Do you think tattoos are attractive??

[kentuck]

When you see a beautiful lady with a tattoo on her arm or calf, do you think it makes her more beautiful?

Personally, I do not, but different strokes for different folks, I guess?

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. No

[BlueCaliDem]

219. As they say, "You don't put bumperstickers on a Ferrari". eom

[ileus]

273. We have a doc that went to NY for some Ferrari ride/gathering

His Ferrari come back with 3 big stickers (or magnets) one on each door and one on the front "hood".

He's a goofy old 73 year old turd anyway...

[BlueCaliDem]

323. LOL! I guess he didn't get the memo. ;-)

Yes, there are bound to be exceptions.

[Xyzse]

318. I am Sooooo going to use that phrasing next time.

Thank you.

[BlueCaliDem]

325. You're welcome, Xyzse.

[cui bono]

428. But sometimes you do get a nice custom trim or paint job.

[Rectangle]

271. 'They don't age well. 'Ever see those old guys with the Navy tatoos?? n/t

[1-Old-Man]

397. I have a tattoo on my forearm, been there since 1965, best investment I ever made

It cost me $5 and it is in just as good shape today as it was the day I got it. What else do you know of that is 58 years old, cost five bucks, and works as well and looks as good today as it did when new?

[flvegan]

2. I think that a woman doing what she wants with her body is a beautiful thing.

I like tats, not all tats. But whatever tats she may have are of her choosing, and that's sexy to me.

[dhill926]

68. what you said.......

[Champion Jack]

294. Agreed

[Dawson Leery]

3. Certainly not.

[JI7]

4. how about guys ?

[Thinkingabout]

5. I don't like them on men or women, as the years go by and the skin sags and wrinkles

What may have been art one time can start to take a different shape, just sayin'.

[MattBaggins]

165. That tired old argument

Look your skin is going to sag anyways and it won't make one damn bit of difference to have tatoos

[Thinkingabout]

189. I think you missed the point, yes the skin ages if you live long enough but when the

tattoo gets wrinkles and sags in the tattoo it doesn't look very good.

[MattBaggins]

190. Point?

[Thinkingabout]

199. I give up, can't explain any simpler

[Tigress DEM]

254. Get a hound dog when you're a youngun and a sharpei when you're older 2 tats for the price of 1!

just lol

[Agnosticsherbet]

6. If a woman feels a tattoo makes her more attractive, she should do it.

My opinion is irrelevant.

[Zambero]

7. Personally, I find them ugly and often defacing

However, to each his/her own.

[thecrow]

88. Amen

[Auntie Bush]

124. +100

[MissDeeds]

310. I agree

I don't like them at all, but realize everyone has the right to do whatever they want. That said, I can't help but wonder how these ladies will feel once the fad passes and they are left with tattoos.

[Jenoch]

404. I would consider the current rate of tattoos as a fad.

When I was 18 - 25 I think I knew one guy with a tattoo and he had recently been discharged from the navy.

[Jenoch]

415. Yeah, I'm not gonna do that.

Plus, I tend to agree with you. But, I think there is still a fad situation with the current rate of young people getting tattooed. Of course tattoos with always be done, but I believe the rate will slow considerably someday.

[joeglow3]

432. Did some research and looks like frequency has gone up quite a bit

Is it a fad or an indicator of where we are going for good? I don't know, but it is clear the numbers have shot up.

[Jenoch]

436. How old are you?

I have thought about getting a tattoo, but have not followed through.

You seem to be taking offense at the posts I have written here. I remember when tattoos were less common than they are today. I think the rate of people getting tattoos will eventually decline. Maybe it's the word 'fad' that bothers you. I think by definition, if the rate of people getting tattoos recedes to previous levels, I suppose that could be defined as a fad, although I don't know what that period of time is. If it's too long, I also suppose 'fad' would not be the correct terminology.

[bunnies]

390. Thank you for your concern.

And Im sure this "fad" that has lasted for thousands and thousands of years will pass rather quickly.

[Bosonic]

8. Tattoos are like Graffiti

Very occasionally they can be aesthetically pleasing, but most often they are a mess.

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. One or two? It depends, but generally no........

When it gets up to looking a billboard gone haywire, count me out.

[TheCowsCameHome]

15. Try having one removed.

The hurt will make you wish you never had one in the first place.

[exlrrp]

306. true that

I had my two tattoos lasered off. A PAratrooper tattoo and a naked woman. Took 4 sessions and each session was worse than the original tattoos. I turned down the topical anesthetic because I didn't want to sit there for hours while it took effect.
When I got them, nobody but , sailors, paratroopers and bikers had tattoos but nowadays when all these grannies, teenagers and CPAs are sporting them, its not a badass statement any more. Nowadays you see full coverage tattoos that you only used to see in circus sideshows
I don't like tattoos but hey its your body

[Go Vols]

407. +1

[ananda]

10. Tats are a way of life here.

I'm used to them now, and some are works of art
or just plain interesting.

[snooper2]

11. You are SOOOOOOOOOOO out of turn with this OP

GD isn't due for a tattoo thread until the first week of November...

You really should lose your OP privileges for a month

[kentuck]

16. I thought I would distract the folks for a minute...

[Enrique]

40. where's the schedule?

i want to know when i can post a thread about shaving body hair.

[snooper2]

64. It's stuck in my head- but you are clear starting Friday!

[opiate69]

74. Here.. But it looks like personal grooming is an open entry..

[Rhythm]

205. You forgot 'cornflake chicken'

Just sayin'...

[chill_wind]

221. LOL!

[Ilsa]

285. Has the 2013 calendar been

updated for allegiance threads for married Democratic politicians using social media to get their rocks off?

Wonderful calendar!

[LizW]

341. LOL

Olive Garden? I must have missed that wank.

But, shhhh, never mind. I'll use the Google.

[PassingFair]

349. Can we switch out one of the PETA months for "Pitbulls"? nt

[HappyMe]

351. Fine with me.

I have 'pitbulls' in my key word trashcan.

[treestar]

493. lol

[REP]

12. I've seen some really beautiful tattoos

They're not for me - I can't commit to one design forever - but beyond that and occasionally noticing an exceptionally well-done one, don't really give it much thought.

[Llewlladdwr]

13. I do not find tattoos attractive at all, on anyone.

Very offputting as far as I'm concerned.

[kestrel91316]

118. I don't mind a couple on an otherwise handsome, physically fit man.

But an old dude, balding and fat and white hair? Ewwwwww.

[Mojo Electro]

14. Depends on size and location.

I don't get neck and face tats, or completely going all out and getting covered.

What matters most is if the people who have them are happy with them.

As far as personal taste, though, I don't much care for them.

Most girls I have dated have had one or two small ones. I liked those.

[NuclearDem]

17. Tattoos are secondary to everything else.

There are people I can't stand that have tattoos, and some without. There are also some people with tattoos I love, others I don't.

Typically, the women I know that have tattoos do so because they believe in taking control of their own bodies, and that's awesome.

[Nevernose]

24. I hate tattoos

Yet I married a woman with several, and clearly she's the most beautiful woman in the world.

I get where you're coming from.

[Decaffeinated]

18. A good tattoo... sure...

A bad tattoo or something on the face, head, neck or hands just screams "I have poor decision making skills..."

[meti57b]

19. I think people get tattoos because the message or picture is meaningful to them......

not because they think the tattoo is beautiful.

[immoderate]

20. I've never seen the appearance of anyone enhanced by a tattoo.

I guess there are some that are not too bad, but none of them make a person more attractive.

--imm

[bluestate10]

21. Tattoos are ugly to me. I don't like to see them on women or men. nt

[northoftheborder]

72. I also think they are ugly, on men or women.

[deutsey]

22. Not a big fan of tattoos myself, but I don't get all riled up over them, either. n/t

[Wounded Bear]

79. This ^

I have none, and at my age it would be a bit pointless, I think.

But to each their own. It's just another aspect of a person's appearance.

[RebelOne]

23. Absolutely not.

My ex-husband had my name tattooed on his arm. I told him that he will regret it some day. We were divorced and his next two wives had to live with that tattoo.

[exlrrp]

312. Darn right

I went to get my girlfriend's name tattooed on my arm and the tattoo guy said: "Whats the matter, can't you remember her name?" I thought about it and didn't get it. he did me a HUGE favor, I haven't seen her since 1968

[jmowreader]

512. Neither of his next two wives were all that brilliant, apparently...

The quickest way to deal with a tattoo you can't stand anymore, is to get one you CAN stand put right on top of it. Tattoo artists do it all the time.

[uppityperson]

25. It depends on the tattoo and even more on the person wearing it.

Yes, they fade and smudge over time and yes, skin sags. But unless you know the reason for the tattoo, the meaning, and know the person, I'd say do not judge

[Silent3]

231. A visceral reaction is a visceral reaction.

What does "do not judge" have to do with it?

Nearly all tattoos look ugly to me. Knowing the reasons, meanings, and people with the tattoos doesn't change how those tattoos strikes my eye, doesn't change my sense of aesthetics.

[uppityperson]

247. I assume most of us here are capable of learning and overcoming many of those "visceral" reactions

Especially when talking about aesthetics, as you say. Your guts clench when you view a tattoo? And you are unable to overcome this and view any as beautiful? What about other art?

As far as judging, there are plenty of replies on this thread judging others for having a tattoo.

[Silent3]

299. "Visceral" does not mean "guts clench" - Look it up

The moment you talk about "overcoming", you accept that there's something to overcome. If many people didn't think that tattoos were generally ugly in the first place, there would be nothing to overcome.

I can certainly accept that other people have the right to tattoo themselves without having some duty to transform my own aesthetic reaction. Do you believe we have a duty to play head games with ourselves, that we somehow aren't as loving and accepting as we should be until we not only accept the other person's right to have a tattoo, but also tell ourselves the tattoo is beautiful?

[uppityperson]

454. Yes, prejudices can be "overcome". "Visceral" is " of and pertaining to the viscera, guts, organs"

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/visceral
So, feeling your guts clench is valid for visceral.

[Luminous Animal]

26. Some are. Some aren't.

I saw some remarkable beautiful tattoos at the Hardly Strictly Blue Grass Featival this past weekend.

I also saw some remarkable ugly ones.

[meadowlark5]

27. I don't like tatoos on men or women.

My personal opinion and I don't have any.

I keep hoping the tat fad will die out before my boys turn 18.

[Common Sense Party]

120. I'm still waiting for the goatee fad to die an ignominious death.

I can't believe it is still in vogue.

[meadowlark5]

122. Don't worry

It's being replaced by the Duck Dynasty hillbilly beard.

I've been seeing quite of few of those crumb traps lately

[Common Sense Party]

127. Yikes. I can't see that one becoming VERY widespread, but you never know.

But the goatee should have gone the way of the mullet by now.

[cui bono]

151. Except that goatees are sexy and mullets never were.

[Common Sense Party]

154. Millions of U2 fans in 1984 would have begged to differ with you.

[liberal_at_heart]

342. I loved mullets. My husband and I met in the '90's and he had one. Very sexy in my opinion.

To each their own.

[fitman]

378. I know plenty of women who think mullets look good on the right guy

I had one back in the late 80's and my wife, gf at the time liked it..

My best friend wore one until several years ago and he would get true compliments from women all the time..of course he was rocking a 9/10 face and body and really looked good with it..

[Egalitarian Thug]

354. It's actually a VanDyke fad and as a man that has worn one for 30+ years, I agree.

[WCLinolVir]

369. The schnauzer-ugh.

[KentuckyWoman]

28. No. They don't offend me either.

My brain is incapable of wrapping around why anyone would want a tattoo but I don't see how that's any different than me coloring my greys away, wearing lipstick or using an undergarment to lift assorted saggy parts.

Body modification is body modification. Some are just more permanent than others.

[coldmountain]

29. Almost never

[dhol82]

30. frankly

i think tats are the fad of the day.

used to be piercings. now it's tats.

extremely prevalent among the cooking community. many chefs and wait staff have very extensive tats. probably part of a communal gestalt.

just can't the picture out of my mind, that has been making the e-mail rounds, of the 60ish ex-hippie who is making a statement by marching proud as a naked statement of her beliefs. the tats she got as a 20 year old flower child look kind of pathetic.

[Mojorabbit]

197. I hang out with a bunch of drummers and belly dancers

and I am probably the only one without a tat. I like them. Creative expression is all good with me.

[seveneyes]

31. They are no longer unique

If one wants to stand out and be different, they have no tats. Seems like most all youth have ink now.

[hamsterjill]

32. No.

I wouldn't want something that permanent on my body. I might get sick of it.

My body...my choice. Another's body...their choice. But I feel that there will always be, to a certain extent, a stigma against people with tattoos as far as hiring, etc.

[bmbmd]

33. Yes I do

And I'm pretty old.

[opiate69]

34. Absolutely!

[Llewlladdwr]

37. I think she'd look much better without the ink myself. nt

[opiate69]

45. I disagree, but that's ok.. To each, his (or her) own.

[Llewlladdwr]

50. I agree with that! nt

[left on green only]

78. Actually.......

.....All she needs to do to get my attention is move that heel a few more inches to her left.

[TeeYiYi]

162. Holy shit...

...she's beautiful.

