# What you think about Tattoos!



## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

I personally hate them, I see so many young and not so young people getting them done and to me they just look horrible!
It seems to be a fashion thing at the moment and I strongly think most of them are going to be very much regretted in short amount of time. Especially when they are very difficult to remove and in the case of coloured ones near-on impossible. 
People can be so short sighted!


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Well, I personally think they look terrible, but whatever floats your boat.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

I think they look awful. Fashion is transitory & most people look back at what they wore & cringe. I think there are going to be lots of people wanting their tattoos removed.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*New Rule*

New Rule :lol:


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## Tero (Jun 2, 2012)

Vulgar.

But some personalities need them.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm suprised at all the anti-tats here. But I'll have to admit, I'm also one of them.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Well, at least the ink quality has improved over the last 20 or so years and there are far more designs these days but all these new age Celtic knot and oriental letter designs are getting really passe. I don't object to them in general but I don't like to see tattoos at all on the face (except when it's a prevailing custom with ancient tribal cultures) or neck - especially those stupid stars or swallows - or on the legs or lower arms/hands and 'home-mades' are always a mess. Amy Winehouse had money to burn but her 'skin art' looked horrendous and not very well thought out. I think tattoos on white blokes with runty physiques look quite crap (check out Pete Doherty or Johnny Winter).


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

High quality tattoos can look good, but most tattoos i see aren't high quality.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

They are, "a permanent reminder of a temporary fad."

It has been said, and I think with more than a grain of accuracy, that the generations coming of sexual age in the mid 1980's and later, i.e. came of age with hearty and duly frightening cautions about lethal STD's, have gone to piercings and tattoos as a reactionary gesture of, 'I have control over my body.'

It may very well be the best explanation for the trend / fad.

There is always laser removal -- somewhat painful and much more expensive per square centimeter than the cost of the tattoo.

Then again, if I recall, you have gone, in my book, way overboard in the body building department, perhaps as a reaction to being male and a flutist -- often wrongly equated with automatically being homosexual 

The trouble with body-building, If you build it up prior your physical maturity of age twenty-one, most of that will remain 'permanent,' perhaps go soft but nothing more consequentially problematic. 
BUT, if you rip-tear / build up tissue _after_ you have reached physical maturity (age twenty-one) then later down the road, there is no physically keeping up that synthetically built-up tissue as your metabolism naturally slows down -- the energy to keep it up is, uh, gone -- and it turns to something nasty, dimpled and cauliflower-like in appearance.
Then, perhaps the cosmetic solution would be in very expensive remedial plastic surgery.

I think if I live long enough, I am going to be seeing both faded, stretched contorted tattoos on weirdly dimpled flesh, and just weirdly dimpled degenerated formerly built up muscle tissue, and neither are going to be very pretty.

Full cover up clothing, long sleeves, high necks, etc. will become very much the fashion, methinks.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

The closest I've got to getting a tat.

View attachment 9471


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

They look cool imo.  Depends on the tattoo but it works well with Metal bands. Gotta get a tougher persona to be in a metal band. Tattoos is a start.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Simply awful.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

PetrB said:


> T
> BUT, if you rip-tear / build up tissue _after_ you have reached physical maturity (age twenty-one) then later down the road, there is no physically keeping up that synthetically built-up tissue as your metabolism naturally slows down -- the energy to keep it up is, uh, gone -- and it turns to something nasty, dimpled and cauliflower-like in appearance.


Oh, rats, I'm past 21. There goes my bodybuilding career.


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## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

PetrB said:


> Then again, if I recall, you have gone, in my book, way overboard in the body building department, perhaps as a reaction to being male and a flutist -- often wrongly equated with automatically being homosexual
> 
> The trouble with body-building, If you build it up prior your physical maturity of age twenty-one, most of that will remain 'permanent,' perhaps go soft but nothing more consequentially problematic.
> BUT, if you rip-tear / build up tissue _after_ you have reached physical maturity (age twenty-one) then later down the road, there is no physically keeping up that synthetically built-up tissue as your metabolism naturally slows down -- the energy to keep it up is, uh, gone -- and it turns to something nasty, dimpled and cauliflower-like in appearance.
> Then, perhaps the cosmetic solution would be in very expensive remedial plastic surgery.


