General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDo you think tattoos are attractive??
When you see a beautiful lady with a tattoo on her arm or calf, do you think it makes her more beautiful?
Personally, I do not, but different strokes for different folks, I guess?
OffWithTheirHeads
(10,337 posts)BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)ileus
(15,396 posts)His Ferrari come back with 3 big stickers (or magnets) one on each door and one on the front "hood".
He's a goofy old 73 year old turd anyway...
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)Yes, there are bound to be exceptions.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Thank you.
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)Rectangle
(667 posts)1-Old-Man
(2,667 posts)It cost me $5 and it is in just as good shape today as it was the day I got it. What else do you know of that is 58 years old, cost five bucks, and works as well and looks as good today as it did when new?
flvegan
(64,419 posts)I like tats, not all tats. But whatever tats she may have are of her choosing, and that's sexy to me.
dhill926
(16,373 posts)Champion Jack
(5,378 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)JI7
(89,279 posts)Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)What may have been art one time can start to take a different shape, just sayin'.
MattBaggins
(7,905 posts)Look your skin is going to sag anyways and it won't make one damn bit of difference to have tatoos
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)tattoo gets wrinkles and sags in the tattoo it doesn't look very good.
MattBaggins
(7,905 posts)Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Tigress DEM
(7,887 posts)just lol
Response to Thinkingabout (Reply #5)
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Agnosticsherbet
(11,619 posts)My opinion is irrelevant.
Zambero
(8,974 posts)However, to each his/her own.
I don't like them at all, but realize everyone has the right to do whatever they want. That said, I can't help but wonder how these ladies will feel once the fad passes and they are left with tattoos.
Response to MissDeeds (Reply #310)
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Jenoch
(7,720 posts)When I was 18 - 25 I think I knew one guy with a tattoo and he had recently been discharged from the navy.
Response to Jenoch (Reply #404)
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Jenoch
(7,720 posts)Plus, I tend to agree with you. But, I think there is still a fad situation with the current rate of young people getting tattooed. Of course tattoos with always be done, but I believe the rate will slow considerably someday.
Response to Jenoch (Reply #415)
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joeglow3
(6,228 posts)Is it a fad or an indicator of where we are going for good? I don't know, but it is clear the numbers have shot up.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)I have thought about getting a tattoo, but have not followed through.
You seem to be taking offense at the posts I have written here. I remember when tattoos were less common than they are today. I think the rate of people getting tattoos will eventually decline. Maybe it's the word 'fad' that bothers you. I think by definition, if the rate of people getting tattoos recedes to previous levels, I suppose that could be defined as a fad, although I don't know what that period of time is. If it's too long, I also suppose 'fad' would not be the correct terminology.
Response to Jenoch (Reply #436)
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bunnies
(15,859 posts)And Im sure this "fad" that has lasted for thousands and thousands of years will pass rather quickly.
Bosonic
(3,746 posts)Very occasionally they can be aesthetically pleasing, but most often they are a mess.
TheCowsCameHome
(40,169 posts)When it gets up to looking a billboard gone haywire, count me out.
TheCowsCameHome
(40,169 posts)The hurt will make you wish you never had one in the first place.
exlrrp
(623 posts)I had my two tattoos lasered off. A PAratrooper tattoo and a naked woman. Took 4 sessions and each session was worse than the original tattoos. I turned down the topical anesthetic because I didn't want to sit there for hours while it took effect.
When I got them, nobody but , sailors, paratroopers and bikers had tattoos but nowadays when all these grannies, teenagers and CPAs are sporting them, its not a badass statement any more. Nowadays you see full coverage tattoos that you only used to see in circus sideshows
I don't like tattoos but hey its your body
ananda
(28,885 posts)I'm used to them now, and some are works of art
or just plain interesting.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)GD isn't due for a tattoo thread until the first week of November...
You really should lose your OP privileges for a month
kentuck
(111,110 posts)Enrique
(27,461 posts)i want to know when i can post a thread about shaving body hair.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)opiate69
(10,129 posts)Rhythm
(5,435 posts)Just sayin'...
chill_wind
(13,514 posts)Ilsa
(61,707 posts)updated for allegiance threads for married Democratic politicians using social media to get their rocks off?
Wonderful calendar!
Olive Garden? I must have missed that wank.
But, shhhh, never mind. I'll use the Google.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)HappyMe
(20,277 posts)I have 'pitbulls' in my key word trashcan.
REP
(21,691 posts)They're not for me - I can't commit to one design forever - but beyond that and occasionally noticing an exceptionally well-done one, don't really give it much thought.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Very offputting as far as I'm concerned.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)But an old dude, balding and fat and white hair? Ewwwwww.
Mojo Electro
(362 posts)I don't get neck and face tats, or completely going all out and getting covered.
What matters most is if the people who have them are happy with them.
As far as personal taste, though, I don't much care for them.
Most girls I have dated have had one or two small ones. I liked those.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)There are people I can't stand that have tattoos, and some without. There are also some people with tattoos I love, others I don't.
Typically, the women I know that have tattoos do so because they believe in taking control of their own bodies, and that's awesome.
Nevernose
(13,081 posts)Yet I married a woman with several, and clearly she's the most beautiful woman in the world.
I get where you're coming from.
Decaffeinated
(556 posts)A bad tattoo or something on the face, head, neck or hands just screams "I have poor decision making skills..."
meti57b
(3,584 posts)not because they think the tattoo is beautiful.
immoderate
(20,885 posts)I guess there are some that are not too bad, but none of them make a person more attractive.
--imm
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)northoftheborder
(7,575 posts)deutsey
(20,166 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,743 posts)I have none, and at my age it would be a bit pointless, I think.
But to each their own. It's just another aspect of a person's appearance.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)My ex-husband had my name tattooed on his arm. I told him that he will regret it some day. We were divorced and his next two wives had to live with that tattoo.
I went to get my girlfriend's name tattooed on my arm and the tattoo guy said: "Whats the matter, can't you remember her name?" I thought about it and didn't get it. he did me a HUGE favor, I haven't seen her since 1968
jmowreader
(50,567 posts)The quickest way to deal with a tattoo you can't stand anymore, is to get one you CAN stand put right on top of it. Tattoo artists do it all the time.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Yes, they fade and smudge over time and yes, skin sags. But unless you know the reason for the tattoo, the meaning, and know the person, I'd say do not judge
Silent3
(15,359 posts)What does "do not judge" have to do with it?
Nearly all tattoos look ugly to me. Knowing the reasons, meanings, and people with the tattoos doesn't change how those tattoos strikes my eye, doesn't change my sense of aesthetics.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Especially when talking about aesthetics, as you say. Your guts clench when you view a tattoo? And you are unable to overcome this and view any as beautiful? What about other art?
As far as judging, there are plenty of replies on this thread judging others for having a tattoo.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)The moment you talk about "overcoming", you accept that there's something to overcome. If many people didn't think that tattoos were generally ugly in the first place, there would be nothing to overcome.
I can certainly accept that other people have the right to tattoo themselves without having some duty to transform my own aesthetic reaction. Do you believe we have a duty to play head games with ourselves, that we somehow aren't as loving and accepting as we should be until we not only accept the other person's right to have a tattoo, but also tell ourselves the tattoo is beautiful?
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)I saw some remarkable beautiful tattoos at the Hardly Strictly Blue Grass Featival this past weekend.
I also saw some remarkable ugly ones.
meadowlark5
(2,795 posts)My personal opinion and I don't have any.
I keep hoping the tat fad will die out before my boys turn 18.
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)I can't believe it is still in vogue.
meadowlark5
(2,795 posts)It's being replaced by the Duck Dynasty hillbilly beard.
I've been seeing quite of few of those crumb traps lately
Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)But the goatee should have gone the way of the mullet by now.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)To each their own.
fitman
(482 posts)I had one back in the late 80's and my wife, gf at the time liked it..
