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hey, i was wondering what you guys think are characteristics of an orientalist tattoo? i see a lot of, for example, people getting tattoos of chinese or japanese words they dont even know the meaning of/cant read, and that feels pretty obvious. but im not sure how to identify, like, ~exotic asian imagery~ and where the line is between fetishization and sincere appreciation of a cultural element. do you think intent matters more or how it comes off? and are there certain design elements you wouldn't want to see on a non-asian person at all?

Ooh! Okay so this isn't an exhaustive list because I'm not a tattoo expert, but the main ones that come to mind:

Getting tattoos of scripts you don't understand is a HUGE one. You mentioned Chinese and Japanese, but I will equally judge anyone who is getting a tattoo in Arabic or Sanskrit who is unfamiliar with the culture or language. You can't throw symbols together and call it a day, it's kind of been turned into a joke in comedy media but it's still disrespectful

Religious tattoos + their placement OMG. If you're getting a calligraphy tattoo that says Mashallah on your FEET 😭 Same thing with getting an Om tattoo and placing it anywhere below the waist.

I don't think it's my place to be like "you're never allowed to get tattoos of 'stereotypical imagery' like koi fish, cherry blossoms, or dragons," but I do have somewhat overlapping thoughts with cultural appropriation of attire (though not exactly because tattoos are more permanent). A person who walks past you on the street won't KNOW if you put in the work to understand, appreciate, or respect the culture. Unless it is an overtly hypersexual tattoo or thoughtlessly blends different cultural design elements together in a way people can easily call out, it's difficult to tell. They don't know your story or where you got it from, if you got it done in the native country, and in some cases, they may not even know if you're part Asian if you pass as another race. The intent would be clear after they have a conversation and they trust you more, y'know? You have to be willing to take that perception risk even if you did everything else right and supported Asian tattoo artists in their homeland. Also be willing to put in the advocacy work in other facets of your life because it does show when you're not ignorant

Of course, there are some Asian people who don't mind at all and think people like me are being too sensitive (again, similar to cultural appropriation of attire) because we should be proud people like our culture, but I have higher standards beyond gaining superficial approval

Henna/Mehndi isn't quite a "tattoo" but getting henna/mehndi and being weird about it or discrediting where it comes from 😭 It's not "an exotic temporary tattoo" it's deeply rooted in South and West Asian cultures. There's even a wedding tradition of hiding the groom's initials or name within the intricate design as a sort of playful game (some describe it as equivalent to an "icebreaker"). This doesn't mean every West or South Asian couple does this tradition but some do!