Well, the subject has gone off in a different direction and I think your ramblings are a bit off mark.
Yes, I enjoy working out and have successful built a bit of muscle from the age of 40 to my present age of nearly 53 and so far it hasn't gone "dimpled and cauliflower-like." lol
In fact I get slightly better looking each year, obviously I cant look like this forever but I'll certainly be looking better than 99.9 % of guys that don't workout whatever age I am.

BTW, I play the Treble Recorder and not homosexual!


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

As a Western fad? Often childish, and pointless. As a cultural observation? It's an art form. I happen to have some myself. To have another way to observe and appreciate different people and concepts from the past, is an intriguing option. And it sparks some fascinating conversations. So far, I've had several symbols done, mostly Christian symbols, such as the fish symbol I have on my left foot.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Perfectly dreadful and in most cases they are a substitute for personality and are a desperate attempt to draw attention as a confidence boost. (Not in Lukecash's case I'm sure).


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

ooh moody. always pleasant to read your posts. you seem like such a great guy! its safe to say that your not one of those elderly people who gets more and more sour by the years.

OT:

i like tats


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

it looks like you have a mental disorder and like to draw on yourself.

i like the ones where it used to say something but now they're so fat its a new word.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

I know a lot of people who have tattoos representing something that is personally meaningful to them and that they are not likely to "outgrow," such as life-changing experiences or people they loved who are dead (my dead friend's mom has a tattoo in honor of her son). Plenty of these people are middle-aged or older folks who do not regret their tattoos in the least. They do not see markings in memory of the dead as morbid and constant reminders of loss, but do see the act of getting them as a catharsis that helped them move on and the act of wearing their love on their bodies as a positive thing. Another friend's mom has a large and elaborate tattoo with fairies and flowers and stuff all representing the various members of her (living) family. I think it is a bit gaudy, but it makes her happy, represents something important to her, and was well thought-out, so more power to her. I think (and have observed) that tattoos people put a lot of consideration into can be good things for them. Besides, I am not interested in condemning what other people put on their bodies. It seems kind of childish to me, like fashion gossip.

I am considering getting a treble and bass clef tattooed above my ankle. They are simple and beautiful symbols, and represent my love of music, which is something I am unlikely to consider foolish when I am old.


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2012)

Yikes! I have four. This H.R. Giger-inspired treble clef is my favorite:









It's on the upper part of my left arm--curves a tiny bit onto my shoulder.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

Btw I'm not a fan of gangsta tattoos. But there are so many ideas you can come with. To dismiss all tattoos is a bit extreme imo.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

I think they often look really cool :3 But I'm too much of a wimp to ever get one XD same reason I avoid piercings.


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Yikes! I have four. This H.R. Giger-inspired treble clef is my favorite:
> 
> View attachment 9506
> 
> ...


Dude... somebody should ocmpose something with a graphic score using symbols that look like that mutated clef X3


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## BurningDesire (Jul 15, 2012)

Also, not very nice to say mean things and make all kinds of ignorant, shallow judgments about folks just for one thing that doesn't harm anybody else. Do you folks like it when people assume you're elitist or snobbish JUST because you like to listen to classical music? hmmmmm? Assuming things through stereotypes and prejudices is not very becoming.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

BurningDesire said:


> Also, not very nice to say mean things and make all kinds of ignorant, shallow judgments about folks just for one thing that doesn't harm anybody else. Do you folks like it when people assume you're elitist or snobbish JUST because you like to listen to classical music? hmmmmm? Assuming things through stereotypes and prejudices is not very becoming.


This thread only encourages me to get a tattoo. The elitist who judge others for having tattoos.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

BurningDesire said:


> Also, not very nice to say mean things and make all kinds of ignorant, shallow judgments about folks just for one thing that doesn't harm anybody else.* Do you folks like it when people assume you're elitist or snobbish JUST because you like to listen to classical music?* hmmmmm? Assuming things through stereotypes and prejudices is not very becoming.