My best friend wore one until several years ago and he would get true compliments from women all the time..of course he was rocking a 9/10 face and body and really looked good with it..
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)WCLinolVir
(951 posts)KentuckyWoman
(6,697 posts)My brain is incapable of wrapping around why anyone would want a tattoo but I don't see how that's any different than me coloring my greys away, wearing lipstick or using an undergarment to lift assorted saggy parts.
Body modification is body modification. Some are just more permanent than others.
coldmountain
(802 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)i think tats are the fad of the day.
used to be piercings. now it's tats.
extremely prevalent among the cooking community. many chefs and wait staff have very extensive tats. probably part of a communal gestalt.
just can't the picture out of my mind, that has been making the e-mail rounds, of the 60ish ex-hippie who is making a statement by marching proud as a naked statement of her beliefs. the tats she got as a 20 year old flower child look kind of pathetic.
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)and I am probably the only one without a tat. I like them. Creative expression is all good with me.
seveneyes
(4,631 posts)If one wants to stand out and be different, they have no tats. Seems like most all youth have ink now.
hamsterjill
(15,224 posts)I wouldn't want something that permanent on my body. I might get sick of it.
My body...my choice. Another's body...their choice. But I feel that there will always be, to a certain extent, a stigma against people with tattoos as far as hiring, etc.
bmbmd
(3,088 posts)And I'm pretty old.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)opiate69
(10,129 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)left on green only
(1,484 posts).....All she needs to do to get my attention is move that heel a few more inches to her left.
TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)...she's beautiful.
TYY
opiate69
(10,129 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)cynatnite
(31,011 posts)I have a butterfly on my shoulder. I wanted something pretty and I knew I would never regret it. I'm also getting one in memory of my Dad. I'm also thinking of something with my grandkids, too. These will be something meaningful to me.
I think if someone gets something that means something to them, it makes it a beautiful thing.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)While I certainly accept that a person has a right to have thenselves tattooed I also feel I have the right to find tattoos unattractive. The reason behind it doesn't really matter to me.
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)polly7
(20,582 posts)I have three in memory of special people and think they're beautiful. How they make me look to others was something I never considered at all.
pipoman
(16,038 posts)I have tattoos for me, not anyone else...except maybe my son..I don't care if others like them or not..
My son wanted a tattoo when he was 15. I refused, we argued about it until he turned 18. He wanted to get one when he was 18, I didn't try to stop him, just appealed to his logic since he was entering the Marine Corps the next month, so he didn't get one. After basics he came home and said he was ready to get a tattoo. I found the best shop in Kansas City and I took him in for his first tat...I got my first too..Last December after he got out of the Marines he came home and we both went back to the same artist and got memorial tattoos for my mother..the artist put some of my mother's ashes into the ink..mine is a portrait of my mother and my son hugging at his basic training graduation taken 6 months before my mothers death..
PasadenaTrudy
(3,998 posts)I'm so sick of tattoos....damn hipsters.
rdking647
(5,113 posts)and im far from a hipster thank god
PasadenaTrudy
(3,998 posts)I'd had a bad hipster experience that morning Can't go to any coffee house around here that's not run by annoying 20-something hipster guys...with tats
longship
(40,416 posts)Many people who get them are young and do not realize that this is a lifelong choice and ones tastes may change.
And some people take it to a ridiculous and IMHO ugly extreme.
Tattoos are a fad which I have no use for.
But if people want to get them, have at it. But I won't pretend that I find them attractive, because I do not.
Don't get me started about piercings. I was at a rather nice restaurant and the waiter had a stud through her tongue which she flaunted -- willingly or unwillingly. It repulsed me and I asked for a different waiter. I could not eat without imagining having something thrust through my tongue. I did not enjoy the meal. I told the management that when I paid the bill.
DireStrike
(6,452 posts)Unlike other style choices, you can't take tattoos off. You are ALWAYS going to look like that. It's boring.
One or two is fine.
cherokeeprogressive
(24,853 posts)SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Sid
procon
(15,805 posts)While it's not for me, I can still admire the skill and creativity of those who work in such an unusual medium. The concept of beauty is so very subjective, and like anything we women use to adorn ourselves with, the results can be somewhat startling... as intended. So, as they say, to each their own.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)While some good art may appear from time to time in this medium, most of what the average tattoo recipient gets is trite, formulaic crap -- body kitsch, pink flamingos and Velvet Elvises for the skin.
Link Speed
(650 posts)with tats on their fat calves.
But I know some women with some beautiful illustrations. However, most of them don't flash them.
They don't need to.
I won't hire anyone with sleeves, neck tats, calves or knuckle tats.
Or those big things in their earlobes.
Electric Monk
(13,869 posts)left on green only
(1,484 posts)...playing the role of Karl Kinsky: "Don't you know that I have committed my life to you? That this is a protective shield? It's my mark, Maddy, it's all I have to offer you. Now I'm not sure anymore whether you're worthy of it. I don't even think that I've made the right choice."
That movie gave whole new meaning to the words New Jersey for me.
exlrrp
(623 posts)but why would you put it on where you couldn't see it?
otohara
(24,135 posts)is okay by me.
When the glut of over-tattooed people get old, it's not going to be pretty.
radiclib
(1,811 posts)But I suspect that the "nos" on this thread are from folks over 50, like me.
Different strokes, though. I just can't imagine opting for the permanent defacement of something you might grow out of, or change your mind about later on. Our fathers and uncles in the Navy did it when they were drunk on shore leave, and many regretted it later.
PeteSelman
(1,508 posts)I don't like tattoos in general, particularly those big ugly sleeves but I find them particularly abhorrent on women. I'm not saying it makes you a bad person or anything, just that I don't find them attractive.
Sorry, but it is a total turn off.
Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)they fail to realize when styles change, they can't just pitch them.
It's going to be like having a tramp stamp or permanent acid wash jeans in a few years.
CountAllVotes
(20,878 posts)Boy those did not last long (luckily ...). Talk about ugly, who the hell wants to look at some fat idiot's crudely "decorated" butt crack!
Response to kentuck (Original post)
guyton This message was self-deleted by its author.
Rhythm
(5,435 posts)He did some extensive work for a friend years ago (gorgeous half-sleeve), and was astonishing ~then~
Thrilled to see him using his mad skills to help women feel more 'whole' as well...
Adenoid_Hynkel
(14,093 posts)Boudica the Lyoness
(2,899 posts)Tattoos can be dangerous if you develop an allergy to the ink. Some people with sarcoidosis are really suffering immense pain because of their old tattoos.
They seem like lowlife decorations. It has always seemed like a low class thing to do to yourself. Must be my generation. Just how I feel about it.
No offence to anyone who likes them or has them.
liberal N proud
(60,347 posts)I personally don't find them attractive, but what one does with their own body, is their business.
I did see a strategically placed star once that intrigued me the girl went by the name star.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)opiate69
(10,129 posts)"The difference between people with tattoos and people without is, people with tattoos don't care if you're not tattooed."
opiate69
(10,129 posts)Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)bunnies
(15,859 posts)As a woman with tattoos, Im absolutely blown away by what Ive read in this thread so far. You seem to be one of the very few who wouldnt be revolted at the sight of my back piece.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)BainsBane
(53,093 posts)I might have one myself if I weren't such a wimp, or if I weren't afraid they'd do a terrible job with it.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)But the ones that do care, seem to revel in making their - hmmm - distaste well known..
(what would you get, if you were get one?)
BainsBane
(53,093 posts)Something pretty. A dragonfly maybe? Flowers? A cool geometric or scroll-like design? Definitely not the name of a lover or a politician.
My biggest fear is I would get in there and I'd flinch as soon as they start and wouldn't be able to finish. Then there is the question of where to put it and how I'd feel sitting there half naked.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)I would have guessed maybe some kind of ancient native art..
My wife's sister, though, is big into the dragonfly thing.. I've seen some nice designs in that motif too.
