Of all the old school tattoo designs, the cross tattoo is one of the most popular.
It is usually viewed as one of the old school designs, because it has been around for so long. Despite being most famous for its connections to various religions to mark deities or sacrifice, it is also very widely used in nautical symbols and the flags of countries. Therefore, if you are considering incorporating a cross tattoo design, you would be well advised to do some research to ensure your cross means what you intend it to mean!
It is a very simple shape, but there are so many ways in which it can form part of a tattoo. When women first started adorning their lower backs with cross tattoos, there was a view that such a practice was inappropriate and unsavoury. However, this view is not so strongly held now, both because of the prevalence of crosses in lower back tattoos and because of a growing realization that not all crosses have to mark religious convictions.
Nevertheless, if you do decide that you would like to incorporate a religious cross into the design of your lower back tattoo, it is easy for such a design to be tasteful by using a relatively small cross. The danger with a cross is that it may appear to be going too far down – if you are aware of this danger, it is easy to avoid.
Try to think about your tattoo in terms of your own personality. Are you drawn to a particular shape, which can be incorporated into your cross design? Are there any other elements that you think you could include in your design, e.g. could the shape be made from letters? If you are drawn to more than one design, play about with overlapping or integrating those designs with each other; this is sure to help your design be as individual as possible.
It is important for tattoos to be personal and unique, so invest sufficient time to ensure this is so.
photo credit: Shannon Archuleta
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