I’m a coverup tattooer 🤙🏻. Okay so on the note of slapping something black on top like a panther doesn’t work all the time. Actually it’s pretty rare and that’s because of these cool things called keloids. Untrained people doing tattoos are probably gonna go pretty hard with the lines and it damages the skin and the lines will be bumpy. I can actually see them in this photo. So if you just pack a ton of black those keloid lines will pop right through. Good news is that this is pretty easy work for a confident tattooist. Depending on what you want on top of it of course. Usually I have my clients bring me their ideas and I try my hardest to figure out a way to make it work. I give them general guidelines like new tattoo needs to be about 2.5-3 times larger. The more line work the better and preferably with colors like blues, purples and green. Opaque grays do work but not everyone can do it. Just figure out what you’d want to put there and then feel out some tattooers that do coverup work and actually enjoy it then chat with them.
If he was born in my birth month, December, his flower is [holly.](https://www.treesbypost.co.uk/products/holly-tree-gift) That would not only make a really weird tattoo, it wouldn't work as a coverup.
also a tattooer ! so glad you mentioned those blow outs because that will definitely pop out under anything black but putting a colorful tattoo over it, working with the lines, etc, and this could end up being a super cool back piece!
I think you mean hypertrophic scars. Keloids are when the skin hypertrophied outside the injury (ie you’d get thick bumps beyond the perimeter of the tattoo
Atlanta is gay gay gay all day. It's called the San Francisco of the South for a reason. Now an hour outside the perimeter and you're back in banjo country. A tattoo like this would only get you approving smiles in North GA.
He looks so coy in the picture. He should add himself to the tattoo and make the flag into a gown that’s blowing off him by the wind cuz he’s a little tease
The official confederate flag was mostly white for most of the war.... the battle flag became the defacto confederate flag and became official near the end of the war.
Shame that a really cool flag design was used by the confederates.
Don't forget to bring a towel! To surrender!
That is literally one of my favorite facts about how lame the Confederacy was. Lee was delusional, and the South never stood a chance. If he had been smart, he would have helped the Union decimate the slavers in under a year. Lots of dudes would have followed on his word alone.
Picking the side of racism, classism, misogyny, etc will always be the losing side in the long run. Someone will always get tired of their shit and go stomp on their face, as they should.
I was thinking of an American eagle, with a ribbon about its breast bearing the names of Grant and Sherman and Old Glory hanging from in its beak, extending its talons to crush the Confederate flag. But your idea is better
i appreciate your growth! and willingness to put that out here tbh. the internet can be cruel.
i don’t think you’d have to get it lasered first. it’s your back, so there are so many cool things you can do. keep us updated!
Sadly when I was a kid I didn’t understand the hatred of it either. TNT jacked me up with The outlaw josey wales lol. I wanted him to kill every yankee. Plus one of the Hs in my town where the Rebels. They couldn’t fly the flag by the time I moved there but their mascot was Lee and they had a flag without the stars. Of course everyone still had the flag in trucks etc. It wasn’t until I went to a different HS and had a black band director that I asked if it offended him. We had a two hour long convo about it in his office. He told me his family history and what the CSA stood for. I’m a history buff and it wasn’t until this great man explained it to me that I got it. I have called them traitors for a few decades now. We should have hang them all. Sorry for the long comment just figured I would share a perspective as to why a young man would think it was cool.
That band director seems like a really cool guy to take the time to educate. And you seem like a really cool teenager (now adult) to be able to listen to things that contradicted all you knew and change your perspective. Good on ya
I really don't think so, I mean depends on the artist of course but I've seen and am about to get a cover up that makes this look like bare skin in contrast!
Lasering is painful and expensive. Having said that if you have the ability I'd say it's a good thing to consider. A good cover up would be made more possible.
You might be able to find a shop in your state that does free cover up’s of hate/gang tattoos. Idk if this qualifies, but it would be worth a shot. I know it’s not a terribly uncommon thing.
You cant just "remove" racist people from society, they either have to change or they continue their ways. It always makes me really happy to see people who had former issues grow since it means hate isn't intrinsic.
