What distinguishes you from all others?
I was just wondering about the marks on my body today - old healed wounds and minor scars, and other forgotten scratches and scrapes.
I know that some people have skins as smooth as a baby's bum-bum. Well, lucky you - congratulations!
Most people have a distinguishing mark on their body to set them apart from the crowd. Some tribes have a tradition of inflicting unique wounds on their offspring - so that the secret or coded scars on their arms, thighs, cheeks, or elsewhere would help in identifying children if they go missing through child trafficking or kidnap.
Using 'Bronx' as my username, I asked a group of online bloggers a simple question related to this some years ago and got the following torrent of responses.
I hope you enjoy the interesting exchanges and the insightful information made available by the participants - my original post has been republished below and you too can join in below.
GOT ANY TATTOOS, BIRTHMARKS, AND/OR SCARS?
Bronx posted on Jun 09, 2007 | views: 6772 | Tags: scars birthmarks, tattoos
Well, do you or not?
IMHO, they are often reminders of how unforgiving, rough, crazy, pleasant, and unkind this world has been to each one of us!
So, each tattoo, scar, or birthmark has it’s own unique story – nothing so much to regret or be ashamed of as memories of our past and its ups and downs!
I’ve got no tattoos – David Beckham and many other stars already blazed that path very/too famously – but cute and freckles-like birthmarks appear on the LHS of my arm, which I’ve promptly passed on to my children.
Scars I have aplenty – relatively minor juvenile and adult injuries/wounds from boyish rascality, teenage sports, and accidents involving hot water and other kitchen incidents!
Nothing like the Frankenstein monster or anything – you’d need to look very hard to see any one of them. Mind you, look any closer and it mayturn to love! Haha!
You’ve just got to see this: Tattooed workers are leaving a mark.
Amazing how scars seem to blend with the skin and disappear with time, isn’t it?
So, which do you have on you and where exactly – tattoos, birthmarks, scars….or something/nothing?
Do you hide them or do they show when you’re all dressed up?
Comments
- NotSoSinglechick25 said on Jun 09, 2007.... I've got two tattoos. So far. I've got a blue flower with green vines on my left ankle and a red and black butterfly on my right clavicle. I love em so I let them show when I'm not at work. Scar, my goodness, I was a tomboy as a child so I've got scarred up knees and elbows. My favorite scar is a burn on my right wrist I got during a battle otherwise known as Thanksgiving Dinner with my family. And I've got a birthmark in a place unmentionable.
J
-
polarheart said on Jun 09, 2007....
Bronx, I was such a tomboy when I was little. I had lots of scars on my knees, but thankfully they have faded. I have a couple of small marks on my stomach from when I had chickenpox at the age of 18. And then I have my caeserian scar from when Tigger was born by emergency C-Section. . .that is a very special scar to me :-)
-
queenparanoia said on Jun 09, 2007....
i dont have tattoo. i have a mole though on my right shoulder... it means i will carry all the problems if i'm in a relationship.. =(
-
destinydiva said on Jun 09, 2007....
I have a scar across my neck from an operation to remove my thyroid gland due to cancer.....At first I always wore a necklace to cover it, hide it away so nobody asked questions. It took me quite a few years to stop feeling badly done too...
But eventually I overcome that...and now I'm proud of my scar.....I've overcome something and it is my medal.
This scar saved my life...so now its no longer the enemy but my friend.....
Destiny x
-
MissMimi said on Jun 09, 2007....
I have scars from three surgeries. One is on my left ankle, from a surgery I had when I was 13. One is from a C-section. And the biggest one is from kidney surgery. That one is about 13 inches long and goes from front to back, around my waist.
No tattoos. *sigh*
-
sweet_cookie01 said on Jun 09, 2007....
i have plenty of small moles all over my body... they are small like the tip of a pen! sometimes they were mistaken as mosquitos biting me and they would slap it only to find out that it was my mole! i dont have any scars or tattoos even stretch marks from my pregnancy but if i look closely i think there are some near my butt but they say its just my imagination... oh well....
-
Danj3ris said on Jun 09, 2007....
I have a scar. It runs from the left edge of my nose down to the edge of my upper lip. When clean shaven, it isn't visible. But the second I have a 5 o' clock shadow, it shows.
I've grown so used to it I forget about it. But many women have found it to be quite sexy. As of yet, I haven't landed any modeling contracts. But if you know of someone who might be interested, let me know.