BainsBane
(53,093 posts)No. I don't do Mexico anyway. (I thought this PhD of mine was supposed to be a fiction?) I Googled and saw some nice ones on the feet. Do they hurt more on bonier areas of the body?
Check this out. The person turned their entire body into a William Morris print.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)Yes, they definitely hurt more on bonier areas...y old singer had one right behind and a little above his ear.. he said it was the most excruciating thing he ever experienced (including multiple surgeries to implant and then "fix" his dialysis fistulas).. but if it's small enough to fit on your foot, it should be quick enough.. the purple in that tattoo is just beautiful.. great source piece to work with helps, of course. (the Morris piece, I mean)
mimmylemoo
(1 post)I'm the artist who did this piece ('Wearing William'). It's actually a body cast I made and then hand painted. I do a lot of them - funnily enough some people come and have me do pieces when they are considering tattoos but want to be sure it will suit them. But this particular one is just one of a collection of body casts my partner and I made painted with patterns inspired by Morris prints and Victorian wallpaper. You can see the rest here if you're interested:-
http://www.mastersandmunn.co.uk/Morris_Coll_G.html
But I'm flattered you thought it was a real bottom with a real tattoo. )
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Wonderful art too.
BainsBane
(53,093 posts)I thought it was a tattoo because it came up on an image search for William Morris tattoos.
I'm very glad to know about your work. Thanks for sharing the link.
gopiscrap
(23,765 posts)CBHagman
(16,992 posts)Some tattoos look just like magic marker. Some are works of art.
But it's hard to see one and not wonder if the bearer will live to regret it...
ProdigalJunkMail
(12,017 posts)not that they all detract, but people are beautiful how they are. body art/modification does not enhance that... i have seen body art that was ruinous to appearance, though.
sP
Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)will confirm that tattoos can, indeed, be ruinous to one's appearance.
dembotoz
(16,864 posts)that and i really hate needles
madamesilverspurs
(15,811 posts)There is some absolutely gorgeous art running around. However, some observations:
The friend who had a gorgeous unicorn tat right above her left breast. Two kids later, she says she now sports a really weird looking giraffe; we take her at her word, she doesn't let anyone see it any more.
The fella who was in a couple of my classes when I went back to school. Like me at the time, he was pushing 50. Unlike me, he decided to try to fit in. Grecian formula turned his hair orange (totally did not match his armpit hair, all too visible given the tank tops he wore). He got himself one of those bicep tats. Trust me, barbed wire on flab does not have the same effect as barbed wire on muscle.
A co-worker who had a gorgeous garden that covered her entire back; all the guys had to leave the room while she showed it to us. She'd occasionally ask us if it was fading. Had to wonder why she'd go to all that expense and hurt for something she could only see in a mirror. Ah, well.
Lastly, the guy who growled that "nobody is hiring anyway" as he handed me his application. Maybe nobody was hiring HIM because of the giant FUCK YOU! he had emblazoned in black ink across the front of his neck. Eeek.
xfundy
(5,105 posts)Because they became such a fad among less-young kids.
I find the art amazing, and wish it were captured on a more enduring canvas.
But, it's not my business to tell anyone else what to do with their body.
QC
(26,371 posts)Those who don't care for them are free not to look.
Retrograde
(10,164 posts)I've seen some understated geometric patterns that looked nice on the people who had them, but most of them IMHO are not attractive. Now, if you were to ask me directly whether your own tattoo was attractive, I'd tap dance and comment on the workmanship, or ask why you chose that particular design, but unless you ask I won't venture a comment.
Logical
(22,457 posts)Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Logical
(22,457 posts)Disgusted. Same difference!
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Take that to its logical conclusion (no pun intended).
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Whether you like it or not, having a tattoo says something about you as a person. It says that you flout convention, are a free spirit and an individualist, and pride yourself on marching to your own drummer.
None of those are qualities I particularly need in an employee. What I do need is someone who can follow detailed instructions, work well in a team and abide by company rules and policies. A visible tattoo is a good indication that you may not have those qualities.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)than your last 2 sentences. I doubt I would like working in a company that judged me like you seem to. Yay for walmart and "at least you have a minimum wage job", eh?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)I generally interview ten to fifteen people when we have an open position. Most of them won't have visible tats. Why take a chance when you don't have to?
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)you believe what I write. Also since I do not know what your business is, all I have to judge you by is what you write here. Which I have done. I would not want to work in such a company that prejudges as you have written.
And I notice you now say "visible tats" whereas you have mostly ranted about mutilation/etc of any tattoo. Interesting.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)I have absolutely no problem with that. I need a particular set of skills and attitudes and I don't feel people with tats are going to fit my requirements. If it makes you feel better I said visible tats because honestly I would have know way of knowing if you had a tattoo on your ass as a result of a normal job interview. If you were to tell me about such a tattoo then of course I would take that information into account when making a hiring decision (and you would not believe the information people volunteer during an interview, even when you tell them to please *not* tell you about a particular thing).
Bottom line, actions have consequences. You are certainly free to get tattooed to your heart's content. I am free not to hire you because of it.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)However, the idea that you judge someone's work ethic based on whether they have tattoos or not is amazing. Some people with tattoos may not have a very good work ethic but just because someone doesn't have tattoos doesn't mean their work ethic is any better. And if it weren't for people who didn't think outside the box or march to their own drummer, there'd be a lot of successful companies that wouldn't have been so successful. I can understand if you ran, say a funeral home, where thinking outside the box (pun intended) is a bad thing but any other environment doesn't get damaged by someone who you consider to flout convention--meaning, just because they may do so in their personal life doesn't mean they don't know the difference between work and fun. I suspect you'd lose a lot of really good job candidates based on your interview "process".
Neoma
(10,039 posts)I got my nose pierced to see who's superficial so that I can avoid them, seems to work okay. I'd get a tattoo because I'm an artist who loves art. But a piece of art on my skin shouldn't stop me from going through med school or getting a boring job to pay the bills. A tattoo would just show that I love Dr. Seuss and Alice in Wonderland art honestly.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)I appreciate those who have them, lets me know who to avoid.
Neoma
(10,039 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)don't be upset when people read it.
Neoma
(10,039 posts)This is essentially what you're saying.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)then yes, you have to deal with the consequences. No one forced you to get a tat.
Neoma
(10,039 posts)I'd also like to note that judging people by their tattoos is bigoted because you're not judging these people by their character. If people treat others like dirt for the way they look, they are not nice, they are not for equality, and they are basing everything surrounding that issue on stereotypes. I'm going to bed, goodnight.
Except I'm going to stay up a little longer.
Response to Llewlladdwr (Reply #178)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Electric Monk
(13,869 posts)more
http://mentalfloss.com/article/32288/11-great-geeky-math-tattoos
edited to add:
The Golden Spiral is a pretty cool geek tattoo too, imho.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)when you post in this thread?
Wow. What the hell are you doing on a progressive board when you are so judgmental and closed minded?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)A tattoo isn't like one's skin color, or gender or orientation. Those are things you're born with. A tattoo is completely voluntary. Choosing to present a tattoo to the world says certain things about you, just as how you choose to dress or who you choose to associate with says certain things. To say that the rest of us don't have the right to judge you based on how you *choose* to present is absurd.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)miss the point.
You really don't get it at all. People who judge based on appearance and not character are shallow and bigoted. That is not progressive.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)How you present yourself is your image.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Seems to me that that if we predicate our judgement of a person based in part on a wholly benign, non-offensive form of art that stretches back to the dawn of humanity that hurts absolutely no one, we advertise nothing more than how creative we are in rationalizing our shallow prejudices, lack of tolerance, and petulant bigotries.
