Tattoos

[Amethyst Hunter]

A small rant.

By Amethyst Hunter.

I hate these things. I think the vast majority of them are gross. 90% of them aren't even attractive or on attractive people, at least not the ones I've seen. But I'm just so sick of seeing them everybloodywhere. I don't understand the appeal. Do some of these people not realize how much worse it's going to look when (assuming) they make it to old age? Tattoos on the aging is twice as bad as on the younger, and I would know - I've seen elders with tattoos and frankly, it's just gross. (As is baking yourself in the sun till you're the consistency of a leatherbag, but that's another story...)

Phew. I feel better now. Carry on...

[Slytovhand]

I don't have any tats...yet!

Yes, I intend to have some. They will have 'meaning' for me. And not just as artistic expression.

But my opinion of tats is the same as my opinion on graffiti... if it's worth looking at, and in a place where they're 'allowed' to do it - fine! If it's just 'tagging', or not theirs, then ppl shouldn't do it ('shouldn't' in the context of being laughed at if they do! Or scorned)

[Cat]

No ink yet.....thinking about it for my 31st bday (thinking of getting Mt Washington done on my upper arm....when I can find a good pic of it. It has huge meaning to me)

My theory in ink...don't like it, don't get it Granted, there are some ugly tats out there, but then again, there are some ugly people out there, ugly clothes, ugly views, and all are allowed to parade around.

[lordlundar]

My beef isn't so much the tattoos themselves because hey, it's their body. My beef is with the people who get them because it's "cool" and don't understand about them.

I see way to many young people getting the tat to impress their friends, thinking as soon as it's boring, they can just get it removed. Sorry, no. There's only two ways to get a tattoo removed. One is expensive in terms of dollars, and the other is expensive in terms of life. (a choice of a laser removal procedure that costs thousands of dollars and needs to be done within a certain amount of time or being cremated, which means you need to be dead first) That tattoo isn't going to be any more attractive down the road, nor is it going away.

Then there's the fact that regardless of any claims or precautions otherwise, a tattoo is a poison to the body. While a small one isn't going to kill you, there's always a case of people having to one up each other and then it becomes a problem.

Personally, I prefer henna tattoos. Not nearly as dangerous (unless you're allergic), still look cool, and fade away after a while.

[Cat]

I also love when ppl get Chinese letters that don't mean what they think they mean, or misspellings


I have a friend who had her tattoo removed, I don't think she thought it was so terrible.....I'll have to ask her about it

[Greenday]

I just hate it when people get tattoos because it looks cool or it looks pretty. I feel that if you are getting a tattoo, it should be foremost because it means something to you. Not something like, "I'm getting a star on my ankle because it'll look pretty."

[the_std]

Why does it matter the reason that people get tattoos? It's their body, it's their money, so what if they get it to be pretty instead of getting it to hold some vast meaning?

[blas87]

Aw come on, you can always use sandpaper to get rid of them!

[guywithashovel]

I have to admit, I don't care much for tatoos, especially on women. That doesn't mean I think they should be illegal or that I would try to stop anyone else from getting one. I just don't think they're very flattering, at least not on most people.

[powerboy]

Why does it matter the reason that people get tattoos? It's their body, it's their money, so what if they get it to be pretty instead of getting it to hold some vast meaning?

Yes exactly. It is their body. Now me, I am going to be getting a couple of tattoos, soon. One is going to be of a dream catcher. Since I am part Cherokee. And the other is going to be secret. Another one is going to be of the family crest. Now each of them is going to be meaningful to me and one is going to be how I am in life.

[AdminAssistant]

I would like a tattoo on my back, one that would have a lot of meaning to me personally and could be hidden/visible as I wish. I do worry about 'kids' getting tattoos in visible places very young. I mean, there are still careers that you won't be able to get into or succeed in with visible ink.

There are a lot of things I don't understand. I don't understand getting a tattoo on your neck, I don't understand getting a tattoo of someone's name. I also don't understand the vast majority of facial piercings. But...it's your body, modify it as you wish. Hell, paint yourself green, add gills to your neck, and change your name to Sea Monster for all I care. But I will give you a confused look if I meet you in the street.

[Greenday]

And the other is going to be secret.

It's the CustomersSuck logo, isn't it?

[Cat]

a dream catcher tat will be lovely


Man.....now I really want to get my Mt Washington tat....need to tone arms and finda good picture, stat

[AFPheonix]

I have a tattoo on my shoulder blade, I love it, I get a lot of complements on it. If I take good care of it, it will continue to look good for a long time.

I really don't care what people get on themselves, it's their business. The only time I think I'd really mind is if they got something socially unacceptable in a very visible place. Other than that, whatever.
I don't care if people have visible tattoos at businesses I frequent, sometimes they're a lot of fun to look at.
Some tattoos are absolutely gorgeous and make me want to get another, like this one.
I don't even care how much thought someone put into it. If they went and got it that day or if they agonized over it for years. If it looks good, if they went to an artist with a good portfolio and not a home scratcher that gave them Hep B, then more power to them.

[guywithashovel]

I do worry about 'kids' getting tattoos in visible places very young. I mean, there are still careers that you won't be able to get into or succeed in with visible ink.

I think that's a valid concern. When I was in high school, the topic of tatoos came up in one of my classes. The teacher said that she didn't think anyone should get a tatoo somewhere where he couldn't cover it up for a job interview. Personally, I think that is very good advice.

The fact that someone has a tatoo doesn't mean that person is unprofessional, unintelligent, or harboring criminal tendencies. Nonetheless, that doesn't change the fact that there are still quite a few people out there who, to some extent, frown upon people with tatoos. I'm not saying that people with tatoos are hated. Far from it actually. Here's a hypothetical scenario that illustrates what I'm trying to say.

Person With Visible Tatoo: (walks into the job interviewer's office and shakes the interviewer's hand firmly and with confidence)

Interviewer: (shakes the tatooed person's hand, but then notices the tatoo and raises her eyebrow, subconsciously picturing the person living a wild life)

Granted, not every person who would be interviewing people for jobs would do this, but I think it's fair to say that more than a few would be inclined to think a little less of a person with a visible tatoo, be it consciously or subconsciously. This is especially true for professional jobs (i.e. jobs that require university degrees). When I was in college, I took a few education classes. The professor in one of those classes said that one of his previous students did her student teaching in one of the local schools, and that school decided that they would never hire her to teach for them simply because she was living with her boyfriend. Yes, that is a different situation, but had she had a visible tatoo, I'm sure they would have made a similiar decision.

EDIT: Before someone misunderstands me, let me emphasize that I do NOT think less of people who have tatoos, and I don't think anyone else should, ei ther. In fact, I actually do think that people who would consider someone unworthy of a job because of a visible tatoo are being unreasonable. But that doesn't change how most people think.