# Tattoos, like 'em, or hate 'em?



## fuzzybuddy (Nov 20, 2021)

Tattoos have grown in both how many people have them, and in how much skin is tattooed. My dad had a tattoo on his right arm,  "USN', for his time in the Navy, during WWII. As he grew older, he was embarrassed by the tat, which few every saw. Today, it's fashionable to ink huge, visible portions of your body. I'm a purist. I don't like tats. To me, they screw up a beautiful body. And I don't get the symbolism of most people's tats.  Who cares if you loved a band that broke up 20 years ago. Today, it's not a tiny heart on your butt, but a snake curling out your back, and up the right side of your face and head. Yet, other people love them.


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## Jules (Nov 20, 2021)

No appeal to me.  What’s significant now may not be in a decade or few.


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## JustBonee (Nov 20, 2021)

Jules said:


> No appeal to me.  What’s significant now may not be in a decade or few.



I feel the same


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## RadishRose (Nov 20, 2021)

Again?

The concept of tattoos doesn't bother me at all. It's been done since the caveman walked the earth.

Some I like, some I don't like.


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## Jace (Nov 20, 2021)

Mostly.. disgusting!


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 20, 2021)

No tattoos for me,
For me, it’s a case of live and let live.


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## horseless carriage (Nov 20, 2021)

RadishRose said:


> Some I like, some I don't like.


Some tattoos are a work of art, but as yet, I haven't seen a tattoo that's inspired me to have one.


Twenty grand's worth of tattoos.


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## fuzzybuddy (Nov 20, 2021)

I messed up, This thread should have posted in "General" section. Reposted in General section.


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## JimBob1952 (Nov 20, 2021)

I equate tattoos with low IQs and generally low-rent behavior.  A narrow, ill-founded prejudice, I'm sure.  But when I see someone who is all "tatted up" the first thing I think is, "What a moron!"


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## feywon (Nov 20, 2021)

Depends. i'm with Radish Rose, for the most part i figure none of my business.  When i see ones i think are well done, art,  i'll compliment the person sporting them. For me the biggest turnoff are ones that amount to hate speech. Why would anyone put damn swastikas all over their bodies and sometimes faces?

Don't judge people by them or body piercings either, some of the kindest people i've encountered were extensively tattooed.

Never felt strongly enough about any image to get a tatoo myself. Tho if i did it would probably be a "Semi-Colon" one.

https://www.upworthy.com/have-you-seen-anyone-with-a-semicolon-tattoo-heres-what-its-about


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## Feelslikefar (Nov 20, 2021)

Looked through a lot of tattoo books at many parlors during my military days.
Never found one that I liked enough to have on the bod.
Now my skin is too wobbly so it wouldn't look good anyway.

Still think about getting one every once in a while.

What I have in common with my Dad who did 30+ years in the Marines/Navy and escaped 
without one tattoo. That had to be tough to resist during WWII and beyond.


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## squatting dog (Nov 20, 2021)

I've no particular dislike for tattoo's except for the obvious "prison Tat's". Why advertise that you've been in the slammer? 

https://www.tattoomenow.com/tattoo-...-and-interesting-facts-behind-prison-tattoos/


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## Irwin (Nov 20, 2021)

I don't get the appeal, other than it's a way for people to bond with other like-minded individuals and they can talk about their tattoos. Not exactly stimulating conversation for me, but I'm old. 

Young people these days don't seem to have much going for them unless they were born into well-off families, since it costs so much for housing. A lot of them are just getting by and don't have much hope for the future, so they grasp onto the little things that provide them with some transient pleasure like tattoos and piercings.

What gets me is when I see panhandlers with tattoos. How do they have money for that, yet they're out panhandling? Plus, they're often smokers, which is also pricey.


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## jujube (Nov 20, 2021)

I have one. It was a 60th birthday present to myself. Few have seen it.

