# Why are the female models in tattoo magazines so damn skanky? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573 "2007-06-27T02:11:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/21 "2007-06-29T08:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=Ms. Pumpkin] …Now is the time when someone tells me my tats sound cool and unskanklike. Anyone…? :dubious: [/QUOTE] I find ankle tats super way sexy on the ladies. I have no idea why, I just do. JPEG? Ow! stop hitting me. ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/22 "2007-06-29T09:48:48Z")
I’ve got two tattoos - one on my right bicep, one on my lower back. I think there are a lot of adjectives that could describe me well - bitchy, under-madeup, sleepy, unflatteringly dressed - but I think that “skanky” would be way far down on the list. Honestly, all you way-cool people that post here, I think there may be a generation gap about tattoos. I’ve seen older women with their tattoos and some of them do look skanky. And I may look skanky when I’m older. But I think that the acceptance of tattoos in the 35 and younger generation right now may change that perception. And you may be looking at the wrong tattoo mags…most of the ones I’ve seen featured people who look more like the Suicide Girls (google it) - and they may look skank when they’re older, and it is kind of a porn site, but…most girls I see with tattoos look good now. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/23 "2007-06-29T10:36:19Z")
[QUOTE=MerryMagdalen] Honestly, all you way-cool people that post here, I think there may be a generation gap about tattoos. I’ve seen older women with their tattoos and some of them do look skanky. And I may look skanky when I’m older. But I think that the acceptance of tattoos in the 35 and younger generation right now may change that perception. [/QUOTE] I rarely see people older than 40 with tattoos that I’d describe as artistic or aesthetically interesting. Most over-40 tattooed folk that I see tend to have military-related tats (not bad per se, but not that original,) or, on the women, the usual suspects of birds, flowers, butterflies, lovers’ names, etc. For the younger generation, though, I see lots of hipsters, punk rockers, and the like with tattoos that are often truly artistic. Elaborate designs with vibrant color and high levels of detail, incorporating themes from just about anything under the sun. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/24 "2007-06-29T10:51:07Z")
Eye of the beholder… ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/25 "2007-06-29T13:33:20Z")
Thank you _so_ much for calling me skanky. It provided me with much amusement. Also, not having one’s appearance improved by tattoos is a different thing from being skanky. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/26 "2007-06-29T16:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] Because tattoos make a woman – any woman – look skanky. If Princess Diana had had a tattoo, she’d have looked skanky. [/QUOTE] Particularly the one on the lower back. they are so rampant around where I live, that it has become trendy to _not_ have one. ---
**Author:** ![melvin\_coznowski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@melvin\_coznowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melvin_coznowski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/27 "2007-06-29T17:44:01Z")
[QUOTE=A.R. Cane] Eye of the beholder… [/QUOTE] Quite true. I don’t have any tattoos, don’t plan on getting any, and my own opinion is they either make women look skanky or trendy. I’ve never followed trends, and while tattoos will never go out of style completely, I believe it’s cyclical, and they’ll fall out of favor at some point. So I can’t help but wonder what many people will do when it’s no longer fashionable to sport a Mickey Mouse tattoo on your calf. (Not trying to be snobbish about it, although I know that’s how it comes across. Just my opinion, that’s all. The real bottom line for me is don’t force me to wear a tattoo, and I’ll keep my eye rolling to myself. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![melvin\_coznowski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@melvin\_coznowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melvin_coznowski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/28 "2007-06-29T17:45:19Z")
[QUOTE=Spit] Particularly the one on the lower back. they are so rampant around where I live, that it has become trendy to _not_ have one. [/QUOTE] So the backlash (no pun intended! I swear!) begins! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/29 "2007-06-29T18:03:56Z")
[QUOTE=MerryMagdalen] I think there may be a generation gap about tattoos. I’ve seen older women with their tattoos and some of them do look skanky. And I may look skanky when I’m older. But I think that the acceptance of tattoos in the 35 and younger generation right now may change that perception. [/QUOTE] If it’s generational, so be it. And perhaps I don’t understand the definition of skanky. So here are some words that I do know the definition of: cheap, slutty, trashy, low-class, easy, redneck, coarse – that should be sufficient. Markings on otherwise smooth, flawless skin do not enhance the appearance of that skin, they ruin it. Both of my daughters-in-law have gotten tattoos lately – small, “discrete” tattoos on their ankles. I hate them. I love both of the girls as if they were my own daughters, and have always bragged about what lovely women my sons married. As far as I’m concerned, they reduced their overall beauty and lowered my opinion of their personal standards when they got the tattoos. The ubiquity with which tattoos are showing up on the bodies of otherwise lovely young ladies does not cause me to become more accepting of the tattoos, but rather to question the values of young people today. But that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/30 "2007-06-29T18:06:03Z")