 No, If the tattoos are high quality tattoos they can look good but most tattoos, well at least here aren't.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I like Maori moko. These are not frivolous decoration but stories in art, reflecting cultural values and whakapapa (genealogy).


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Ravndal said:


> ooh moody. always pleasant to read your posts. you seem like such a great guy! its safe to say that your not one of those elderly people who gets more and more sour by the years.
> 
> OT:
> 
> i like tats


You are quite perceptive,when I was young I was really frightening but I surprise myself at how mellow I've become!


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

neoshredder said:


> This thread only encourages me to get a tattoo. The elitist who judge others for having tattoos.


It may have escaped your notice but we were asked for our opinions,but I imagine a tattoo would suit you completely.


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

moody said:


> It may have escaped your notice but we were asked for our opinions,but I imagine a tattoo would suit you completely.


Why is that?


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Hey neo, I thought metal was about corrosion of conformity? Tatoos, body piercing, over-sized pants and baseball caps are for conformists.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

neoshredder said:


> Why is that?


I think you have read my feelings about this subject so why ask? Do you want me to say something that will get me into hot water?


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Moody, I think you are an ex-serviceman - am I wrong? If you are then I'm assuming that you must have been alongside men who had tattoos. What did you think about them then? I don't ask this in order to rattle your cage but wonder if your attitude has changed because tattoo culture is more widespread now and not just the domain of what used to be called the lower orders?


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## neoshredder (Nov 7, 2011)

moody said:


> I think you have read my feelings about this subject so why ask? Do you want me to say something that will get me into hot water?


So I'm guessing you have something rather bad to say about me.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

elgars ghost said:


> Moody, I think you are an ex-serviceman - am I wrong? If you are then I'm assuming that you must have been alongside men who had tattoos. What did you think about them then? I don't ask this in order to rattle your cage but wonder if your attitude has changed because tattoo culture is more widespread now and not just the domain of what used to be called the lower orders?


I got used to it in the army but never felt the slightest inclination to have a tattoo myself.
I know no one in my circle young or old who has one---to my knowledge.


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## presto (Jun 17, 2011)

I think about 10 years ago people were far more thoughtful about having a tattoo, and they were more of a specialist thing and often subtle. 
Now it’s just gone mad! Especially with younger people mainly because their friends are dong it and with very little thought beyond the current fad.
I’m seeing guys with sleeve tattoos that cover the whole arm, they look like some horrible skin disorder!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I met this one early music guy, who had medieval instruments tattoed all over his arms and some green dragon like thing on his face. He also rarely bathes, is extremely intelligent and mild mannered, with a variety of unusual skills, had converted to Islam but later reverted to Daoist teachings, is gay, and subsists on very little annual income. I'm not kidding. When you are that outside the norm already, it can work really well no matter how extensive, and is usually done with personal artistic inspiration.

I was acquainted with another guy who loves to party much too much, and woke up one morning to find a ridiculous tatoo of a heart on his shoulder. At first he was like, "naw...just naw..."(in his own words) and he still isn't crazy about it, but that is a really funny story, especially knowing him since it adds an earthy comic value to his already hilarious personality.

Personally, I don't want a tatoo. I don't have a need to do it for its own sake and no creative or meaningful ideas readily present themselves to me.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

It all started with the NBA.


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2012)

If you want to see some bad tats, look no further:

EDIT: Never mind--Norton just blocked a severe computer attack from one of the sites!


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## drpraetorus (Aug 9, 2012)

Don't like them. Even the best ones go bad with age. After a few years, that tramp stamp over the butt will be around the knees or ankles.


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## AClockworkOrange (May 24, 2012)

To me tattoos are deeply personal and should be considered as a reflection of life experiences - they should have a profound and deep meaning to you personally and should never be done as a fashion accessory, to fit in or any superficial reason. As far as I am concerned, a tattoo is for life.