However, to better soothe any sensibilities you may have had ruffled by this observation, simply realize that I judged you merely on how you've presented yourselves in this thread, as it "says certain things about you" and to do otherwise would be, as you said, absurd.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)A brazillion with many tattoos.
dionysus
(26,467 posts)Demobrat
(9,003 posts)To me most tattoos, especially those horrible sleeves so in vogue today, say that one is a follower who, if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would jump off right behind them. They strike me as a pathetic attempt to be cool and fit in, not an individualistic decision by any means.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)are followers "who, if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would jump off right behind them. They strike me as a pathetic attempt to be cool and fit in, not an individualistic decision by any means."
Or clean shaven men? Or women who shave their legs and armpits? Or... or... or... see where I'm going with this? It's a style. It doesn't have to mean anything more than the person likes the look.
Deciding something about a person's character based on something skin deep is being judgmental and bigoted.
Demobrat
(9,003 posts)People with tattoos strike me as try-hard followers desperate to be cool, with communication skills limited to namecalling.
Of course if I had written that people with tattoos struck me as rugged individualists who made their own decisions and followed their own paths, that would NOT have been bigoted. Right?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Demobrat
(9,003 posts)try-hard followers desperate to be cool? I don't dislike them at all. I think they're sad, but I don't dislike them. I just feel sorry for them.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)We don't need your pity. And by feeling sorry for us you think we are inferior. But you are wrong. I don't know anyone who has or would get a tattoo out of desperation to be cool.
It's no different than choosing to wear your hair a certain way, or choosing a certain style of dressing, or choosing a type of car, or choosing how to decorate your house.
So now that that's settled, you can use your "compassion" for something more productive and less judgmental.
Demobrat
(9,003 posts)you think are inferior. Got it.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)You clearly think that people with tattoos are "desperate", lost souls looking who get tattoos as a "pathetic" way to "be cool" based on what you have said. So I'm just freeing up your mind by letting you know you don't have to worry about us, when you see someone with a tattoo there's no need for you to expend any energy thinking about why we got the tattoo and feeling sorry for us. Just go about your business, smile at us if you like, that will make you feel better, but ignore us if you prefer.
But you might want to be less judgmental. I can assure you it's far less becoming than most any tattoo you will ever have to see.
Demobrat
(9,003 posts)n/t
bunnies
(15,859 posts)Judgmental, bigoted people who feel the need to demean a group they clearly know nothing about. It must be horrible to go through life that way. Unable to comprehend the meaning and importance of self-expression while attempting to assert your own imagined superiority. Talk about desperate. Bless your heart.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)free spirit, he is an individualist, and he has a tattoo, but he is also a brilliant engineer who is great at bringing people together and getting a project completed. He is in the process now of getting back on his feet. Since he cannot draw engineering diagrams anymore because he cannot see to do that anymore, he is starting his own business. He has an incredible drive to succeed, and I have no doubt he will be successful at anything he ever does in life. You cannot judge whether someone is a good worker based on a tattoo or whether they are a free spirit. Hiring someone on how they look is bigoted.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)I'm 53 years old with several tattoos, two of which are visible when I wear skirts or capris. I have been with the same company for 20 years now, during which time I have been exceptionally successful at following detailed instructions, working well in a team and abiding by company rules and policies. I have grown into the Owner's trusted right-hand person who is responsible for the running of the company on a daily basis. The Owner is a suburban, old-fashioned, fairly conservative fellow who had the good sense to not buy into silly stereotypes.
R B Garr
(16,995 posts)because they got too many complaints about his tattoos. He told me he wears long sleeves now all the time and buttons up his shirt all the way every day so they are not as visible.
How that came up was that I said I was going to call Triple AAA about how outstanding his service was and how he went out of his way to help me with what wound up being a real dumb and preventible idiotic move on my part. He was very grateful that I was going to call about something so positive, and that's when he told me about the complaints about his tattoos.
Logical
(22,457 posts)Themselves also! LOL, clients expect a certain standard, right or wrong.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)presenting yourself to be right now. Most people with tattoos cover them up for work. Like you care. You have your prejudices and no amount of logic will change your mind.
Logical
(22,457 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)You know, by forcing ink into open wounds in your flesh?
Some people don't find that particularly attractive...
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)mu·ti·late transitive verb \ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt\
: to cause severe damage to (the body of a person or animal)
: to ruin the beauty of (something) : to severely damage or spoil (something)
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Sounds exactly right to me....
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Tell me your reasons. Because it feels like I've fallen into a Puritanical wasteland.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)In my view a tattoo does nothing to enhance a person's attractiveness, on the contrary it distracts from it. I find the entire process of undergoing a tattoo to be unsettling and don't understand why a well-balanced person would want to have ink and various other chemicals forced into their deliberately inflicted open wounds. Not sure how that makes me a Puritan....
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Practicing strict morality. And only total social prudes consider the art of tattooing mutilation. A tattoo doesn't harm the host. It doesn't harm you. It expresses a certain belief or concept the host wishes to express. Thus, tattoos themselves are pieces of art on a skin canvas as opposed to some other medium. Not all art is great. But you cannot deny that art is art. You simply like it or you don't.
But you coming out wholly against tattoos is ridiculous. What century do you think we live in?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)I find tattoos to be very unattractive. You calling me a Puritan will not change my mind. If you want a tattoo, by all means go get one. Get many if you like. I still won't like them and still won't understand why a person would chose to mutilate themselves like that. And yes, I will continue to consider it self-mutilation.
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Even if those opinions are uninformed swill.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)". And yes, I will continue to consider it self-mutilation...."
I imagine your aesthetic consistency compels you to consider ear-rings as self-mutilation also, that you refer to it such, and cannot imagine why a person would choose to wear them,
(again... insertion distinction without a difference here)
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)people with tats are not "well-balanced"? It could be said that people who react so negatively have issues themselves. For instance, someone is so creeped out by the thought of getting a tattoo that they then project that onto others who do have tats, calling them creepy.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)and then put ink and various chemicals into them.
Haha... you make it sound like someone slices us up and then pours draino and ink in the cut.
Along with being rude you sound pretty ignorant about tattoos. You need to have a more open mind. Why do you care this much if someone else gets inked?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)and puts ink into the skin. Hardly a "wound".
You should go see it someday. It's interesting.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Seemed like a lot of blood for something that produced no wounds.
By the way, you do know that a puncture is a wound, right?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)As I said before you were making it sound very exaggerated and were being extremely judgmental. It would be nice if you were open to the fact that other people like tattoos and don't have to be unbalanced and wounding themselves to get them. Especially since it doesn't hurt anyone else.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Puncture wounds are actually more dangerous that a similar sized cut, being deeper and harder to clean and disinfect. That's what I was told in first aid training at any rate. I'm pretty sure a tattoo can become infected if not kept clean, at least until it heals. That's why I say wound in connection with tattoos. They both require sanitization and healing.
Look, if you like tattoos that's your business. I don't. Since you chose to be tattooed I feel no need to overlook it when forming my opinion about you.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)You are saying outright that you are going to think lesser about me because I have tattoos? That my having tattoos is reason for you to judge me?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)How you choose to present yourself to the world will affect my opinion of you. If you present in a fashion that I disapprove of I will probably have a lower opinion of you and will act accordingly. In the case of a tattoo I would simply note it, minimize any interaction that might be required between us and move on. What would you do differently? Never ever ever form an opinion about someone until you get to know them on a deep and personal level?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)I probably wouldn't get to know them on a "deep and personal level" so no, it wouldn't have to go that far. But I base my opinions of others on who they are, not what they look like.
But you are right, we have the right to think other people are assholes. I just do it based on their character - like if they are judgmental pricks - not based on what clothes they wear, how they choose to wear their hair or whether or not they have tattoos.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)How about one of those "We get up early to beat the crowds" t- shirts some police departments print up? Would an NRA cap affect your view of someone? What about one of those "Protected by Smith and Wesson" signs, would that do it?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)You didn't say that a tattoo with a racist message made you dislike someone, you said a tattoo, period. You made no mention of any message being attached until now.