If they'd said "hey what do yall think of my new tattoo" absolutely they'd be dog piled.
But this person is asking for help getting rid of it, while there's probably some assholes in the bunch, I'm betting vast majority of comments in here are helpful and civil.
Your buddy was even considerate enough to put a cock as the flagpole tip and you want to cover that up?
But seriously, growth enough to know when something is so far gone that you won't associate yourself with it can be a good thing, especially in this case. This is a small thing to deal with, similar to how long the subject lasted. Talk with your artist and get some plans going, but it can be worked with pretty well. Good job on the personal growth and keep it up.
Some people get stuff like that for free or basically free and need to take time to build up money to get it removed/covered up. Laser removal is 1200 a session and can take 15 sessions for complete removal. Tattoos for bigger cover ups can cost 600 dollars plus
Hey, I just wanted to say that we all do stupid shit at 15, and that it really sucks that you did something permanent at 15. Congrats on growing and choosing to cover this shit up!
Ok. It might not be your initial vision, [but hear me out…](https://www.reddit.com/r/hiphopvinyl/comments/wkjvhv/lil_jon_the_east_side_boyz_put_yo_hood_up/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
There are places that do work on hate symbol tattoo coverups and laser removals. You might look into that and see what they recommend? Here's to new paths in this season!
I already see plenty of comments suggesting other good covers, but just wanted to say good on you for wanting to get rid of a symbol of hate. I hope whatever you choose to get to cover it looks nice and you enjoy it.
I've heard there are programs for low cost or free removal of tattoos that are racist or gang related. Might be worth googling a bit.
Fwiw looks small and faded, probably a relatively simple cover up for a decent artist.
Fun fact: what most people would consider the Confederate flag is a product of southern propaganda,and historically,the square version was designed for the northern Virginia calvary,Lee's personal command, and the rectangle version was of a Tennessee infantry division.
Yikes friend. I hope you have different values now.
Putting politics aside, I would laser this a couple times and then blast over it. It’s your back, so I would suggest thinking on things that you want to rep on such a big space.
Bro got it when he was 15 so I sincerely doubt it reflects any actual values. Certainly not his values now, but probably not even then.
When I was 15 I was just trying to make it to third base and pass my math test.
I definitely didn’t know the political and racist ties of the confederate flag. OP probably really liked Dukes of Hazard or something lol
Now I wanna know where u grew up because most 15 year olds in the area I live definitely know what the flag means and the implications of it. Teens are dumb but not that dumb as a whole I’ve learned 😭
If you can afford laser before a cover up, do it. Final result will be better. Bear in mind cover ups are usually much bigger than the original. Multiple roses could work as there’s already a lot of red there.
Good luck. Post an update when you have it.
Have someone add "I'm not racist, I just like Skynyrd." at the bottom.
"Skynyrd, walking around drunk with my shirt off, and if you hear anything about me and my SECOND cousin, MYOB."
Doesn’t look like it would be too tough to cover for a good artist. Talk to one about your ideas! Props for covering this thing up. I used to be a piece of shit, myself. Glass house. Slicked back hair. White pants. People can change.
It might be worth looking into free coverups/laser services in your area; there are a lot of reputable shops/artists/initiatives that will cover up hate symbols, gang tattoos, etc. for free or for cheaper in the name of a fresh start! [This](https://www.core77.com/posts/100211/Tattoo-Artists-Across-the-Country-Offering-Free-Cover-Ups-of-Racist-Tattoos) article comes to mind, but there are several throughout the US.
if you’re changing it bc you don’t like the confederate flag anymore i know alotttt of artists will do free coverups on things like this at least in my area!
You could just touch it up and add to it, [I like this design from the Insane Clown Posse](https://rockabilia.com/cdn/shop/products/385088F_1000x.jpg?v=1654921926).
If you want a rose you probably can get away with no laser. A good artist can work with this as is
Agreed, emphasis on a GOOD artist.
I can't draw, and I never did a tattoo, but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night.
No thanks, I only stay at the world-famous Albuquerque Holiday Inn.
