I’m having a debate with my boyfriend regarding tattoos. He has four on his arms and his neck. He got them before he met me and I accept them as part of him. I’ve never been a fan of tattoos, and I believe they don’t really make you an individual when everyone and their mother has one nowadays. I prefer the clean cut look on a guy. Smooth, soft, sometimes tan skin is beautiful to me.
Lately, my boyfriend has been nagging about a new tattoo. (Yea I said it, guys can nag too). He wants one on his back that would be the size of a sheet of paper. He got an artist to draw up what he wants and he would like to start saving the money to get one. I hate the idea. I don’t want to look at a tattoo of that size on his back every morning when I wake up. I think I’ll find it repulsive. I won’t want to go to the beach with him and I won’t want to look at him without a shirt on.
He feels that I’m repressing his individuality. He feels that I should accept him for who he is. I feel that I have no right to ask this of him, but that he should take my feelings into consideration. I asked if he could scale it down a bit and maybe put it somewhere that I spend less time ... like his leg or foot or something. I love giving him back rubs and curling up behind him while he sleeps. I’m afraid I won’t want to do that when that spot is all inked up.
When I met him, I told him my feelings on tattoos and he told me his, but I guess we both figured tattoos are negotiable. Now that we seem to be arguing about many other things, this tattoo keeps getting brought into our fights. I’m not willing to bend on this. At this point, I’m afraid even if I gave in, I’d resent him for getting one and I’d never want to look at it.
Who’s right?