I don't judge people who wear t-shirts. That is the equivalent of you judging someone who has a tattoo. Now if either the t-shirt or the tattoo had a confederate flag on it, yes, I would now know something about that person and that would give me insight as to what their values are. But just a t-shirt without a message or a tattoo without a message does not.
I don't judge people who carry signs in general either. It depends on what the message of the sign is.
See, I don't judge based on appearances, I judge based on the character, which includes the person's beliefs, not whether they wear a t-shirt, carry a sign or have a tattoo.
easttexaslefty
(1,554 posts)I wouldn't want you in my life either.
Why would I want to know someone so petty and close-minded?
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)For myself, rather than looking at someone's appearance, I listen to their words, observe how they treat others, and watch how they express themselves. Tatoo? I can't imagine why that would affect me in forming an opinion about that person and determining whether a relationship with that person is desirable or not.
You can form your opinion based on anything you choose. That's your deal. You probably would form a negative opinion of me. I have a full beard, which I've maintained since 1969. I dress very casually, in jeans and some sort of shirt or another, depending on my mood that day. I don't own any shoes that could take a polish. My hair varies in length, since I visit the barber only three times a year.
I have no tattoos. Based on my appearance, you might form a negative opinion of me before you even bothered to know who I am, what I think, and whether I am intelligent or not. It would be your opinion, whether it was accurate or not. It might affect your interactions with me, assuming I was ever anywhere near you or anyhow involved with you.
Judging on appearances is a good way to limit your contact with people. If that is your goal, then you have chosen well. If not, you might want to reconsider.
uppityperson
(115,681 posts)MattBaggins
(7,905 posts)Decaffeinated
(556 posts)Do you have any family members with pierced ears? Do you judge them so harshly?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Might want to take it down a notch.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)This is mine. Look, no one is born with tattoos. It's pretty much something you decide to do to yourself. That being the case, I have no problem judging people for their actions. And this is an action I disapprove of. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but hey, what a wonderful country we live in, where we're all free to consider each other assholes if we so desire.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)And oh my! Someone mutilated you when they cut your umbilical cord!
Oh, hey are you male? Are you circumcised?
Do you shave? Why? Get haircuts? You are mutilating yourself by cutting hair off your body.
You have no right to disapprove of my actions when it is simply getting a tattoo on my own body. However I will accept that we have the right to consider each other assholes.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)For any reason that I please.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Are you male and circumcised?
Do you cut your hair or shave?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Yes, I am male and circumsized. No, I was not consulted beforehand.
Yes, I cut my hair and shave. I dislike long hair on men.
So which one is more like a tattoo, being circumcised or cutting one's hair?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Ever nick yourself shaving? Why would you do that?
How about this, do you have a son? If so, is he circumcised? Be honest...
Let me ask you something else. A non-tattooed person is in a room with a person who has visible tattoos. Unbeknownst to you, the non-tattooed person is a Tea Party member and the tattooed person is a philanthropist. This philanthropist has done wonders for others, really helped enrich their lives. From what you've said here you would be more inclined to like the Tea Party member because you are so worried about how people look that you would pass over the philanthropist based on them having tattoos and befriend the Tea Partier. And that doesn't seem wrong to you??? Dismissing someone with great and honorable character because you've judged them for having tattoos?
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)At least for me. I'm told it's supposed to stop itching eventually but it never does. Same for long hair, its a hassle to maintain and in my opinion doesn't look good on a man. I haven't had to decide what to do about anyone else's foreskin so far, knock on wood. Thing is, I'm perfectly happy being judged for my grooming and appearance. I'm not asking to be treated any differently than I'm treating anyone else.
I'm not certain how to address your hypothetical. Of course we all want to be around good and noble people. It hasn't been my experience that tattoos are necessarily a good indicator of those qualities though. In fact, in my experience tattoos are quite often found on people who are not very good or very noble. Not always, but often.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)you would - based on your posts in this thread - decide you liked the Tea Party member more and think they were a better, more balanced person than the tattooed philanthropist. See why your judgmental attitude is wrong?
I doubt you do if you don't already, I just hope you are so young that you don't have enough life experience to see how wrong you are and that you will soon see it or yourself.
I've had enough of this though. See ya.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Though I don't agree I appreciate the discussion.
Neoma
(10,039 posts)People who lose their eyebrows from chemotherapy get them tattooed back on.
Oh wait, you have no desire to be around anyone with a tattoo no matter what, that's too bad.
easttexaslefty
(1,554 posts)wow. Just wow.
Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)Forcing circumcision on infant males is mutilation, which removes a part of a man's penis.
Getting ink permanently on your skin isn't a mutilation.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)That's the sense in which I'm using the word. In my opinion that's exactly what a tattoo does, spoil a person's natural beauty.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)Here is a mastectomy tattoo. Go ahead, let's hear about how unattractive it is.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Your mileage may vary. You can hate on me all you want but I'm not going to change my mind. Don't like ink, don't care why you got it.
Rhythm
(5,435 posts)This is extraordinary...
And probably most empowering for the woman adorned by it...
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)It was all over the news awhile back- the artist put it up on their FB page and FB in their wisdom yanked it. They've since changed their policy. Google will probably kick up the artist's name if you look.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)But hey, to each their own.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)of the human animal and always has been as far as anybody can tell.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)While we certainly have some vociferous defenders of the tattoo in the thread the majority seems to disapprove or dislike the tat.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Deep13
(39,154 posts)opiate69
(10,129 posts)La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)LumosMaxima
(585 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)I've seen some really bad tattoos.
In general, yes, I'm a fan of ink and piercings.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)My experience is that the same sort of men who are bothered by my having a tattoo are generally uncomfortable with the notion that I or specifically my ladybits existed prior to their interest in me.
As such a tattoo is a handy bit of asshole repellent.
laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)You know, I was trying to think up a way to reply, but I think you win the thread (tattoo here too).
struggle4progress
(118,379 posts)choice, and I don't bother folk with my opinions about such purely personal choices unless invited to comment
Lil Missy
(17,865 posts)LibAsHell
(180 posts)I've only dated c one person with a tattoo and generally I think I prefer none.
jazzimov
(1,456 posts)What part of "permanent" don't they understand?
That being said, I have seen a lot of beautiful women with tattoos. I try to overlook them and see the woman underneath. But it's difficult sometimes.
I love artwork. I love paintings and sculptures - I can move them where ever I want in my home and replace them when I get tired of them.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)tsk tsk... very sexist.
Tikki
(14,560 posts)We never mentioned to our two sons one way or another...They are grown men without
any tattoos.
But, whatever...
The Tikkis
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)Lex
(34,108 posts)Please mind the male gaze.
Gravitycollapse
(8,155 posts)riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)X_Digger
(18,585 posts)Auggie
(31,207 posts)GoCubsGo
(32,097 posts)I really don't understand the attraction to them. I don't find the vast majority of them all that attractive, especially not enough to be on me permanently.
Warpy
(111,383 posts)but most of the small tats look like bruises from a distance.
And I grew up seeing what tats in WWII in the Pacific looked like 20 years later.
Still, I remember a drummer with some spectacular sleeves and hair to match. That was excellent ink. I've even seem some great, if pornographic, prison tats. All I know about the artist is that he's a lifer. Too bad, if he hadn't turned to crime, he'd probably be one of the top guys in the country.
So I guess it's very individual for me.
kentuck
(111,110 posts)and I have a Sister with tats, also. I have never said anything negative about any of them. I have always thought that if a person wanted a tat, that was their choice and their business and it was not my place to judge.
That said, I have never chosen to get a tat personally.
Response to kentuck (Reply #107)
polly7 This message was self-deleted by its author.
LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)Which explains most threads really.
MattBaggins
(7,905 posts)Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)I thought I had wandered onto Free Republic....