TYY

[opiate69]

169. She's an up & coming model and tattoo artist. Lepa Dinis.

Her art is gorgeous as well...
http://www.google.com/search?site=&source=hp&ei=rIZTUqKqF6yNigKcw4GwCA&q=lepa+dinis&oq=Lepa+&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.1.0.41j0l4.4991.7141.0.8289.7.5.0.2.2.0.120.555.0j5.5.0....0...1c.1.27.mobile-gws-hp..0.7.675.mXsztHxJAnw

[liberal_at_heart]

350. That's incredible. Great work. I love how the blues and reds play off of each other.

[cynatnite]

35. Don't you think it depends on why someone has a tattoo in the first place?

I have a butterfly on my shoulder. I wanted something pretty and I knew I would never regret it. I'm also getting one in memory of my Dad. I'm also thinking of something with my grandkids, too. These will be something meaningful to me.

I think if someone gets something that means something to them, it makes it a beautiful thing.

[uppityperson]

46. +++

[Llewlladdwr]

47. Not particularly, no.

While I certainly accept that a person has a right to have thenselves tattooed I also feel I have the right to find tattoos unattractive. The reason behind it doesn't really matter to me.

[cynatnite]

56. I wasn't talking about your rights in regards to liking or not liking tattoos. n/t

[polly7]

73. I agree.

I have three in memory of special people and think they're beautiful. How they make me look to others was something I never considered at all.

[pipoman]

472. I think the bottom line is

I have tattoos for me, not anyone else...except maybe my son..I don't care if others like them or not..

My son wanted a tattoo when he was 15. I refused, we argued about it until he turned 18. He wanted to get one when he was 18, I didn't try to stop him, just appealed to his logic since he was entering the Marine Corps the next month, so he didn't get one. After basics he came home and said he was ready to get a tattoo. I found the best shop in Kansas City and I took him in for his first tat...I got my first too..Last December after he got out of the Marines he came home and we both went back to the same artist and got memorial tattoos for my mother..the artist put some of my mother's ashes into the ink..mine is a portrait of my mother and my son hugging at his basic training graduation taken 6 months before my mothers death..

[PasadenaTrudy]

36. No!

I'm so sick of tattoos....damn hipsters.

[rdking647]

307. i have 5

and im far from a hipster thank god

[PasadenaTrudy]

328. I was being silly

I'd had a bad hipster experience that morning Can't go to any coffee house around here that's not run by annoying 20-something hipster guys...with tats

[longship]

38. Nope. Not at all. They're unattractive to me.

Many people who get them are young and do not realize that this is a lifelong choice and ones tastes may change.

And some people take it to a ridiculous and IMHO ugly extreme.

Tattoos are a fad which I have no use for.

But if people want to get them, have at it. But I won't pretend that I find them attractive, because I do not.

Don't get me started about piercings. I was at a rather nice restaurant and the waiter had a stud through her tongue which she flaunted -- willingly or unwillingly. It repulsed me and I asked for a different waiter. I could not eat without imagining having something thrust through my tongue. I did not enjoy the meal. I told the management that when I paid the bill.

[DireStrike]

39. If you look like a map, I won't ask you for directions.

Unlike other style choices, you can't take tattoos off. You are ALWAYS going to look like that. It's boring.

One or two is fine.

[cherokeeprogressive]

41. "more beautiful"? Nnnnnnnope. n/t

[SidDithers]

42. Depends on what's underneath them...nt

Sid

[procon]

43. I can certainly appreciate the artistry.

While it's not for me, I can still admire the skill and creativity of those who work in such an unusual medium. The concept of beauty is so very subjective, and like anything we women use to adorn ourselves with, the results can be somewhat startling... as intended. So, as they say, to each their own.

[Silent3]

235. Artistry is seldom present

While some good art may appear from time to time in this medium, most of what the average tattoo recipient gets is trite, formulaic crap -- body kitsch, pink flamingos and Velvet Elvises for the skin.

[Link Speed]

44. Gotta love those rugged individualists

with tats on their fat calves.

But I know some women with some beautiful illustrations. However, most of them don't flash them.

They don't need to.

I won't hire anyone with sleeves, neck tats, calves or knuckle tats.

Or those big things in their earlobes.

[Electric Monk]

48. They can be, if well thought out and nicely executed.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/insanely-gorgeous-nature-tattoos

[left on green only]

91. Speaking of nicely executed: Has anyone seen the 1981 movie "Tattoo" with Bruce Dern...

...playing the role of Karl Kinsky: "Don't you know that I have committed my life to you? That this is a protective shield? It's my mark, Maddy, it's all I have to offer you. Now I'm not sure anymore whether you're worthy of it. I don't even think that I've made the right choice."

That movie gave whole new meaning to the words New Jersey for me.

[exlrrp]

319. I think thats fine art

but why would you put it on where you couldn't see it?

[otohara]

49. One Little Tiny Tattoo

is okay by me.

When the glut of over-tattooed people get old, it's not going to be pretty.

[radiclib]

51. No, no and no.

But I suspect that the "nos" on this thread are from folks over 50, like me.
Different strokes, though. I just can't imagine opting for the permanent defacement of something you might grow out of, or change your mind about later on. Our fathers and uncles in the Navy did it when they were drunk on shore leave, and many regretted it later.

[PeteSelman]

52. No. I really don't like tats on women.

I don't like tattoos in general, particularly those big ugly sleeves but I find them particularly abhorrent on women. I'm not saying it makes you a bad person or anything, just that I don't find them attractive.

[oldhippie]

53. No.

Sorry, but it is a total turn off.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

54. keep seeing hipster girls with full sleeves a lot recently

they fail to realize when styles change, they can't just pitch them.
It's going to be like having a tramp stamp or permanent acid wash jeans in a few years.

[CountAllVotes]

228. Those "tramp stamps" are a thing of the past

Boy those did not last long (luckily ...). Talk about ugly, who the hell wants to look at some fat idiot's crudely "decorated" butt crack!

[840high]

55. No.

[Rhythm]

207. Vince Myers is an amazing artist...

He did some extensive work for a friend years ago (gorgeous half-sleeve), and was astonishing ~then~

Thrilled to see him using his mad skills to help women feel more 'whole' as well...

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

58. This thread demands music

[Boudica the Lyoness]

59. I think it's disfiguring

Tattoos can be dangerous if you develop an allergy to the ink. Some people with sarcoidosis are really suffering immense pain because of their old tattoos.

[libodem]

60. Nope

They seem like lowlife decorations. It has always seemed like a low class thing to do to yourself. Must be my generation. Just how I feel about it.

No offence to anyone who likes them or has them.

[liberal N proud]

61. Get a pony tat at 20 and have a giraffe at 60

I personally don't find them attractive, but what one does with their own body, is their business.

I did see a strategically placed star once that intrigued me the girl went by the name star.

[Arugula Latte]

417. Just where is this pony tattoo?

[opiate69]

62. I'm remimded of a meme I read...

"The difference between people with tattoos and people without is, people with tattoos don't care if you're not tattooed."

[Tree-Hugger]

106. +1

[opiate69]

116. I believe I read that on the wall when my wife was getting her last tat..

[Tree-Hugger]

128. It's a good one!

[Rhythm]

208. Indeed.

[bunnies]

340. And we also dont go around spouting off about how ugly people without them are.

As a woman with tattoos, Im absolutely blown away by what Ive read in this thread so far. You seem to be one of the very few who wouldnt be revolted at the sight of my back piece.

[opiate69]

479. I fully admit I love ink, and could probably spend hours admiring your backpiece.

[liberal_at_heart]

346. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Exactly right.

[BainsBane]

507. Plenty of people without tattoos don't care either

I might have one myself if I weren't such a wimp, or if I weren't afraid they'd do a terrible job with it.

[opiate69]

509. No doubt that's true..

But the ones that do care, seem to revel in making their - hmmm - distaste well known..

(what would you get, if you were get one?)

[BainsBane]

510. I don't know

Something pretty. A dragonfly maybe? Flowers? A cool geometric or scroll-like design? Definitely not the name of a lover or a politician.

My biggest fear is I would get in there and I'd flinch as soon as they start and wouldn't be able to finish. Then there is the question of where to put it and how I'd feel sitting there half naked.

[opiate69]

511. hh.. See, given your education (Latin American history, right?)

I would have guessed maybe some kind of ancient native art..

My wife's sister, though, is big into the dragonfly thing.. I've seen some nice designs in that motif too.

[BainsBane]

513. The bird-man of Teotihuacan?

No. I don't do Mexico anyway. (I thought this PhD of mine was supposed to be a fiction?) I Googled and saw some nice ones on the feet. Do they hurt more on bonier areas of the body?

Check this out. The person turned their entire body into a William Morris print.

[opiate69]

515. It was the best image that popped up on google.. anyway,

Yes, they definitely hurt more on bonier areas...y old singer had one right behind and a little above his ear.. he said it was the most excruciating thing he ever experienced (including multiple surgeries to implant and then "fix" his dialysis fistulas).. but if it's small enough to fit on your foot, it should be quick enough.. the purple in that tattoo is just beautiful.. great source piece to work with helps, of course. (the Morris piece, I mean)

[mimmylemoo]

534. Sorry no, that's not a tattoo

I'm the artist who did this piece ('Wearing William'). It's actually a body cast I made and then hand painted. I do a lot of them - funnily enough some people come and have me do pieces when they are considering tattoos but want to be sure it will suit them. But this particular one is just one of a collection of body casts my partner and I made painted with patterns inspired by Morris prints and Victorian wallpaper. You can see the rest here if you're interested:-

http://www.mastersandmunn.co.uk/Morris_Coll_G.html

But I'm flattered you thought it was a real bottom with a real tattoo. )

[uppityperson]

536. That is very neat, thanks for sharing with us.

Wonderful art too.

[BainsBane]

537. Your work is amazing!

I thought it was a tattoo because it came up on an image search for William Morris tattoos.
I'm very glad to know about your work. Thanks for sharing the link.

[gopiscrap]

538. welcome to DU

[CBHagman]

63. It depends on the tattoo.

Some tattoos look just like magic marker. Some are works of art.

But it's hard to see one and not wonder if the bearer will live to regret it...

[mindem]

65. No

[ProdigalJunkMail]

66. never seen a tattoo that added anything to anyone

not that they all detract, but people are beautiful how they are. body art/modification does not enhance that... i have seen body art that was ruinous to appearance, though.

sP

[Art_from_Ark]

117. A visit to epicfail.com

will confirm that tattoos can, indeed, be ruinous to one's appearance.

[dembotoz]

67. seems to much like self mutilation

that and i really hate needles

[madamesilverspurs]

69. To each his own, I say.

There is some absolutely gorgeous art running around. However, some observations:

The friend who had a gorgeous unicorn tat right above her left breast. Two kids later, she says she now sports a really weird looking giraffe; we take her at her word, she doesn't let anyone see it any more.

The fella who was in a couple of my classes when I went back to school. Like me at the time, he was pushing 50. Unlike me, he decided to try to fit in. Grecian formula turned his hair orange (totally did not match his armpit hair, all too visible given the tank tops he wore). He got himself one of those bicep tats. Trust me, barbed wire on flab does not have the same effect as barbed wire on muscle.

A co-worker who had a gorgeous garden that covered her entire back; all the guys had to leave the room while she showed it to us. She'd occasionally ask us if it was fading. Had to wonder why she'd go to all that expense and hurt for something she could only see in a mirror. Ah, well.

Lastly, the guy who growled that "nobody is hiring anyway" as he handed me his application. Maybe nobody was hiring HIM because of the giant FUCK YOU! he had emblazoned in black ink across the front of his neck. Eeek.

[xfundy]

70. I *think* I read recently that today's kids don't want them.

Because they became such a fad among less-young kids.

I find the art amazing, and wish it were captured on a more enduring canvas.

But, it's not my business to tell anyone else what to do with their body.

[QC]

71. I like all of mine.

Those who don't care for them are free not to look.

[Retrograde]

75. Most of them, no

I've seen some understated geometric patterns that looked nice on the people who had them, but most of them IMHO are not attractive. Now, if you were to ask me directly whether your own tattoo was attractive, I'd tap dance and comment on the workmanship, or ask why you chose that particular design, but unless you ask I won't venture a comment.

[Logical]

76. No, unattractive and tacky. And unless easily covered our company will not hire people with them. nt

[Gravitycollapse]

95. Explain to me exactly what is so terrible about a tattoo that makes it unattractive and tacky.

[Logical]

97. To each their own, some people are turned on by smoking, some are...

Disgusted. Same difference!

[Gravitycollapse]

100. What a strange false equivalency. Progressives don't reject new hires for having tattoos.

Take that to its logical conclusion (no pun intended).

[Llewlladdwr]

108. This progressive does.

Whether you like it or not, having a tattoo says something about you as a person. It says that you flout convention, are a free spirit and an individualist, and pride yourself on marching to your own drummer.

None of those are qualities I particularly need in an employee. What I do need is someone who can follow detailed instructions, work well in a team and abide by company rules and policies. A visible tattoo is a good indication that you may not have those qualities.

