What do you think about Tatoos?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I was prompted to start this thread by a picture I saw about a Danish aid worker helping a Nigerian child who is terribly malnourished (and close to death’s doorstep) and was thought to be a “witch” by some people in her village.

It’s a terribly sad story. One thing that struck me was this very lovely Danish lady seemed to be covered in tatoos. Take a look for yourself:

Photos of starving Nigerian ‘witch’ toddler prompt outpouring of charitable donations

I thought I’d put this question in the form of a poll. I’ve only ever created one poll before and so if I muck it up, I hope you will be tolerant.

2

Where is the “I love them and think that people with tattoos totally fucking rock!” option in your poll?

3

I like them…on other people (unless they are just terrible tattoos). I get bored easily so I know I would get bored very quickly with anything I get on my self. Therefore, I have none.

4

Another vote for “don’t have them, don’t want them, but as a rule think they are awesome on other people, whether a little or a lot.”

If my spouse got one without consulting with me, I’d be irked, but about the communication and not the tattoo. (Well, “fuck off and die, Dr. Drake” might bother me a little. Depends on the font.)

5

Not for me, but lots of people seem to like them. Different strokes.

6

My answer would be may look good but not smart to mark your body for life.

7

I’ve seen some very nice tattoo work. Also some that was not so nice. There’s a huge range of variability.

I won’t get myself inked, for essentially “Jewish” reasons – my mother made me promise I wouldn’t!

(Also, it is rumored to hurt…)

8

I’ve seen tattoos that are, on their own, nice enough bits of art but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with a tattoo and thought “Boy, they look better for having that”. Seen plenty that made me think “That looks like garbage on them”. I can appreciate the art and craftsmanship in some of them, I just don’t think they benefit the person as a whole.

My wife actually has a tattoo that she got after we were married and knew about my general opinion. But her desire to have the tattoo certainly outweighed my general ambivalence and there was no conflict around the decision. It’s a nice piece of illustrative work and expertly done; I don’t think it makes her look better for having it but she likes it and that’s what matters.

9

I’m going that one with one small caveat — huge ones that are basically one thing. I saw one that was basically just a Spiderman suit but a tattoo. I find something like that, or covering your body to look like a lizard without doing the body mods as well, just a little bit dull.

10

I’m fascinated by the things people choose to have permanently imprinted on their bodies, but have no desire to get one myself. It might be a different story if I liked the colour palette better, but skin seems to affect the range of colours available in a way that I find displeasing. I can’t think of a tattoo I’ve seen that looked nicer than plain bare skin, but some of them are very skilled and interesting.

11

I don’t like the look of tattoos. I don’t understand how people can be confident that they’ll continue to like something for the next half century or so. I also don’t like the options in the poll.

I wonder how long this fad will last.

12

You are correct. That was my mistake.

Second option is “Nothing Wrong with them”. That is as close as I could come at the time.

That picture really shook me up.

13

My primary concern is that my body can easily change in 20 years or more. Can you imagine what a tatoo will look like if someone gains a whole lot of weight or loses a whole lot?

14

I don’t care particularly what people do to themselves but I think mostly they look pretty shit. Even the decent ones are only interesting the first few times you see them. Last year I sat on an interview panel to help out at work. One of the best applicants had tatoos everywhere including on his face. The people filling the position wanted to pass him over because they didn’t want to have to explain away his tatoos but I convinced them that, since there was no client contact, he should be given a position. He turned out to be the best appointee of the batch. But again his tatoos looked like shit and were by no means an embellishment. And I think it’s sad that if he hadn’t had me, by pure chance, to argue his case his tatoos would have denied him at least one job.

15

I must hang out with a different group of people than you do, as I find that I hardly notice anyone’s tatoos anymore unless it is either really awesome of totally abominable.

16

I’m kinda of like you on this. I wouldn’t suggest doing anything which could jeopardize a future job interview. Now most times people can be pretty open but you never know. So I can see getting something on your back or upper arm but all over your body?

Besides I’ve seen what some of those cost. One friends skull said it cost him $500. One has to wonder their priorities.

17

Yeah, that’s what my choice would be. I’m running out of room.

18

Last night, I saw a Nova episode on PBS about Otzi the Ice man. Who was murdered more than 5000 years ago, leaving behind a body that was preserved in a glacier. He had about 61 tattoos. Don’t hold your breath waiting for this “fad” to blow over.

I don’t have any tattoos. Have noticed some good ones on other people & some not-so-good ones. Their choice.

19

I don’t see anything wrong with them, but it’s that person’s business. The unfortunate part of this story is that while tattoos are becoming more socially acceptable in the west, there’s still plenty of places where they’re not, and even some places in the west that still take issue with them.

Speaking for my own views, I find tattoos fascinating from a purely artistic/aesthetic perspective. I think it’s a unique form of art in that we have the artist collaborating with the “canvas” and it becomes a living piece of art that is, in the best case, an amalgamation of both of their visions. For me, I don’t have a personal desire to have any, partially because there’s nothing I’m so sure I’d want to wear the rest of my life to do it, but I’m not inherently attracted to or repulsed by someone that has tattoos. In some cases, even one can be unattractive, and though I generally do find having a ton of tattoos to be a bit of a turn off, it can work well for certain aesthetics some people go for. For instance, I’ve got a bit of a thing for the metal/rocker chick look, and sometimes that means a fair number of tattoos, and if they’re consistent with that look, it adds to it. I’ve never dated a girl where that she had tattoos even really entered my mind other than as a random factoid about her, but I also haven’t had the opportunity to date a girl that was heavily inked, so I can’t say for sure.

20

See, that’s the thing. Everyone always says “What are they going to look like when you’re ollllllld?” Yeah, well, I think they’ll look pretty badass. See, I have a tat. When I am old I am going to be wrinkly and diminished and not exactly a sexpot. My tat will look the same as me. But I will be able to look back at it and say: I got it. I was brave enough to sit for a tat, and to defy norms and expectations and I love it. It’s just like my nose piercing. Everyone said that was a fad, too, but you know, MY people have been doing it for a long, long time.

I like tattoos just like anything else: I like some, and I don’t like others. For example, I don’t approve of any tattoos in a language you yourself don’t know. Be it Japanese, or Sanskrit, I hate it. But my “disapproval” does, and should, mean absolutely nothing to anyone.