Silent3
(15,359 posts)Something looks good to you, or it doesn't. There's an impression that occurs well before you know or have to know anything about the reason someone got a tattoo, an impression that forms without knowing what the tattoo means to wearer, an impression that exists before you try to temper your opinion with diplomacy, an impression that exists whether you voice it aloud or not.
For me, reacting to the vast majority of tattoos, that impression is negative.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)and frequently too misogynistic for my taste
bunnies
(15,859 posts)And Im really blown away to see a thread like this on a "progressive" site. Ive learned that the vast majority of DUers think Im a low-life, disgusting, loser just because I chose to have tats. Its been very eye-opening... in a sick and disappointing way.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)and boring to me
i on the other hand am young, exciting and urban. what do i care what a bunch of old fogies say?
(also using old as a state of mind, not about any specific age. when people rail on about tattoos they remind me of my parents. )
bunnies
(15,859 posts)It must be very exciting deciding which pair of khakis to wear in the morning. There come in several shades of beige ya know.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)their approval
bunnies
(15,859 posts)Im just glad I havent encountered such shallow, judgmental people in my real life. They certainly arent people I would ever consider a "friend". Chances are if theyre judging me for tattoos, their judging me for other things also. I dont have time in my life for such bullshit.
La Lioness Priyanka
(53,866 posts)Gemini Cat
(2,820 posts)If I want to look at someone's art, I'll go to a gallery or to a museum.
It's your body so it's your choice, however, don't expect me to find your tat attractive.
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)And then there are tattoos..........
I don't generally like them on women, but even I would consider getting a tiny, maybe 1" flower someplace private. I do like them as art.
Beringia
(4,316 posts)seeing them as the kind of thing ruffians would use. But now that I am older, I like them. I agree with others that it is nice to see women doing it, claiming their own bodies. I also consider it to be an ancient practice, hearkening back to our pagan roots.
The tattooed right hand of a Chiribaya mummy is displayed at El Algarrobal Museum, near the port of Ilo in southern Peru. The Chiribaya were farmers who lived from A.D. 900 to 1350.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/tattoo.html?c=y&page=2
Arabic Mehandi Design
http://fashion.ekstrax.com/2012/12/40-most-beautiful-arabic-mehandi-designs.html
quinnox
(20,600 posts)If it is just one or two small unobtrusive ones, then I think that is ok. But many seem to go crazy with them, and then they just look ridiculous and like a prison convict.
I think most of the time people get tattoos because of the "look at me, how cool am I?" factor, and personally that doesn't appeal to me. You can be a "cool dude" without getting a tattoo.
easttexaslefty
(1,554 posts)who has a tattoo to look "cool".
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)conclusions on this one. I am a shy, plain Jane who wears pants, tee shirts, tennis shoes, and no make up. But I do plan on getting a tattoo because I plan on getting a personal tattoo that means something to me. Yes, there are people who get tattoos all over their bodies and maybe some of them do it for the attention. But so what? Just because I am a plain Jane doesn't mean everybody has to be. My daughter sure isn't a plain Jane. She has purple hair and and wears high heels and dresses. I don't begrudge here that. She is young and beautiful and should enjoy herself.
Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)Find a person attractive has nothing to do with tattoos. Plenty of gorgeous people with tattoos. Plenty of less attractive people without them.
I have three. All three are deeply personal. I got them for one person only...me. Two are visible. The other cannot be seen unless you're my husband or my midwife.
I did not get any of my tattoos in order to attract anyone. If someone finds me unattractive due to my tattoos then that's their issue.
I did not get tattoos to be "cool" or to fit in. I'm certainly not a Hipster.
Yes, I know tattoos are permanent. Yes, I know my skin will change as I age. I knew that when I got them. No, I will not regret them when my skin sags just as I will mot regret any of my skin that sags as I get older and just as I do not regret the tattoo stripes given to me by Nature when I was pregnant. Their significance will not diminish to me as I wrinkle.
My largest and most visible tattoo is in memory of a baby I miscarried. I was told her life was insignificant. I was told I should get over her. I was told that my grief made others uncomfortable. So, I etched her name on to my forearm along with a Sparrow as a reminder that no life is insignificant to God. That tattoo was a major part of my healing process after my miscarriage. I don't know that anyone would be able to tell me to my face that I marred or disfigured myself with my baby's name.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)pipoman
(16,038 posts)read all this way for the right answer.."I got them for one person only...me."
25% of my back covered with my son and mother will always be with me..
arthritisR_US
(7,300 posts)in them, but that's just me
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,900 posts)gopiscrap
(23,765 posts)Common Sense Party
(14,139 posts)Some are undoubtedly works of art.
But no, I'm not a big fan of them. When I open a business I won't hire someone with visible tats. If they're covered during the workday, that's fine with me.
GreenStormCloud
(12,072 posts)But that is other people's freedom and none of my business. It will effect my judgement of them, just as the way they dress does.
During my days of playing a lot of poker in casinos I noticed that people who had lots of tattoos usually had emotional problems that negatively effected their playing ability.
Hayabusa
(2,135 posts)Puzzledtraveller
(5,937 posts)4bucksagallon
(975 posts)Like a birthmark.
valerief
(53,235 posts)had tattoos. That's my feeling about them, too.
Duppers
(28,127 posts)They're like a permanent costume. Facial jewelry is also very distracting to me.
People who wear them must badly need attention.
I don't oppose very small ones or undetectable makeup tattoos however.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)However, it should fit the person.
I don't like generic tattoos that have no meaning. I like tattoos as a lifestyle sort of thing. On some people they just look out of place.
And I'm very attracted to guys with tattoos, mostly because the type of men I'm attracted to would have them. It's very difficult in my neighborhood and at work to not see ink.
Demit
(11,238 posts)This has been an interesting thread. I noticed upthread you were very harsh about the poster who made judgments based on the appearance of people with tattoos. How is your own statement about tattoos looking "out of place" on "some people," or that ink "should" fit the person, not a judgment?
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 8, 2013, 01:44 PM - Edit history (1)
I can not like someone's outfit and not judge them as a human being too. The poster above said people who get tattoos are not well-balanced and that he thinks they are not as worthy and deserve him to pass judgment on them in this way simply because they have "a" tattoo, never mind what that tattoo is. He then likened having a tattoo to wearing a t-shirt with a confederate flag on it among other things.
In another thread he said that he thinks that anyone with a tattoo will have a poor work ethic and not work as a team.
Do you really think me not liking a tattoo or feeling it's out of place on someone is the same as that? If my friend is thinking of buying something, be it clothing or something for the house, and I tell her it doesn't look right on her or in her house, it looks out of place, I'm not judging her, I'm giving my opinion.
Though judging occurs at a skin deep level, the judgment being made is about things that are much further in than that, about who they are as a person, their character. So no, absolute not, feeling something is out of place on someone is not judging that person, not in the least.
R B Garr
(16,995 posts)It's not a deal breaker or anything, but generally speaking, I do not like them. It just reminds me of a rough crowd type of look.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)like snakes and blades on their arms, or skeletons or devils or something death related on their chests or backs - well, they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, that's for sure.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)I guess I'm an old fogette, but I've never seen the attraction of going through a painful process to decorate your skin permanently, often with something that's really ugly.
Mushroom
(341 posts)cc Antonin Scalia
cui bono
(19,926 posts)at the man's discretion.
duffyduff
(3,251 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,459 posts)I don't have any myself but as for a lady, small tatoos strategically placed can look nice.
As for men, my late Uncle Pete had a pretty woman with a grass skirt tattoo which he could make dance for us, just by flexing his arm, that was kind of entertaining.
Thanks for the thread, kentuck.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)At least not yet. Under right circumstances, who knows?
Quixote1818
(28,992 posts)However, as you said, different strokes for diff folks for sure.
woodsprite
(11,931 posts)On the other hand, my friend has over 100. She's a really sweet person, would do anything for you, but I think how much more beautiful she'd look without so many. I'd never tell her that though, but i think that many (and they're large) make her look kinda tough. She says she gets an adrenaline rush from the pain. She's had tattoos over tattoos, over tattoos.