I was taking a shower, "supervised" by my then-2- year-old great-granddaughter (as anyone with children knows, no one is allowed privacy in the bathroom when there is a toddler in the house).  She took one look and yelled, "MOMMY! MEEMAW WRITED ON HERSELF!!! SHE'S NOT SPOSTA WRITE ON HERSELF!!!!!"

I like some tattoos, I don't like some others.  But, the only thing that is *my* business is what I do to *myself*.......


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## helenbacque (Nov 20, 2021)

I neither love nor hate them but I am old.  I think they are tacky.


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## hollydolly (Nov 20, 2021)

helenbacque said:


> I neither love nor hate them but I am old.  I think they are tacky.


I also think they're tacky, and even more so as they age on wrinkled skin.. but my husband has one, and my DD has several... nothing I can do  about it, but I do think it would be a lot easier for people if they like a picture to just carry it around in their pocket..


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## Jace (Nov 20, 2021)

horseless carriage said:


> Some tattoos are a work of art, but as yet, I haven't seen a tattoo that's inspired me to have one.
> 
> View attachment 195323
> Twenty grand's worth of tattoos.


Do you realize in about 40 years, we'll have many Old ladies "toddling" around with tattoos!


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## hollydolly (Nov 20, 2021)

Jace said:


> Do you realize in about 40 years, we'll have many Old ladies "toddling" around with tattoos!


yep..I see them even now.. the tattoo all faded , and merged into one greeny/grey mess... which just serves to make people look dirty.. sorry but it does..


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## squatting dog (Nov 20, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> yep..I see them even now.. the tattoo all faded , and merged into one greeny/grey mess... which just serves to make people look dirty.. sorry but it does..


My eyes, oh the horror.


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## Devi (Nov 20, 2021)

Not crazy about the tattoos on the neck or face. Writing all over the neck?! Ugh.

That said, I'm not paying anyone to poke me with a needle.


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## Nathan (Nov 20, 2021)

The thing about tattoos in my mind is:   they represent the wearer's_ mindset_ at the moment the tattoo is created.  Later on, like most people do, the mindset moves on, making said tattoo obsolete, possibly regrettable.

One day at age 15 I decided to do a couple homemade tattoos, one was the Gemini zodiac birth sign, the other was my girlfriend's name.   Now, I can't take credit for having any common sense at that point, but *something* told me that completing my girlfriend's name was just a  *bad idea*, so I ended up just with the first letter "C" ...which people have been asking me about the meaning, for the last 55 years.


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## Jace (Nov 20, 2021)

Nathan said:


> The thing about tattoos in my mind is:   they represent the wearer's_ mindset_ at the moment the tattoo is created.  Later on, like most people do, the mindset moves on, making said tattoo obsolete, possibly regrettable.
> 
> One day at age 15 I decided to do a couple homemade tattoos, one was the Gemini zodiac birth sign, the other was my girlfriend's name.   Now, I can't take credit for having any common sense at that point, but *something* told me that completing my girlfriend's name was just a  *bad idea*, so I ended up just with the first letter "C" ...which people have been asking me about the meaning, for the last 55 years.


Yes... what do "they" say..."Youth is wasted on the young"


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## Jace (Nov 20, 2021)

squatting dog said:


> My eyes, oh the horror.
> 
> View attachment 195348 View attachment 195349


Really made me laugh!


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## Packerjohn (Nov 20, 2021)

To me, most of them are pretty disgusting.  It seems that a lot of urbanites just screaming to be noticed or to be different.  My late wife used to say, "Wait until they are old with those tatoos; then you'll really see some people as ugly as sin."  It used to be popular with sailors when they got drunk, I suppose but give me any 20 year old girl and I say, "Goodbye Sex Appeal and Hello Ugly."  That this old timer's view.  You might think they are the nicest thing since the invention of mother's milk.  Each to his own!


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## dseag2 (Nov 21, 2021)

I think it depends on the person.  I watched the Adele concert on ABC and even the little tattoos on her arms seemed out of character with the grace and beauty she portrayed on stage.  