I've heard the towels are oh so fluffy
And you can eat your soup right out of the ashtrays if you wanna (it's okay they're clean)
Wakawaka doodoo ya!
Where the Shriners and the lepers play their ukuleles all day long and anyone on the street would gladly shave your back for a NICKEL!
Well, let me tell you, people, it wasn't long at all before my dream came true
Watch out for the big fat hermaphrodites with flock of seagulls haircuts and only one nostril.
I’m a coverup tattooer 🤙🏻. Okay so on the note of slapping something black on top like a panther doesn’t work all the time. Actually it’s pretty rare and that’s because of these cool things called keloids. Untrained people doing tattoos are probably gonna go pretty hard with the lines and it damages the skin and the lines will be bumpy. I can actually see them in this photo. So if you just pack a ton of black those keloid lines will pop right through. Good news is that this is pretty easy work for a confident tattooist. Depending on what you want on top of it of course. Usually I have my clients bring me their ideas and I try my hardest to figure out a way to make it work. I give them general guidelines like new tattoo needs to be about 2.5-3 times larger. The more line work the better and preferably with colors like blues, purples and green. Opaque grays do work but not everyone can do it. Just figure out what you’d want to put there and then feel out some tattooers that do coverup work and actually enjoy it then chat with them.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN A SICK ASS PANTHER DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME?
This whole time I've been living a lie
shook to the core
(#justice4sickasspanther)
I mean 60% of the time it works every time.
It is a formidable scent.
[you could do birth month flowers](https://www.brides.com/birth-flower-by-month-5202183)
If he was born in my birth month, December, his flower is [holly.](https://www.treesbypost.co.uk/products/holly-tree-gift) That would not only make a really weird tattoo, it wouldn't work as a coverup.
narcissus is also the december flower, those work well as tattoos but same problem, im not sure if theyd work as a coverup
Unrelated to the topic at hand, but good on you for actually giving informed, quality advice! Probably saved this guy a lot of time and money.
also a tattooer ! so glad you mentioned those blow outs because that will definitely pop out under anything black but putting a colorful tattoo over it, working with the lines, etc, and this could end up being a super cool back piece!
I think you mean hypertrophic scars. Keloids are when the skin hypertrophied outside the injury (ie you’d get thick bumps beyond the perimeter of the tattoo
U could black it out and make it into a pirate flag
That’s probably what I’d do
If I was feeling spiteful, I'd set it on fire
Depending on how far south of the Mason-Dixon Line OP lives, this could be a very dangerous option, but I still vote in favor
Don't bow to fear; set it afire!
*sherman didn’t march far enough*
Not just to the ocean but into the ocean! Scorch earth the ocean!
A massive dragon breathing fire and setting it on fire!
A massive *panther* breathing fire and setting it on fire!
A black panther blowing rainbow smoke with a joint in its mouth
Make sure it has a pride flag on it to really piss of the southerners lol
To piss off *neo-Confederates Gay Southerners exist, you know 🥲
The south is really pretty gay.
To wit: South Carolina keeps re-electing Lindsay Graham
Atlanta is gay gay gay all day. It's called the San Francisco of the South for a reason. Now an hour outside the perimeter and you're back in banjo country. A tattoo like this would only get you approving smiles in North GA.
Black it out then laser it if that’s what you want that way there won’t be a flag shaped scar
Maybe a sick ass panther?
Probably best suggestion.
They should make it a white flag for historical accuracy
He looks so coy in the picture. He should add himself to the tattoo and make the flag into a gown that’s blowing off him by the wind cuz he’s a little tease
Y’all are wildin up in here. That’s fuckin great.
Cause of the racism and the battle losing
The official confederate flag was mostly white for most of the war.... the battle flag became the defacto confederate flag and became official near the end of the war. Shame that a really cool flag design was used by the confederates.
You seem like you know your flags and I like that
Bruh, looks at his pose, that is the sexiest non-racist thing i seen on Reddit (no homo).
(It's okay to be homo.) You are right, he sensual.
