Tattoos, what's your stance?

[CJC]

One of my non-immediate relatives, whom I will not name for the sake of his/her privacy, wants to get a very expensive and very large color tattoo down his/her backside. Personally, I'm against it for three reasons:

1: Color Tattoos do not age well
Black-n-White tattoos fade in a way that makes them look like you doodled on yourself with a sharpie. Color tattoos fade in a way that makes you look like you have some horrible contagious disease. I have never seen a good instance of these tattoos aging well, and constant touch-ups sort of defeat the purpose.

2: It's a large expense for no personal benefit
Backside tattoos are wasteful because you personally don't ever get a chance to see them. In essence, they exist solely for the viewing pleasure of someone who would see you with your clothes off, so the money essentially goes to waste for no reason. What, are you going to woo somebody at the poolside? Is it for the benefit of your lover? Why bother?

3: The body is a temple, don't put graffiti on the walls
This particular relative has selected an image from the ether of the internet because he/she said 'it looked cool'. Since the human epidermis is a person's only irrevocable piece of attire, I believe a tattoo should speak to who you are, what your interests might be, and what you would personally enjoy. Every tattoo should meet all three of these criteria. For example, you shouldn't get the Triforce tattooed on your backhand because 'Link has one', but it would be justifiable if you enjoy seeing that when you look down, you love the series, and you want to project that enjoyment when you shake hands with other people.


This particular relative has no respect for my suggestions, and will likely move forward with the tattoo. I am curious, however, what your opinions are about epidermal body art. Do you like tattoos? Do you have one? Color or B&W? Do you share my opinions, or disagree wholeheartedly?

[erm2003]

To each his own. I am not into them myself but I have plenty of friends who do so it doesn't bother me. I do agree they can look horrible with age, but that's the risk people take when they take the needle.

[Brasel]

I don't have any, mainly because I don't know what I would want that I know I would like for years. I think I'd probably go with a black and white tattoo if I did get one. I probably would put it on my back or my shoulders if I got one, mainly because I don't want it showing when I'm wearing professional clothing or in an environment where conservative employers would see and judge me on it. I'm not against tattoos myself, but my career and potential jobs take precedence over my need to express myself as an individual. I can do that in other ways that don't do something permanent to my body.

If I'm a musician or in some entertainment type career path where tattoos and piercings are acceptable, then maybe I would consider it. I would love to have an arm sleeve, but I just can't justify the cost, financially or otherwise.

[Beldaran]

1: Color Tattoos do not age well

That is his problem, not yours.

2: It's a large expense for no personal benefit

If it makes him happy, then there is a personal benefit.

3: The body is a temple, don't put graffiti on the walls

Your body is not a "temple". Temples don't produce poop.

This particular relative has no respect for my suggestions, and will likely move forward with the tattoo.

Then don't worry about it. It's none of your business.

Do you like tattoos? Do you have one? Color or B&W? Do you share my opinions, or disagree wholeheartedly?

I do not have any tattoos and I think they are stupid, but I don't care if other people want to get them.

[CJC]

Then don't worry about it. It's none of your business.

Ah, I forgot part of the story. See, this relative specifically asked us (and the rest of the internet, technically, since it was a Facebook post) our honest opinions about this tattoo, and then got defensive when we gave him critical advice. I simply used the story as an anecdote for AGN so we'd have a topic to discuss, though. It's not a situation that will have any direct impact on my life, one way or another.

This particular relative is twice my age, so maybe it's some sort of midlife crisis thing.

[Ventus]

I wouldn't really want a tattoo mainly I'm sure that I would be drunk when I get one and When I wake up the next day I'll look and I'll have something stupid somewhere...

[Glenn the Great]

I'm inclined to believe that getting a tattoo is either the result of peer pressure ("Everyone else I know has at least one tattoo, so I need one too or else people will wonder what's wrong with me!"), or otherwise the product of some kind of pathology.

With rare exception, tattoos don't fit my aesthetic. They're just tacky and detract from a person's appearance. Show me a naked woman and I'd rather see the skin she was born with any day. It's a rare treat to see an un-tattooed model or pornstar these days.

While I personally would not turn down a new hire because of a tattoo, much of the rest of the world will. That makes me question the wisdom of people who get tattoos in places like their hands, forearms, neck, or face that will be hard to cover up and thus disqualify them from a wide range of employment opportunities.

Also I find that tattoos tend to be the most popular with the low-income folks... people who would benefit more from saving those hundreds of dollars and putting them to better use somewhere else.

All that being said at the end of the day I believe in people making their own decisions about their body. There are a lot of people that really enjoy tattoos, and I disagree with their being an acceptable form of discrimination in jobs that don't have anything to do with modeling. I'll admit that I used to be very out-spoken against tattoos (there are some older posts of mine on AGN that will attest to that), but nowadays I abide and tolerate, but when asked my opinion I'll give it with honesty.

[rock_nog]

I have one tattoo, on my back, that is in black ink only. An ex-girlfriend actually encouraged me to get it, and bought it for me as a Christmas present. I had previously been against the idea of tattoos, but she loved tattoos and convinced me that they don't have to be tacky, that they can be art and they can be meaningful. Thankfully, despite the fact that she cheated on me and left me, I don't regret the tattoo I got. This is because I only agreed to the tattoo after deciding it had to be something symbolic and meaningful to me, something based upon my own personal philosophy, something that has nothing to do with anyone else (you know, like getting something stupid because it reminds me of her - I knew the dangers of that trap even then). So yeah... it was free, it says something very personal about me, and it's in no way superficial.

Incidentally, the tattoo I got was based on an ancient drawing of Yggdrasil, the Norse tree of life. I don't really have any direct connections to Norse culture or anything, but there was something about the way it symbolized the interconnectedness of the universe that really appealed to me.

[MasterSwordUltima]

Hm, going against the grain here (a bit). I have a few tattoos on either shoulder. A lot of alchemical symbols that took me years of research (a great deal came from my family, since my ancestors were alchemists). This sort of thing has fascinated me since childhood. I also have an ouroboros wrapped around my left arm - which is only visible when I wear certain short sleeve shirts. The rest are higher up - a decision I made specifically so I can dress formally for work and such.

I've had them for a few years, and the color has not faded nearly as critically as you may think. I also barely paid anything, since the tattoo artist is my friend.

As far as getting a picture from the internet tattoo'd, that sounds very short-sighted to me. Sounds to me like this relative just needs some excitement in his/her life, or is perhaps lacking in some department and trying to augment that with a tattoo.

[SUCCESSOR]

I love tattoos. I think if they are done well they are an amazing art. I don't care about people bitching about not getting a job because of it because that is how stupid social prejudices get changed. They are the ones that decided to be a martyr. Calling them the result of peer pressure is pointless. Many good things come from peer pressure such as hygiene, wearing nice clothes, etc.

I have wanted a tattoo for years but I have yet to decide on a design and I can never justify the cost.