# What do you think about Tatoos? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421 "2016-02-18T05:31:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/81 "2016-02-20T20:48:16Z")
I like them, but personally would never get one above my shoulders. I only have a very small one on my back/right shoulder. I got it 37 years ago. It’s completely faded and has no definition. If I had the extra money to get something done with it - either removed or turned into something else, I would immediately. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/82 "2016-02-20T20:56:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I think it was the starving kid that shook him up. Considering the OP’s history, you have to wonder. And why was his post all about tattoos and not one word about the starving kid? Seriously dude, priorities. > [@JohnGalt](#): > > When I see my students come to class with heavy tattoos I worry about their future employablility. Our nursing faculty has it much harder: local hospitals don’t allow nurses to have exposed tattoos so I see lots of nursing students wearing some pretty large band-aids. My cousin’s wife is a pediatric oncologist – she has a small tattoo on her wrist. I doubt she wears a band-aid all the time. > [@Pabitel](#): > > I have no gate key when it comes to why people get tattoos. I boggles my mind that anyone would layout that kind of money for something so plebeian. It’s like the [$300 shower clogs](http://www.fwrd.com/product-givenchy-polyurethane-slide-sandals-in-black/GIVE-MZ28/?d=Womens&source=google¤cy=USD&mkwid=%7Bifsearch:s%7D%7Bifcontent:c%7D_dc%7Cpcrid%7C72896651314%7Cpkw%7C%7Cpmt%7C&pdv=c&matchtype=&gclid=Cj0KEQiAl5u2BRC6yszC1_75v5wBEiQAD-hdz9GNqWwv9VlsjzQkaplSL1UCFSVeLdMBkUHKIMxx7KcaAjxr8P8HAQ) that you can get to wear with your [$1200 sweats](https://www.ssense.com/en-us/men/product/thom-browne/grey-koi-chrysanthemum-lounge-pants/1398083). WTF? > Is trailer trash chic the best we can do for a national aesthetic? I believe George V of Great Britain had a tattoo. Hardly trailer trash. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/83 "2016-02-21T02:18:40Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Is there a logic to this, or is it just an example of somebody using their power to enforce a preference? > > In general, “you shouldn’t do X because someone who has power over you and feels differently might react with Y” is a poor and fearful way to go through life. (referring to nurses covering up their tattoos) - i think it has to do with the medical center trying to maintain its “upright” reputation and catering to their older, conservative patient population. They are serving their customers and the customers have negatively responded to tattoos, hence the ban. If their patients had complained about doctors with beards, I’m sure those would be banned as well. Just don’t ask me why patients would complain; I have no problems either way. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/84 "2016-02-21T03:45:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve hung out in tattoo parlors, attended conventions. I have friends with near full coverage. I dated a woman once who was covered from the neck down pretty much. The modded folks I have been with talked about the same things most people talk about, but I never heard anyone diss the unadorned. “I never saw this, or if I did i paid no attention to it, thus it never happened.” ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/85 "2016-02-21T05:24:55Z")
I wouldn’t want any, but I’m fine with anyone else having them. I’m not a big fan of such things when they turn into (IMHO) “I’m showing my individuality by looking exactly like everyone else” and I have to admit I look down on “tramp stamps” and tattoos I find trashy (which is subjective). When people close to me talk about getting tattoos of very banal things, that’s a turnoff. FWIW, since I’m self-employed I never worry about things like how it affects employment and I don’t feel that being clean cut ever benefited me any in any way in life. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/86 "2016-02-21T05:31:36Z")
I really don’t like them at all, and I wish I didn’t have to look at them. This used to be easy, as most tattoos were hidden behind clothing, but now they’re everywhere, on forearms, legs, and even necks and faces, and I can’t avoid seeing them. It’s disappointing, but there’s nothing I can do but grin and bear it. ---
**Author:** ![Lisaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@Lisaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisaren)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/87 "2016-02-21T15:58:27Z")
I have seen very few tattoos that make the person more attractive, but I have also seen many tattoos that do not make the person less attractive. I do have a tattoo and I plan to get another one. I will probably go with my daughter sometime after she turns 18 to get my next one while she gets her first. With the tattooing craze going on right now, there is just so much bad work. The quality of the tattoos leaves so much to be desired. I got my tattoo almost 15 years ago and the lines have not blurred and the colors have not faded. It is good quality work and I will have the same artist do my next tattoo. Please folks, if you get a tattoo, make sure you use a good quality artist. The work will live with you forever. ---
**Author:** ![Phu\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Phu\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phu_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/88 "2016-02-21T18:33:52Z")
As cool as you may think they look today, the fad will pass. And let there be no doubt about it, they are a fad. There will be a lot of grandmas in another 20 years saying: “What the heck was I thinking???” Maybe by then they’ll have a way to get rid of them but I’ll bet it won’t be cheap. BTW, I have two but I got mine before they were a fad. Phu Cat ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/89 "2016-02-21T19:32:45Z")