-
Eilan said on Jun 09, 2007....
No tattoos.
I have two very small scars on my lower belly from a laparoscopic tubal ligation. I have a couple of scars on my right hand, one from burning myself on an oven when I was in high school and the other from scraping my hand on a brick wall when I fell down the stairs at work (my hand was caught behind the handrail).
I have a dimple on one of my thighs that was, apparently, caused by a vaccine I received when I was a baby.
I have a couple of café au lait birthmarks on my left leg. I hate them.
-
genalonewolf said on Jun 09, 2007....
I don't have any tats, but scars oh yeah have some of those. One on the back of my knee where I was attacked by a dog. Two on my forehead and one on my nose from a head on collision. I have an assortment of littl scars on both hands from various blades, knives, exacto blades, carpet knives, drill bits, glass and a few I can't remember.
Pickle is the one with the tats. She has four.
-
boyzmom said on Jun 09, 2007....
I have an oval shaped birthmark on my left hand. Various scars on my knees from being a clumsy kid, on my hand from playing with firecrackers, on my abdomen from surgery, on my breast from a lumpectomy and some I can't remember where they came from.
-
the_infernal_optimist said on Jun 09, 2007....
No tattoos at this point, and I really don't expect that to change, as my DH prefers me without (though he'd never tell me what I couldn't do - I just respect him enough not to go against his wishes there).
Birthmark - I have a small patch on the back of my left hand, near my wrist, that's about two shades darker than the rest of my skin.
Scars - the only one I can consistently find these days is a small mark on my right knee from childhood. I fell and split it open on the bridge piece of our Domino Rally set. I used to have one about four inches long on my right forearm from an unfortunate incident (before I was a pacifist ;-)) with someone with long fingernails. I also have a "chicken pox scar" (basically a tiny, circular dent) above my right eyebrow.
~Infernal
-
WindRider said on Jun 09, 2007....
I have a tribal spider on my right shoulder for my mentor, Jim, who was teaching me how to wrench my bike before he passed. R.I.P., my friend.
I also have a labrys on my right shoulder blade. Back in the 80's/90's there was a trend for lesbians to tattoo the double-bladed battle axe that was the Amazon Warrior's favoured weapon of choice, on their shoulders. I knew I might not want it quite that visible later on down the line, but I did want it... so I put it on my shoulder blade. Odd... I can't find one of those women with the labrys on her shoulder, today! I made that comment once, "Where are those women". and some young whippersnapper standing next to me said, Dead!"... smart ass.
I have a knife blade scar on my left thigh a few inches above my knee. Not gonna say much about that.
I have a two inch scar in the palm of my hand where I hit a side view mirror on a car while riding a friend's brother's bicycle when I was 10. Friend failed to tell me the brakes didn't work...
That's it.
-
Glamourgirl said on Jun 09, 2007....
No tattoos, wasn't burn with any birthmarks and the only two scars I have (which are now almost invisible) are from laparoscopic surgery in 1998 to remove my gallbladder. They made three incisions (really four but the other one is in the belly button, therefore invisible), but the third one has faded completely and I can't find it anymore.
-
CreativeWoman said on Jun 09, 2007....
No tattoos. I have a beauty mark right between my breasts and a birthmark in the center of the small of my back. I have two scars on my left knee from a fall last summer.
CW
-
SophiaLouise1990 said on Jun 09, 2007....
I have three tattoos. The first one I got when I was 25, just months after my third child was born. It is a sun with orange and yellow rays. The face has a Native American or Eskimo look to it. It is very comforting and wise looking.
Tattoo number two was a gift from my husband. We had been dating about six months. I had wanted an ivy wreath around my ankle for some time but my ex felt it was a waste of money, so he never "let me." My husband and I were visiting a client of his, a tattoo artist, and the appointment was made. He even went with me and held my hand a few times. The ankle can be a very tender place.
My third tattoo is a very special one in two ways. It is a drawing of an angel, sitting on the moon, holding a star. It is my guardian angle. It is named "Ruth" after my grandmother who died when I was pregnant with my first daughter. Ever since she died I have never worried about my children, knowing my grandmother would watch over them like she always did me. The other reason this tattoo is important is because I got it on the same day I found out I was pregnant with my son.
