A wonderful old guy I worked with some years ago got a tattoo during WWII while in India. It was the upper torso (clothed) of a young woman and was located on his upper arm.
The years did their damage: the young woman sagged and he grew a lot of body hair between the ages of 18 and 60. None of the younger guys decided to get tatts after seeing Louie’s.
Have you ever met anyone who regretted NOT getting one? Surely they are out there, but I suspect they are an order of magnitude rarer than those who regret getting one.
As many others have suggested already: try it in henna first. Call it a test drive. Then decide whether to rent or buy.
So what did Orthodox Auschwitz survivors do who had the number IDs tattoed on their arms?
They got their tattoos against their will. That doesn’t count.
Haj
I am not attracted to, or especially put off by tattoos, but I can say that I’ve never seen a tattoo on a woman that made her more attractive. Queenie, you’re beautiful just the way you are.
Put me down as another guy that finds tat’s unattractive on females. They just take away class, and don’t improve the way a woman looks at all, IMHO.
I’m not what I would call a feminist, but to me a tattoo falls into the category of “ownership of your own body.” I don’t care if anybody else likes or dislikes my tattoo, my blue/purple/orange/whatever the current color is hair, etc. It’s my body. The tattoo I have now and the one I’m going to get have personal, almost spiritual meaning to me.
Sorry I’m so late getting back to this thread! I do want to respond to Dave’s question though. 
Dave wrote:
"Uh…would this woman have honestly looked good if she had bared herself in this manner, and didn’t have any tattoos?
Whether you are in favor of tats or not, and even if you recognize that they are permanent, and nobody looks the same at 60 as they do at 25, and you acknowledge that a torso tattoo will quite possibly sag, it may not make much difference. People past a certain age are much less vain about their bodies than younger people are."
Actually, it was not so much that the tattooing sagged in places but rather the full-body effect. Nearly every inch of both arms and her torso (what she did expose, that is) was covered in tattoos. And it just looked awful to me–just my personal taste, I guess. One or two tatts don’t bother me, but so many of them, covering nearly every inch of skin…just gives me the heebie jeebies. LOL
Hope this answers ya, Dave. And glad you’re liking your tattoo.
tarragon
I figure I’ll point the tattooed Dopers in this thread over to the Doper Tattoo Gallery. I’d be rather interested in seeing Squish’s one up there, as I’ve always been rather intrigued by facial tattoos, even if it’s something I’d never go for.
I’ll be going to get my first tattoo next Tuesday. I went for a really complex design, which will take about 4–5 hours to do, so I’m kind of worried about the pain. And the cost, which I really didn’t feel like asking about when I made the appointment.
Oooh, can you predict my future next?
I haven’t gotten pictures of it yet, but when I do I’ll send one in. It’s nothing elaborate at all, though; it’s just a red line across my cheekbone with a small oval at the end. My next one will be a lightning bolt, probably on the front of my thigh.
Yikes, as to the cost! Tattoos aren’t cheap, generally. As for the pain, where are you getting it? Have you been exposed to much pain in your life (broken bone, serious illness, that sort of thing)? How thick is your skin where you’re getting it? These things influence the pain, and so does your attitude. I once had a quadriplegic boyfriend who taught me, “Pain is only a sensation. If you relax into it and accept it, you can get through it much easier than if you fight it.”
anenquiringmind, why are you so adamantly against tattoos?
good evening friends,
my daughters took me to get my first tattoo for father’s day this year. i now have the chinese characters for harmonious peace tatooed on my right shoulder.
as soon as i get a picture taken i will submit it to doper tats.
How very cool!