Why the tattoo communities don't like tattoo shows

Yeah, as if you probably haven't noticed, there seems to be dozens of reality shows about our favorite form of expression- tattoos. Some seem real, others maybe not so much. Well, some actual tattoo artists think otherwise about these tattoo shows.

1. Tattooing is a form of self expression and also called counter culture. But nowadays it's more consumer culture. Tattoos are not like the cheap junk you can buy at dollar stores and throw away when you're done with it. Tattoos are FOREVER!! That's what some people fail to realize when getting one. It's also a good thing to think about what you want to get, because once you get it, it's more expensive and painful to get it removed if you regret it
2. There is a very rich, very vast history behind the art of tattooing. These shows have no idea about the rich history behind this and they also seem to have no interest in it
3. They're trying to make money on something that was once the mark of sailors and criminals, but is now common and fashionable. That's often how people are identified in crimes, whether they are victim or suspect. Each tattoo is unique to that person with a personal message only that person knows
4. Claim to be reality but are directed what to say
5. They don't do their homework. They don't know much about the "tattoo community"
6. Doesn't seem real. They seem to care more about $$$
7. Artists are treated like fresh meals. They just shuffle through them like a wheel
8. Artists aren't actors. Artists are the GENIUSES behind those lovely roses and crosses you see adorning people's bodies.
9. Tattoo reality shows are overdone to death. There are so many tattoo shows on anymore-Miami Ink, NY Ink, Tattoo Rescue, etc.
10. Unless you're getting a tattoo, watching it is boring. As a person who is now the proud owner of a tattoo, I had so much fun watching the artist do the tattoo on my arm. As soon as I can get a pic of it, I'll upload it and do a post on it. Which will probably be the next one or so. I would describe it but I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Also, as a side note, if anyone who reads this is thinking about getting a tattoo, they do not hurt. They sting, I'll admit that, but nothing more than a bad sunburn type of sting. But, the end result makes it sooooooooooooo worth it. It all comes down to how you handle pain. To be honest, I was sooooooooo deathly scared of getting my first tattoo; I wasn't sure what to expect. From living with my dad for the first 20 years of my life, he was afraid of needles and so was I, especially from all the times I freaked out about getting a shot in my arm. But the place I went to, One Shot Tattoo in Western Hills, Ohio, had great artists and I had my sister there for emotional support. Turns out that getting a tattoo doesn't hurt. The only thing that did hurt was my arm; it was soooooooo hot from the needle, lmao. And IDK what was wrong with me that night, but I must have been on speed or something. I didn't shut up once. My mouth was running a mile a second, lmao. But now I'm going to schedule my next tattoo this upcoming Saturday. It will be on my leg. It will be of a geisha girl holding a lacquered umbrella under a Japanese cherry blossom tree, with petals falling and Mount Fujiyama in the background. This, by far, will probably be my most detail-heavy and detail-oriented tattoo, but I am so looking forward to it!!!