Competing with tattoos

[stephaniewicked]

What's everyone's take on this? I've seen some competitors at local shows who haven't covered up and still won their class. Regardless, I've heard that you should cover up in an effort to not give the judges a reason to be distracted from your physique. Is there a double-standard where ink is more acceptable for male competitors vs. female competitors? Does it depend on the judges that day? Will the placement of certain tattoos be overlooked (i.e. an ankle tattoo that doesn't subtract from the overall physique versus a half-sleeve or a back piece that consume a larger area of skin)?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! :)

[sassy69]

Generally speaking I'd probably say they've eased up a LOT on tattoos being acceptable or not. But if they do obscure detail it could be counted against you. I'd almost say its on a case by case basis and also relative to the other competitors if there is a 'tie breaker' sort of situation.

Jonathan White (http://www.musculardevelopment.com/browse/index.php?mode=browse&id=10030) from Atlanta is someone who always comes to mind when discussing competing w/ tattoos. He usually does very well. I've never seen him come in less than peeled, but the tattoos do seem to distract.

[tammyp]

when your tan is on, soem dont even show up. i find stomach tats the most distracting as a judge. other than that, unless your 80% tats ..i dont mind it.

[Skeptic]

Good question. It has never been an issue of "I don't mind it" for me.

It just seems so strange to me that a competitive BBer would do anything that could distract from the musculature. You give up food, social stuff, drinking, the list goes on. Why do they clutter up the visuals with non-essentials?

[MsGuns]

Ive competed w/ my big panther on the outside of my right thigh for the past 5 yrs...I have never been told to cover it.

[ripcurlgirl]

I'm competing in April for my first time, and I've decided to cover mine. I've got a big indigo blue flower on low back. My suit covers a lot of it, which takes it out of context artistically. I've decided for judging to cover it and take it out of the "distracting" catagory all together.

[ms_moneypenny]

how do you ladies cover your tattoos for competition...are there products that are better than others?

[stephaniewicked]

Thanks for all the responses!

My bf has been competing for 3 years and won first place in two shows last year. He has a large tribal half sleeve on one arm and has never covered his stuff, nor does he plan to. I am 4.5 weeks out from my first show and I'm planning to cover two of mine (half sleeve; large piece on upper right arm). We were talking the other day and he doesn't understand why I should need to do that. I'm not doing it by choice because I love my tattoos, but I'm sure the judges will not agree, so I'm going to cover them and see what happens. I also have flames on my right forearm, a small tattoo on each wrist, as well as an anklet tattoo and two on my back, which I don't think detract from anything, so I'm not planning to cover those... just the "major" ones.

Elise recommended CoverMark Cosmetics, which I purchased last week. I need to do a test run with that and Jan Tana to figure out how the coverage is going to look. I'll take before/after pics and report back! :)

[sassy69]

Dermablend (dermablend.com) has also been recommended for covering tattoos. Others suggest that protan is dark enough to cover or reduce attention to them if you do it right.

[dvsness]

I have used colortration and Jan Tana's makeup in the past to cover ink - there is a different method depending on product. I didn't like Dermablend - medium was too light and dark was too dark.

I'm not going to cover them anymore. I thought it would make a big difference, but enough people have done well (winning shows both in Figure and BB) without covering the ink. One less thing to worry about.

[stephaniewicked]

Vanessa, I actually saw your post(s) on another board about ColorTration. I was going to purchase that until I read Elise's review on CM, so hopefully that works out... I'll be doing a test within the next week or two to find out.

I've also used DermaBlend in the past to cover them for family events and I don't think I'd be inclined to do it again. It's a pain in the ass, first of all... and secondly, I had trouble getting the color to match as well.

[sassy69]

Vanessa, I actually saw your post(s) on another board about ColorTration. I was going to purchase that until I read Elise's review on CM, so hopefully that works out... I'll be doing a test within the next week or two to find out.

I've also used DermaBlend in the past to cover them for family events and I don't think I'd be inclined to do it again. It's a pain in the ass, first of all... and secondly, I had trouble getting the color to match as well.

I'll scratch Dermablend from my recommendations. Thx for that feedback.

