# WHY do people go and cover themselves in tattoo's? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 26, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163 "2012-11-26T16:18:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/121 "2012-11-30T23:43:00Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > This has already been addressed as pure silliness, but I’ll reiterate that if I’m going to be decrepit, wrinkly, fat and have skin issues (tags anyone?), then I might as well have a couple of tattoos to keep me occupied and interested. I’m pretty pasty white, too, so that’s another area they’d help. Yippee! I don’t know about all that. I just saw some old tattoos a week ago and it wasn’t pretty. And by by NOT pretty I mean scary ugly. imagine a tattoo drawn on with colored wax and it faded and melted over time. shudder… There’s a simple statement that summarizes the topic. Art is in the eye of the beholder. Some people like the works of Michelangelo on their walls and some people like glass dragon figurines on their coffee tables. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/122 "2012-12-01T07:41:36Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I don’t know about all that. I just saw some old tattoos a week ago and it wasn’t pretty. And by by NOT pretty I mean scary ugly. imagine a tattoo drawn on with colored wax and it faded and melted over time. > > shudder… > > There’s a simple statement that summarizes the topic. Art is in the eye of the beholder. Some people like the works of Michelangelo on their walls and some people like glass dragon figurines on their coffee tables. Could have just been a poorly done tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/123 "2012-12-01T15:42:28Z")
> [@Crab007](#): > > This is something I’ve never understood. > > The last time I made a thread like this (on another forum) some people were deeply, deeply offended at my comments about tattoo’s (Although I may have said tattoos were a waste of perfectly good skin. \). \ To me a waste of skin is wrapping it around some offensive opinion about something you don’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/124 "2012-12-01T15:47:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > This seems like metaphorical use of the term addiction rather than a real addiction. But in context it might be hard to tell. > Because every time I see someone covered with a lot of intricate tattoos that took a long time to design and apply, I think the whole thing happened because the person was drunk. Right, and the artist said, “You know what? Today is the day I get Mr. Shitfaced in the chair for a good seven hours and go to town all over his perfect skin with my tattoo machine.” ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/125 "2012-12-01T15:50:00Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Maybe he thinks apostrophes are cool. > > Maybe he thinks an apostrophe is a sign that means _here comes an “s!”_ > > ETA: “mountain of lasagna.” heh, heh, heh. Maybe he designs menus for a living. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/126 "2012-12-01T22:59:37Z")
> [@11811](#): > > Right, and the artist said, “You know what? Today is the day I get Mr. Shitfaced in the chair for a good seven hours and go to town all over his perfect skin with my tattoo machine.” Hopefully the tattoo artists in the West are more ethical than that. But I have heard of something like this happening over here. As I reported in another thread, one time I was chatting with a bargirl who had a remarkably ugly tattoo on her upper arm. It was LARGE, some comically drawn goldfish and these weird lines crisscrossed over them, extremely poor workmanship. Trying to be sociable, I mentioned: “Oh, that’s a, um, nice tattoo you’ve got there.” She: “I hate it.” “Oh? Then why’d you get it?” “I was drunk.” It turns out that she’d been drunk AND 14 years old at the time she’d gotten it. It looked as if the tattoo artist had also been drunk. I can certainly understand the laws in some countries that require the receiver to be sober and an adult when getting a tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![AceRocker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@AceRocker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AceRocker)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/127 "2013-09-07T07:59:03Z")
We are all different in many ways right down to the fact we all have different fingerprints and ways of looking at life now i cant speak for the rest just like you cant so im just gonna ad me to your quest , i once had nice clean skin but when ran away from home i new i would never see my mum and dad again the first tattoo i got was a sward with the name dad on it going in to a rose with my mums name on it then the end of the sward went in to a heart this will be with me forever all these years latter mum and dad are gone but the tattoo is still with me i will take it to my grave and after a very long life and getting to the point of seeing it all my clean skin seemed empty for someone with so much experience behind me and ive got to the point were i don’t care about what other people think in fact i want people to stay away from me , not just the public but the system to and because i swear this to the death i got a tattoo on my left hand of a pirate ship with birds around it my tattoos are not for you but for my sole i have a lot of tattoos now days my other hand has a tiger on it because im a wild cat and i also have a Christ tattoo to stay with me whatever i go through in life i also have a Ace of spades tattoo because im more then just ace in fact im on a different level altogether and im glad that my skin has markings on, also if you look at some of the deeper meanings of tattoo pictures you will find its far from a comic book but indeed the opposite i still have a long life to live but glade my body is decorated for my burial, every tattoo i have is impotent to me and just like the way i have my hair cut is not for you its the same as the color / pattern / pictures on my skin, we are all different and just to end it off properly i got to the point in life were i got fed up with looking at my own bare skin, im much more then i am , All the best to you ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/128 "2013-09-07T10:44:08Z")