[uppityperson]

138. Mine says I miss my mother, love my child, am connected to all. My work ethic is better

than your last 2 sentences. I doubt I would like working in a company that judged me like you seem to. Yay for walmart and "at least you have a minimum wage job", eh?

[Llewlladdwr]

150. Sorry, but I can't judge your work ethic based on one interview and a resume.

I generally interview ten to fifteen people when we have an open position. Most of them won't have visible tats. Why take a chance when you don't have to?

[uppityperson]

184. Since you didn't get an interview resume from me, you can't judge me. Except to decide how much

you believe what I write. Also since I do not know what your business is, all I have to judge you by is what you write here. Which I have done. I would not want to work in such a company that prejudges as you have written.

And I notice you now say "visible tats" whereas you have mostly ranted about mutilation/etc of any tattoo. Interesting.

[Llewlladdwr]

191. I can certainly understand that you might not want to work for me.

I have absolutely no problem with that. I need a particular set of skills and attitudes and I don't feel people with tats are going to fit my requirements. If it makes you feel better I said visible tats because honestly I would have know way of knowing if you had a tattoo on your ass as a result of a normal job interview. If you were to tell me about such a tattoo then of course I would take that information into account when making a hiring decision (and you would not believe the information people volunteer during an interview, even when you tell them to please *not* tell you about a particular thing).

Bottom line, actions have consequences. You are certainly free to get tattooed to your heart's content. I am free not to hire you because of it.

[uppityperson]

223. You are something. Eom

[justiceischeap]

277. You know, I have tattoos you can't see (i.e. easily covered)

However, the idea that you judge someone's work ethic based on whether they have tattoos or not is amazing. Some people with tattoos may not have a very good work ethic but just because someone doesn't have tattoos doesn't mean their work ethic is any better. And if it weren't for people who didn't think outside the box or march to their own drummer, there'd be a lot of successful companies that wouldn't have been so successful. I can understand if you ran, say a funeral home, where thinking outside the box (pun intended) is a bad thing but any other environment doesn't get damaged by someone who you consider to flout convention--meaning, just because they may do so in their personal life doesn't mean they don't know the difference between work and fun. I suspect you'd lose a lot of really good job candidates based on your interview "process".

[Neoma]

152. Seems bigoted.

I got my nose pierced to see who's superficial so that I can avoid them, seems to work okay. I'd get a tattoo because I'm an artist who loves art. But a piece of art on my skin shouldn't stop me from going through med school or getting a boring job to pay the bills. A tattoo would just show that I love Dr. Seuss and Alice in Wonderland art honestly.

[Llewlladdwr]

158. I feel the same about tattoos and piercings.

I appreciate those who have them, lets me know who to avoid.

[Neoma]

160. Because you judge their appearance before their character.

[Llewlladdwr]

170. If you hang a sign on yourself...

don't be upset when people read it.

[Neoma]

175. So even if you're getting literary or scientific tattoos, you should be treated like dirt?

This is essentially what you're saying.

[Llewlladdwr]

178. I'm saying if you choose to have visible tattoos...

then yes, you have to deal with the consequences. No one forced you to get a tat.

[Neoma]

180. Consequences? Bigoted superficial people create the consequences.

I'd also like to note that judging people by their tattoos is bigoted because you're not judging these people by their character. If people treat others like dirt for the way they look, they are not nice, they are not for equality, and they are basing everything surrounding that issue on stereotypes. I'm going to bed, goodnight.

[cui bono]

233. +1

Except I'm going to stay up a little longer.

[Electric Monk]

187. Schrodinger's Tattoo

more
http://mentalfloss.com/article/32288/11-great-geeky-math-tattoos


edited to add:

The Golden Spiral is a pretty cool geek tattoo too, imho.

[cui bono]

229. Kinda like the "signs" you are hanging from yourself (or hanging yourself with)

when you post in this thread?

Wow. What the hell are you doing on a progressive board when you are so judgmental and closed minded?

[Llewlladdwr]

234. What, is tattooing now a "progressive" value?

A tattoo isn't like one's skin color, or gender or orientation. Those are things you're born with. A tattoo is completely voluntary. Choosing to present a tattoo to the world says certain things about you, just as how you choose to dress or who you choose to associate with says certain things. To say that the rest of us don't have the right to judge you based on how you *choose* to present is absurd.

[cui bono]

236. No, being open minded and non-jugmental is. And not being so self-righteous that you completely

miss the point.

You really don't get it at all. People who judge based on appearance and not character are shallow and bigoted. That is not progressive.

[Llewlladdwr]

239. How you choose to present is part of one's character. nt

[cui bono]

245. No, how you behave is your character.

How you present yourself is your image.

[uppityperson]

248. Thank you for trying.

[LanternWaste]

313. Seems to me that that if we predicate our judgement of a person

Seems to me that that if we predicate our judgement of a person based in part on a wholly benign, non-offensive form of art that stretches back to the dawn of humanity that hurts absolutely no one, we advertise nothing more than how creative we are in rationalizing our shallow prejudices, lack of tolerance, and petulant bigotries.

However, to better soothe any sensibilities you may have had ruffled by this observation, simply realize that I judged you merely on how you've presented yourselves in this thread, as it "says certain things about you" and to do otherwise would be, as you said, absurd.

[bunnies]

343. + a brazillion.

A brazillion with many tattoos.

[dionysus]

468. if your post was a dinosaur, it'd be a megalodouchesaurus.

[Demobrat]

230. Funny, I see it completely differently

To me most tattoos, especially those horrible sleeves so in vogue today, say that one is a follower who, if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would jump off right behind them. They strike me as a pathetic attempt to be cool and fit in, not an individualistic decision by any means.

[cui bono]

394. So you think all men who cut their hair short and wear suits to work

are followers "who, if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would jump off right behind them. They strike me as a pathetic attempt to be cool and fit in, not an individualistic decision by any means."

Or clean shaven men? Or women who shave their legs and armpits? Or... or... or... see where I'm going with this? It's a style. It doesn't have to mean anything more than the person likes the look.

Deciding something about a person's character based on something skin deep is being judgmental and bigoted.

[Demobrat]

456. Let me rephrase that

People with tattoos strike me as try-hard followers desperate to be cool, with communication skills limited to namecalling.

Of course if I had written that people with tattoos struck me as rugged individualists who made their own decisions and followed their own paths, that would NOT have been bigoted. Right?

[cui bono]

469. Well bigotry is intolerance, so no it would not have been. n/t

[Demobrat]

474. Did I say I was intolerant of or even disliked

try-hard followers desperate to be cool? I don't dislike them at all. I think they're sad, but I don't dislike them. I just feel sorry for them.

[cui bono]

478. Well you can spare your energy, because most people get tattoos because they want the tattoo.

We don't need your pity. And by feeling sorry for us you think we are inferior. But you are wrong. I don't know anyone who has or would get a tattoo out of desperation to be cool.

It's no different than choosing to wear your hair a certain way, or choosing a certain style of dressing, or choosing a type of car, or choosing how to decorate your house.

So now that that's settled, you can use your "compassion" for something more productive and less judgmental.

[Demobrat]

480. So in other words it's only possible to feel sorry for people

you think are inferior. Got it.

[cui bono]

482. That's not what I said. Based on your words you do feel superior.

You clearly think that people with tattoos are "desperate", lost souls looking who get tattoos as a "pathetic" way to "be cool" based on what you have said. So I'm just freeing up your mind by letting you know you don't have to worry about us, when you see someone with a tattoo there's no need for you to expend any energy thinking about why we got the tattoo and feeling sorry for us. Just go about your business, smile at us if you like, that will make you feel better, but ignore us if you prefer.

But you might want to be less judgmental. I can assure you it's far less becoming than most any tattoo you will ever have to see.

[Demobrat]

487. I can see I hit a nerve. n/t

n/t

[bunnies]

491. You know who I feel sorry for?

Judgmental, bigoted people who feel the need to demean a group they clearly know nothing about. It must be horrible to go through life that way. Unable to comprehend the meaning and importance of self-expression while attempting to assert your own imagined superiority. Talk about desperate. Bless your heart.

[liberal_at_heart]

333. My husband worked as a telecom engineer for 12 yrs before he became disabled. Yes, he does have a

free spirit, he is an individualist, and he has a tattoo, but he is also a brilliant engineer who is great at bringing people together and getting a project completed. He is in the process now of getting back on his feet. Since he cannot draw engineering diagrams anymore because he cannot see to do that anymore, he is starting his own business. He has an incredible drive to succeed, and I have no doubt he will be successful at anything he ever does in life. You cannot judge whether someone is a good worker based on a tattoo or whether they are a free spirit. Hiring someone on how they look is bigoted.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

396. Really? REALLY?

I'm 53 years old with several tattoos, two of which are visible when I wear skirts or capris. I have been with the same company for 20 years now, during which time I have been exceptionally successful at following detailed instructions, working well in a team and abiding by company rules and policies. I have grown into the Owner's trusted right-hand person who is responsible for the running of the company on a daily basis. The Owner is a suburban, old-fashioned, fairly conservative fellow who had the good sense to not buy into silly stereotypes.

[R B Garr]

142. I had a Triple AAA tow truck driver tell me they were going to cancel him

because they got too many complaints about his tattoos. He told me he wears long sleeves now all the time and buttons up his shirt all the way every day so they are not as visible.

How that came up was that I said I was going to call Triple AAA about how outstanding his service was and how he went out of his way to help me with what wound up being a real dumb and preventible idiotic move on my part. He was very grateful that I was going to call about something so positive, and that's when he told me about the complaints about his tattoos.

[Logical]

155. We have a dress code also, but wait, that stops them from expressing....

Themselves also! LOL, clients expect a certain standard, right or wrong.

[liberal_at_heart]

334. I know many people with tattoos including my husband. He is much more respectable than you are

presenting yourself to be right now. Most people with tattoos cover them up for work. Like you care. You have your prejudices and no amount of logic will change your mind.

[Logical]

450. Quit whining! I said "uncovered"! nt

[Llewlladdwr]

99. The fact that you've voluntarily mutilated yourself?

You know, by forcing ink into open wounds in your flesh?

Some people don't find that particularly attractive...

[Gravitycollapse]

101. I don't think you know the definition of mutilation.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutilate

mu·ti·late transitive verb \ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt\
: to cause severe damage to (the body of a person or animal)

: to ruin the beauty of (something) : to severely damage or spoil (something)

[Llewlladdwr]

102. " to ruin the beauty of (something) : to severely damage or spoil (something)"

Sounds exactly right to me....

[Gravitycollapse]

104. In what way does having a tattoo ruin one's beauty? Answer honestly.

Tell me your reasons. Because it feels like I've fallen into a Puritanical wasteland.

[Llewlladdwr]

114. It's hardly puritanical to find tattoos unattractive.

In my view a tattoo does nothing to enhance a person's attractiveness, on the contrary it distracts from it. I find the entire process of undergoing a tattoo to be unsettling and don't understand why a well-balanced person would want to have ink and various other chemicals forced into their deliberately inflicted open wounds. Not sure how that makes me a Puritan....

[Gravitycollapse]

121. That is like the exact definition of puritanical...

Practicing strict morality. And only total social prudes consider the art of tattooing mutilation. A tattoo doesn't harm the host. It doesn't harm you. It expresses a certain belief or concept the host wishes to express. Thus, tattoos themselves are pieces of art on a skin canvas as opposed to some other medium. Not all art is great. But you cannot deny that art is art. You simply like it or you don't.

But you coming out wholly against tattoos is ridiculous. What century do you think we live in?

[Llewlladdwr]

134. Whatever dude.

I find tattoos to be very unattractive. You calling me a Puritan will not change my mind. If you want a tattoo, by all means go get one. Get many if you like. I still won't like them and still won't understand why a person would chose to mutilate themselves like that. And yes, I will continue to consider it self-mutilation.

[Gravitycollapse]

136. "And yes, I will continue to consider it self-mutilation." - We are all entitled to our opinions...

Even if those opinions are uninformed swill.

[LanternWaste]

317. I imagine your consistency compels you to consider ear-rings as self-mutilation,

". And yes, I will continue to consider it self-mutilation...."

I imagine your aesthetic consistency compels you to consider ear-rings as self-mutilation also, that you refer to it such, and cannot imagine why a person would choose to wear them,

(again... insertion distinction without a difference here)

[uppityperson]

141. Have you ever asked why a "well-balanced person" would want a tat, or by your definition, ALL

people with tats are not "well-balanced"? It could be said that people who react so negatively have issues themselves. For instance, someone is so creeped out by the thought of getting a tattoo that they then project that onto others who do have tats, calling them creepy.

[cui bono]

163. First of all, that's not how one gets inked. We do not get "deliberately inflicted open wounds"

and then put ink and various chemicals into them.

Haha... you make it sound like someone slices us up and then pours draino and ink in the cut.


Along with being rude you sound pretty ignorant about tattoos. You need to have a more open mind. Why do you care this much if someone else gets inked?

[Llewlladdwr]

172. So how do you get ink into your skin? nt

[cui bono]

174. There is a tattoo gun with a needle that goes in and out incredibly fast

and puts ink into the skin. Hardly a "wound".

You should go see it someday. It's interesting.