Birthmarks - I have one about the size of a quarter in the middle of my back, along my spine. I have a mole on my left hip and one on my left breast which I use to gauge if my shirts are too low - if it shows, its too low.
Scars - One under my chin from falling in the tub when I was about three. I have gravel in my knee from touch football in 8th grade and a pencil lead in my right hand from bouncing a pencil on the eraser.
There are a few other small scars and marks from time. They make for great conversation pieces some days.
-
mirrorimage said on Jun 10, 2007....
I got a tattoo while I was in college. It is just a little bit bigger than a quarter and is over my appendix... It was done on a whim. A friend and I skipped class to get our tongues pierced and I got a tattoo instead....I'm grateful for that! lol... I have no idea why I wanted my tongue pierced!
I have a lot of scars. One from a c-section that you probably would not even notice...they did a great job with it. I have three tiny marks from a laparoscopy but the largest mark is inside my belly button so it isn't even noticeable. And three on my shoulder blade from minor surgery. One of them looks like a tattoo of a catepillar instead of a scar which is kind of cute. I don't mind having all the marks on my body, except the tiny little freckle on my upper lip. If I don't wear lip stick or lip gloss it looks like I have food on my face LOL
-
Zayda said on Jun 10, 2007....
I have a tattoo, several scars, and a couple of birthmarks. I have a tattoo on my lower back that has been there for almost 11 years now.
I have a scar from my c-section, several fine scars under my chin from accidents as a child, a scar on my right forearm from a burn, scars on my knees from being a tomboy when I was little. I also have several scars from an event in my life that doesn't need to be talked about here right now. I've written about aspects of it in the past in my blog.
I'm planning at least three more tattoos as soon as I complete the design on them and save up the money for them.
-
mommyof2 said on Jun 10, 2007....
I have 3 tattoos, 2 birthmarks, and too many to count on the scars!
-
silverwhisper said on Jun 10, 2007....
i don't do tats. however, i have several scars, mostly the results of minor wounds that looked innocuous but later scarred anyway. except for the one on my hand which was from someone with whom i was once involved back in the bad old days.
ed
-
fearing said on Jun 10, 2007....
Bronx, No tattoos for me. I've thought about it but I don't think I will.
Scars - I have lots of those to due to being a tomboy with an older brother as my hero. I have a scar on my left elbow from winning a game of jumping from the swing. The arm was broken but I beat my brother for the first time. The worst of my scars is on my left shoulder. It has been there so long I don't see it but people will sometimes ask about it. It is a burn scar. When I was 3 I pulled a pot of hot coffee on me. The coffee burned my face too but it didn't scar there - only my shoulder. I wanted pancakes and wouldn't wait for my father to fix them. I've hated pancakes since and for years my dad wouldn't allow an electric coffee pot in our house.
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
Notso: wow...that's incredible: sounds like a full life you've got going on there! ; )
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
polar: hi...those two are special scars - you've just confirmed what someone said about chicken pox always leaving a mark or two when it's gone!
But that's better than having it again, right?
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
queen: uh oh, that doesn't sound too encouraging for you, IMHO!
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
dd: you know, that's very inspiring, IMHO!
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
MissMimi: hi...wow...I've not been to surgery, yet - I'm sure you'll find time for a tattoo or two one of these days. Haha......
-
genalonewolf said on Jun 10, 2007....
Pics of pickles tats.
-
genalonewolf said on Jun 10, 2007....
ok that didn't work, gimme a sec.
-
genalonewolf said on Jun 10, 2007....
www.flickr.com/photos/genalonewolf
ok try that one
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
sweet: nice moles and.....the lucky few probably know what they're talking about. ; D
-
hunter_boyce_chandler said on Jun 10, 2007....
I have tattoo on my right arm of a tribal sum with a reverse moon and gecco in the center.
On my left I have a tribal dragon that starts at my elbow and ends around my neck.
I have a gunshot scar on my stomach and an exit wound on my lower back.
I have a stab scar from a pocket knife in my back near the top of my spine.
I have hernia scars that go from hip to hip.
I have a 12 inch surgury scar on my lower lumbar when they fused my blown back.
I have spot burn scars on my face and neck and across the top of my back.
Both knees have been enhanced by road burn.
And my sternam has been cracked.
Other than that I'm just normal.
HBC
-
lauraisme said on Jun 10, 2007....
