction to seeing the words “my boyfriend won’t let me” was, “Go do you.” However, after reading your entire situation, I am going to have to side with your boyfriend on this. Not that I think his threatening to leave you is okay—your relationship should be more robust than that—but I agree that your choice could ultimately hurt him and you.

I don’t know how serious your relationship is, but I would imagine he is taking his career seriously. While face tattoos are long-standing traditions in some cultures (Inuit women wore face tattoos as rites of passage into womanhood), today, many associate face tattoos with gang members who indicate their membership and commitment to the gang by getting inked - not a good look for a lawyer’s girlfriend. Also, while many famous musicians sport face ink, their careers are set (mostly), and they will never have to worry about getting hired in a corporate setting, which you, at 20, may still need to do.

My vote is NO - get inked, but (for now), avoid your hands and face until you’re more established in your career path and know the permanent art won’t adversely affect you.

With love, Georgia

Have a question for Georgia? Email her at whledger@gmail.com. Please note: this column is just for fun. No person, animal, or property has ever been harmed or in danger. Satire is “the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.”