[Llewlladdwr]

179. I have seen it.

Seemed like a lot of blood for something that produced no wounds.

By the way, you do know that a puncture is a wound, right?

[cui bono]

188. I doubt that if you pricked yourself with a pin you would call yourself wounded.

As I said before you were making it sound very exaggerated and were being extremely judgmental. It would be nice if you were open to the fact that other people like tattoos and don't have to be unbalanced and wounding themselves to get them. Especially since it doesn't hurt anyone else.

[Llewlladdwr]

200. Actually, I would.

Puncture wounds are actually more dangerous that a similar sized cut, being deeper and harder to clean and disinfect. That's what I was told in first aid training at any rate. I'm pretty sure a tattoo can become infected if not kept clean, at least until it heals. That's why I say wound in connection with tattoos. They both require sanitization and healing.

Look, if you like tattoos that's your business. I don't. Since you chose to be tattooed I feel no need to overlook it when forming my opinion about you.

[cui bono]

227. Just so I understand your last statement...

You are saying outright that you are going to think lesser about me because I have tattoos? That my having tattoos is reason for you to judge me?

[Llewlladdwr]

237. Yes.

How you choose to present yourself to the world will affect my opinion of you. If you present in a fashion that I disapprove of I will probably have a lower opinion of you and will act accordingly. In the case of a tattoo I would simply note it, minimize any interaction that might be required between us and move on. What would you do differently? Never ever ever form an opinion about someone until you get to know them on a deep and personal level?

[cui bono]

242. I would not judge someone based on appearances like a closed minded bigot would.

I probably wouldn't get to know them on a "deep and personal level" so no, it wouldn't have to go that far. But I base my opinions of others on who they are, not what they look like.

But you are right, we have the right to think other people are assholes. I just do it based on their character - like if they are judgmental pricks - not based on what clothes they wear, how they choose to wear their hair or whether or not they have tattoos.

[uppityperson]

249. +++++++++++

[Llewlladdwr]

255. So a Confederate flag t-shirt wouldn't be a problem?

How about one of those "We get up early to beat the crowds" t- shirts some police departments print up? Would an NRA cap affect your view of someone? What about one of those "Protected by Smith and Wesson" signs, would that do it?

[cui bono]

256. You don't really think that's the same thing, do you?

You didn't say that a tattoo with a racist message made you dislike someone, you said a tattoo, period. You made no mention of any message being attached until now.

I don't judge people who wear t-shirts. That is the equivalent of you judging someone who has a tattoo. Now if either the t-shirt or the tattoo had a confederate flag on it, yes, I would now know something about that person and that would give me insight as to what their values are. But just a t-shirt without a message or a tattoo without a message does not.

I don't judge people who carry signs in general either. It depends on what the message of the sign is.

See, I don't judge based on appearances, I judge based on the character, which includes the person's beliefs, not whether they wear a t-shirt, carry a sign or have a tattoo.

[easttexaslefty]

300. Good

I wouldn't want you in my life either.
Why would I want to know someone so petty and close-minded?

[MineralMan]

361. That is your choice, and in making it you limit your experience.

For myself, rather than looking at someone's appearance, I listen to their words, observe how they treat others, and watch how they express themselves. Tatoo? I can't imagine why that would affect me in forming an opinion about that person and determining whether a relationship with that person is desirable or not.

You can form your opinion based on anything you choose. That's your deal. You probably would form a negative opinion of me. I have a full beard, which I've maintained since 1969. I dress very casually, in jeans and some sort of shirt or another, depending on my mood that day. I don't own any shoes that could take a polish. My hair varies in length, since I visit the barber only three times a year.

I have no tattoos. Based on my appearance, you might form a negative opinion of me before you even bothered to know who I am, what I think, and whether I am intelligent or not. It would be your opinion, whether it was accurate or not. It might affect your interactions with me, assuming I was ever anywhere near you or anyhow involved with you.

Judging on appearances is a good way to limit your contact with people. If that is your goal, then you have chosen well. If not, you might want to reconsider.

[uppityperson]

139. You sound like my mom back in the 70's when I got my ears pieced. MUTULATION!!!!!!

[MattBaggins]

181. Mutilation

[Decaffeinated]

153. Good lord....

Do you have any family members with pierced ears? Do you judge them so harshly?

[cui bono]

159. Wow. You have very strong feelings about this. Bad experience or something?

Might want to take it down a notch.

[Llewlladdwr]

177. We're all entitled to our opinions.

This is mine. Look, no one is born with tattoos. It's pretty much something you decide to do to yourself. That being the case, I have no problem judging people for their actions. And this is an action I disapprove of. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but hey, what a wonderful country we live in, where we're all free to consider each other assholes if we so desire.

[cui bono]

232. No one is born with pubic hair either. Nor with clothes on their bodies.

And oh my! Someone mutilated you when they cut your umbilical cord!

Oh, hey are you male? Are you circumcised?

Do you shave? Why? Get haircuts? You are mutilating yourself by cutting hair off your body.

You have no right to disapprove of my actions when it is simply getting a tattoo on my own body. However I will accept that we have the right to consider each other assholes.

[Llewlladdwr]

238. I have the right to disapprove of anything I darn well please, actually.

For any reason that I please.

[cui bono]

243. You seem to have missed all my questions.

Are you male and circumcised?

Do you cut your hair or shave?

[Llewlladdwr]

251. Here you go.

Yes, I am male and circumsized. No, I was not consulted beforehand.

Yes, I cut my hair and shave. I dislike long hair on men.

So which one is more like a tattoo, being circumcised or cutting one's hair?

[cui bono]

253. True, you were not circumcised by your own choice.

Ever nick yourself shaving? Why would you do that?

How about this, do you have a son? If so, is he circumcised? Be honest...

Let me ask you something else. A non-tattooed person is in a room with a person who has visible tattoos. Unbeknownst to you, the non-tattooed person is a Tea Party member and the tattooed person is a philanthropist. This philanthropist has done wonders for others, really helped enrich their lives. From what you've said here you would be more inclined to like the Tea Party member because you are so worried about how people look that you would pass over the philanthropist based on them having tattoos and befriend the Tea Partier. And that doesn't seem wrong to you??? Dismissing someone with great and honorable character because you've judged them for having tattoos?

[Llewlladdwr]

257. I shave because frankly, a beard is irritating as hell...

At least for me. I'm told it's supposed to stop itching eventually but it never does. Same for long hair, its a hassle to maintain and in my opinion doesn't look good on a man. I haven't had to decide what to do about anyone else's foreskin so far, knock on wood. Thing is, I'm perfectly happy being judged for my grooming and appearance. I'm not asking to be treated any differently than I'm treating anyone else.

I'm not certain how to address your hypothetical. Of course we all want to be around good and noble people. It hasn't been my experience that tattoos are necessarily a good indicator of those qualities though. In fact, in my experience tattoos are quite often found on people who are not very good or very noble. Not always, but often.

[cui bono]

260. And so if you were in that hypothetical room with those two hypothetical people

you would - based on your posts in this thread - decide you liked the Tea Party member more and think they were a better, more balanced person than the tattooed philanthropist. See why your judgmental attitude is wrong?

I doubt you do if you don't already, I just hope you are so young that you don't have enough life experience to see how wrong you are and that you will soon see it or yourself.

I've had enough of this though. See ya.

[Llewlladdwr]

261. Have a good night.

Though I don't agree I appreciate the discussion.

[Neoma]

297. Burn victims get tattoos to make their faces look more human.

People who lose their eyebrows from chemotherapy get them tattooed back on.

Oh wait, you have no desire to be around anyone with a tattoo no matter what, that's too bad.

[easttexaslefty]

303. Your last sentence.

wow. Just wow.

[Vashta Nerada]

176. I'm not sure you know what mutilation means.

Forcing circumcision on infant males is mutilation, which removes a part of a man's penis.

Getting ink permanently on your skin isn't a mutilation.

[Llewlladdwr]

182. "to ruin the beauty of (something) : to severely damage or spoil (something)"

That's the sense in which I'm using the word. In my opinion that's exactly what a tattoo does, spoil a person's natural beauty.

[LadyHawkAZ]

206. Yeah... how horrible...

Here is a mastectomy tattoo. Go ahead, let's hear about how unattractive it is.

[Llewlladdwr]

211. Look, I don't find that attractive. Sorry.

Your mileage may vary. You can hate on me all you want but I'm not going to change my mind. Don't like ink, don't care why you got it.

[Rhythm]

214. Any idea who the artist is?

This is extraordinary...

And probably most empowering for the woman adorned by it...

[LadyHawkAZ]

215. Can't remember now, sorry

It was all over the news awhile back- the artist put it up on their FB page and FB in their wisdom yanked it. They've since changed their policy. Google will probably kick up the artist's name if you look.

[bunnies]

345. Its certainly more attractive than acting like a judgemental, closeminded, bigot.

But hey, to each their own.

[Egalitarian Thug]

477. You know you're in the minority, don't you? Body decoration is a common characteristic

of the human animal and always has been as far as anybody can tell.

[Llewlladdwr]

484. Not on this thread.

While we certainly have some vociferous defenders of the tattoo in the thread the majority seems to disapprove or dislike the tat.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

77. Yes...they are definitely growing on me too. nt

[Deep13]

80. sometimes. nt

[opiate69]

81. Also...

[Tree-Hugger]

110. +1

[La Lioness Priyanka]

111. i so agree with this

[LumosMaxima]

82. Hate them, on either men or women. nt

[Scootaloo]

83. Depends on the tattoo

I've seen some really bad tattoos.

In general, yes, I'm a fan of ink and piercings.

[LeftyMom]

84. I find the idea that women exist to impress men unattractive.

My experience is that the same sort of men who are bothered by my having a tattoo are generally uncomfortable with the notion that I or specifically my ladybits existed prior to their interest in me.

As such a tattoo is a handy bit of asshole repellent.

[laundry_queen]

96. HAHA

You know, I was trying to think up a way to reply, but I think you win the thread (tattoo here too).

[struggle4progress]

85. No, and I often wonder why a person has marred him- or herself that way -- but it's a personal

choice, and I don't bother folk with my opinions about such purely personal choices unless invited to comment

[Lil Missy]

86. No, I find tattos to be decidedly unattractive.

[LibAsHell]

87. It's not a deal breaker for me but

I've only dated c one person with a tattoo and generally I think I prefer none.

[jazzimov]

89. Tramp Stamps? No!

What part of "permanent" don't they understand?

That being said, I have seen a lot of beautiful women with tattoos. I try to overlook them and see the woman underneath. But it's difficult sometimes.

I love artwork. I love paintings and sculptures - I can move them where ever I want in my home and replace them when I get tired of them.

[cui bono]

168. "tramp stamp"

tsk tsk... very sexist.

[Tikki]

90. I do not, either. My husband has none...

We never mentioned to our two sons one way or another...They are grown men without
any tattoos.

But, whatever...


The Tikkis

[Gravitycollapse]

92. Ah, yes. The male gaze.

[Lex]

308. Yes.

Please mind the male gaze.

[Gravitycollapse]

496. You should destroy the male gaze, not mind it.

[riderinthestorm]

93. No nt

[X_Digger]

94. Depends on the artwork, placement, meaning, etc etc etc. n/t

[Auggie]

98. Attractive? No. Sexy? Hell yes!

[GoCubsGo]

103. No.

I really don't understand the attraction to them. I don't find the vast majority of them all that attractive, especially not enough to be on me permanently.

[Warpy]

105. I've seen some beautiful ink

but most of the small tats look like bruises from a distance.

And I grew up seeing what tats in WWII in the Pacific looked like 20 years later.

Still, I remember a drummer with some spectacular sleeves and hair to match. That was excellent ink. I've even seem some great, if pornographic, prison tats. All I know about the artist is that he's a lifer. Too bad, if he hadn't turned to crime, he'd probably be one of the top guys in the country.

So I guess it's very individual for me.

[kentuck]

107. I have a lot of friends with tattoos...

and I have a Sister with tats, also. I have never said anything negative about any of them. I have always thought that if a person wanted a tat, that was their choice and their business and it was not my place to judge.

That said, I have never chosen to get a tat personally.

[LeftyMom]

147. Polls usually identify the average DUer as 893 years old.

Which explains most threads really.

[Neoma]

167. LOL!

[MattBaggins]

185. Thread win

[Tree-Hugger]

352. Right?

I thought I had wandered onto Free Republic....

[Silent3]

244. A certain amount of judgment happens automatically

Something looks good to you, or it doesn't. There's an impression that occurs well before you know or have to know anything about the reason someone got a tattoo, an impression that forms without knowing what the tattoo means to wearer, an impression that exists before you try to temper your opinion with diplomacy, an impression that exists whether you voice it aloud or not.

For me, reacting to the vast majority of tattoos, that impression is negative.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

109. yes, i do. i also find people who find all/any tattoos unattractive on women to be too conservative

and frequently too misogynistic for my taste

[bunnies]

356. I completely agree with you.

And Im really blown away to see a thread like this on a "progressive" site. Ive learned that the vast majority of DUers think Im a low-life, disgusting, loser just because I chose to have tats. Its been very eye-opening... in a sick and disappointing way.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

457. meh. do you really want to be friends with these people? they always sound old/suburban

and boring to me

i on the other hand am young, exciting and urban. what do i care what a bunch of old fogies say?