I'm sorry if this seems old-fashioned and misogynistic, but as much as I dislike them on men I find them even more out of character on women.  

Bringing it back to men, I think the tattoos on Adam Levine from Maroon Five are disgusting.  Just my opinion.


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## horseless carriage (Nov 21, 2021)

dseag2 said:


> Bringing it back to men, I think the tattoos on Adam Levine from Maroon Five are disgusting.  Just my opinion.


My grandmother had a name for tattoos, she called them a tramp stamp. Not a name I have ever come across.


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## Fyrefox (Nov 21, 2021)

My tattoos are all invisible under normal clothing, are quite thematic, and were done after much deliberation at considerable expense by a world-class tattoo artist.  Once when rolling up my sleeve the pharmacist who provided the vaccination there pronounced the tattoo “very well done.”  The pharmacy clerk who checked me in had garish tattoos all over both arms, not quite my style although I respect his right to choose.  As long as a tattoo by its type and location does not offend, I see it as being a personal decision…


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## oldpop (Nov 21, 2021)

I have a few. I got them all before I was thirty. I put them were they could be covered by a short sleeve shirt. They are not always appropriate. During job interviews and such they can cause negative issues.


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## Lanny (Mar 25, 2022)

A wise man once said "A tattoo on a beautiful woman is like a bumper sticker on a Ferrari".

To take that a step further, 10 tattoos on a beautiful woman are like 10 bumper stickers on a Ferrari


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## Trish (Mar 25, 2022)

I didn't know many people of my age who had tattoos when I was young so, it wasn't something I even thought about.  I think tattoos are just another form of self-expression and some designs are really nice.  There are tattooists who are skilled in creating designs to cover scars including mastectomy patients and the ones I have seen are very beautiful.


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## Don M. (Mar 25, 2022)

A few days ago, we were in line at the cashier, while the lady ahead of us was getting a cart full of groceries....and, she was covered with tattoo's, all over her arms and legs.  Then, when it came to pay, she whipped out her SNAP card.  She obviously has a different priority on spending her money.


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## Shalimar (Mar 25, 2022)

*My tattoo is hidden. It resides on my derrière. A Japanese ink master created an intricate Asian dragon reclining on a bed of chrysanthemums. The colours are soft, and exquisite. The craftsmanship amazing.  I love it. It was a gift from a former lover, may he Rest In Peace.*


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## Shalimar (Mar 25, 2022)

Don M. said:


> A few days ago, we were in line at the cashier, while the lady ahead of us was getting a cart full of groceries....and, she was covered with tattoo's, all over her arms and legs.  Then, when it came to pay, she whipped out her SNAP card.  She obviously has a different priority on spending her money.


Hmmm. Perhaps they were from a time in her life when her finances were in better shape.


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## Jan14 (Mar 25, 2022)

I don’t have any myself.  I have seen some people with them that look very nice and some not so nice.


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## senior chef (Mar 25, 2022)

I'm with the majority of people here on S.F. I can't stand tattoos. I can understand how a U. S. Marine could have a "U.S.M.C." tattooed on his arm. BUT, I'll never understand how someone could have his/her face/neck tattooed any more than I can understand how someone could have facial piercings. And that business of stretching out the ear lob is bizarre.

It has taken us thousands of years to evolve from caveman days. It now seems like we are de-evolving.
PS: I'd never date a woman who was tattooed.


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## Alligatorob (Mar 25, 2022)

I have none, and plan on none, but I have seen a few I liked.


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## Lavinia (Mar 25, 2022)

I can appreciate the artwork...some are beautifully done...but I consider them vulgar. I wouldn't date a man who had tattoos.