I have considered getting a tattoo myself and may one day go through with it, It is something I have thought about for a long time and will continue to do so. Having gone through a significant number of bereavements including the thoroughly unpleasant view (twice) of what Cancer does to a person before taking them I have re-evaluated what is important to me and realise just how short life is. The best advice I was given regarding getting a tattoo was to wait 6-12 months from having the idea before getting the ink to really think on the tattoo and make sure it is truly something you want and not a fad or phase - that and to avoid highly visible tattoos (i.e. anything visible if wearing a t-shirt) if entering managerial/office-based work ofcourse. 

I don't judge people for their tattoos - speaking to people about them is truly fascinating and often have deep meaning to the individual. Our lives and bodies are our own and what may seem distasteful us may be the most logical thing in the world to another.

To each his or her own.


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## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

Manxfeeder said:


> Oh, rats, I'm past 21. There goes my bodybuilding career.


A good friend of mine started bodybuilding in his mid 30s and he has now won many prizes and awards at international competitions. He's in his early 40s now and still going strong.


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## Mickey (Oct 5, 2012)

They make me sad and they're bad for community health. They remind me of the Holocaust.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

AClockworkOrange said:


> ....I don't judge people for their tattoos - speaking to people about them is truly fascinating and often have deep meaning to the individual. Our lives and bodies are our own and what may seem distasteful us may be the most logical thing in the world to another.
> 
> To each his or her own.


You're right, to each his/her own, and I'll continue to profile.

I s'pose tramp stamps are okay in the confines of a hoochie-coochie parlor, but when something walks down the street or a basketball court with a whole lotta goin' on...they're gonna get pro-filed real goo'. 

Sincerely,
Tat Detective


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## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I don't judge anyone because they have a tattoo. That's a personal decision. I don't have any except the three tattoo dots the radiologist placed one me when I went through treatments for prostate cancer. They were necessary to ensure I was placed in the same location every day. Didn't want to be radiated in the wrong areas you know. Now as to the cultural fad I admit I have seen some very beautiful and tasteful tattoos but the majority I see people (mostly young people) wearing are just plain ugly. If I were to get a tattoo I would be sure to place it on an area of my body where it can be easily covered. There are some places and situations where tattoo exposure just is inappropriate in my opinion.

Kevin


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

The one kind of tattoos I find incredibly stupid, is hieroglyphs and inscriptions in strange exotic languages tattooed on people who know nothing about those languages and cultures they represent. I've heard about quite a lot of victims who instead of something cool like "mighty dragon" got "stupid foreigner" tattooed on them. If they absolutely need to wear their life motto on their skin, why not stick to your own language and your own culture or at least one you are familiar with?

Otherwise, as long as the tattoo is creative and not a standard rose/heart/tiger etc, picked out of a catalog of a tattoo salon, I have nothing against them.


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

I judge based on individual tatoos, not tatooing on the whole. I think some tatoos can be beautiful works of art. Others are trashy or ugly. Then there are those in between that I'm kind of neutral about.


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## Turangalîla (Jan 29, 2012)

I respect my mother's opinion when it comes to this issue:

"If you are going through a period in life where you _really_ need to change your appearance, great. Dye your hair. Adopt a new clothing style. Change your eyeglasses. I don't care. But *don't* get a tattoo. They are permanent. Most of them look terrible. And even if you think that it looks great now, it certainly won't forty years down the road. In addition, tattoos create an image about you-this is certainly a generalization, but tattoos are on the lower-class end of the spectrum. When you go to a prison, what do you find? The vast majority of the people have tattoos. This is not to say that a respectable person cannot have a tattoo, but be very aware of what you are saying about yourself-people's first impressions of you will normally be affected negatively, not positively, by a tattoo."


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2012)

CarterJohnsonPiano said:


> This is not to say that a respectable person cannot have a tattoo, but be very aware of what you are saying about yourself-people's first impressions of you will normally be affected negatively, not positively, by a tattoo."


I have four tattoos, yet I've been selected as a "Who's Who of America's Teachers" five times, so I guess she's right!


