# Tattoos: What Are People Thinking? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324 "2003-12-01T19:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/41 "2003-12-02T16:36:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by !ceQueen \* > \*\*IMHO bad parenting rather than what are they thinking. \*\* Oh, honestly. My mom TOOK me and my cousin to get ours. (With my aunt’s full knowledge, might I add!) ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/42 "2003-12-02T17:06:49Z")
I’m not so sure that old people don’t care how they look. That sounds like something that a lot of short-sighted young people might believe, but I doubt if its true. More to the point, its not a matter of looking good or bad, but of looking foolish. If you have something tattooed on you that represents a decidedly youthful image, you will look incongruous and foolish when you get older, not merely bad. Same goes for a change in image. It’s not just whether you can cover it up when you are in an atmosphere in which you wish to convey a more conservative image, but the possibility that your own attitudes may change over time - as people’s are apt to do - and you may come to view yourself differently, and to want to convey a different image to your intimate associates, and even to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![lilabet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@lilabet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilabet)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/43 "2003-12-02T17:47:52Z")
I have my husband’s name tattoed on my lower back in Japanese kanji, which is very special. And no, I don’t think I will regret it when I am older. IT also happens to look beautiful. And I can cover it at work, so no probs there. And for \*\* !cequeen \*\* - I was shit scared about telling my mum (she actually reacted fine…!!) so don’t go blaming her. Lil ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/44 "2003-12-02T18:10:02Z")
I’m 23 and got my tattoo this past June. Mr. Congo got his first one too and he’s 30. I have a small bunny on my arm, right above my wrist. I love it. I got it because I love my two bunnies and to remember the one that we lost. It’s only about an inch long and it’s not colored. I don’t think I’ll ever regret getting it since it’s something important to me. I didn’t get my tattoo to impress anyone. It’s there for me. When I get older, I’ll explain to my kids and my grandkids why I got it and what it means to me. Now, even if all my pictures are destroyed or my memory fails, I’ll still have the reminder of something that was important to me. Unless I lose my left arm that is. What I don’t understand is why someone would implant spikes in their head or fork their tongue. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/45 "2003-12-02T19:14:39Z")
The thing that gets me about tats is that kids who get them are hoping for instant coolness. I see kids with otherwise nil personality thinking they are cutting edge with a tattoo. A friend who is a magician, filmmaker friends, actor friends, musician friends, all have tattoos and they go with their flamboyant lifestyles. I just don’t think tatoos make Joe Blow cool. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/46 "2003-12-02T19:23:24Z")
Everyone knows it’s smoking and not tattoos that make one cool. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/47 "2003-12-02T21:18:11Z")
Ah, the eternal question of whether or not to be a blank… Me? I am still blank, but not for long. I have been thinking about my tattoo for over 15 years, and I am ready now! Husband is not ready, but we will work that out. It is the gift of my best friend for my 36th birthday (6 months late, but it was my delay). The piece will be on my low lower back, where modesty will dictate who sees it. It will be a Celtic knotwork, and since my ancestry will not be changing, I feel pretty safe! My brother has several- a rendering of his Eagle Scout medal on his upper arm, a Celtic knotwork band around the other bicep, a tribal sun on a pec, a platoon tattoo on his ankle, and insignia from his Army Ranger battalion on his forearm. All are things that continue to mean a great deal to him, and no regrets at all. He is thinking about getting a big ol’ Tree of Life on his back. Oh, and the poster above with the baby’s footprint tattoo? You rock! What a fantastic idea! For math geeks- check this out- > **[The UnKnot Celtic Tattoo Design](https://luckyfishart.com/products/the-unknot-celtic-tattoo-design)** > > This is the one image on this site that is the antithesis of a Celtic knot. It is an example of the mathematical construct of string theory that is called the "un-knot".... lift up any part of the pattern and there are no weaves, no over-unders, it... ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/48 "2003-12-02T21:35:22Z")
This topic comes up every now and again and the arguments are always the same. I say why are tattoos necessarily incompatible with a ‘conservative’ lifestyle? I’ve got four tattoos and I’m leading perhaps the most conservative lifestyle I could imagine. I wear a dress suit to work every day, and I work in an office surrounded by professionals of all types. And if you want to know a secret, there are far more professionals and conservative people out there with tattoos than you might think. And I’ve never met someone who regretted getting a tattoo. I suppose it’s a matter of self-selection. Those of us who are likely to get tattoos in the first place are also the type who are less likely to regret things such as tattoos. We don’t tend to live our lives in a manner that reflects what other people think or care about us. So what if someone laughs at my tattoos when I’m 80? I didn’t do it for them, I did it for me. So to answer your question, I personally was not motivated by anything other than my own tastes when choosing my tattoos. I’ve got a celtic cross on my left shoulder and two celtic knot-style roses on each [ankle](http://members.aol.com/xjetgirlx/images/ankle1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/49 "2003-12-02T22:50:07Z")
I’ve wanted to get a tattoo for several years know, but haven’t found anything that I thought would still be relevent or meaningful 10 years on. I now have a daughter (just turned 1) and am going to get her footprint(s), just don’t know where. Thought that was an original idea, but looks like Casey1505 has beat me to it. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![look\_hergo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85e7bf/32.png) [@look\_hergo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_hergo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/50 "2003-12-02T23:41:23Z")
Here in the great Northwest, it seems like _everybody_ has a tattoo. So I am being a rebel and keeping my skin tabula rasa. Mmmmm… rarity value… ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/51 "2003-12-02T23:51:43Z")
