To ink or not to ink: I want a chest tattoo

I want a tattoo. And I want it on my chest.

Some of you might be thinking I’m crazy but in actuality, I think I deserve to have this tattoo. I have never had a tattoo before. My children have plenty and I’ve scolded them in the past, even tried to take them to a laser clinic. But now, I’ve changed my mind.

Much like a 20-year-old, I’ve been fawning over photos of tattoos, looking for beautiful designs that I want. I spend hours looking through websites, Pinterest; anywhere I can find that has tattoos designs, I’m there.

So what type of tattoo do I want? I want it to be big, right over my heart. I want it to be a beautiful floral display, but I haven’t quite settled on the design. I’ve been speaking to a talented local tattoo artist who thinks he can make a design that goes from my collarbone down to my mid section…and I couldn’t be more delighted. I want it to look like a piece of art and I want people to see it and ask what it is.

But trust me, I was never like this. Ask me 10 years ago and I would’ve said that I hated tattoos and thought chest tattoos where abhorrent. There’s nothing more cheap and tacky than a chest tattoo right on the boob. So I know what you’re thinking, why did I change my mind?

Well, I was diagnosed with breast cancer 9 years ago. My whole world changed as I was rushed into theatre and had no time to process it all. My lump had spread throughout my breast and my only option was a mastectomy. My big, beautiful breast was going to be chopped off mercilessly. I’d always loved being a voluptuous woman and wore cleavage tops whenever I could! They made me feel effortlessly feminine. I was absolutely devastated when the bandages were removed. It was savage and I was left without a nipple. I couldn’t have a subcutaneous (nipple-sparing) mastectomy so it was all gone. It took me another year to look in the mirror and be okay with it. What am I saying? I’ll never feel OK about having my breast taken away. But one glimmer of hope came from a girlfriend of mine whose sister had a radical mastectomy. She was left with a similar scar to me and chose to have a tattoo placed where her breast used to be. It looked magnificent and to give you an idea, I’ve found some images of what I would like:

Photo source

How gorgeous are they? What a liberating, amazing way to commemorate your survival. It shows that beauty is only skin deep but you can tattoo over it!

What do you think? Should I go through with the tattoo? Is it tasteful or tasteless to have a chest tattoo no matter what it represents?