[QUOTE=Troppus] I’m asking not to needle you (I hear you’re not into that) but to learn how to teach empathy and tolerance to my child. She’s an only, and I don’t want her to go through life convinced that her POV supersedes the personal choice of others, or feels compelled to insult and criticize others who make choices she wouldn’t. [/QUOTE] Not raising her to believe she has a fictional handicap that needs to be overcome would be a start. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/129 "2013-09-07T12:43:58Z")
I generally don’t care for a lot of tattoos on women, especially if their entire arms are covered up. Some women have a certain knack for artistry, and can pull it off by having quite a few tattoos. Danielle on American pickers is one I think that did. I also like most tramp stamps, and think there are a few other places that I think looks good on them. Go to any swimming pool or beach and you’ll find a lot of tramp stamps. Of course, we never see tramp stamps on sixty and seventy year old women. Eventually some will get there though. I think it might make for some laughs with their grandkids, when they point out that granny has a tramp stamp. Hopefully they will have a sense of humor about it all. One of the greatest things about tattoos on women is when done for facial make-up. I’ve seen some really amazing things done on eyes, and couldn’t believe it; also for lips. If you have a certain look you’re accustom to, and don’t ever change it, it seems like the way to go. With some guys, particularly if they want a gangsta look (and some women too) nothing does it better than tattoos, just having one or two doesn’t seem to cut it. Nah, you need to have quite a few. And if you really want to put some fear into somebody, put one on your face too. Not that Mike Tyson needed one there to do that. One of the creepiest tattoos I seen was on [this Mexican hitman,](http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/12/cartel.teens/) who put eyes on his eyelids. When he closed his eyes, it gave the appearance he was still starting at you. Really freaky, but what the hell, if you want a conversation piece, that was it. Judging from his occupation, I doubt he heard much criticism. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/130 "2013-09-07T13:40:31Z")
First tattoos I ever saw were on milk men when I was a wee lad. For you younger people, a “milk man” was a guy who worked for a dairy delivering milk in glass bottles to your door. When you finished the milk, you’d wash the bottle, let it dry, then leave it outside your door for him to exchange for a full bottle. You might also leave a note or a payment in the clean empty bottle. Anyway, the tattoos these men had were hula girls or American eagles or military symbols. They were at least 15 years old and the colors had faded some and the outlines were beginning to spread. I wasn’t impressed then and I don’t care for them now. If you want one, that’s fine with me; no skin off my back. Just one thing though. If no where else, I’d strongly suggest that with tattoos, SPELLING COUNTS! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/131 "2013-09-07T15:16:14Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Just one thing though. If no where else, I’d strongly suggest that with tattoos, SPELLING COUNTS! I have seen Thais with English-language words or phrases as tattoos, and occasionally yes, they will be misspelled. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Girlundone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Girlundone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girlundone)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/132 "2013-09-07T16:48:08Z")
[Scarification](http://brighteyednightowl.buzznet.com/photos/bodymods/?id=68055279#id=68055279) is also a lovely form of body art if done well. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/133 "2013-09-07T19:54:49Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I have seen Thais with English-language words or phrases as tattoos, and occasionally yes, they will be misspelled. :smack: It happens often in English-speaking countries too. I hate to think what folks with Asian character tattoos really have inked on them. ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Blaylock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_blaylock/32/3235_2.png) [@Bob\_Blaylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Blaylock)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/134 "2013-09-07T20:43:03Z")
Obviously, it’s very much a matter of subjective, personal taste. Some people find tattoos interesting or attractive. I do not. I have never seen a woman with visible tattoos, who I didn’t think would be significantly more attractive without them. To me, it is very much like looking at a great work of art—by the greatest artist of all—after some talentless idiot with a can of spray paint has trashed it with ugly graffiti. I very much enjoy the sight of an attractive woman, and it saddens me when they deface and degrade themselves in such a manner. But that’s not my choice to make. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/135 "2013-09-07T20:48:52Z")