Not my cup of tea, but whatever turns her on!
Chisox08
(1,898 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)it would go great with this thread!
opiate69
(10,129 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)After all, it's nearly Thansgivmukkah!
JHB
(37,163 posts)If you're going to pile on, go for the gold!
chill_wind
(13,514 posts)"thing" but it still doesn't appeal to me on either gender. I think they're distracting and I don't get the willingness and self-certitude to permanize statements about one's self or taste or convictions with a few select ink images. But we are all different, and maybe that just says more about my own various insecurities and neuroses than anything else.
Give me T-shirts, cheaper any day, should I ever outgrow my passing passions or tire of them, in delight of something new. But again, others' self expression or pleasurable spending on it is not mine to judge.
Whether it's fair or not, though, they can be real job inhibitors. That may be slowly changing, but still not a hassle I would care to have to be concerned with.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)With a decent amount of disposable income. Just like all their friends and peers.
"Welcome to the rugged individualist club. Here's your uniform."
Meh. Just stay off my lawn, okay?
About 20 years ago, I met a guy with a "barrel of monkeys" tattoo around his ankle. I thought that was pretty cool.
A guy I grew up with got a full sleeve when his 18 year old son committed suicide. I can understand the sentiment, but I don't see anything therapeutic about it. It's literally displaying your greatest pain on your skin. You can't get away from it, ever.
chill_wind
(13,514 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 8, 2013, 01:44 AM - Edit history (1)
edit- I feel compelled to explain that my smile was in response to your original post before your edit.
Not to your further added comments about the person in pain. I didn't catch that. It does seem the motivations can be more personally complex than I might think about, sometimes.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)I respect the fact that others do find them so. Different folks, different strokes, and all that. People have a right to their preferences in who they find attractive, it usually doesn't affect how they treat the person in non-romantic situations.
DesertFlower
(11,649 posts)do what she wants with her body.
LadyHawkAZ
(6,199 posts)and the placement.
Mustache tattoos, for example, will never be attractive.
ladjf
(17,320 posts)Rhythm
(5,435 posts)A quick preface:
I ~am~ inked... Neither i nor my unmarked dearly-beloved think that my tattoos either add or detract from my overall appearance.
Now then.
I don't think that ink makes someone more ~or~ less attractive, unless it is poorly done.
It matters not a whit to me where something is placed -- or how large an area is covered -- as long as it's location makes artistic sense; the subject matter i could care less about as long as it is artistically rendered.
Crappily-done jailhouse stuff done by someone who should have had their crayons taken away in kindergarten is not going to be attractive...
Well-rendered dermagraphic art is a beautiful thing.
cecilfirefox
(784 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)and it's so cool to still have the hots for my husband.
Jim Warren
(2,736 posts)But I'm not into adding any identification marks.
CountAllVotes
(20,878 posts)Especially when on the face, that is disfiguring and plain ugly.
Lucinda
(31,170 posts)Kablooie
(18,642 posts)Arf, arf arf.
BlueCaliDem
(15,438 posts)rrneck
(17,671 posts)LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Especially younger women.
The only exceptions are rock stars and surfers. It kind of fits with them.
NBachers
(17,149 posts)No kid should have to make a statement like that.
bhikkhu
(10,725 posts)I just remember my uncle who was in the Navy, and had a big splotch of a tattoo on his arm that he always covered up. It looked like an ugly bruise, but probably was a picture of something at one point. I know a couple of other older guys who generally wear long-sleeved shirts for the same reason - it looks fine for a while, then its a big ugly splotch. Not attractive in the least.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)specifically: Yakuza. My grandmother would probably disown me if I ever got a tattoo. Needless to say, I'm not a big fan...
Skittles
(153,226 posts)Rstrstx
(1,399 posts)In Mexico having a tattoo will often keep people from getting a job and the employers are not shy to tell them why
Nolimit
(142 posts)I believe pigments that are being made these days maintain their colors for a long time and a good artist will have an idea of how a tattoo will age and tattoo so it won't turn into a shapeless blob. Many tattooing trends and fads have come again but traditional Japanese and Americana have staying power.
RandySF
(59,414 posts)on the skin tone, skin texture and the design of the tattoo itself.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)And tatoo don't mix for me. Its a turn off.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)But what a person does with his or her body is his or her own business.
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)We can get this puppy to 300 if we all pull together as a team!i
a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)They are beautiful because they, and my brain, are beautifully developed.
I know when my tattoos are appropriate and when they are not. I am a university professor. They're not my students' business.
Eta: I also have the freedom not to care what you or anyone else thinks.
B Calm
(28,762 posts)Paper Roses
(7,475 posts)She had a dress on and her arms and legs were wrinkled purple and pink.
Most unattractive.
I may be a fun thing to do when you are young but when the skin starts to sag , not very pretty.
GreenEyedLefty
(2,073 posts)They don't take anything away, either, unless they are egregiously badly done, in poor taste, etc.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)I can understand ethnic tattooing and a tiny tattoo like a butterfly, flower looks ok to me. I think it would be better as a removable skin decoration. Tattoos sure look like crap when their old, ink all smeary & spreads under the skin.
I like tattoos for ID on animals. Dogs in ear or inner leg, horses inside upper lip. Can't remove that.
I also like the idea that many criminals have tattoos and helps ID them aswell.
so that answers the OP question
DrDan
(20,411 posts)I have yet to see a tattoo that enhances a person's appearance
They don't make you look "tougher", more beautiful/handsome, more defiant, more unique. Quite the opposite, imo.
ileus
(15,396 posts)JHB
(37,163 posts)...is the strong reaction some people have against them. It's not a critique of the art or overall aesthetics, it's a visceral revulsion of the very concept.
From my perspective of indifference/"not my thing, but whatever floats your boat", I don't get that at all.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)One of my dreams is to visit Japan and a Roten Buro, or Onsen. (Hot Spring bathing) Many of these resorts will never allow you in if you have Tattoos. The simple reason is, that those who tend to wear Tattoos are generally apart of the Yakuza, or Japanese Mafia. They are not welcome in many of these establishments because they scare away patrons, who would go often. Those found with Tattoos are often escorted off the premise...
It does not take much to have this happen to you. You could be bathing and have Rodger Rabbit tattooed on your shoulder and be asked to leave..abruptly. This includes piercings as well... All these items make the Japanese business community a tad nervous and I would rather much have a nice ...long...Hot ...soak than be abruptly removed and escorted to the parking lot.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)My wife, her other sister and their mom went and each got a small memorial tattoo in honor of my late father-in-law.. SIL had a cow, saying that if mom ever came to visit her there, they wouldn't be able to go here, or there, or whatever because of the Yakuza implication. I just still maintain that there is no way any reasonably intelligent person is going to look at my MIL (middle aged, white, German-stock) and confuse her with any kind of criminal. Not to mention, being a musician, I've long been aware of the fact that thousands upon thousands of Western rock bands have made lucrative careers playing regularly all over Nihon, and have been for decades. I can't imagine someone like Nikki Sixx, or Ozzy Osbourne being denied any type of service there... Of course, I imagine that there surely must be a generatiinal difference in attitudes, and it's quite probable that "older" Japanese folk (and probably rural as well) might have problems, but in the world-class metropolises which play host to visitors and ex-pats from all over the globe, I can't imagine it being any kind of big issue.
AsahinaKimi
(20,776 posts)Roten Buro are out in the country side. Some north in Hokkaido and many still stick to the same rules they have had for many many years. I would never want to chance going to a luxury resort and end up being escorted out to the parking lot. One of my favorite Artists is Miyavi who has tattoos...