I was heavily tattooed when younger (still am) and I’ve already adopted a much more conservative image. I find a suit covers up my sleeves pretty well. Sure, they’ll look strange in the old folks home someday. I’m sure a faded Marine tattoo on a WWII veteran looks strange to nursing home personnel nowadays, as the bearer probably doesn’t look quite so tough now. However, if they look at my tattoos and find some reason to laugh at me instead of seeing them as a reminder that I’m not a hollow shell but a real person who once went places, did things, lived a life, and was the master of his fate, then I don’t want that sort of person wiping my ass in the first place, and if able I will tell them so. ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/52 "2003-12-03T00:10:11Z")
What pravnik said. Besides, I’m not living my life just to avoid having some goober snarking on my tats 40 years from now. I got my first at 38, a Route 66 sign nestled into a Joshua tree on my left shoulder. To me it’s a reminder of my roots and where I come from. Besides, it turned out beautifully. I’ve never regretted it for a moment. I’m thinking of a couple more, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/53 "2003-12-03T00:30:10Z")
Besides, how many European monarchs had tattoos? Quite a few. It’s royal to get a tat! ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/54 "2003-12-03T00:34:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mojave66 \* > **I’m not living my life just to avoid having some goober snarking on my tats 40 years from now** The Tat-Snarking Goobers would make a truly unfortunate band name. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/55 "2003-12-03T02:15:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The\_Stranger \* > When I see some old geezer with a “Death before Dishonor” tattoo, or “Semper Fi” or “Ranger”, I am not amused- I am proud. > I think to myself, here’s another old Vet that did his time protecting Freedom. Couple more points: 1. Just because someone has a Marine Corps emblem tattoo, or “Semper Fi” or what have you is NO guarantee they ever served in the military in any capacity. 2. I used the example of “death before dishonor” because it is NOT primarially a military tattoo but rather one that, historically, has been strongly associated with thieves and criminals. Also used by random wannabe badasses and the like. No, there is not anything ridiculous about the honorable signs of honorable military service - be they tattoos or scars. However, some stuff CAN look ridiculous at advanced old age. By the way - I hope all the young folk considering Japanese-style sleeve treatments are aware that, in Japan, such things are usually associated with the criminal underworld. If you’re going to appropriate something from another culture be aware of what you’re borrowing. Rather like if you have something tattooed in a foreign language, be sure you know what those words are saying before making the life-long committment. I’ve seen some tattoos that were genuine works of art. I’ve seen some that were, start to finish, Bad Ideas. All I ask is that people THINK before they do something permanent. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/56 "2003-12-03T03:45:52Z")
I’m 35 and only got my first last year. I’d hemmed and hawed about it for years - more than a decade, really, and finally came upon an idea I liked (it’s a highly abstracted cat, which I adapted from a mid-60s Japanese print I found online). The location I chose with aging in mind: my calf. Calves don’t sag much, and it’s pretty easy to keep them in shape. Haven’t had a bit of regret, though I do need to have the eyes redone - they were spectacular blue, but I scabbed rather badly and lost a lot of ink. But that shouldn’t be too hard. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/57 "2003-12-03T08:26:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jimpatro \* > **The thing that gets me about tats is that kids who get them are hoping for instant coolness.** Several people in this thread have stated that they got their first tattoo in their 30s. What is your opinion of these older “kids” and the reasons they got a tattoo? FTR, my tat is an ancient Egyptian symbol that will retain its meaning long after I’m dead. Ironic that one of the meanings it holds is “eternal life”. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/58 "2003-12-03T12:24:45Z")
I currently have 4 tattoos: 1. Simple line drawing crescent moon on the back of my right wrist (I’ve always been a, er, Moon person, if that makes sense) 2. A simple starburst on the back of my left wrist (A design I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember) 3. A fairly simple black dragon with blue flames on my left breast 4. Two snakes entwined, with one tail, with the words “Change the direction of the flow away from catastrophe” on my lower back (the symbolism of which would take MANY paragraphs to explain) And I have a large, elaborate one waiting for me to get started on it (Wrapping from elbow to elbow, across my back). To me, all my tattoos symbolize my beliefs, or act as reminders (such as the one on my back), and are all original. As someone who takes tattoos seriously (unlike my piercings, oh well), I do occasionally have to stiffle a giggle when I see some goofy ones - like nekkid demon women with huge bosoms. Or a pot leaf smoking a joint. But I do REALLY like that tattoo of a baby’s footprint on the calf. I find that really sweet and meaningful. Go you! ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/59 "2003-12-03T12:39:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OxyMoron \* > \*\*I’m 35 and only got my first last year. I’d hemmed and hawed about it for years - more than a decade, really, and finally came upon an idea I liked (it’s a highly abstracted cat, which I adapted from a mid-60s Japanese print I found online). The location I chose with aging in mind: my calf. Calves don’t sag much, and it’s pretty easy to keep them in shape. Haven’t had a bit of regret, though I do need to have the eyes redone - they were spectacular blue, but I scabbed rather badly and lost a lot of ink. But that shouldn’t be too hard. \*\* I don’t know where you got yours done, but if you need a place check out FLY RITE studios in Williamsburg Brooklyn. L train to Lorimer, and it’s right up the street from Kelloggs diner. Look for a red awning. ---
**Author:** ![mailman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@mailman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mailman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324/60 "2003-12-03T17:49:12Z")
Sorry. but I haven’t seen a tattoo yet that was art. To me they mostly look like the ugly murals that people painted on vans in the seventies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-what-are-people-thinking/216324.md?page=4)