[~gymdiva~]

when your tan is on, soem dont even show up. i find stomach tats the most distracting as a judge. other than that, unless your 80% tats ..i dont mind it.


awww poo...no bueno for me! :(

[Angela123]

ive also tried dermablend and colortration...i wasnt entirely impressed. i do think colortration is better. but it still did nothing for me. i think i was impatient tho. i didnt let the coats dry inbetween jan tana and colortration. i have seen vanessa's pix of covering up...it was amazing! you couldnt tell she had any. anyway for me, because i was impatient i guess, it didnt work and i ended up rinsing it all off and just applying my jantana. the protan and jantana, (whatever you use) do cover the tats pretty well and makes them not as noticeable...a lot of my friends/family who come to see me dont even notice them on stage. but i still wonder if there are two competitors and judges cant decide between the two, if they look at the tats then. i know my dad who hates them always comments, 'if i was a judge id knock you down for points bc of your tats. " lol. but thats him being funny. id hope a professional judge would look past the tats and focus on the physique and presentation. i think small ankle, shoulder blade, lower back or any small tat for that matter, are no big deal.

stephanie...for sure dont worry about covering up your small tats. so you are going to cover your half sleeve? do it for your first show if it will makle you feel better. but ask the judges afterwards if they think it is a good idea to continue to cover it up.

ru figure or bb?

[~gymdiva~]

even when I was at my darkest at team u you could still see mine plain as day...but maybe that's just me looking at the pics...I clearly know where they are! hahaha...


I don't know the brand but Mary Hobbs used a concealer of some sort made for african-american skin tones on my delt tattoo in nyc and it covered it very nicely...she did it last after my quick bronze was applied backstage...the striations in that shoulder weren't as evident as in the other but it made my delts look more balanced than when it wasn't covered...

[stephaniewicked]

Thanks Ondrea! I don't want to cover it, but of course, I'll try it out and see what happens... and worse comes to worse, if it doesn't work out (because I do have to cover such a large area), I say to hell with it and accept whatever they give me! :D Either way, I'll know that I worked my booty off to get where I am on contest day in 4 weeks.

I'm doing bikini... figured it would be a good place to get my feet wet...

[Angela123]

great. good luck. its smart to start with bikini and just move your way up if you new to lifting. if you want tho. u may do very well in bikini and want to continue in that division. :-)

dont stress. that is a large area to cover. it may look bad because you have so much to cover. you dont want it to look blotchy or a different color than the rest of you. plus...bikini needs some fun thrown into the mix! you dont want to be a cookie cutter bikini babe. give those judges something to look at lol.

good luck and keep us posted.

[stephaniewicked]

O, Thanks, I like the way you think! ;) I don't want to look blotchy either, so if that's the case, I'm very comfortable with nixing the cover-up and going au natural! I personally think tattoos should be more accepted in all aspects of society, but then again... I'm not a judge.

I've been lifting a year and a half, which is relatively new compared to most people here but I'm completely in love with it and excited to see how I can challenge my body in the coming years.

And thank you for the good wishes! :)

[Katina]

I have a large tat on my hip and I have had mixed reviews from judges. It does blend in with the color a bit but it is still quite visible. Judges have said that it is distracting and others have said it is not a big deal. I feel that tattoos are a personal preferance of the judge and if they like them or not. With that being said, it is also if it covers areas of symmetry. If they effect the way they are able to view your physique then it may cause problems. But I love tattoos and think that they are works or art!

[stephaniewicked]

Katina - that's a beautiful piece. I would have never thought of putting one there, but it fits you really well! :)

[mia]

I second that, really beautiful tattoo. I have the harley davidson eagle across my back, and because its done in grey and not black it was easily covered in tan, so i really think it also depends how strong the colours are.

[graybass]

I've worked hundreds of NPC shows.
Some judges will not like tatoos. Two girls standing next to each other with tie scores, one with very visable tats, one witout. The one without wins 9 otta 10 times.
Which do you hold more vaulable, contests or tats?

[MsGuns]

here's a pic of me and my tat on stage...

[MsGuns]

I have a large tat on my hip and I have had mixed reviews from judges. It does blend in with the color a bit but it is still quite visible. Judges have said that it is distracting and others have said it is not a big deal. I feel that tattoos are a personal preferance of the judge and if they like them or not. With that being said, it is also if it covers areas of symmetry. If they effect the way they are able to view your physique then it may cause problems. But I love tattoos and think that they are works or art!

When I saw that...i was like dayum but I guess they liked it w/ your great placing!

[RealLilSwole]

Nice Arms!

[MsGuns]

Nice Arms!

You had A LOT of tats at jr nats in 05...I was like WoW...