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## NightHawk (Nov 3, 2011)

I do not have one, never even thought of it, but I think they're an interesting aspect of culture in these 'strange days' - if I were 24 again, I would probably get something subtle, like page one of the score to _Ein Heldenleben_ inked onto my back. :trp:


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Following on from NightHawk if I were so inclined I'd get the DSCH motif with a pair of spectacles above it and '25.09.06 - 09.08.75' underneath.  Not too big, though.


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

If I were so inclined, I would probably get the Siegfried Leitmotif:









on my right arm, but since I am not, I am just considering getting a T-shirt with that phrase.


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## regressivetransphobe (May 16, 2011)

On guys? I don't care. On women? Helpful warning sign.

This incredibly sexist sentiment is brought to you by PBS


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

http://worst-tattoo-ever.tumblr.com/


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2012)

Ravndal said:


> http://worst-tattoo-ever.tumblr.com/


Some of those make me weep for mankind. I wonder what kind of job the idiot with "Racist" tattooed on his forehead expects to get?


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Kontrapunctus said:


> Some of those make me weep for mankind. I wonder what kind of job the idiot with "Racist" tattooed on his forehead expects to get?


Hah. What about this one


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2012)

^^It's pathetic but at least he can cover it up!


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Kontrapunctus said:


> ^^It's pathetic but at least he can cover it up!


Haha. Yeah but when he finally takes his medication, he is going to feel the anxiety!


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Ravndal said:


> http://worst-tattoo-ever.tumblr.com/


Ahahahaha, those are terrible.

The Miley Cyrus is very unbecoming on that guy.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

I honestly don't even notice them most of the time and don't really care either way. What someone wants to do to their own body is their business. (In a lot of cases, as has been mentioned, a bad tattoo can be a helpful warning sign to stay away from a person.) I don't think I'll ever get a tattoo, but I'm open to the idea--if I were to get one, it'd have to be an ouroboros. (Not a Fullmetal Alchemist one, though.)


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2012)

The artist who did my tattoos refuses to do any racist art, so if customers come in looking for a swastika or any hateful message, they came to the wrong place!


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## Rola (May 27, 2013)

I despise them. Same goes for piercings (before you ask about the standard (lobe) earrings: yes, I even once asked a woman if clip-ons would be better, but was told they're uncomfortable).

I don't understand why young women do that.
Don't they spend fortunes through their lives on cosmetics to keep their skin clear and fresh. Only to mar it with a tattoo?
Girl, would you like a birth mark like one Gorbachev has? No? Then why getting a tattoo? Some tattoos _do_ look like birthmarks from a distance.
Girl, would you like a wart on your cheek? No? Then why getting a piercing stud on your face? Stud piercings _do_ look like warts from a distance.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I'd like to get one someday; preferably something in Latin or Ancient Greek (and I know those languages, so no one's going to put "mentula stulta" on me and get away it). That said, I'd probably put it somewhere where it could easily be hidden; it would be personal and not something I'd just show off to anybody.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I don't like tattoos. I prefer to see skin, and after a few years they seem to lose their freshness.
I'm not sold on piercings, except for ears. Yes, Rola, I tried clip-ons for ten years and they do get very sore. Plus, I more often lost them, and if they're gold or gemstones, I wouldn't want to.
Piercings in the nose or lips or tongue seem to me to 'get in the way' too much, apart from the fact that I don't like the look of them. 
Piercings anywhere else? I'd rather not go there...


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Been wanting a tattoo for 8 years. But I have never found the perfect one, and I don't think I ever will.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

I don't like them. My brother in law has a huge black dragon tattooed onto his back which, needless to say, he can't even see. It's a horrible thing, but maybe he thinks it makes him look dangerous. Actually, he said it protects him from evil, in some esoteric voodoo way.

I nodded and said, _um-kayyyyy..._


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## Mesa (Mar 2, 2012)

My sister had a few small and pointless tattoos at about the same time i was considering getting one. Now she's stuck with an incorrect stave with what looks like a line of Schoenberg on the wrist and some stars on the leg.