[QUOTE=Spit] Particularly the one on the lower back. they are so rampant around where I live, that it has become trendy to _not_ have one. [/QUOTE] I don’t mind back tats. The only location on a female where I find tattoos inherently skanky are on the boobs. Stupid dames. They’re _boobs._ You don’t mess with perfection. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/31 "2007-06-29T18:24:16Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] Why the hell does the PABT close so damn early!! [/QUOTE] I understand that there’s a great amusement park past the “Emergency Exit – No Admittance” sign below Sub-Basements A-Z. “I am sixty-eight, he said to himself. What was there about him that gave these people the notion that he had come to the terminal to be done or have his balls licked.” – Joseph Heller, _Closing Time_. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/32 "2007-06-29T18:30:12Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] I don’t mind back tats. The only location on a female where I find tattoos inherently skanky are on the boobs. Stupid dames. They’re _boobs._ You don’t mess with perfection. [/QUOTE] Agreed. I also don’t like women with tats on their necks, looks fucking 'orrid ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/33 "2007-06-29T18:46:53Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] The ubiquity with which tattoos are showing up on the bodies of otherwise lovely young ladies does not cause me to become more accepting of the tattoos, but rather to question the values of young people today. But that’s just me. [/QUOTE] “Question the values”? What specific values are you questioning? Unless you’re questioning their aesthetic tastes (which there’s no accounting for), this strikes me as bizarre. It’s not like the tattoos indicate puppy kickery or a refusal to donate to charity or something. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/34 "2007-06-29T18:48:58Z")
[QUOTE=Sunrazor] If it’s generational, so be it. And perhaps I don’t understand the definition of skanky. So here are some words that I do know the definition of: cheap, slutty, trashy, low-class, easy, redneck, coarse – that should be sufficient. [/QUOTE] Thank goodness you cleared that up! For a second there, I thought you were calling my wife skanky! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/35 "2007-06-29T18:51:31Z")
Hasn’t the tattoo trend sort of played out? Is anyone under, say, 25 still getting tattooed? It seems to me to be a badge of 30-somethings these days. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/36 "2007-06-29T18:57:15Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Hasn’t the tattoo trend sort of played out? Is anyone under, say, 25 still getting tattooed? It seems to me to be a badge of 30-somethings these days. [/QUOTE] No, it’s still going strong. The 20 somethings are just getting Fall Out Boy tattoos instead of Pearl Jam tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/37 "2007-06-29T18:59:57Z")
I dunno. I live in a funky neighborhood with a lot of 20-somethings, and I just don’t see as many tattoos as I used to about 5 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/38 "2007-06-29T19:16:21Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] Thank goodness you cleared that up! For a second there, I thought you were calling my wife skanky! [/QUOTE] Huh–I hadn’t looked closely at his list last time. He’s calling his daughters-in-law sluts, based solely on her aesthetic choices. That’s pretty charming, and an evidence of a powerful judge of character. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/39 "2007-06-29T19:22:27Z")
> [@spoke](#): > > I dunno. I live in a funky neighborhood with a lot of 20-somethings, and I just don’t see as many tattoos as I used to about 5 years ago. Eh, some are and some aren’t. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had fallen off some, but by and large kids seem to still be getting tattoos to some degree. My buddy from college is a tattoo artist in Austin and a good portion of his clientele are UT undergrads; it doesn’t seem to have fallen off there much at all. He’s making a comfortable living. ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573/40 "2007-06-29T19:30:18Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness] Huh–I hadn’t looked closely at his list last time. He’s calling his daughters-in-law sluts, based solely on her aesthetic choices. That’s pretty charming, and an evidence of a powerful judge of character. Daniel [/QUOTE] I don’t think he did. He merely gave his opinion on a level of beauty (to him) that changed after being tattooed. Being as beauty is an opinion, and this is the forum for opinions, I see nothing wrong. Tattoos are one of those subjects like breast feeding in public- mostly people have made up their minds on the subject, and nothing will change that opinion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-female-models-in-tattoo-magazines-so-damn-skanky/409573.md?page=3)