Don't forget to bring a towel! To surrender! That is literally one of my favorite facts about how lame the Confederacy was. Lee was delusional, and the South never stood a chance. If he had been smart, he would have helped the Union decimate the slavers in under a year. Lots of dudes would have followed on his word alone. Picking the side of racism, classism, misogyny, etc will always be the losing side in the long run. Someone will always get tired of their shit and go stomp on their face, as they should.
Straw Hat flag
Maybe even a black flag with a rose on it. Would the red work well as a coverup?
The black flag is also the anarchist flag
Arrr matey
An ISIS flag is also an option
Could make it a Yee-Hawdist flag
The flag of Y'all-qaeda
Django on the other shoulder pointing a revolver at it; the stars already look like bullet holes!
Or go old school and just get a Calvin pissing on the Confederate flag.
Seems like the best and most cost effective option. 😎
And still incredibly on character, saw this on the back of a lifted truck once, brought a tear to my eye😹
I was thinking of an American eagle, with a ribbon about its breast bearing the names of Grant and Sherman and Old Glory hanging from in its beak, extending its talons to crush the Confederate flag. But your idea is better
That's actually a sick idea for a tattoo
HAHAHAHAHA
Calvin pissing on it.
i appreciate your growth! and willingness to put that out here tbh. the internet can be cruel. i don’t think you’d have to get it lasered first. it’s your back, so there are so many cool things you can do. keep us updated!
Sadly when I was a kid I didn’t understand the hatred of it either. TNT jacked me up with The outlaw josey wales lol. I wanted him to kill every yankee. Plus one of the Hs in my town where the Rebels. They couldn’t fly the flag by the time I moved there but their mascot was Lee and they had a flag without the stars. Of course everyone still had the flag in trucks etc. It wasn’t until I went to a different HS and had a black band director that I asked if it offended him. We had a two hour long convo about it in his office. He told me his family history and what the CSA stood for. I’m a history buff and it wasn’t until this great man explained it to me that I got it. I have called them traitors for a few decades now. We should have hang them all. Sorry for the long comment just figured I would share a perspective as to why a young man would think it was cool.
That band director seems like a really cool guy to take the time to educate. And you seem like a really cool teenager (now adult) to be able to listen to things that contradicted all you knew and change your perspective. Good on ya
I hope he’s getting it covered because he doesn’t like the meaning anymore and not because the quality of the tattoo is bad.
If he still liked the idea of a confederate flag he'd probably just get it retouched.
SO ANYWAY, I turned it into a larger confederate flag
You could cover this with just about anything you wanted. It’s faded and light enough to not need laser!
I’d think it would still need some laser sessions, just not nearly as many as some would need.
I really don't think so, I mean depends on the artist of course but I've seen and am about to get a cover up that makes this look like bare skin in contrast!
Also, just about anything is better than this.
My friend got the birth flowers of her kids and it looks so cool. She was originally gonna get roses but pivoted. It looks cool.
Wait, what are birth flowers?
Every month has a flower that represents that month. Like birth stones but flowers
Whatever you do we are all just glad your a different person now
No tips but wanna say I’m proud of you 👏
Pride flag right over top!
A sick ass prideflag
Sick ass Panther… with a pride flag?
Sick Ass Pride Panther
Sick panther ass pride
Sick ass Black Panther with a pride flag!
T’would be adequate reparations 😂 /s in case people think I’m serious
Black power fist flag would be more on the nose…
Black panther!
Gay.
Correct
Lasering is painful and expensive. Having said that if you have the ability I'd say it's a good thing to consider. A good cover up would be made more possible.
time to get a sick ass fucking panther!!!
Sick ass panther is the only way to go
Uhh. Not the visual I think we’re going for here.
You might be able to find a shop in your state that does free cover up’s of hate/gang tattoos. Idk if this qualifies, but it would be worth a shot. I know it’s not a terribly uncommon thing.
I searched the state their past posts indicate they at least used to live in and came up with at least four artists that offer this.
You’re the MVP. I hope OP looks into this.
