My tattoos have aged far better than I have.
My patients (all convicted felons) run about 50% tattooed, and perhaps 10-15% HEAVILY tattooed, with the art running from the impressively beautifully professional to amateur to rude to comedic (both intentionally and not) and to shockingly disgusting to just insane, and even to a wide mix of those descriptors on the same individual.
Mostly I don’t give a rip, but when I see blatant tattoos on the face, it tends to make me think the patient will not be real successful in their post-prison life. Particularly if the pattern is a large swastika or a saying like “kill niggers” or similar inflammatory sentiments (and yes, I’ve seen both of those, more than once. Heck, more than a dozen times). We actually had to modify the last quoted tattoo to improve his chances of survival. Economically it made sense to spend a small amount of coin on it to keep him out of the ICU. Now it says “killdozer”. 
So, in my experience, a few tattoos can be nice, but once they multiply all over the body, chances for suboptimal outcomes go up. YMMV, live and let live, etc.
The poll should have been select all that apply. For me, all of the below are true:
-It’s none of my business. (with a caveat, see next item)
-If my spouse got some without asking me me first, big problem!
-One or two small tattoos may be interesting. But a lot of tattoos just make people look like freaks.
-It’s very different when it comes to men than women.
I’ve seen a very few tattoos I’ve really liked. I don’t have an issue with them if they are appropriate, but I can’t really see why you’d tattoo yourself in places that you can’t cover up if you travel in circles where tattoos aren’t appropriate (or your tattoo isn’t appropriate for the circle). Facial tattoos may be appropriate in prison - but as Qadgop said, perhaps they reduce your success on the outside. Tattoos on the hand or neck - hard to cover up if you are trying to get promoted in your conservative financial services firm. That’s becoming less and less of an issue, but you need to be aware of the perception you are leaving.
My real issue with them is that they are a huge risk involving a lot of trust. You need to trust your artist to execute (and I know a few people who aren’t happy even after lots of communication and drawings and research - because the idea was well thought out, but the execution not great), you have to trust yourself to maintain the same taste over your lifetime (thank the Gods I didn’t tattoo myself during my unicorns and rainbows stage as a young woman).
No right option for me.
I think it’s kinda foolish, I would never spend time, money energy on something that will eventually fade and look even worse. But whatever floats your boat.
I think she looks great. Certainly nothing extreme or unusual. Don’t you see women (and men) like that on a daily basis?
I like many tattoos I see on other people. There are, of course, terrible ones.
Because of the kid, right? That shook me up. The woman is barely noticeable because of the stark condition of the child.
I’ll admit to voting for the “I think it’s different for men than women” option. Mostly because I am a heterosexual male, and view tattoos on an otherwise attractive woman the same way I would view someone spray-painting graffiti on the Mona Lisa: ugly.
On men, I don’t give a shit. Although I’ve told an acquaintance of mine that I thought he was a blithering idiot for spending $200 on a tattoo and then complaining a week later that he couldn’t make rent.:smack:
I don’t like them and would never get one, but I’ve mellowed over the years regarding what other people do with their bodies.
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.
I think I’m a hypocrite when it comes to tattoos as I really don’t like them and consider them trashy but on some women they are extremely sexy and drive me crazy
Yeah I agree. I have many tattoos over much of my body, I love them, and I wish I had more. The poll offers many different degrees of negative options but no positive ones.
That said, I have seen people with very unwise or poorly executed tattoos. I bite my tongue because (A) beauty is in the eye of the beholder and (B) it’s not like they can do a whole lot to change it. But seriously, some people just look like they let their kid brother practice on them.
I don’t particularly object to them, whether on men or women, but I will say that I’ve never seen tattoos make anyone more attractive.
I got my first tat nearly 30 years ago. I voted that there is nothing wrong with them and that they are none of my business. That should not be construed as me thinking that all tattoos are attractive. I’ve seen many that are poorly done, in poor taste, or just plain old ugly.
Me too. Oh dear. Oh my I’m so sorry but tattooes are evil and this tattooed woman cavorting with witches just proves that tattooes are the Devils work.
My opinion is somewhere between the first and second options, (I voted for the second). I personally think that everyone who has a tatoo would look better without it, but I recognize this is just a personal aesthetic opinion which others may not share. So if someone wants to have them that’s there business.
OK, left or right, which is more attractive?
(The picture on the right is after tattooing)
Hard to believe that effect was made with tattooing, but if so then yes, I’ve now seen one instance where tattooing has made someone more attractive by virtue of concealing disfigurement. And now that I think about it, I have seen photos of cases where women who’ve undergone mastectomies have gotten tattoos to conceal their scars and those tattoos made them more attractive, and often the tattoos were quite pretty in their own right.
But insofar as the kinds of tattoos the OP is clearly talking about, I’ve never seen anyone made more attractive by having them.
I don’t have and won’t have tattoos. I don’t understand the desire to want one. However, if that’s your thing, go at it. It definitely won’t affect my hiring or friendship practices. My friend Mehgan married Erik the Lizardman. He’s got a pretty thorough answer for why he chose the modifications he’s chosen.
http://www.thelizardman.com/faq.html
I will say it’s a little odd to see him when he’s off the road, and hasn’t shaven for a couple of days. Beard and head hair on a reptile are a little disconcerting.
As for the age thing, I remember an elderly man at a tailgate next to ours about 10-15 years ago. He was wearing knee length shorts and telling his friends how happy he was that kids today were all showing off their tattoos because now his wife couldn’t stop him from wearing shorts and showing off the tattoos he got in Japan at the end of WWII. They were beauts, too.
I admire artistic and respect meaningful tattoos. I define artistic; they define meaningful.