I have two tattos that are easy to cover up. One is a butterfly on my chest and the other my prince charming in frog form on my leg. As for scares I have several coming from a very clumsy childhood but my favorite one would have to be where I ran out in front of my uncle and father playing horse shoes and got knocked senseless at three years old, because that one can be used when I am in trouble to say, " Dad you remember that time that I was three...." lol As for moles and birthmarks I am covered in time and cursed my kids for it too. Of course some of them make really cool shapes.
-
hottips4u said on Jun 10, 2007....
Have a stemmed rose on my back shoulder blade, a couple lil moles here n there, no stretch marks, guess I just don't mark easily so far, anyways. See what the next 20 to 50 years brings.
jessi
-
gingersoul said on Jun 10, 2007....
Bronx..... i dont do tattoos.
I have a lot of small moles scattered all over my body, specially my back....some lovers like to play "connect the dots" on my body...lol......the real hunt is for locating my big one......it is under my left breast....you have to look very well....lol...
I have several scars: one on the top of my left hand because i am clumsy with the knives when i cook. One on the back of my rigth ear caused by my close to death fall from a cliff 15 years ago. A small one on my chin, after a car accident. A c-section one. luckily very small. No stretch marks and no birth marks.
Three tiny barely visible ics crossed scars on my left kne for a surgey (i had a torn meniscus).
And, like Destinydiva, i have a tiny scar on the right side of my neck due to a minisurgery to remove a tyroid cyst potentially cancerous.
-
Artemis223 said on Jun 10, 2007....
Hey Bronx - great post!
I have many scars - two that I am particularly proud of ...
I have a scar on my breast that few people get to see - it's from my rape at age 20, and though I used to hate it, it has become a poignant symbol of my personal strength.
The other scar is right above my bikini line where the surgeon removed the cancer that threatened my life ... I consider it his personal signature and a reminder that I better not waste the extra time I've been given.
No tattoos - but a lot of shadows of childhood scrapes and cuts - I was also a bit of a tomboy and daredevil.
I believe that most people's worst scars are invisible and only show when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable with others.
- A.
-
hottips4u said on Jun 10, 2007....
Life etchings are your first tattoo.
jessi
-
kingcobra said on Jun 10, 2007....
No tattoos
-
MoonMommy said on Jun 10, 2007....
I've got one tat of a ladybug, and plenty of scars from childhood, no, I don't cover them up!
-
husbandhater said on Jun 10, 2007....
A beauty mark square on my left tit. And I always Loved that one. 3 tats,2 of the 1st 2 kids names encased in a heart on each shoulder. On the left upper arm reads the youngest child's name across my arm!
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
Danj: haha..sounds like you're a dead ringer for Humphrey Bogart's biog.
Good luck but find a good agent first!
BTW, WELCOME TO MY BLOG!
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
Eilan: hi....sounds unique to me - I guess their shape is not the only problem?
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
gena: that's a lot of scars!
Thanks for the beautiful pics - I was just wondering about seeing only 3 of 4 tattoos?
-
Bronx said on Jun 10, 2007....
boyzmom: hi....some scars do tend to leave no memories behind, don't they?
TIO: don't you just hate those nail fighting people - wish they'd fight fair?
-
botoni said on Jun 10, 2007....
Tat free here but lots of scars. One are the stitch marks under my eye because I left my face right where someone put their fist. A lovely pair of pin dots on my torso where my mother took 'pin the diaper to the baby' seriously. A mark on my forehead where I parked a pencil eraser when deep in thought as a teenager. (Its my proof that I studied scar.) Then a whole batch of scrapes, scratches, cuts etc.
-
botoni said on Jun 10, 2007....
Tat free here but lots of scars. One are the stitch marks under my eye because I left my face right where someone put their fist. A lovely pair of pin dots on my torso where my mother took 'pin the diaper to the baby' seriously. A mark on my forehead where I parked a pencil eraser when deep in thought as a teenager. (Its my proof that I studied scar.) Then a whole batch of scrapes, scratches, cuts etc.
-
botoni said on Jun 10, 2007....
Tat free here but lots of scars. One are the stitch marks under my eye because I left my face right where someone put their fist. A lovely pair of pin dots on my torso where my mother took 'pin the diaper to the baby' seriously. A mark on my forehead where I parked a pencil eraser when deep in thought as a teenager. (Its my proof that I studied scar.) Then a whole batch of scrapes, scratches, cuts etc.