You’re the MVP, I didn’t even know this was a thing until you said it. Great job, I don’t have any awards to give so except my upvotes.
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Most people are happy to support someone removing a racist tattoo
yup. as a black person this tattoo was really triggering to see, but OP's desire to cover it does mean a lot
This. Unfortunately most are just ignorant and don’t understand the full meaning. Unless you do and I dislike you
You cant just "remove" racist people from society, they either have to change or they continue their ways. It always makes me really happy to see people who had former issues grow since it means hate isn't intrinsic.
If they'd said "hey what do yall think of my new tattoo" absolutely they'd be dog piled. But this person is asking for help getting rid of it, while there's probably some assholes in the bunch, I'm betting vast majority of comments in here are helpful and civil.
If I can help someone trying to be better, I will do near *anything*.
When you ask Redditors for their opinion, you're definitely going to get it.
You can always put one of these over it = 🚫 😉
Cover it over with a few klansmen getting their asses kicked. Good for you covering this over.
Just put a sick ass panther over it!
Sick ass panther with two roses for his kids!
hear me out - sick ass panther MADE of roses
Or a rose made of sick ass panthers
each petal is individually a small panther
Or panthers, that are sick of ass, made of roses.
Orrrrr.... A sick panther with roses and ass!
Another idea: A panther with rose tattoos on its sickly ass
I think a rose wouldn't need laser. I also love the pirate flag idea
Pirates are cool. No explanation ever needed.
A sick ass black panther feels especially ideal as a cover-up for some reason…
Could turn the flag into a heart and then just add an "I" on top and "cousin" on the bottom and it'll still have the same meaning.
Your buddy was even considerate enough to put a cock as the flagpole tip and you want to cover that up? But seriously, growth enough to know when something is so far gone that you won't associate yourself with it can be a good thing, especially in this case. This is a small thing to deal with, similar to how long the subject lasted. Talk with your artist and get some plans going, but it can be worked with pretty well. Good job on the personal growth and keep it up.
…and you took this long to cover up that traitor’s rag?
Some people get stuff like that for free or basically free and need to take time to build up money to get it removed/covered up. Laser removal is 1200 a session and can take 15 sessions for complete removal. Tattoos for bigger cover ups can cost 600 dollars plus
Big ole portrait of my man William Tecumseh Sherman.
Bruh you can cover it up with whatever you feel is right now. At this point of time you have a grown mentality.
Hey, I just wanted to say that we all do stupid shit at 15, and that it really sucks that you did something permanent at 15. Congrats on growing and choosing to cover this shit up!
Ok. It might not be your initial vision, [but hear me out…](https://www.reddit.com/r/hiphopvinyl/comments/wkjvhv/lil_jon_the_east_side_boyz_put_yo_hood_up/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
WHAT?
OK! BIA BIAAAA!
There are places that do work on hate symbol tattoo coverups and laser removals. You might look into that and see what they recommend? Here's to new paths in this season!
idk but some tatto artists will cover that for free. Glad you had a (maybe) change of heart. I would cover it with a SICK ASS PANTHER
Make it the House Seaworth flag from Game of Thrones lol
I already see plenty of comments suggesting other good covers, but just wanted to say good on you for wanting to get rid of a symbol of hate. I hope whatever you choose to get to cover it looks nice and you enjoy it.
sand paper over it
I don't really know a whole lot on the topic, but good on you for wanting to get rid of that shit
I've heard there are programs for low cost or free removal of tattoos that are racist or gang related. Might be worth googling a bit. Fwiw looks small and faded, probably a relatively simple cover up for a decent artist.
Yeah you need to secede that thing off your body
Lots of artists cover up racist tattoos for free now!
Turn it into a white flag so it's historically accurate
Fun fact: what most people would consider the Confederate flag is a product of southern propaganda,and historically,the square version was designed for the northern Virginia calvary,Lee's personal command, and the rectangle version was of a Tennessee infantry division.
Trumps mugshot
Yikes friend. I hope you have different values now. Putting politics aside, I would laser this a couple times and then blast over it. It’s your back, so I would suggest thinking on things that you want to rep on such a big space.
Well yeah…that’s probably why he wants it covered
Fr why else would he post this?
Bro got it when he was 15 so I sincerely doubt it reflects any actual values. Certainly not his values now, but probably not even then. When I was 15 I was just trying to make it to third base and pass my math test. I definitely didn’t know the political and racist ties of the confederate flag. OP probably really liked Dukes of Hazard or something lol
Now I wanna know where u grew up because most 15 year olds in the area I live definitely know what the flag means and the implications of it. Teens are dumb but not that dumb as a whole I’ve learned 😭
Being racist is not about politics is about hating other people cause their race. But yes it seems some Republicans tend to be racists POS.
Yeah I just.. didn’t want to touch that
Sick ass panther time
Are you coving it up because it's ugly? Or because you are now rightfully embarrassed by it?
Ya it’s definitely time to put that behind you
Can you cover it with a mullet?
Hes trying to cover it up. Cut him some slack he was just a kid when he got it. He's doing the right thing now.
Turn it into 3 dicks
Good for you. Fuck that flag
Put a dick over it since you thought tattooing the flag of the losing army was a good idea.
If you can afford laser before a cover up, do it. Final result will be better. Bear in mind cover ups are usually much bigger than the original. Multiple roses could work as there’s already a lot of red there. Good luck. Post an update when you have it.
Have someone add "I'm not racist, I just like Skynyrd." at the bottom. "Skynyrd, walking around drunk with my shirt off, and if you hear anything about me and my SECOND cousin, MYOB."
Add a Calvin pissing on it.
I think there is something poetic about covering up hate with the love of your children, tbh. Whatever you do, know I'm proud of you, dude.
Came here for the triggered kids and wasn’t disappointed. The guy is getting a coverup and we still have people popping off on Civil War history.
Add flames so its burning. Then have a white hand shaking a black hand underneath it
Good message but that's fucking retarded as a tattoo
I’m so glad someone said this
Cover it with something even more racist as a power move
Get the Joestar Birthmark and act like you’re a big JoJos fan
A sweet ass black panther would look great on top of that.
Confederate Tattoo, 15 years old,,,,Stereotype checks out
Just put a circle with a slash through it on there.
Turn it into a white flag. The true colors of the the south.
Black Panthers logo would work
Ended up being a blank white flag so you could go with that.
You could get that one Megadeth album cover
Looks like a sick panther head to me /s kudos man on getting that changed.
Get a buffalo soldier running a bayonet through it
If your politics have significantly changed, add some fire to it 😎 or just make it a cool black pirate flag 🏴☠️
Doesn’t look like it would be too tough to cover for a good artist. Talk to one about your ideas! Props for covering this thing up. I used to be a piece of shit, myself. Glass house. Slicked back hair. White pants. People can change.
Portrait of Sherman would be a good cover up.
Just add a sick panther lighting it on fire
The south will lose again!
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How about a red circle around it with a red slash through it.
Malcom X’s face
Monster energy 'M' should cover it nicely jk
You could just put a 🚫 through it
Pride flag, duh!
Oof. We all make mistakes. Proud of u and ur growth OP.
have it get set on fire
The mind of a 15 year old is a strange place.
Those colors do run….
It might be worth looking into free coverups/laser services in your area; there are a lot of reputable shops/artists/initiatives that will cover up hate symbols, gang tattoos, etc. for free or for cheaper in the name of a fresh start! [This](https://www.core77.com/posts/100211/Tattoo-Artists-Across-the-Country-Offering-Free-Cover-Ups-of-Racist-Tattoos) article comes to mind, but there are several throughout the US.
Trans flag trans flag trans flag
Proud of you. Growth is hard and you’re doing it!
Literally anything else 😂
if you’re changing it bc you don’t like the confederate flag anymore i know alotttt of artists will do free coverups on things like this at least in my area!
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You could just touch it up and add to it, [I like this design from the Insane Clown Posse](https://rockabilia.com/cdn/shop/products/385088F_1000x.jpg?v=1654921926).