(also using old as a state of mind, not about any specific age. when people rail on about tattoos they remind me of my parents. )

[bunnies]

459. Hey...

It must be very exciting deciding which pair of khakis to wear in the morning. There come in several shades of beige ya know.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

460. yeah. i feel sad about people whose lives are this boring, and i have never wanted or needed

their approval

[bunnies]

461. As I said downthread...

Im just glad I havent encountered such shallow, judgmental people in my real life. They certainly arent people I would ever consider a "friend". Chances are if theyre judging me for tattoos, their judging me for other things also. I dont have time in my life for such bullshit.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

463. ..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023809506

[Gemini Cat]

112. No.

If I want to look at someone's art, I'll go to a gallery or to a museum.

It's your body so it's your choice, however, don't expect me to find your tat attractive.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

113. They look good on David Beckham!

[kestrel91316]

115. Well, there are tattoos.........

And then there are tattoos..........



I don't generally like them on women, but even I would consider getting a tiny, maybe 1" flower someplace private. I do like them as art.

[Beringia]

119. I did not used to like them

seeing them as the kind of thing ruffians would use. But now that I am older, I like them. I agree with others that it is nice to see women doing it, claiming their own bodies. I also consider it to be an ancient practice, hearkening back to our pagan roots.





The tattooed right hand of a Chiribaya mummy is displayed at El Algarrobal Museum, near the port of Ilo in southern Peru. The Chiribaya were farmers who lived from A.D. 900 to 1350.



http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/tattoo.html?c=y&page=2



Arabic Mehandi Design




http://fashion.ekstrax.com/2012/12/40-most-beautiful-arabic-mehandi-designs.html

[quinnox]

123. Nope. A lot of gang bangers and prison convicts seem to really dig them though

If it is just one or two small unobtrusive ones, then I think that is ok. But many seem to go crazy with them, and then they just look ridiculous and like a prison convict.

I think most of the time people get tattoos because of the "look at me, how cool am I?" factor, and personally that doesn't appeal to me. You can be a "cool dude" without getting a tattoo.

[easttexaslefty]

304. I don't know one single individual

who has a tattoo to look "cool".

[liberal_at_heart]

338. I normally agree with almost everything you post quinnox, but I think you jump to judgmental

conclusions on this one. I am a shy, plain Jane who wears pants, tee shirts, tennis shoes, and no make up. But I do plan on getting a tattoo because I plan on getting a personal tattoo that means something to me. Yes, there are people who get tattoos all over their bodies and maybe some of them do it for the attention. But so what? Just because I am a plain Jane doesn't mean everybody has to be. My daughter sure isn't a plain Jane. She has purple hair and and wears high heels and dresses. I don't begrudge here that. She is young and beautiful and should enjoy herself.

[Tree-Hugger]

125. Whether or not I

Find a person attractive has nothing to do with tattoos. Plenty of gorgeous people with tattoos. Plenty of less attractive people without them.

I have three. All three are deeply personal. I got them for one person only...me. Two are visible. The other cannot be seen unless you're my husband or my midwife.

I did not get any of my tattoos in order to attract anyone. If someone finds me unattractive due to my tattoos then that's their issue.

I did not get tattoos to be "cool" or to fit in. I'm certainly not a Hipster.

Yes, I know tattoos are permanent. Yes, I know my skin will change as I age. I knew that when I got them. No, I will not regret them when my skin sags just as I will mot regret any of my skin that sags as I get older and just as I do not regret the tattoo stripes given to me by Nature when I was pregnant. Their significance will not diminish to me as I wrinkle.

My largest and most visible tattoo is in memory of a baby I miscarried. I was told her life was insignificant. I was told I should get over her. I was told that my grief made others uncomfortable. So, I etched her name on to my forearm along with a Sparrow as a reminder that no life is insignificant to God. That tattoo was a major part of my healing process after my miscarriage. I don't know that anyone would be able to tell me to my face that I marred or disfigured myself with my baby's name.

[opiate69]

133. + a brazillion.

[laundry_queen]

296. Excellent post. nt

[liberal_at_heart]

339. Brilliant post! I wish I could rec this post a million times.

[pipoman]

475. Ding..Ding...Ding

read all this way for the right answer.."I got them for one person only...me."

25% of my back covered with my son and mother will always be with me..

[Tree-Hugger]

486. +1

[arthritisR_US]

126. Some are. I am not enamoured with I body covered

in them, but that's just me

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

130. No.

[gopiscrap]

131. No

[Common Sense Party]

132. Some can be eye-catching, which is often the intent (male and female).

Some are undoubtedly works of art.

But no, I'm not a big fan of them. When I open a business I won't hire someone with visible tats. If they're covered during the workday, that's fine with me.

[GreenStormCloud]

135. I don't like them.

But that is other people's freedom and none of my business. It will effect my judgement of them, just as the way they dress does.

During my days of playing a lot of poker in casinos I noticed that people who had lots of tattoos usually had emotional problems that negatively effected their playing ability.

[Hayabusa]

137. Depends on the tattoo, really.

[Puzzledtraveller]

140. No

[4bucksagallon]

143. No! In time they become dark splotches on ones skin.

Like a birthmark.

[valerief]

144. No. Bryan Cranston said when he was growing up only sailors and Hells Angels

had tattoos. That's my feeling about them, too.

[Duppers]

145. No, they're distracting, like graffiti.

They're like a permanent costume. Facial jewelry is also very distracting to me.
People who wear them must badly need attention.

I don't oppose very small ones or undetectable makeup tattoos however.

[cui bono]

146. In general, yes. I like ink. I have several.

However, it should fit the person.

I don't like generic tattoos that have no meaning. I like tattoos as a lifestyle sort of thing. On some people they just look out of place.

And I'm very attracted to guys with tattoos, mostly because the type of men I'm attracted to would have them. It's very difficult in my neighborhood and at work to not see ink.

[Demit]

267. On some people they look out of place? Isn't that an example of you, judging?

This has been an interesting thread. I noticed upthread you were very harsh about the poster who made judgments based on the appearance of people with tattoos. How is your own statement about tattoos looking "out of place" on "some people," or that ink "should" fit the person, not a judgment?

[cui bono]

386. No, it's not. Whether or not I like something or not does not mean I pass judgment on the person.

Last edited Tue Oct 8, 2013, 01:44 PM - Edit history (1)

I can not like someone's outfit and not judge them as a human being too. The poster above said people who get tattoos are not well-balanced and that he thinks they are not as worthy and deserve him to pass judgment on them in this way simply because they have "a" tattoo, never mind what that tattoo is. He then likened having a tattoo to wearing a t-shirt with a confederate flag on it among other things.

In another thread he said that he thinks that anyone with a tattoo will have a poor work ethic and not work as a team.

Do you really think me not liking a tattoo or feeling it's out of place on someone is the same as that? If my friend is thinking of buying something, be it clothing or something for the house, and I tell her it doesn't look right on her or in her house, it looks out of place, I'm not judging her, I'm giving my opinion.

Though judging occurs at a skin deep level, the judgment being made is about things that are much further in than that, about who they are as a person, their character. So no, absolute not, feeling something is out of place on someone is not judging that person, not in the least.

[R B Garr]

148. No, I'm not a fan of them at all

It's not a deal breaker or anything, but generally speaking, I do not like them. It just reminds me of a rough crowd type of look.

[Whisp]

149. Generally, men I have met that have big tatooes

like snakes and blades on their arms, or skeletons or devils or something death related on their chests or backs - well, they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, that's for sure.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

156. No, not at all

I guess I'm an old fogette, but I've never seen the attraction of going through a painful process to decorate your skin permanently, often with something that's really ugly.

[Mushroom]

157. Then don't fuck her.

cc Antonin Scalia

[cui bono]

387. Because women are simply there to either be fucked or not be fucked

at the man's discretion.

[duffyduff]

161. They're disgusting on both sexes. Always hated them, always will. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

164. Sometimes they can be, but too much just becomes distracting.

I don't have any myself but as for a lady, small tatoos strategically placed can look nice.

As for men, my late Uncle Pete had a pretty woman with a grass skirt tattoo which he could make dance for us, just by flexing his arm, that was kind of entertaining.

Thanks for the thread, kentuck.

[Hoyt]

166. Most are cool, especially colorful pastels. But I ain't doin nuttin pewmenant on visable skin.

At least not yet. Under right circumstances, who knows?

[Quixote1818]

171. They can be erotic if displayed the right way but I am generally not a fan

However, as you said, different strokes for diff folks for sure.

[woodsprite]

173. No. But a well placed one that's tasteful, shouldn't detract too much.

On the other hand, my friend has over 100. She's a really sweet person, would do anything for you, but I think how much more beautiful she'd look without so many. I'd never tell her that though, but i think that many (and they're large) make her look kinda tough. She says she gets an adrenaline rush from the pain. She's had tattoos over tattoos, over tattoos.

Not my cup of tea, but whatever turns her on!

[Chisox08]

183. It depends on that Tattoo and the location of the tattoo

[Go Vols]

186. No

[Warren DeMontague]

192. I want a giant tattoo of the Olive Garden logo on my forehead.

it would go great with this thread!

[opiate69]

196. It's gotta also have a pit bull, in an MRA shirt smoking a cigarette and holding a VenusBikini razor

[Warren DeMontague]

217. Don't forget the turducken.

After all, it's nearly Thansgivmukkah!

[JHB]

276. What, no chest tattoo of a breast feeding baby?

If you're going to pile on, go for the gold!

[chill_wind]

193. No. I just see their proliferation as an increasingly conformist mass consumer

"thing" but it still doesn't appeal to me on either gender. I think they're distracting and I don't get the willingness and self-certitude to permanize statements about one's self or taste or convictions with a few select ink images. But we are all different, and maybe that just says more about my own various insecurities and neuroses than anything else.

Give me T-shirts, cheaper any day, should I ever outgrow my passing passions or tire of them, in delight of something new. But again, others' self expression or pleasurable spending on it is not mine to judge.

Whether it's fair or not, though, they can be real job inhibitors. That may be slowly changing, but still not a hassle I would care to have to be concerned with.

[lumberjack_jeff]

194. I think that they are rebellious non-conformists.

With a decent amount of disposable income. Just like all their friends and peers.

"Welcome to the rugged individualist club. Here's your uniform."

Meh. Just stay off my lawn, okay?

About 20 years ago, I met a guy with a "barrel of monkeys" tattoo around his ankle. I thought that was pretty cool.

A guy I grew up with got a full sleeve when his 18 year old son committed suicide. I can understand the sentiment, but I don't see anything therapeutic about it. It's literally displaying your greatest pain on your skin. You can't get away from it, ever.

[chill_wind]

198. :-)

Last edited Tue Oct 8, 2013, 01:44 AM - Edit history (1)

edit- I feel compelled to explain that my smile was in response to your original post before your edit.


Not to your further added comments about the person in pain. I didn't catch that. It does seem the motivations can be more personally complex than I might think about, sometimes.

[customerserviceguy]

195. While I don't find them attractive

I respect the fact that others do find them so. Different folks, different strokes, and all that. People have a right to their preferences in who they find attractive, it usually doesn't affect how they treat the person in non-romantic situations.

[DesertFlower]

201. no, but she has a right to

do what she wants with her body.

[LadyHawkAZ]

202. A qualified yes, because a lot depends on the quality of the art

and the placement.

Mustache tattoos, for example, will never be attractive.

[ladjf]

203. This is a stupid post. nt

[Rhythm]

204. Depends on the artistic quality of the work...

A quick preface:
I ~am~ inked... Neither i nor my unmarked dearly-beloved think that my tattoos either add or detract from my overall appearance.


Now then.
I don't think that ink makes someone more ~or~ less attractive, unless it is poorly done.
It matters not a whit to me where something is placed -- or how large an area is covered -- as long as it's location makes artistic sense; the subject matter i could care less about as long as it is artistically rendered.

Crappily-done jailhouse stuff done by someone who should have had their crayons taken away in kindergarten is not going to be attractive...

Well-rendered dermagraphic art is a beautiful thing.

[cecilfirefox]

209. Tattoo'd men do it for me. Love sleeves. :D nt

[liberal_at_heart]

329. One tattoo right there at the top of the arm. My husband has one. We've been married for 19 years,

and it's so cool to still have the hots for my husband.

[Jim Warren]

210. Call me paranoid

But I'm not into adding any identification marks.

[CountAllVotes]

212. No

Especially when on the face, that is disfiguring and plain ugly.

[Lucinda]

213. Love tatoos.

[Kablooie]

216. A girl with anchor tatoos on her forearms is damned hot.

Arf, arf arf.

[BlueCaliDem]

218. No. I've never liked tattoos - on anyone. eom

[rrneck]

220. Not really, but it's not a big deal. nt

[LittleBlue]

222. I don't like them on women

Especially younger women.

The only exceptions are rock stars and surfers. It kind of fits with them.

[NBachers]

224. "My mom's got lightning bolts tattooed on her boobs."

No kid should have to make a statement like that.