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## jimintoronto (Mar 25, 2022)

senior chef said:


> I'm with the majority of people here on S.F. I can't stand tattoos. I can understand how a U. S. Marine could have a "U.S.M.C." tattooed on his arm. BUT, I'll never understand how someone could have his/her face/neck tattooed any more than I can understand how someone could have facial piercings. And that business of stretching out the ear lob is bizarre.
> 
> It has taken us thousands of years to evolve from caveman days. It now seems like we are de-evolving.
> PS: I'd never date a woman who was tattooed.


From the Police perspective......Tats are a excellent way to identify criminals. In my jurisdiction here in Ontario, every person is photographed once they are convicted, and that includes all of their tats. The CPIC national crime computer system has a section with thousands of photos of tats that a officer can look at from the mobile data terminal in their patrol car, to Identify a person that they just arrested, who refuses to give their name. Found a dead body ? Tats can be used to identify it. I recently was in a supermarket here in Toronto and saw a woman who had to be at least 75, who had a shoulder tat that read......Property of the Vagabonds Motorcycle Club on her. She had a 6 year old grand child with her. Talk about having to explain stuff..............JImB.


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## Alligatorob (Mar 25, 2022)

Shalimar said:


> My tattoo is hidden. It resides on my derrière.


You should post a picture, LOL...


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## Lanny (Mar 25, 2022)

Don M. said:


> A few days ago, we were in line at the cashier, while the lady ahead of us was getting a cart full of groceries....and, she was covered with tattoo's, all over her arms and legs.  Then, when it came to pay, she whipped out her SNAP card.  She obviously has a different priority on spending her money.


I was at a wedding several years ago where one of the bridesmaids had a large tattoo of a skull with a hypodermic syringe sticking through it on her upper back between her shoulder blades. It was absolutely hideous. The girl was obviously embarrassed. I remember wedding guests looking at each other in shock. Why the girl didn't cover it with makeup or a bandage or something is beyond me.


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## Jan14 (Mar 25, 2022)

There are times in my life that Have been so painful or joyful, had I been younger, I think I would have expressed it through a tattoo.  I get it.  I’ve tried to think of things now maybe I’d tattoo, if I were to get one, which I won’t.  One would be initials of my Granchildren in an intricate pattern, one of the face of my little chihuahua that passed after 15 years.  There really are some beautiful ones.  And if taken care of can be touched up.


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## Jan14 (Mar 25, 2022)

I’m not the type you would see as getting a tattoo.  I think that’s why I would have liked to.


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## jimintoronto (Mar 26, 2022)

In my opinion, someone who has facial tats is really saying " I never want to have a good job, because I like my drugs too much to care  about such things ".  JImB.


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## Medusa (Mar 26, 2022)

My husband and both my daughters have tattoos while my son and I do not, nor have any desire to.  Just not our thing, though I do admire the artwork on my peeps.  

I have Daith piercings in my ears, which I originally got for help with migraines, but now love for themselves and wouldn't feel like myself without them.


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## Medusa (Mar 26, 2022)

Jan14 said:


> There are times in my life that Have been so painful or joyful, had I been younger, I think I would have expressed it through a tattoo.  I get it.  I’ve tried to think of things now maybe I’d tattoo, if I were to get one, which I won’t.  One would be initials of my Granchildren in an intricate pattern, one of the face of my little chihuahua that passed after 15 years.  There really are some beautiful ones.  And if taken care of can be touched up.


That's true; I had the Koi Fish tattoo on my husband's forearm touched-up for one of our anniversaries.  He chose black and red, whereas it was been multihued previous, which came out nice.


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## Medusa (Mar 26, 2022)

Lavinia said:


> I can appreciate the artwork...some are beautifully done...but I consider them vulgar. I wouldn't date a man who had tattoos.


33 years ago, I said something similar to my then proposed date, a man I knew who worked in the ice rink where I skated and so was always all covered up.  As a consequence, he stayed covered up while we were dating... until he didn't.   At that point I couldn't have cared less because it was he I wanted.  I had fun looking at all the "pictures" and hearing about their origins.  

We've been happily married for 32 years.


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