-
Holly-Go-Lightly said on Jun 10, 2007....
bronx!! great topic!
I have a tat that I designed myself of pink-y colored cherry
blossoms intertwined with green vines & tiny little buds of
the flower. Its really cool because he did lots of tiny dots
within the vines so it looks kind of like its sparkling.
I have a beauty mark near my mouth on the left side. I have
a scar from when I was 3 and fell and cracked my head open
on my G-ma's porch. Stitches. I have a scar from when I was 18
and my friend & I were out partying. She had to use the bathroom
so we went to Taco Bell since they had an outdoor bathroom,
since we were in no condition...when me friend opened the door
it was one of those heavy metal doors that slam back closed
by itself. On my finger!! This was so long ago and that dent is
still there. The last one I'm still dealing with because I'm not
proud of it, but I am vain. I have a 9 inch scar down my left leg
from hip bone through thigh area. I broke my hip & femur, so
emergency surgery and that godawful scar. Its faded, but it healed
funny I think. I haven't worn a bikini to the beach since then.
-
Bronx said on Aug 21, 2007....
botoni: ha-ha....yeah, no doubt about it - you went to the school of scar. ha-ha.
-
Bronx said on Aug 21, 2007....
Holly: hi....thanks. Oh, so sorry about all those dreadful accidents. Good to hear that you never lost anything permanently. Cheer up.
-
tbs230 said on Sep 01, 2007....
I have a birthmark shaped like a tiny heart on my right wrist. A beauty mark under my left breast. Two tiny scars from when I had the chicken pox on my left cheek...a three to four inch scar where I had knee surgery, six hole-shaped scars on my leg where I had leg lengthing surgery. And a tiny scar where they drilled a screw into my ankle...(all on the left leg)...a dark patch on my right arm, right above the inside elbow where I was burned by hot grease (but that faded a while ago)...
And finally various faded healed cuts, all of which occurred before I was 13. I learned to be more careful!
-
Bronx said on Sep 01, 2007....
tbs: hi...you're quite lucky with scars.
How did you get into that leg lengthening problem - just curious?
I saw a program about it on TV with a focus on the Chinese version full of hit-or-miss cases - that was years ago though.
BTW, WELCOME TO MY BLOG!
-
tbs230 said on Sep 01, 2007....
Hey Bronx, thanks for the welcome!
hmm, I got hit by a car when I was 10 and broke my tibia (I have scars from where they fix the break, but those are covered over by the hole scars)...that was in August, then in October of the same year I slipped on a wet floor that was just waxed and broke my knee.
Two years later, my knee healed inward, which gave me a limp and prevented my leg from growing properly. So I had leg lengthing surgery. They basically broke my leg again, drilled six holes and inserted "pins" (these metal sticks) that were attached to each other by this monstrosity of an object. They also place an L shaped pin in between my knee joints to straighten it and screwed a screw into my ankle (I don't quite know why about that one). That lasted for about six months.
It was hell having to stretch my leg every day with this little pin screw (eek!)...and that's how I spent my preteenage years, sexy huh?
-
blind_guardian said on Jul 01, 2008....
i have a scar about the size of cell phone on and above my ankle. two years ago i had a bouldering (rock climbing with out a harness) accident; lost my footing, slid down the rock face. i lost ALOT of skin on the outer side of my left leg. my entire leg healed great, the scarring was basically invisible, EXCEPT on my ankle. here i lost the most amount of skin and had the most trouble healing the wound b/c i run and running shoes rubbed against it. i was not in a position to stop running. most ppl think its an unusually colored birth mark (its dark brown, pink, and purple), or a bad bruise. the fact is im a girl. do guys think a scar like this sexy. or not? i can leave it or use scar patches.
-
Bronx said on Aug 16, 2008....
blind_guardian: hi. Sorry this reply is coming just now. Life has come before blogging over here for me now.
Anyway, you are very lucky to have survived such a scrape. I can imagine how painful that kind of injury would be around the sensitive ankle area.
You must have been in your teens or tweens then for the healing to have been so complete so fast.
I wouldn't worry about whether such a scar were sexy or not. Some guy will tell you that one day, especially if you don't mind showing it off.
However, from your words above, I would think that your ankle scar was very sexy. ;)
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment