Some rather amazing art work, and I appreciate the talent, but not a fan of it going on human bodies that will be changing a lot over the years.

and does beautiful totally original designs.

Because of this I have totally changed my attitude towards them, and I always pay compliments to folks with beautiful body art.

I do not have any but that is because I can't decide what I would like to be permanently on my skin. Lately my daughter and I have discussed the possibility of some small sort of decoration on my hysterectomy scar.

I think tattoos are an important form of self-expression for a lot of people, but they are not for me

with a tattoo but it's none of my business what others do with theirs.

non-Western, perhaps more Asian types of tattooing.

The Iceman, back in 1991 who lived between 3350 and 3105 BC, he was covered in tattoos.

The tattoos were likely clan symbols to identify him

They’re ubiquitous now, police, surgeons you name it. Some are works of art I especially like the Japanese style that flows down the arm in pastel colors. I think elaborate ones can cost thousands .

I don’t have any myself, prior work as a secret agent precluded having any easily recognizable identifiers.

At 71 years of age, I have no plans to obtain one either.

as well as the airbrushed looking style.

She is very good at rehabilitating faded and no longer desired designs, and the floral designs are excellent for that. Her coverups usually hide the original art enough that you can't find it in the new design.

When she first started out, she had a lot of strippers, pole dancers and ladies of the night as customers. They would come in to get the boyfriend's name tattooed. She would do her best to talk them out of it because she learned early on that most of them would be back in a few months asking for a name change. Her advice was "never tattoo any name unless it is your child" She did a lot of name reworks!!! Now that she is well established that is not a problem

Our oldest son’s ex tattooed a new boyfriend’s name on her neck. Yikes!
I haven’t seen her in years but then she married some other guy with totally different letters in his name.

The Tikkis

Of course, on an intellectual level, I fully understand that's not what they are. Nonetheless, when I see a prominent tattoo, I experience the same feeling of distress that I would experience if I saw someone with a grievous wound.

I don't make that anyone else's problem, though, and keep it to myself unless asked directly.

seem to think their great. Some have many. Grandma just keeps her mouth shut

I have one on my upper arm I got back in 1974 while in San Francisco. Never regretted it. Only shows when I’m sleeveless.
It’s an Eastern Dragon wrapped around a yen/yang symbol.
It’s my Taoist Message. I’m the luckiest person in the world, half good luck and half bad luck

My favorite uncle was an Army guy….lifer….taught at West Point also drill instructor there. This was back in the 50’s/60’s he was tattooed and I was entranced by the permanent markings…couple of his were already starting to fade. I asked him if it hurt much…he didn’t remember…probably an alcohol haze.

But…he said …paraphrasing from the dust of time…Remember if you get one, you’d better love it because you’re stuck with it …for the rest of your life…I joined the service in the Army…never found a tattoo that I could love…for the rest of my life.

I wonder if some of the young people getting tats think what they will look like as they age…sagging flesh, wrinkles, hoping they don’t get damaged if an operation needs to be done. Have a friend that had back surgery and the back tattoo he had never lined up again.

He was a lake person always in a boat of some kind…we used to kayak together. Women used to get ‘tramp stamps’ on their lower back.
If thought if I couldn’t see it why bother others?

A study of identical twins separated at birth indicates that there is a genetic disposition for tattoos. If one of the twins had a tattoo, there was a statistically greater probability that the twin, with the same genetic code, also has a tattoo. The same holds for wearing lots of jewelry (multiple rings on multiple fingers), lots of make-up and hair dye (look at Trump and his mother), and even hairstyles.

Personally, tattoos are not for me. I have commitment issues.

What other people do is fine with me.

Irish, Catholic, Democrat. That was one word growing up in Boston

As in, "Gladly my cross I'd bear" which is a hymn I think.

Of course, some wag came up with "Gladly, my cross-eyed bear."

At least when my daughter does them. She spends a lot of time developing the design with the customer and then applies a temporary one to get the placement.

imagine how bad any tats I might have gotten if tats were in vogue when I was young would look by now. Having said that, some tats have real meaning to their wearers.

I especially dislike the arm tattoos. To me they make the arm look dirty. Something that needs to be washed. The ones that truly mystify me are the nose rings. What is their purpose? I picture a leash being attached and the person being led around. Someone enlighten me.

someone needs to find a respectable way to preserve and display them

for the humor impaired

lampshades?
/s

windowshades, perhaps

I wonder when they got out of prison. I can't stand them.

I never did because I could never afford it. But, I doubt I can get one anymore, because of my health issues as regards circulation and healing.

But, I have the one I want, as drawn by a good friend.

That's just my personal preference, however. If you want them, go for it. Just don't ask me to do it.

however, that leads us to another question "what is art and what is not art?

I would tell my students that what you think is cool at 16 may not be cool when you are in your late 30s with a teenager of your own.

Most are harmless, but avoid face tattoos as they can be future income limiters.

I was shocked when my older brother (boomer, I am a gen Xer 10 years younger) started getting tattoos. He started with a Bible verse then got a cross and some more stuff.

Generally falls into the do whatever you want as long as you don't hurt anyone else.

I don't have any because you can do crazy stuff with your hair -- then you cut it and let the dye or whatever grow out and it is undone. I personally, don't want things that are very expensive to get rid of if something changes. (Older sister has a tattoo of her exhusband's name -- regrettable).

Well done tattoos are fascinating. Poorly done tattoos, just say I was too poor, drunk, or impatient to get it done correctly.

What someone thinks looks awesome today, is likely going to be pretty damn messed up in 2050. People are free to do to their own bodies whatever they want, but man I see a woman with sleeves or a ton of torso-encircling art and I think less of their personality and a lot less of their decision making ability... but I am old, my wife is old and I am just trying to prevent my kids from doing stupid things they will regret once I'm gone...so take my opinion with the appropriate grain of salt!

In the 90s when I entered college, only old Navy vets, ex-convicts, and trailer park peeps had tattoos. Now the 16 year olds and up barbies have them. It seems like it's a law now that if you're over 20, you must have AT LEAST 1 tattoo.

You know, cause you want to be an individual by doing what everyone else is doing. 😐

It's just my opinion and everyone is welcome to their own but it's just T R A S H Y to me. I've tried not to feel that way but the first thought that enters my mind (subconsciously) is that's nasty. My mind says, why would someone do that to themselves? I've learned to accept the fact that I feel this way. People are entitled to their own beliefs. It's not harming me in any way, so more power to those with tattoos. It's just not for me.

Still, it seems strange in our culture but perhaps that is changing and they are more acceptable. They may be an expression of art by some people and who am I to judge that?

Tattoos, scarification, branding, inserting pebbles under the skin, piercing, people have always had an interest in things like these. I understand it is not for everybody, but that's ok. Haircuts are not for everybody, either. Personally, I am heavily tattooed, and when I was young I had several body piercings. I was a tattoo artist for a few years. When I got my first tattoo, it was not very common, there were no tattoo shops in my city. Now almost everyone I know is tattooed, there are ink shops in every part of town. The quality of inkwork today is drastically better than it was a few decades ago, shops are cleaner, but somehow it seemed cooler when tattoos were kind of taboo.

it is practiced by what a lot of us would call a subculture. But is it? And who are we to judge?

I might be more impressed if they would glow in the dark , or change color with mood … then I might consider one



✌🏻

probably a clarinet since that was my life BUT, I never could decide where to put it and then got old enough to wonder what it would look like all wrinkled up.

I am almost 72 with my birthday coming up so I am thinking about it again. Just for fun.

I know some are into them, but I honestly don't see the attraction. No sir.

wanted his name off. He took it off but then made the image 3 times as big. Just how expensive is it to get one removed?

I have noticed, though, that some heavily-tattoed folk are the biggest softies on the planet

You do you; I'll do me--I hope we can be friends. I have friends with tattoos and friends with none--I love them all.

If you choose to tattoo a swastika on your forehead I appreciate that you just told me exactly what kind of person you are without me having to figure it out on my own....

Last edited Fri Nov 7, 2025, 12:45 AM - Edit history (1)

multiple tattoos--hands, arms, necks, even small ones on the face. When new people hire on, most of them also have tattoos.

I think they re fugly.

Not for me.

I did like the story of Johnny Depp having, "Winona," (Ryder) tattooed on his arm. When they split, he just had the, "na," erased off the end.

There are lots of people out there whose bodies are literally cluttered with tattoos; so many that it just doesn't make any sense.
It makes them look like a graffiti wall that bears the brunt of dozens of disparate expressions by many competing "artists".

Purely decorative tattoos are just clutter. Something as permanent as a tattoo should say something about who you are.

Tattoos that completely cover up an arm, a leg or you entire body don't' convey any sort of message and are less attractive than bare skin.

Tattoos exposed to the sun lose whatever color they may have had and turn into black blobs.

I have 2 tattoos on my upper arms, not visible unless I wear a sleeveless shirt. One is the Phrygian cap, worn by freed slaves in the Roman Empire and the symbol of liberty in the French Revolution. The other is a dramatic line drawing of NikolaTesla's Wardenclyff labs on Long Island.

......look silly because they are trying to act younger than they are. Pale skinned white chicks that get blue-black-purple tattoos on their arms and legs and then wear short skirts and short sleeves in the summer look like they fell down a flight of stairs and have bruises.

remembering the many years I was involved in taekwondo.

But, lots of people like them.

Of course I don't have a philosophical problem with other people having them, but I don't necessarily find them attractive on potential romantic partners.

For me, they're in the same league as crazy hair color that doesn't occur in nature, nose & lip piercings, etc.

My tastes find them disfiguring.

-- Mal

Wish now I never got it.

I don't care for them, and would never get one, but someone else getting is really not my business.
Thing is, I see people at the supermarket complaining about prices with $12-15,000 of tattoos on their bodies.
Maybe food prices would be more tolerable of they weren't spending 3 grand a year on body art.

I know you have no such intent yourself. Just that this argument wore me out.

Of course, you are right. So this must be something beyond our understanding. As an art historian I find this subject fascinating. However, it shows me how little I do know about the creation of body art all over the world. It is intriguing and maybe a subject for my next life...

...don't agree they are at all alike.
Sure everybody can simple choose to do nothing with their hair, but the vast majority of people get their hair cut or styled. Absent letting everything just go natural, getting one's hair kept neat isn't really optional.
Tattoos don't fall in that category. They are always optional (excepting a few very unfortunate examples in world history. )

Longer hair means tedium with drying it or using large curlers, another PITA. If I had my way I'd prolly have a butch hair cut.

Gets it short (not as short as you mentioned) then decides she'd like it longer.
Then, gets annoyed by tangles & thinks about short.
Me, I have gotten my hair trimmed (as in, take an inch & a half off) twice since I retired and that was 7 years this past. Halloween. My hair is quite long, always combed straight back and tied in back.
With the goatee it's kind of a "scary grandpa" look.

baby boomers at the beach.

a Triscele.

I don't like them on the neck, face, or hands. Ugly.

……. I have a couple of friends that have one or two.
To each their own, I guess.

It just wasn’t anything that I had interest in pursuing.



Sincerely,
LLC

Not that I was ever especially up on what was going on, but my impression is that tattoos 30 years ago or so usually had a meaning. But now they are just as often a decoration, which isn't disparaging, it's just different. So much money young people must spend on them.