And i am not.

I thought at one point it might be pretty amusing to put 'Lol, homo' near the top of my back. Failing that, a particularly challenging unfinished crossword.


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

Ugh tattoos. Why ruin your skin?


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

I have plenty of tattoos and never consider myself any less of an intelligent person due to getting them. So much vitriol in some of these posts I must say. I've also never been inked due to a spur of the moment decision,always designing them from special things in my life. Sure, the popular "fad" nonsense plays a role and always will with body art or clothing,the two visible means of showing others your individuality. As for that idiotic line of "when he is 90 what will they look like" line, well I will not care at that age. Making it TO that age is all I'm concerned about!! As for now, at 46 , I NEVER receive negative comments about my full sleeved artwork. Those who don't like them,well I've never really cared what someone else thinks about me for the most part and sleep well at night all the same. If people are going to judge me on ink,race,nationality,sexual orientation and where I work because they don't agree with it,well I simply don't need them as friends and will find others.


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## BlazeGlory (Jan 16, 2013)

I see no need for more tattoos. In my opinion, the one on Fantasy Island was more than enough.


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Clash with my dress


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Clash with my dress


Never clash with my kilt!!!!


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## JohannesBrahms (Apr 22, 2013)

I don't understand the point of tattoos. Why on God's green earth would you want to go through a ton of pain just to get a picture imbedded in your skin, when chances are you're going to regret it in about twenty years?

I don't get the point of earrings, either. I don't really think women look better with them. In fact, I think women are prettier without them.


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

JohannesBrahms said:


> I don't understand the point of tattoos. Why on God's green earth would you want to go through a ton of pain just to get a picture imbedded in your skin, when chances are you're going to regret it in about twenty years?
> 
> I don't get the point of earrings, either. I don't really think women look better with them. In fact, I think women are prettier without them.


One could ask the same question about clothes. Why wear them,especially in the tropics? As for tattoos, are we going to regret them? I never have. All boils down to choice. We all have regrets in life. Some are permanent on the skin and others in our psyche and emotional state.


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## BlazeGlory (Jan 16, 2013)

I don't know the reason
I stayed here all season;
Nothin to show but this brand new tattoo.
But it's a real beauty,
A mexican cutie.
How it got here I haven't a clue.


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

BlazeGlory said:


> I don't know the reason
> I stayed here all season;
> Nothin to show but this brand new tattoo.
> But it's a real beauty,
> ...


LOL. If that is how some get tattoos, and I KNOW many do, they deserve it!


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

JohannesBrahms said:


> I don't get the point of earrings, either. I don't really think women look better with them. In fact, I think women are prettier without them.


It's a girl thing! 
Maybe you just know lots of pretty women who don't need their charms enhanced.
But earrings can help on a 'bad hair' day, they give me confidence, and they give me something to fritter my money on when browsing patchouli-scented, joss-stick-lined, tie-dyed boho stores in Glastonbury & Frome...


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## JohannesBrahms (Apr 22, 2013)

handlebar said:


> One could ask the same question about clothes. Why wear them,especially in the tropics? As for tattoos, are we going to regret them? I never have. All boils down to choice. We all have regrets in life. Some are permanent on the skin and others in our psyche and emotional state.


Would you prefer to walk around naked all the time? I'm betting most people would say no. Also, you'll notice I said chances are you'll regret it, not that you will for certain regret it. Wait until you're in your eighties, and then see. You may or may not regret it, I don't know. All I'm saying is that by then, your tattoos won't look nearly as "good" as they do now.


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

Earrings were worn by men at the dawn of time too. I wear a small bronze ring in my left ear and like the look, especially with the kilt. Women look great in earrings too so to each his and her own. Same goes with tattoos and manner of dress. 

As for confidence,that can apply to any accessory or way of spicing things up to separate us from all looking the same.
Diversity is delightful!!! We always hear and read that word...diversity, yet some who preach that and tolerance are the first to cast stones and judge. I say live and let live and love everyone!!!


