# Tattoos--should they be meaningful?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-should-they-be-meaningful/521382>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 15, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-should-they-be-meaningful/521382 "2009-12-15T18:15:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-should-they-be-meaningful/521382/61 "2009-12-21T18:55:06Z")

</div>

I have a tribal on my right bicep. It means nothing but I wanted a tattoo and I thought that would be something I could live with, simply because it means nothing. A good friend of mine owns a tattoo shop and he has done some nice drawings for me, but I want to make sure that I am willing to put with it on me for the rest of my life. My next one is definately going to be in memory of my Dad.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-should-they-be-meaningful/521382/62 "2009-12-21T20:14:57Z")

</div>

I’ve got three tats - two are meaningful and one was just because I liked it.

I think you can go both ways with tats, purely decorative or to memorialize or symbolize something.

That said, I think that going into a tat shop and picking one off the flash wall is the worst way to get one.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Amber\_in\_Treasury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber_in_Treasury)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-should-they-be-meaningful/521382/63 "2009-12-22T00:38:46Z")

</div>

As of now, I’ve got two tattoos and both are quite meaningful.  
Though I find some designs to be cheesy and/or stupid, I have generally no problem with people getting tattoos “because the design looks so cool”.  
Unless, perhaps, the design in question _does_ have a very strong meaning but the person in question either doesn’t care, or just doesn’t have a clue about it. That irritates me - like rich kids in Che Guevara shirts, who know jack shit about Che’s life AND couldn’t live without daddy’s capitalism. :rolleyes:  
Other than that, though, I really have no problem with “non-meaningful” tattoos.

By the way: are there any tattoo artist Dopers out there? I’d love to see an “ask the tattoo artist” thread!

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-should-they-be-meaningful/521382.md?page=3)