[bhikkhu]

225. No, not at all

I just remember my uncle who was in the Navy, and had a big splotch of a tattoo on his arm that he always covered up. It looked like an ugly bruise, but probably was a picture of something at one point. I know a couple of other older guys who generally wear long-sleeved shirts for the same reason - it looks fine for a while, then its a big ugly splotch. Not attractive in the least.

[taught_me_patience]

226. In my culture, tattoos were traditionally worn by gangsters

specifically: Yakuza. My grandmother would probably disown me if I ever got a tattoo. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan...

[Skittles]

240. no

[Rstrstx]

241. Not usually

In Mexico having a tattoo will often keep people from getting a job and the employers are not shy to tell them why

[Nolimit]

246. I think the right tattoo on the right person can compliment their looks.

I believe pigments that are being made these days maintain their colors for a long time and a good artist will have an idea of how a tattoo will age and tattoo so it won't turn into a shapeless blob. Many tattooing trends and fads have come again but traditional Japanese and Americana have staying power.

[RandySF]

250. To me it depends

on the skin tone, skin texture and the design of the tattoo itself.

[Niceguy1]

252. beautiful lady

And tatoo don't mix for me. Its a turn off.

[Blue_In_AK]

258. Not for me personally,

But what a person does with his or her body is his or her own business.

[DeSwiss]

259. Erm.....

- I guess it depends on where you put it.....

[Warren DeMontague]

262. some more than others.

[Llewlladdwr]

263. Come on DU!

We can get this puppy to 300 if we all pull together as a team!i

[a la izquierda]

264. Yes.

They are beautiful because they, and my brain, are beautifully developed.
I know when my tattoos are appropriate and when they are not. I am a university professor. They're not my students' business.

Eta: I also have the freedom not to care what you or anyone else thinks.

[B Calm]

265. Makes one look like a prison thug

[Paper Roses]

266. About 6 months ago, I saw an elderly woman with tattoos all over.

She had a dress on and her arms and legs were wrinkled purple and pink.
Most unattractive.

I may be a fun thing to do when you are young but when the skin starts to sag , not very pretty.

[GreenEyedLefty]

268. I don't think tattoos add anything to a person.

They don't take anything away, either, unless they are egregiously badly done, in poor taste, etc.

[Sunlei]

269. In general, no I don't think tattoos are attractive.

I can understand ethnic tattooing and a tiny tattoo like a butterfly, flower looks ok to me. I think it would be better as a removable skin decoration. Tattoos sure look like crap when their old, ink all smeary & spreads under the skin.

I like tattoos for ID on animals. Dogs in ear or inner leg, horses inside upper lip. Can't remove that.

I also like the idea that many criminals have tattoos and helps ID them aswell.

so that answers the OP question

[DrDan]

270. absolutely not

I have yet to see a tattoo that enhances a person's appearance

They don't make you look "tougher", more beautiful/handsome, more defiant, more unique. Quite the opposite, imo.

[ileus]

272. You don't keep the same shoes or purse for life do you?

[JHB]

274. It depends on the tattoo, but what I really don't get...

...is the strong reaction some people have against them. It's not a critique of the art or overall aesthetics, it's a visceral revulsion of the very concept.

From my perspective of indifference/"not my thing, but whatever floats your boat", I don't get that at all.

[AsahinaKimi]

275. As for me, I have a good reason to never get a Tattoo...

One of my dreams is to visit Japan and a Roten Buro, or Onsen. (Hot Spring bathing) Many of these resorts will never allow you in if you have Tattoos. The simple reason is, that those who tend to wear Tattoos are generally apart of the Yakuza, or Japanese Mafia. They are not welcome in many of these establishments because they scare away patrons, who would go often. Those found with Tattoos are often escorted off the premise...

It does not take much to have this happen to you. You could be bathing and have Rodger Rabbit tattooed on your shoulder and be asked to leave..abruptly. This includes piercings as well... All these items make the Japanese business community a tad nervous and I would rather much have a nice ...long...Hot ...soak than be abruptly removed and escorted to the parking lot.

[opiate69]

504. My sister-in-law in Nagoya and I had a debate about this as well...

My wife, her other sister and their mom went and each got a small memorial tattoo in honor of my late father-in-law.. SIL had a cow, saying that if mom ever came to visit her there, they wouldn't be able to go here, or there, or whatever because of the Yakuza implication. I just still maintain that there is no way any reasonably intelligent person is going to look at my MIL (middle aged, white, German-stock) and confuse her with any kind of criminal. Not to mention, being a musician, I've long been aware of the fact that thousands upon thousands of Western rock bands have made lucrative careers playing regularly all over Nihon, and have been for decades. I can't imagine someone like Nikki Sixx, or Ozzy Osbourne being denied any type of service there... Of course, I imagine that there surely must be a generatiinal difference in attitudes, and it's quite probable that "older" Japanese folk (and probably rural as well) might have problems, but in the world-class metropolises which play host to visitors and ex-pats from all over the globe, I can't imagine it being any kind of big issue.

[AsahinaKimi]

523. As you can see most of the best

Roten Buro are out in the country side. Some north in Hokkaido and many still stick to the same rules they have had for many many years. I would never want to chance going to a luxury resort and end up being escorted out to the parking lot. One of my favorite Artists is Miyavi who has tattoos...



Though he is known in most circles, even he, has acknowledged that he would never visit a Roten Buro or onsen in the country side, for fear of stirring up problems with the locals.

[opiate69]

524. He's an amazing guitarist...

I really need to go there at some point and see it for myself..

[yuiyoshida]

525. I love him too!

[TheCowsCameHome]

278. It's like eating just one potato chip...

...it's nearly impossible.

Same with skin pictures.

There are a LOT of folks out there that will be suffering with buyer's remorse later in life.

[notadmblnd]

279. No I don't like them on either sex

[HappyMe]

280. I like tattoos on men or women.

There are a couple of excellent tattoo parlors here. Their work is beautiful, portable art. I especially like tatts that actually mean something to the person.
I have seen some bad tattoos. Save your money, do some research so that you can get the very best you can afford.

I don't know if they enhance a person's beauty or not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what's on the inside that makes or breaks a person's attractiveness.

[Alamuti Lotus]

281. Piercings & tattoos are over--their purpose was to piss off the squares; the squares have them now

Time to move on to some new abomination.

[bunnies]

355. I suppose thats why people have been getting tattoos for thousands and thousands of years.

To "piss of the squares". I see youre really knowledgeable on the subject.

[noamnety]

282. A really nice tattoo is like a diamond.

It's really hard for my mind not to wander to how much it cost and what else could have been done with all that money.

[liberal_at_heart]

327. seriously? People's discretionary spending is their own business. I hope people don't judge you for

wasting your money the way you judge others.

[noamnety]

499. I didn't say I wanted to outlaw it or anything

just that it's what my mind wanders to. Same with people with designer handbag collections, ridiculously expensive cars, etc.

[csziggy]

283. No, but my opinion only applies to my body

Though I'd be disappointed if my husband got a tattoo against my wishes. It's still his body, his choice.

[CBGLuthier]

284. I do not think that tattoos INCREASE the beauty of anyone. male or female.

However, I also do not think that people are put on this earth to increase their beauty to others. So people can tattoo whenever and whatever and it is no concern of mine so long as it is no part of me.

[charmay]

286. It's difficult for me to focus on someone with tattoos on their face and neck.

I focus on their tattoos instead. But, my friend has a small one on her ankle that I guess is ok.

[trof]

287. No. Never.

[FSogol]

288. I took my kids to a nursing home one time and had some old sailors show them their tattos.

Of course they were blotchy blobs of black and red, and barely distinguishable as anything. Blobby anchors, squat-wide misshapen bikini girls, a blobbish crooked serpent. Good lesson, I think.

Personally, I don't mind nice tattoos, but butt antlers or anything around the breast on a women, or neck/face on anyone is idiotic. To each his own.

[we can do it]

289. Not on anyone. Some are nice artwork, most just ink that will sag one day.

[raccoon]

290. Unequivocably no. nt

[Enthusiast]

291. I do not find tattoos attractive.

Sorry, that's just the way I feel.

[theHandpuppet]

292. No

I'll leave it at that lest I leave myself open to getting flamed.

[Bettie]

293. Generally, I'm not a fan of tattoos

I understand that some people like them and that's fine. I have friends with many tattoos and they are great people, but they would be great people without them too. I know douchebags with lots of tattoos and they would still be the same without them too.

When we went to the water park with the kids this year, we saw a lot of 'body art' on display. Some of it is really, really awful and some is lovely, but still, it is personally not to my taste.

The new thing that I don't understand is the large blocks of text that I am seeing lately. Oh, and the huge words on people's necks. I don't understand at all what the point of that is.

But again, if that is what people want to do, fine.

[PeaceNikki]

295. Why just women? Oh, right, because they are objects for the world to look at.

And, as such, should conform to the cultural norms of beauty.

[egduj]

298. Tattoos do not make someone attractive.

But they can enhance the attractiveness that is already there.

[ejpoeta]

301. I have seen some pretty tatoos. Maybe one tatoo might be ok.

But covering yourself with them.... not attractive. My dad's girlfriend had them. They were faded. But she was happy. And who am I to judge. She put up with my dad.... she must have been a saint!! When I see a tattoo, all I can see is how much money that must have cost and what I could get with that much money. I do that with everything though.

[redstatebluegirl]

302. Take a look at a Man or a Woman with tats they got in their 20's

in the 50's and see what you think. That thing is sinking fast. Not attractive at any age.

[warrior1]

305. No

[liberal_at_heart]

309. For women, I think on the ankle or back of the shoulder is the most attractive. For men, the arm.

I plan on getting one someday. I just haven't decided of what yet. Something that would signify the dignity, beauty, and strength of the female spirit. I have lost a mother and grandmother to breast cancer. I have the gene that puts me at risk of breast cancer, and I have two children including a daughter that need to be tested for the gene. I don't really want a pink ribbon tattoo. I'd rather it be something like a goddess tattoo.

[hlthe2b]

311. I am one of the few who does not like tatoos at all... but different strokes for different folks....

Indeed. (and honestly, that means I personally don't like tattoos on anyone, male or female--hey, it is just my preference)

Surely it is one of those personal issues that I would never press on another. Just as my rather fuddy duddy style of dress (which I'd love to think most see as "classic, rather than following the fads" (LOL) is something I know many others would not approve.

But if I actually liked/wanted a tattoo, I'd likely go for "vivre et laisser vivre" (live and let live).

[Wetzelbill]

314. You all sound like dinosaurs

Personally, I don't like how the kids these days like to dance and roughhouse at the sock hops, lets ban those too!

[HappyMe]

320. Yup.

Damn kids are dancing all over the lawn!!

[grahamhgreen]

315. HOW BOUT this:

Last edited Tue Oct 8, 2013, 03:41 PM - Edit history (1)

[Blue_Tires]

485. Who's that?

[Left2Tackle]

498. Rihanna

[grahamhgreen]

506. Who? I'm just lookin at the tattoo!

[MineralMan]

316. How would that matter?

Why would someone care what I thought about their choice in the matter?


Nunna my bidness is what that is.

[Nine]

321. It's the permanence of tattoos that repels me.

I can't imagine anything I would want to have on my body for the rest of my life. Hairstyles, clothing, makeup - all those things can be changed someday. Tattoos cannot. It's not a matter of the tattoos sagging someday, it's that you are expressing yourself in a way that can never be undone. It's like fusing an article of clothing to your body. Tattoos give me the same sense of sadness as I get when I see people who have had some extreme plastic surgery. I won't say I have never seen an attractive tattoo, although I mostly see them as examples on the internet, not in real life. 99 percent of the ones I see in real life just look like dull greenish-black smudges to me, never crisp or colorful. But even the photos that look gorgeous make me think, "That would be an awesome tattoo to have... for about two weeks." After that, I'd get bored and want to try something else, but oops, nope, this design is forever. All that said, tattoos are completely unremarkable these days and I know many, many people who have them, so I don't associate them with being low-class or hipster or anything else. They're just boring disfigurements to me. And the ones that are very small and hidden seem especially pointless to me.

[liberal_at_heart]

322. My daughter's friend plans on getting a Mickey Mouse tattoo because her father died a few years ago.

He worked for Disney, and they took many trips there together. That is a tattoo she will never regret getting. Many people get personal tattoos that mean something to them. I plan on getting one that honors the women in my family because we have a long history of breast cancer in the family.

[Nine]

332. I think about lumberjack jeff's comment earlier...

"A guy I grew up with got a full sleeve when his 18 year old son committed suicide. I can understand the sentiment, but I don't see anything therapeutic about it. It's literally displaying your greatest pain on your skin. You can't get away from it, ever."

So I'm not so sure this person will never regret it. I hope she doesn't.

Look, people are entitled to get tattoos if they want them. I'm just saying it's not really comparable to a person expressing himself through hair and clothing and things like that. If people can say, "I feel confident that this alteration I am making to my body is something I will be happy about for the rest of my life," great. I don't have it in me to want to do something so permanent and inescapable to myself. I feel like the people who are willing to commit to that are very different from me at a basic psychological level. I hope they really do know themselves well enough to make that decision. I hope they aren't going to have regrets about it later in life. And I personally don't understand why anyone would even want to take that chance when there are a zillion other possible ways to express yourself.