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## handlebar (Mar 19, 2009)

JohannesBrahms said:


> Would you prefer to walk around naked all the time? I'm betting most people would say no. Also, you'll notice I said chances are you'll regret it, not that you will for certain regret it. Wait until you're in your eighties, and then see. You may or may not regret it, I don't know. All I'm saying is that by then, your tattoos won't look nearly as "good" as they do now.


 If I'm in my eighties and don't like them, well I won't have to deal with it for much longer The other folks at the retirement community won't shun me for them.
As for clothes, it does not bother me a bit to walk w/o them at home. Only society demands them in public (weather being excepted of course). Funny how we are in the West.
Oh and the ink these days is NOT the same as of 10,20 or 50 years ago. MUCH better now with very little if any issues those of the past had. Stereotypes abound in this regard unfortunately.


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## JohannesBrahms (Apr 22, 2013)

Ingenue said:


> It's a girl thing!
> Maybe you just know lots of pretty women who don't need their charms enhanced.
> But earrings can help on a 'bad hair' day, they give me confidence, and they give me something to fritter my money on when browsing patchouli-scented, joss-stick-lined, tie-dyed boho stores in Glastonbury & Frome...


I guess it may just be a girl thing. However, I have seen a picture of you, and I think you would look nicer without them. Just my opinion, though. If I've insulted you somehow, I apologize. I'm not too good when it comes to things like that, so no offense was meant. 

As for frittering your money, don't get me started on that. I'm a Jack Benny kind of cheapskate.


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

Meaghan said:


> I know a lot of people who have tattoos representing something that is personally meaningful to them and that they are not likely to "outgrow," such as life-changing experiences or people they loved who are dead (my dead friend's mom has a tattoo in honor of her son). Plenty of these people are middle-aged or older folks who do not regret their tattoos in the least. They do not see markings in memory of the dead as morbid and constant reminders of loss, but do see the act of getting them as a catharsis that helped them move on and the act of wearing their love on their bodies as a positive thing. Another friend's mom has a large and elaborate tattoo with fairies and flowers and stuff all representing the various members of her (living) family. I think it is a bit gaudy, but it makes her happy, represents something important to her, and was well thought-out, so more power to her. I think (and have observed) that tattoos people put a lot of consideration into can be good things for them. Besides, I am not interested in condemning what other people put on their bodies. It seems kind of childish to me, like fashion gossip.
> 
> I am considering getting a treble and bass clef tattooed above my ankle. They are simple and beautiful symbols, and represent my love of music, which is something I am unlikely to consider foolish when I am old.


I got this tattoo yesterday.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

AS for me i do not like them that much.


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

JohannesBrahms said:


> Would you prefer to walk around naked all the time? I'm betting most people would say no.


There is nothing inherently wrong with being naked, in fact I think groups of friends can benefit in many ways from spending time together in the nude. The issue is that most people are incapable now of separating nudity from sex because we live in a society which covers everything up, most of the time you only see another person naked in a sexual context, whether in person or through the media. For many of us one of the first things we see is the female nipple, but as soon as we're weaned off milk all of a sudden breasts must be hidden away for no adequately explained reason. Something like 13 years later we are suddenly reintroduced to breasts at a very confusing time in our lives and we're thinking "just where did they go for all that time?" Once the initial shock of realising that there isn't anything morally reprehensible about it is gone, it seems to me that widespread nudity in society would actually work over time to reduce social awkwardness, incidents of sexual assault and rape, the prevalence of pornography and so on.

On topic: I think tattoos look silly, I would never get one.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Crudblud said:


> it seems to me that widespread nudity in society would actually work over time to reduce social awkwardness, incidents of sexual assault and rape, the prevalence of pornography and so on.


I have a feeling you're right. The more taboos you put on something the more problems arise (see: drugs).


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## BlazeGlory (Jan 16, 2013)

Crudblud said:


> There is nothing inherently wrong with being naked, in fact I think groups of friends can benefit in many ways from spending time together in the nude.


It would certainly make it very uncomfortable if not painful to carry a concealed weapon. However, I prefer using pockets to carrying a purse.


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