> [@Girlundone](#): > > [Scarification](http://brighteyednightowl.buzznet.com/photos/bodymods/?id=68055279#id=68055279) is also a lovely form of body art if done well. That is magnificent! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/136 "2013-09-09T14:04:41Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Yeah, that’s the main reason why I’ve never given into a temptation to get any tattoos. I have friends who have them and they look great, so I don’t have any moral or taste objections to them–I just always think that the person I am now isn’t going to be the same person I am 10 years from now. I tend to be a bit of a “serial hobbyist,” which means I’ll throw myself body and soul into my current hobby, but when I tire of it I move on to something else and do the same thing. There are a small number of things that remain constant, but even the details of those change enough that a tattoo that might have been really cool 10 years ago I would look at now and go, “What was I thinking?” I wanted the same tattoo for ten years before I ended up getting it. Some things don’t change. But I think people when they think tattoos think of the art they see, when the whole body or arms or some such is covered up, or the bad tattoos they’ve seen. Me, I don’t like multicolor tattoos. In particular I hate that blue ink they use, it looks terrible on anyone. But I like black tribal tattoos a lot, they stand out. Mine is single-color, copper, and in a funny way it’s tribal too - it’s MY tribe. 🙂 It’s an Om, as I think I’ve mentioned before. But you’d never know it to look at me. I don’t look the “tattoo type” - I very much look and act like the girl next door. Except I have a tat. I don’t normally like full-sleeve tattoos, either, but muscular men with black full sleeve tattoos actually can look pretty good. It all depends on the art and how well it’s done. I’m not worried about being old, though. As I’m pretty sure I said in one of the tat threads, when I look at my tat, I don’t think “Shit I’m getting older and soon it will look like crap.” I think “I was brave enough to sit under the needle and defy all of my conservative upbringing and get this done. I LOVE it!” ---
**Author:** ![Tacit\_Knowledge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Tacit\_Knowledge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tacit_Knowledge)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/137 "2013-09-09T16:22:00Z")
Since opinions were asked for: My stance has and always will be that if you love the picture so damn much buy the T-shirt. That way you can change when you’re tired of it. I have tattooed friends and family. Yet I still believe that those who get tats are idiots. No, I don’t think they are necessarily idiots in every aspect of their lives. But getting tattooed is just a dumbass move. A dumbass move displayed “proudly” for the world to see what idiotic choices he or she makes. And sure, a lot of tattoos are cool looking pictures. But even the coolest picture gets old after awhile. It takes a special kind of dumb to permanently attach a picture to one’s body. Years later: what the hell was I thinking? I’m throwing this stupid shirt in the trash. Oh wait, I’m an idiot. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/138 "2013-09-09T16:57:26Z")
> [@Tacit\_Knowledge](#): > > Years later: what the hell was I thinking? I’m throwing this stupid shirt in the trash. Oh wait, I’m an idiot. You don’t get it, but that’s totally OK. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/139 "2013-09-09T17:39:22Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I have yet to see a highly paid professional physician, lawyer, accountant, dentist etc. who was covered in tattoos. It could be that those who cover themselves in tattoos have no ambition in these areas, or it could be the reverse - no one would hire you for those positions if you’re covered in tattoos. Not tattoos that are visible when one wears business attire, anyway. You might be surprised at what kind of body art some people have underneath them. Most hospitals will not hire anyone with visible tattoos, or if they have them, they must be covered, whether with clothing or body makeup. The same thing is true with body jewelry, unless it’s worn for religious or cultural reasons. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163/140 "2013-09-09T17:43:56Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I don’t know about all that. I just saw some old tattoos a week ago and it wasn’t pretty. And by by NOT pretty I mean scary ugly. imagine a tattoo drawn on with colored wax and it faded and melted over time. > > shudder… > > There’s a simple statement that summarizes the topic. Art is in the eye of the beholder. Some people like the works of Michelangelo on their walls and some people like glass dragon figurines on their coffee tables. You can always tell an old military guy, because he’ll have some gray blob on his forearm. My uncle has a large scar on his forearm, which is the result of a regretted tattoo that had to be surgically removed and replaced with a skin graft in the pre-laser era. :eek: I will say that I recently saw a middle-aged woman who was wearing a halter top, and it was quite obvious that it was because she wanted people to see the gorgeous B&W mural that covered her whole back. But the thing was, it was not on a non-coverable place. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that the main reason I cannot get a job interview, let alone the job itself, is because I’m not covered in tattoos or other body modifications. :rolleyes: Other people have told me the same thing. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-go-and-cover-themselves-in-tattoos/642163.md?page=8)