[liberal_at_heart]

336. Ask people who have a personal tattoo about their tattoo. Then you will understand.

I lost a mother and a grandmother to breast cancer. I have a gene that puts me at risk of getting breast cancer, and I have a daughter who still needs to test for the gene. For years, and years I have wanted to get a tattoo to honor the female spirit. I have not changed my mind. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because I haven't decided which goddess image I want and because I can't really afford to do it right now. People who get personal tattoos don't regret getting them. Ask someone sometime.

[LanternWaste]

324. To be perfectly honest, they are a non-issue to me.

To be perfectly honest, they are a non-issue to me. From where I sit, they neither add to, nor subtract from the person wearing them anymore than ear-rings, a beard, or glasses do.

I've dated people with them and I've dated people without them, and all things being equal, the presence or absence of tattoos made no noticeable difference in regards to me finding them attractive.

[Javaman]

326. It really depends on the tattoo.

Some I find to be really beautiful artwork, but then there are the other such as the woman who had a giant spoon on her forearm.

I have long thought of getting a tattoo myself, I even drew it up, but I know myself well enough that I would soon regret getting it due to my fickleness in regards to such things.

Some people I think wear them well, others not so much.

[fitman]

330. I'm glad my wife does not have any..

[ScreamingMeemie]

331. I think people are attractive. The rest is just window dressing. nt

[PassingFair]

362. Beazer went behind my back and got one a month ago.....

She knew I was against her making permanent marks on her skin!
I threatened to de-fund her, but my
REAL worry was that she would get SEVERAL.
One of her girlfriends (you know her) has 5 or 6 of them now, and
there doesn't seem to be an end to it.

I think she is acting out over her crummy home situation.
I hope Bea stops with this one!

[ScreamingMeemie]

384. Oh no!

I will keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't start an addiction. I *hope* it's a little one.

[PassingFair]

419. I knew when she started her babysitting gig with the daughter of a tattoo artist....

that I was in trouble.

Yes, she has to work it off!

[Marr]

337. Well executed, nicely placed, appealing designs can be attractive.

But those comprise about .5% of the tattoos out there, imho. People tend to buy them like t-shirts now. Tacky designs, poorly done, and thoughtlessly placed.

[Egalitarian Thug]

344. Most tattoo artists just aren't very good and most people have pretty awful taste,

so generally I find they fall into the unattractive to gross range of the scale. There are exceptions, of course.

[Sheldon Cooper]

348. I think they're mostly hideous, on everyone, male or female alike.

I also realize that nobody gives a shit what I think about it, and that's as it should be. To each his/her own.

[OregonBlue]

398. Sheldon, You said exactly what I was thinking.

[EX500rider]

453. And his Mom had him tested! lol n/t

[Arugula Latte]

353. To be honest, I've never seen one I thought enhanced a person's looks.

At the risk of sounding like an old fart, my first thought is always: "Geez, why'd you go and do that to your skin?"

In my mind, it makes people look ... I don't know how else to put it ... sort of messy.

Obviously to each his/her own, yadda yadda yadda ...

[bunnies]

357. As a woman with several tattoos...

this thread has been very informative. Its always nice to see hundreds of people talk about how repulsive they think you are.

[Nine]

360. Well, did you honestly expect universal appreciation?

Of course some people are going to like tattoos and some not, just as some people like the First Lady's bangs while others do not. I'm a bangs gal myself and I know many people abhor them. I'll survive.

[LanternWaste]

375. I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to the First Lady's bangs are "repulsive".

I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to the First Lady's bangs are "repulsive". That, to me, seems to be a rather relevant difference in the direction of this thread than from the example you've allowed us.

[Nine]

382. There are many who find bangs (mullets/goatees/holiday sweaters/skinny jeans) repulsive and hideous.

You can't expect everyone to like your fashion choices.

[bunnies]

380. Did you read the thread?

We're not talking about a lack of appreciation. We're talking about calling people trashy, losers and thugs. Have you ever been called any of those things by someone who doesnt like bangs? This thread is a whole different ball of hate.

[Nine]

391. I see people mostly saying how they feel about tattoos, not tattoo-bearers. (nt)

[bunnies]

393. So, no. You didnt read the thread.

Thats what I thought.

[Nine]

402. I did read it.

Most of the anti-tattoo comments boil down to, "I personally find them ugly." If you have tattoos, I can see why you wouldn't be thrilled to see that opinion expressed, but that's all it is - an aesthetic opinion. I see very few people expressing a belief that tattoos are truly indicative of a person's inner nature. Some people have opined about what impression they think a tattoo projects, but that doesn't mean they personally believe it.

[bunnies]

414. ...doesnt mean they personally believe it?

That might be slightly feasible if even so much as one of them had said as much. Instead, they just blurted out the judgements as if they were their own opinions. Wonder why.

[Nine]

426. Look, if my husband started dressing like Larry the Cable Guy I wouldn't be very happy.

Would I judge his character on it? No. We've been married for years, I already know he has a fine character. But I would still feel he was projecting a certain image that doesn't appeal to me. If I met a stranger who looked like Larry the Cable Guy, I would try to have an open mind, but I'd probably still subconsciously make some assumptions about him. I'll bet you would too. I would never say that a person who wears a camo hat and a flannel shirt with cut-off sleeves can't be an educated person, a good progressive, etc. In fact, I often object to broad brush characterizations I see on this site. But if someone started a thread that asked, "Would you find a man attractive if he looked like Larry the Cable Guy?' I wouldn't be surprised to see people responding, "No. That look just screams redneck to me." To some people, tattoos bring a certain image to mind. I don't find that judgmental. I don't consider it the same as saying all people with tattoos ARE thugs, and all people with cut-off flannel shirts ARE rednecks.

[bunnies]

435. ok. I lol'ed at the Larry the Cable Guy Stuff.

And I understand what youre saying about what that particular look projects. I guess I just feel differently because unlike the Larry look, its hard to lump all tattoo-havers into one package. There are different tattoos that say different things and are gotten for different reasons. Its a much broader group of people than the Larry types. Ya know?

So just for example, that poster upthread who insists we have no work ethic and are undesirable as employees. Its an absolutely absurd, broad-brush, insult.

I totally get that some people find tattoos unattractive. Im fine with that. Its the people like the one I just mentioned that frost my ass.

[Nine]

455. ok, glad we could end this on a friendly note

[bunnies]

458. Me too.

[PassingFair]

363. Well now you know.

Don't feel to badly, though.

I am initially turned off by people wearing flamboyant hats, too.

[bunnies]

385. But would you assail someones character due to hat choice?

I read through this whole disgusting thread unfortunately. Most posts go way beyond being "turned off".

[oldhippie]

400. I actually saw some of that here on DU .....

.... not that long ago.

Remember all the snarky remarks about the British Royalty's outlandish hats during the recent royal wedding? There were certainly a lot of comments about their character.

[bunnies]

403. I hid all those royal threads...

so I definitely missed that. After this thread though, Im not surprised.

[PassingFair]

418. I dislike all overt cries for attention. nt

[bunnies]

424. Is that what you think tattoos are?

Are you against all forms of personal expression? And speaking of "overt cries for attention" does that include protesters?

[PassingFair]

425. I have never seen a protester protesting for themselves.

Protest is done for the greater good. I approve of protests for the greater good.

Tattoos and flashy hats that say "Look at me, this is Me"....
not so much.

[bunnies]

430. Tattoos dont say "look at me" anymore than make-up and clothing can.

Its incredibly self-absorbed to think that people do things just to get your attention, dont you think? Some people actually enjoy expressing themselves for themselves. Imagine that.

And now youre trying to quantify your dislike of overt cries for attention? Its ok when it fits your idea of what a person should be?

I guess everyone else should just shut up, wear khakis and white shirts, and stifle all forms of self-expression. What a great world that would be.

[PassingFair]

431. Self express away!

Just don't expect others to be impressed.

As hard as it is for you to accept, you will be liked, by some people,
in spite of your "markings", and not because of them.

[bunnies]

433. I couldnt care less if others are impressed.

My tattoos have nothing to do with impressing anyone. Those who would judge me because I have ink arent the type of people worth my time anyway. Nor are those who would like me just because of them (if such people exist). Thankfully, I havent run into either of those types of people in my real life. Thankfully, I dont know anyone that shallow.

[PassingFair]

434. You have been expressing surprise all over this thread.....

why are you dragging this out if you "couldn't care less"?

[bunnies]

439. Not caring if others are impressed...

has nothing to do with being disgusted at judgmental bullshit. Yeah. I have a problem with judgmental bullshit. Call me crazy.

[ScreamingMeemie]

442. "I have ink..." That actually bothers me more than tattoos do.

I really don't care either way (as I stated up thread), but the whole "I have ink...," "Nice ink, man..." is annoying as hell. We all "have ink." I just carry mine around in a pen. You have a tattoo, not "ink." I hate this whole culture of needing to give something a "special name," and that DOES indeed speak to a need for attention (outside of ornamental attention). It's a tattoo.


Other than that, tat away. My brother has a really cool one on his shoulder. He's also lucky in that he's friends with the artist.

Ending comment, he's lucky because they are never worth that kind of cash.

[bunnies]

444. wow.

I dont even know what to say.

[ScreamingMeemie]

447. So let's leave it at that then.

[cui bono]

470. +1

[HappyMe]

368. OMG!!1

You prison thug bunny!!1



People that judge on external stuff are repulsive to me.

[bunnies]

379. lol.

Prison thug? Hell Im an unemployable, trashy, abomination! I can hardly stand to look at myself.

Seriously... the judgements are what shocked me so much. Its perfectly fine not to think somethings attractive but to judge people based on something like that? Deplorable.

[cui bono]

392. Haha... I'm surprised how many people on here have negative feelings

about tattoos. Weird.

When I leave my house I can't go more than a block down the main boulevard without seeing a dozen people with tattoos.
A lot of people I deal with at work have them, and I mean a lot of them, sleeves, whatever. So it's odd to hear people talk like this. Makes me feel like we're back in the 50's or something.

I live in a big city, maybe a lot of the people who don't like them haven't really been exposed to them.

[bunnies]

395. Its the same around here and I dont even live in a big city.

But I used to work for a Venture Capital company in Boston tattoos and all. Thankfully most of the people I encounter arent as bigoted as many in this thread. If they were to ever see my friends and I together, they'd probably cross to the other side of the street. Who could blame them? Most of us have piercings too. OMG! THE HORRORS!!!

You totally nailed it with the 50's thing. Maybe next someone can start a thread about how revolting women with really short hair are. Or maybe one about women wearing pants.

[cui bono]

409. Well have you heard?

Women are working now!!! Who's going to have dinner ready when the man gets home? (and yes it has to be a man at home, we dn't want to disrupt the theme of the thread)

[bunnies]

420. Jesus, No!

When did THAT happen? Just look what the world is coming to. We're DOOMED!

[Arugula Latte]

412. I'm in Portland, OR, and I think part of the reason I dislike tattoos is because I HAVE been exposed

to so many of them.

I know my dislike doesn't matter or mean anything, especially to the people with the tats, but it's just interesting to see people's gut reactions to tattoos and how many of us think they are ugly. Disclaimer: Of course, live and let live, to each her own, carry on, ink up if you want, go for it, etc. etc. etc.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

410. Looks like I'm not getting a date --

with anyone here anytime soon. I get that some folk have a taste for or against tattoos, but it's all the judgements that are being made I find most appalling on a "liberal/progressive" site.

[bunnies]

423. lol. Yep. Me neither.

Whatcha doin for dinner later? Looks like the Judgmental Cafe will be packed. The food sucks there anyway.

[FloridaJudy]

464. Nor will I

You'd probably need to be on the third date to notice my tattoo, though. It's on an area of my body that's usually covered except at the swimming pool. So I didn't do it to be trendy, or make a statement. It's meaningful to me alone.

Obviously, I'm not going to be terribly fond of someone who tattoos a swastika or a Confederate flag in a visible location, but it's the subject matter, not the state of being tattooed that offends me.

With or without permanent ink on your skin, it's your character that repels or attracts me. The last nurse who cared for me in an ER had a dragon on her forearm. She was kind, competent, and graced with a fine sense of humor. That's what really mattered, not the fire-breathing lizard (even though it was very well done).

[AgingAmerican]

358. In rare cases, yes

I do like symbolic tattoos. My friend who was adamantly anti-tattoo got three of them in the last few months. His Mom, sister and step dad all died in the last year. His mother was half native american. He got an eagle feather on his forearm with the dates she was born and died along the sides. He had a picture his sister drew with her name above it on his calf and he had a tattoo done on his other forearm with his step-dads birth and death dates and his signature.

Tattoos like those are highly symbolic and meaningful, IMHO.

[Zorra]

359. Smaller, tasteful single tats that are beautiful works of art can be attractive.

I don't care for overdone all over jailhouse tats at all.

I have permanent eyeliner tattooed on, and plan to get a purple butterfly tramp stamp soon.

[JonLP24]

364. It depends

Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not. Just depends on the design and where I guess.

