I know a few people who have mulitcolored tattoos, but the most popular color, by an overwhelming majority, seems to be green. Well, for men, anyway.
Just to add to the It’s No Big Deal theme:
I’m a college student, and I can say in all honesty that at at least half of my fellow students have tattoos. I’m taking a dance class right now, and when people lift their arms, it often pulls up a t-shirt to leave the small of the back visible, and several people in this class have tattoos right there. A very intelligent, wonderful friend of mine got three tattoos her freshman year of college. A lifelong friend, who is a pre-med biology major pulled me aside last summer to show me her new tattoos, two beautiful Celtic knots. One of my higher-ups at work, who has a 15-year-old daughter and is an MA in Art History has a tattoo on her wrist.
Aha, I’m about the same age as your son, and I think I understand your feelings, because my parents have expressed to me in no uncertain terms that they would be very unhappy if I got a tattoo, for the reasons you stated above (of course, they also informed me that I should not have more than four ear piercings, and I ignored them on that). However, tattoos are extremely common among people of my generation, and while the stigma might not go away for a while yet, it seems unlikely that your son’s tattoo will have any effect on his life or how people think of him. It’s simply becoming so common that people no longer give it any thought. I know that I don’t. Upon hearing that people have tattoos, I often ask to see them, but certainly would never be judgemental. (Well, except when my friend got a tattoo of Mr. Clean. I thought that was STUPID.)
FTR, I don’t have have any tattoos; not because I think they’re wrong or bad, but because I can’t think of anything that I love so much that I would want it on my body for the rest of my life.
~Harborina
“Don’t Do It.”
Really? Hmm, most guys with tatts I know prefer blackwork. I know that over a long period of time (like decades), tattoos that aren’t protected by sunblock can degrade in color (turning bluish, or greenish (i think) over time).
So at least half the people that take dance classes have tattoos, not half the student body.
I guess that explains it then. I’m just going by what I see on exposed arms in public here. Stands to reason that many of those exposed arms would be old along with the tattoos on them. Thanks for the explanation.
My cousin Jennifer has a small (quarter sized) tatoo on her hip, totall hidden unless she pulls doan hte side of her jeans.
It is chinese writing meaning ‘wicked’. Jennifer has an infectious smile, and the sweetest nature of anyone I have ever known…she is also a bit on the wild side. She has her tongue peirced too. Her tatoo is perfect - a mirror image of who she is and what she is aboutright NOW. Sure someday she will be a PTA mom and all that, the stretch marks will distort the writing, all of that. But she will see it, and remember the girl she was, and the fun she had.
Aha, maybe that is the case with your son as well. I hope every time he sees that tatoo he remembers how great he felt at 18.
As for being disapointed in him, well thats truly sad. I am sure he knows how you feel too. Shame on you. A tatoo does not negate all the good in him. Its not like he held up a bank for the love of god! He didnt hurt anyone. I think your disapointment stems more from the fact that he is turning into an individual instead of a little version of you.
If you think this is rough…just wait till he gets married to a girl he loves but you cant stand, or takes the dead end job you warn him against. Dont be suprised when he moves to the other side of the country either. But at least you wouldnt have to look at that tatoo right?
Wow. I wasn’t aware that there still are people who are shocked by tattoos. Aha, FTW, I work in a conservative bank, and I know of several people with tattoos, and a majority of my techie friends also have one or more. I do not believe that anything that can be hidden beneath a shirt and tie will hold back any of your son’s career opportunities.
Letting my inner child run loose and break things.
Kellibelli::
I think the things you are saying are absolutely right. And I think it is mostly just a different generation thing and I am going to have to get over it.
NTG:
I brought up his act score to show that he is a bright think-for-yourself kinda kid.
Everyone else:
One thing is for sure…ain’t no tattoo ever gonna stop me from loving my son or supporting him for as long as I live. 
Yours truly,
aha
Glad to hear that aha, sincerely.
