# Tattoos **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490 "2001-06-28T17:11:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scaasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Scaasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scaasi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/1 "2001-06-28T17:11:57Z")
What percentage of American’s have tattoos? ---
**Author:** ![gwar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/96bed5/32.png) [@gwar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2001, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/2 "2001-06-28T21:18:23Z")
I don’t know, but I bet it has increased four-fold in the last ten years. ---
**Author:** ![jmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmonster)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/3 "2001-06-29T02:16:15Z")
I don’t know either, but frankly, I’m shocked that you pluralized “American” with an apostrophe, but not “tattoo”. I guess the rule for apostrophes has pretty much devolved into **Use Randomly**. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/4 "2001-06-29T02:57:05Z")
_sigh_ kids these days… When I was your age, we didn’t have these message boards full of folks just waitin’ to answer questions. We had to use Search Engines. And we liked it, dadgummit! According to this article from American Demographics magazine: [http://search.britannica.com/magazine/article?content\_id=183622&query=tattoo](http://search.britannica.com/magazine/article?content_id=183622&query=tattoo) An 1990 FDA survey of 10,000 households found 3% of the general population, and 5% of males, had tattoos. A 1997 survey of over 2000 American teens found 10% having tattoos, with an almost even male/female split. And guys, spelling and grammar flames are weak. Really weak. –sublight. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/5 "2001-06-29T03:16:13Z")
It depends on where you go. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dbc845/32.png) [@jmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmonster)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/6 "2001-06-29T04:26:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sublight \* > And guys, spelling and grammar flames are weak. Really weak. I’m just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/7 "2001-06-29T06:38:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sublight \* > \*\*. > > And guys, spelling and grammar flames are weak. Really weak. > > \*\* Shouldn’t it be “…are weak, really weak.” ---
**Author:** ![Freedom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Freedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freedom)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/8 "2001-06-29T13:05:13Z")
I’m not one for grammar flames, but that one WAS kind of funny:) ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/9 "2001-06-29T13:43:45Z")
**Sublight** : > [@](#): > > Really weak. Sentence fragment. I wonder if tattoo _removals_ have increased as well? ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/10 "2001-06-29T20:13:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RAWisSYDNEY \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Sublight \* > > **And guys, spelling and grammar flames are weak. Really weak.** > > **Shouldn’t it be "…are weak, really weak."** Shouldn’t you have used a **question mark**? ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/11 "2001-06-30T05:50:58Z")
I would say, “…are weak, really FUCKING weak.” ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/12 "2001-07-01T06:54:55Z")
I hate to post so far off-topic, but I find myself sympathizing with jmonster. It’s like walking up a flight of stairs and trying to step on that “phantom step” at the top. American’s _what_? It’s annoying. ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2001, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/13 "2001-07-01T06:58:00Z")
Doh! Stupid comma splice! ---
**Author:** ![Scaasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Scaasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scaasi)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2001, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos/70490/14 "2001-07-02T12:59:18Z")
I am sorry that what was honestly a typo seems to have upset so many of you. I really just wanted to see if anyone knew how many Americans have tattoos and by accident I threw an apostrophe in there. What’s even more sad than my typo is how much time has been wasted commenting on my grammar.