[L0oniX]

365. Nope!

[lastlib]

366. Fuck, NO!

[cbdo2007]

367. No. If people want to display something they should just wear a shirt or pants

with a design on them.

[liberal_at_heart]

370. wow. Nice to see progressives act so progressive.

[cbdo2007]

389. permanently scarring your body is progressive?? lol

wow.

[cui bono]

471. No one said that. The comment was about all the people who are judgmental towards those with tattoos

Very surprising to find so much of it on DU. Sad.

[cbdo2007]

517. Having an opinion and being judgemental are different. Every progressive has opinions...even you!

[cui bono]

519. I know. That is exactly my position.

There are people in this thread who look down on those with tattoos - think they have a worse work ethic, are not team players, are not well-balanced, and get tattoos as a pathetic attempt to look cool because they can't think for themselves - just because they have a tattoo, with no regard to the person's character.

That is judgmental.

[closeupready]

371. On men, yes to a limit - on women, no, except

if she's an artist or otherwise funky.

But I'm gay, so who cares what I think, lol.

[bunnies]

388. Well said. Thank you.

And welcome to DU.

[bunnies]

405. I couldnt agree more.

Anyone who would judge you (or me) without knowing us just because we have ink is not worth knowing.

[GliderGuider]

422. A relative had the lat and long of her birthplace tattooed on the tops of her feet.

So when she looks at the ground she's walking on she will always remember where she came from.

Smart woman! No tramp stamp for her!

[appleannie1]

377. I don't like tattoos at all. I hate to see a woman in a dress with a tattoo down her arm or on her

upper chest. I find them just plain ugly.

[datasuspect]

383. trashy

.

[Rex]

399. No, I find them to be fascinating but not attractive.

nt.

[louis-t]

411. No

[Orsino]

413. There's a distinction.

I've seen many beautiful designs, beautifully executed.

The downside is that they seem to diminish the appearance of a person. However, pleasing my eye isn't anyone else's job, so go on with your bad selves. Don't listen to me.

[intaglio]

416. Depends on the tat

Many Japanese tats with the very subtle shadings certainly can add a special something.

[Salviati]

429. No, but it doesn't make me think any less of them.

If we were all the same, it would be a boring world.

[MadrasT]

437. I find it fascinating that so many people have an opinion.

Can't imagine why I would give a fuck what anyone else does with their body.

[Rex]

438. Well he said 'attractive' so it is always going to be a subjective answer.

Opinions are like onions.

[Silent3]

443. Does your brain really work that way? No opinions on anything ever form, even momentarily...

...until you work through a determination of whether or not you have a good reason to "care" about all of the issues involved?

[MadrasT]

466. Actually yes, I have Asperger Syndrome...

...and that is exactly how my brain works.

[Silent3]

500. I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not...

...but either way, that's not a reasonable thing to expect of most people. It would be like saying you don't feel pain when someone hits you in a dark room, until you turn on the lights, find out who did it, and ask them why -- and if they had a good reason, it magically wouldn't hurt.

[liberal_at_heart]

514. I think as liberals we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. We should stop and think before

forming opinions. That is the difference between us and the conservatives. My father said today that the reason Southern states have high pregnancy rates is because young girls who can't find a husband get pregnant so they can live off of welfare. Is it okay for him to form an opinion before evaluating who his opinions hurt? No. It's not okay for us to do it either.

[Silent3]

518. Terrible analogy. Opinions about aesthetics and attractiveness are totally different...

Last edited Wed Oct 9, 2013, 05:17 PM - Edit history (5)

...from forming opinions that are complex evaluations of people's motivations for their actions and life circumstances.

I don't evoke liberal standards, or any other high-level evaluation, before deciding if the weather is hot or cold, a flower is purple or orange, or a fabric is coarse or smooth. Aesthetics isn't at the lowest level of sensory awareness, but it's a lot closer to sensing temperature and color and texture than it is to deciding what people may or may not be doing to get welfare.

As for whether anyone is hurt by my opinion, it's not like I'm running up to people on the street and lambasting them for their ugly tattoos. I apply appropriate social awareness to when, where, and how I voice my opinions.

I think it's totally weird, and likely a dishonest (even if well-intentioned) head game to pretend that you can look at any sort of design, like a tattoo or a T-shirt or a painting, and have that sensory input float in your mind as a totally value-neutral pattern of colors and shapes until you've evoked the full array of all of your human sensitivities and moral values, and that no aesthetic sense will be arrived at until a full and fair and generous evaluation has first taken place.

I can imagine no mental process (at least not one I'd willingly endure) that will make me decide that this:



...is beautiful. That this tattoo is the owner's right to have, his decision, his choice, that his happiness in getting it is what matters to him, etc., etc., are all totally different issues from whether I think the tattoo is beautiful or ugly.

And it's fucking ugly.

I can imagine a touching story behind such a tattoo, like the man getting that tattoo to please a child who was dying of cancer, who also loved pizza -- but at best that would make it a beautiful gesture to wear an ugly tattoo, not a tattoo that is, in and of itself, beautiful.

[liberal_at_heart]

532. speaking of bad analogies. You want to compare a guy who gets a picture of a piece of pizza with

a mother who gets a picture of her newborn baby or someone who gets a picture of a loved one they have lost? Give me a break. If you don't like tattoos don't get one. Leave those who really love theirs alone.

[Silent3]

533. I didn't compare that tattoo to any other particular tattoo. And if you think they compare badly...

...now who here is being judgmental about tattoos? You've given yourself "liberal" permission to decide that some people's personal choices in tattoos aren't even worthy for comparison to other people's choices of tattoos?

Leave those who really love theirs alone.

Who's not leaving whom alone? Having your eyes fall on a particular tattoo, and having the visual impression register in your brain as "ugly", is somehow some sort of terrible interference in that person's life?

You seem utterly incapable, or unwilling, to even get the concept of an aesthetic impression and separate that in your mind from some sort of intrusive judgment -- even though you're apparently hypocritical in that regard yourself when it's a pizza tattoo.

[Iggo]

440. Depends on the tat.

[Evoman]

445. I just plain ol' love women.

Tattoos or no tattoos. All races. All types.

As long as they have eyes I get lost in, and a bangin' rump, I'm there, yo. I'm engaged to a gorgeous woman who has a kanji on her ankle. I loves her, yes I do.

[cpwm17]

446. I find them ugly

and a major turnoff.

[WilliamPitt]

449. My friend's work

My cousin-in-law Rory's tat, which he got after the Bruins won the Cup:



Great stuff.

[Silent3]

505. Great stuff?

At least with the first one I can sort of see the appeal, not that I like it that much.

The second screams "tacky!" to me, and (no, this is not an absolute, inflexible judgement about the person with no room for change -- just an honest initial impression) kind of sad that anyone would attribute that much importance to a sports team's performance. Even for a player on the winning team I'd find that tattoo a bit much. For just one of the team's millions of fans, frankly that seems pathetic to me.

If he loves it, it's still his business, of course. (God! Why are these stupid disclaimers necessary!?) But my strong negative reaction is there well before my brain editorializes and decides whether it's "right" or "fair" to form an opinion or an impression.

[Ino]

451. I'm sure the beautiful ladies with tattoos...

don't care what you think of them.

[Marrah_G]

452. I have two

I like them, my guy likes them. If I could afford it, I would get a couple more. it's easy to strategically place them so the only people who see them are the people you want to see them.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

462. Advertising is seldom attractive.

[Jenoch]

465. It just occurred to me that many years from now,

there will be nursing homes filled with old ladies who need help using the bathroom and the nursing assistants will get the honor of seeing all of the tramp stamps.

[Doremus]

467. Nope, sorry. I love art but not etched permanently onto the human body.

I've tried to like them and have actually grown beyond my intense hatred of them to general distaste.

If that makes me an ogre, so be it.

[Llewlladdwr]

473. I think we have a 500-pluser here folks! nt

[Turbineguy]

476. Not really

but I wish that women would really go for those initials that surgeons have carved into my skin in various interesting places.

[WinkyDink]

481. No. Not even on drunken sailore who love their Mothers.

[Eddie Haskell]

483. This is a test ... right?

I mean you're just trying to prove how superficial and vapid the DU is ... right? Well done.

[maddezmom]

489. Do you only have a problem with attractive ladies having tats?

What about attractive men or unattractive men? it is their choice and I have a feeling they aren't doing it to please you or anyone else.

[The Midway Rebel]

490. I used to think no, but after this thread, hell YES!

Tattoos seem to piss people off for no good reason other than people LIKE to be pissed off. Tattoos really seem to bring the authoritarian types as indicated in this thread...and they can all suck by big ugly blue tattoo.


I have a tattoo on my arm in big fancy letters that says MIDWAY REBEL.

[treestar]

492. No. I think it's a function of my age

Younger people are obviously cool with them. And some older people have joined that bandwagon. Personally, I could not imagine wanting one.

[Vashta Nerada]

494. Tattoos don't bother me.

They shouldn't bother anyone else either. Unless they're racist tats.

[Left2Tackle]

495. This thread needs more pictures..

Put me down as yes for attractive. More beautiful? No, there are more important things to consider.

Personally, a nice shoulder and back tat...nice

[Llewlladdwr]

497. So, is it safe to say many DUer's have strong opinions about tattoos? nt

[bullimiami]

501. YUP!

[Llewlladdwr]

502. Yes!! 500+!!!!

Thank you very much DU, I knew we could do this.

[steve2470]

503. Some tatts are, some aren't

Tattoos aren't my thing, but I've learned to like them and appreciate them.

[BainsBane]

508. I know of at least one tattoo that is really unattractive

This too




Other than that sort of thing, I do not care.

[Hekate]

516. Both my son and daughter have tattoos they got in their teens, then overlaid

Believe me, I was not consulted at that early age. My disapproval made no difference.

However, they are now well into their thirties and that point is moot. My son is on a long-term project with a real artist to have a "sleeve" done, and I have to say that dragon draping over his shoulder is a beauty. Everything he has can be covered by a business shirt with the sleeves half-rolled up.

My daughter her teenage tatt redone as a colorful fairy, and it's pretty on her ankle. She's had others done to mark passages in her life: when her baby daughter died of SIDS, she had the baby's handprints tattooed on her back up by her shoulder blades. Those are in black, like you get when you ink your hand and place it on paper.

It comes down to personal choice. I've known all my life that if I were ever to have one done it would be a small flower in a discreet location, but as I am now in my mid-60s it's not ever going to happen.

I think there are a certain proportion of youngsters who regret their tattoos for various reasons: inking your first love's name on your chest or arm is kind of dumb, but getting all identified with a gang can make it really hard/dangerous to drop out and be anonymous. Below a certain age, it really should be a no-no -- but then look at my own kids.

[Heidi]

521. My mother-in-law got her first (and only) tattoo at 72.

She was a little sad that she had to hide it from her very judgmental 95-year-old mother for a long while. The tattoo makes her happy. It's others expressing opinions about her body that bothers her. I mean, what kind of person feels entitled to comment on other people's harmless choices. I don't have any tattoos and don't want any, but I've never felt judged for that by anyone who does have tattoos.

[Hekate]

522. Good for her! The only ones I've ever thought disfiguring aside from criminal affiliations were

... The one's I saw on my nephew's girlfriend's upper chest: Last of a Dying Breed in big black Gothic letters. It just really said to me young, dumb, and almighty depressed. There was some family story about her family having no sons to carry on the name.

I've seen some stuff in photos that seemed hugely extreme, but on the whole what most people do with their own skin seems to be no longer an issue for most of society.

[Heidi]

520. My opinion does not determine anyone else's true beauty.

Nor does yours.

[Rex]

530. Very good point.

I know someone that has a graveyard across their back tattoo and they add a tombstone when someone they love dies. Made me think of tattoos in an entirely different way.

[El Supremo]

526. No, but my generation was different.

We only screwed up our bodies with drugs.

[samplegirl]

527. Personally NO!

The womans body is beautiful without tatoo's. I think tatoo's are unattractive on any womans body. I see so many woman with them and when they put them randomly all over their bodies they just look stupid. I have never ever really seen a tatoo that I really liked. Something about what I know it will look like later in life.
You rarely see a runway model with tattoos all over.

[UTUSN]

528. Threadkiller *OR* flamebait: ancient ones = anthropologic. Then, "masculine" efforts, NOW:

Let's skip Phase 1 (anthropology), on to Phase 2: Non-"artistic, testosterone-"proving" (military & prison).

NOW, with all the artsy stuff, neh and meh.

Here's my inflammatory theory: Today, the tats are for lonely reasons, to go through ordeals to get TOUCHED by somebody/anybody/whomever, with (on t.v.) stories about why they are so SIGNIFICANT emotionally. What they were about in Phases 1 & 2 were identity and testosterone. Now, they're about loneliness.

[ZombieHorde]

529. For me, it depends on the tat.

A Nazi Swastika would make someone less attractive to me, but other symbols could make someone more attractive.

[OmahaBlueDog]

535. No

Not wild about piercing, either.

[AAO]

539. Don't like them, appreciate or admire them. Would never have one.

[Zavulon]

540. Not at all.

I'm one of those who has never gotten the point of tattoos. I've seen more than I can count and have never seen one that made me think its presence was an improvement.