What’s with the Yuppies getting them (in places normally not seen?). I see guys at the tennis club, getting out of the shower, with tattos in conceled places. What’s the value of something if you don’t display it?
Anyone care to share with the crowd what those things cost
.
I got mine in a concealed place because there are still judgemental fucks out there that think tatoos are the marks of satan. I know that I’m pushing things with long hair and a pierced ear, and while I don’t care what people think of me, I stop when it impairs my abilities to make money. Once I’m self employed, I’ll have more piercings, tats, and dress in leather every day. If I can con someone else into being PR.
Tats are much more accepted by my generation than they were by past ones. They don’t connotate social distinctions any more, they’re just a form of personal expression. There is a lot of feeling that we are just numbers to be processed, and it’s hard to get a sense of individuality. Everything has to be more and more “extreme” to be noticed, so style goes the same way as sports. Tats are a good way to make yourself different, if only in a small way. True, some people get the same stupid tatoos, but it’s only because they really are small minded, generic people.
http://www.madpoet.com
Clerks - Just because they serve you doesn’t mean they like you.
32 on the ACT and no tattoos.
Now Mrs. Pluto…
“Cheddar?”
“We don’t get much call for that around here, Sir.”
My tattoo took about one hour start to finish and cost $75.00. It had 3 major colors - black, red and green and didn’t have a lot of detail like some I’ve seen. I know people who have spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on their tattoos but the tattoos had lots of detail and color and took quite a while to complete.
That John Denver’s full of shit man!
AHA:
I can’t certainly relate to how you feel. Even if he is 18, I imagine seeing that takes you back to when he was brand new and you couldn’t stand to think of anything marring that perfect little body.
If it’s any consolation, tattoos are really not going to be seen as a big deal in the coming decades. I taught college for a while and even the most white-bread kids were getting tattoos and piercings.
Your post was a flashforward for me, though. It’s going to be hard to keep my mouth shut when my daughter (now 2 1/2) comes home showing off whatever the fashion is going to be.
I paid $35 for mine… is only 2x2" or so. Was a simple black and white design and business was slow that night though… he said that was basicly the fee for him to unpack his tools.
http://www.madpoet.com
Clerks - Just because they serve you doesn’t mean they like you.
$250 and 2.5 hours for mine, which is all blackwork. However, mine’s pretty detailed and pretty large, so that’s why it took so long.
Winner, SDMB’s Biggest Chat Addict
“Only two things that’ll soothe my soul - cold beer and remote control.”
Well, I am sorry I ranted like that, but I do get that attitude sometimes, and it does piss me off. But thanks for the explanation clarifying the point you were trying to get across. And to think, reading comprehension was always one of my strongest areas on the standardized tests…
To answer the other question, my tattoo is about two and a half inches by one and a half, all blackwork, and a very simple design. It cost me exactly $100. It was sort of a Christmas present to myself. The outline hurt the most, it was like my cat had hooked his claws under my skin and kept pulling and pulling and pulling… after that, the fill-in work was a walk in the park. My parents didn’t mind at all (not that there’s really anything they can say since I don’t live with them anymore). I went to show my sister, but before I got the chance, she said “Hey! How are you doing!?” and whacked me right in the very spot on my upper left arm that had just gone under the needle… So it is absolutely vital to make sure that everyone knows you’ve been tattooed right off the bat, at least if your family is as aggressively affectionate as mine…
Heck is where you go when you don’t believe in Gosh.
NTG:
That apology was not needed however it shows that you are a bigger person than most and that helps me keep my faith in human beings. Thanks
After reading your post and the post of others on here I might just by god go get me a tattoo. Any suggestions??
Yours truly,
aha
You know, I don’t even want to keep the same style of glasses for the rest of my life. So why would I want something that literally is only skin deep? Never understood it myself. But maybe instead of turning 38 in about a week I might actually be turning 83?
Ol’ Buck