> [@Phu\_Cat](#): > > As cool as you may think they look today, the fad will pass. And let there be no doubt about it, they are a fad. There will be a lot of grandmas in another 20 years saying: “What the heck was I thinking???” Maybe by then they’ll have a way to get rid of them but I’ll bet it won’t be cheap. BTW, I have two but I got mine before they were a fad. > > Phu Cat They’re not a fad. They are a fashion, and the fashion will change, but anything with thousands of years of history isn’t a “fad.” Beards are probably a better analogy: sometimes they’re in, sometimes they’re out, but at any given time many humans will have them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/90 "2016-02-22T13:15:20Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Similarly, have you ever noticed that tattooed folks never criticize those without body art? > [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure they do. “boring” “conservative” 'afraid". > [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve hung out in tattoo parlors, attended conventions. I have friends with near full coverage. I dated a woman once who was covered from the neck down pretty much. The modded folks I have been with talked about the same things most people talk about, but I never heard anyone diss the unadorned. > [@DrDeth](#): > > “I never saw this, or if I did i paid no attention to it, thus it never happened.” Look. I’ve spent significant time amongst folks seriously into tattooing. Many of these people face some degree of derision/discrimination over their choices. Anyone talking negatively about people without mods would stand out like a sore thumb as an asshole. So, yeah, IME, which is considerable, it ain’t a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/91 "2016-02-22T13:39:10Z")
> [@Phu\_Cat](#): > > As cool as you may think they look today, the fad will pass. And let there be no doubt about it, they are a fad. There will be a lot of grandmas in another 20 years saying: “What the heck was I thinking???” Maybe by then they’ll have a way to get rid of them but I’ll bet it won’t be cheap. BTW, I have two but I got mine before they were a fad. > > Phu Cat Somewhere at home I have a folder of yellowed comics from the Reader back in the 90s. In one of them, set sometime in the future, one wrinkled, pierced, inked old man says to the other something along the lines of, “So you were an idiot back in the 90s too!” Whatever one’s personal feelings, this fad/fashion has legs. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/92 "2016-02-22T14:09:40Z")
I’ve never understood the argument about regretting one’s tattoos when you’re nursing home aged. Do you know what people there look like anyway, with or without tattoos? And I have news for those who are oh so concerned about the grandpa and grandma set having a change of heart… already there’s plenty of elderly men sporting ink from being a sailor (or insert military personnel of your choice) and very few of them waste time thinking that was a bad decision. No, they care more about medical reform, their loved ones dying off, affording life another day. You know, minor stuff compared to this pressing issue. :rolleyes: To top it off, they also seem to realize that when you’re 80 / 90 / beyond, you’re not exactly SI swimsuit material anyway. With all the wrinkles, sagging skin, other problems that come with aging, I’ll be at least glad that I’ve got _something_ else going on than just being able to discuss my grandkids, crochet or how bad the food is in the cafeteria. So, now I’ll just wait for this thread to pop up again next month. It’s always a pleasure to hear the same tired tropes repeated over and over again like they’re something novel and fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/93 "2016-02-22T15:19:42Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > I used to be fine with them. Now they’re so trendy that I immediately think less of people who have them. This isn’t because they are all inked up, but because they’re inked up because everyone else is inked up. I feel the same about hipster beards and undercuts. But how do you know why someone has a tattoo? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/94 "2016-02-22T15:27:26Z")
> [@Alma](#): > > But how do you know why someone has a tattoo? Yes, how do you know that? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/95 "2016-02-22T16:22:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Their purpose was medical, not decorative. Tattoos are not medicine nor are they medical devices. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/96 "2016-02-22T16:53:30Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Tattoos are not medicine nor are they medical devices. [Medical tattoos.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tattoo) My gf has one tattoo, a tiny black dot that was placed to aid in aiming her radiation treatment beam after her cancer surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/97 "2016-02-22T17:04:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > [Medical tattoos.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tattoo) > > My gf has one tattoo, a tiny black dot that was placed to aid in aiming her radiation treatment beam after her cancer surgery. While there are such things as medical tattoos, it is no more than speculation that Otzi’s markings are medical. The link to acupuncture/acupressure is tenuous, at best, when we have no evidence that such practices were known in that area at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/98 "2016-02-22T19:47:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > “I never saw this, or if I did i paid no attention to it, thus it never happened.” I’ve never seen anyone on the Straight Dope ever post a rant about how much they dislike un-modded people, how boring and uncool they must, etc, much less start a thread reading “What do you think about non-tattooed people?” ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/99 "2016-02-22T19:57:52Z")
> [@Turpentine](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone on the Straight Dope ever post a rant about how much they dislike un-modded people, how boring and uncool they must, etc, much less start a thread reading “What do you think about non-tattooed people?” I’m guessing that eyeball tattoo is messing up your reading comprehension, please recheck the thread title. Also, the OP is obviously in favor of tattoos, because he/she didn’t leave those of us who aren’t but also don’t subscribe to religion a viable choice in the poll. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2016, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421/100 "2016-02-22T20:01:47Z")
> [@Turpentine](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone on the Straight Dope ever post a rant about how much they dislike un-modded people, how boring and uncool they must, etc, much less start a thread reading “What do you think about non-tattooed people?” Yeah, I’ve been in many situations where everyone in the room was inked and I’ve never heard any negativity directed toward people without. Generally, the attitude of people with tattoos is: “Hey, it’s your body. What you do with it is your business.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-tatoos/746421.md?page=6)