Though he is known in most circles, even he, has acknowledged that he would never visit a Roten Buro or onsen in the country side, for fear of stirring up problems with the locals.
opiate69
(10,129 posts)I really need to go there at some point and see it for myself..
yuiyoshida
(41,867 posts)TheCowsCameHome
(40,169 posts)...it's nearly impossible.
Same with skin pictures.
There are a LOT of folks out there that will be suffering with buyer's remorse later in life.
notadmblnd
(23,720 posts)HappyMe
(20,277 posts)There are a couple of excellent tattoo parlors here. Their work is beautiful, portable art. I especially like tatts that actually mean something to the person.
I have seen some bad tattoos. Save your money, do some research so that you can get the very best you can afford.
I don't know if they enhance a person's beauty or not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and what's on the inside that makes or breaks a person's attractiveness.
Alamuti Lotus
(3,093 posts)Time to move on to some new abomination.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)To "piss of the squares". I see youre really knowledgeable on the subject.
noamnety
(20,234 posts)It's really hard for my mind not to wander to how much it cost and what else could have been done with all that money.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)wasting your money the way you judge others.
noamnety
(20,234 posts)just that it's what my mind wanders to. Same with people with designer handbag collections, ridiculously expensive cars, etc.
csziggy
(34,139 posts)Though I'd be disappointed if my husband got a tattoo against my wishes. It's still his body, his choice.
CBGLuthier
(12,723 posts)However, I also do not think that people are put on this earth to increase their beauty to others. So people can tattoo whenever and whatever and it is no concern of mine so long as it is no part of me.
charmay
(525 posts)I focus on their tattoos instead. But, my friend has a small one on her ankle that I guess is ok.
trof
(54,256 posts)FSogol
(45,555 posts)Of course they were blotchy blobs of black and red, and barely distinguishable as anything. Blobby anchors, squat-wide misshapen bikini girls, a blobbish crooked serpent. Good lesson, I think.
Personally, I don't mind nice tattoos, but butt antlers or anything around the breast on a women, or neck/face on anyone is idiotic. To each his own.
we can do it
(12,205 posts)raccoon
(31,127 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Sorry, that's just the way I feel.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)I'll leave it at that lest I leave myself open to getting flamed.
Bettie
(16,132 posts)I understand that some people like them and that's fine. I have friends with many tattoos and they are great people, but they would be great people without them too. I know douchebags with lots of tattoos and they would still be the same without them too.
When we went to the water park with the kids this year, we saw a lot of 'body art' on display. Some of it is really, really awful and some is lovely, but still, it is personally not to my taste.
The new thing that I don't understand is the large blocks of text that I am seeing lately. Oh, and the huge words on people's necks. I don't understand at all what the point of that is.
But again, if that is what people want to do, fine.
PeaceNikki
(27,985 posts)And, as such, should conform to the cultural norms of beauty.
egduj
(807 posts)But they can enhance the attractiveness that is already there.
ejpoeta
(8,933 posts)But covering yourself with them.... not attractive. My dad's girlfriend had them. They were faded. But she was happy. And who am I to judge. She put up with my dad.... she must have been a saint!! When I see a tattoo, all I can see is how much money that must have cost and what I could get with that much money. I do that with everything though.
redstatebluegirl
(12,265 posts)in the 50's and see what you think. That thing is sinking fast. Not attractive at any age.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)I plan on getting one someday. I just haven't decided of what yet. Something that would signify the dignity, beauty, and strength of the female spirit. I have lost a mother and grandmother to breast cancer. I have the gene that puts me at risk of breast cancer, and I have two children including a daughter that need to be tested for the gene. I don't really want a pink ribbon tattoo. I'd rather it be something like a goddess tattoo.
hlthe2b
(102,419 posts)Indeed. (and honestly, that means I personally don't like tattoos on anyone, male or female--hey, it is just my preference)
Surely it is one of those personal issues that I would never press on another. Just as my rather fuddy duddy style of dress (which I'd love to think most see as "classic, rather than following the fads" (LOL) is something I know many others would not approve.
But if I actually liked/wanted a tattoo, I'd likely go for "vivre et laisser vivre" (live and let live).
Wetzelbill
(27,910 posts)Personally, I don't like how the kids these days like to dance and roughhouse at the sock hops, lets ban those too!
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)Damn kids are dancing all over the lawn!!
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 8, 2013, 03:41 PM - Edit history (1)
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Left2Tackle
(64 posts)grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)MineralMan
(146,338 posts)Why would someone care what I thought about their choice in the matter?
Nunna my bidness is what that is.
Nine
(1,741 posts)I can't imagine anything I would want to have on my body for the rest of my life. Hairstyles, clothing, makeup - all those things can be changed someday. Tattoos cannot. It's not a matter of the tattoos sagging someday, it's that you are expressing yourself in a way that can never be undone. It's like fusing an article of clothing to your body. Tattoos give me the same sense of sadness as I get when I see people who have had some extreme plastic surgery. I won't say I have never seen an attractive tattoo, although I mostly see them as examples on the internet, not in real life. 99 percent of the ones I see in real life just look like dull greenish-black smudges to me, never crisp or colorful. But even the photos that look gorgeous make me think, "That would be an awesome tattoo to have... for about two weeks." After that, I'd get bored and want to try something else, but oops, nope, this design is forever. All that said, tattoos are completely unremarkable these days and I know many, many people who have them, so I don't associate them with being low-class or hipster or anything else. They're just boring disfigurements to me. And the ones that are very small and hidden seem especially pointless to me.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)He worked for Disney, and they took many trips there together. That is a tattoo she will never regret getting. Many people get personal tattoos that mean something to them. I plan on getting one that honors the women in my family because we have a long history of breast cancer in the family.
Nine
(1,741 posts)"A guy I grew up with got a full sleeve when his 18 year old son committed suicide. I can understand the sentiment, but I don't see anything therapeutic about it. It's literally displaying your greatest pain on your skin. You can't get away from it, ever."
So I'm not so sure this person will never regret it. I hope she doesn't.
Look, people are entitled to get tattoos if they want them. I'm just saying it's not really comparable to a person expressing himself through hair and clothing and things like that. If people can say, "I feel confident that this alteration I am making to my body is something I will be happy about for the rest of my life," great. I don't have it in me to want to do something so permanent and inescapable to myself. I feel like the people who are willing to commit to that are very different from me at a basic psychological level. I hope they really do know themselves well enough to make that decision. I hope they aren't going to have regrets about it later in life. And I personally don't understand why anyone would even want to take that chance when there are a zillion other possible ways to express yourself.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)I lost a mother and a grandmother to breast cancer. I have a gene that puts me at risk of getting breast cancer, and I have a daughter who still needs to test for the gene. For years, and years I have wanted to get a tattoo to honor the female spirit. I have not changed my mind. The only reason I haven't done it yet is because I haven't decided which goddess image I want and because I can't really afford to do it right now. People who get personal tattoos don't regret getting them. Ask someone sometime.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)To be perfectly honest, they are a non-issue to me. From where I sit, they neither add to, nor subtract from the person wearing them anymore than ear-rings, a beard, or glasses do.
I've dated people with them and I've dated people without them, and all things being equal, the presence or absence of tattoos made no noticeable difference in regards to me finding them attractive.
Javaman
(62,534 posts)Some I find to be really beautiful artwork, but then there are the other such as the woman who had a giant spoon on her forearm.
I have long thought of getting a tattoo myself, I even drew it up, but I know myself well enough that I would soon regret getting it due to my fickleness in regards to such things.
Some people I think wear them well, others not so much.
fitman
(482 posts)ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)PassingFair
(22,434 posts)She knew I was against her making permanent marks on her skin!
I threatened to de-fund her, but my
REAL worry was that she would get SEVERAL.
One of her girlfriends (you know her) has 5 or 6 of them now, and
there doesn't seem to be an end to it.
I think she is acting out over her crummy home situation.
I hope Bea stops with this one!
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)I will keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't start an addiction. I *hope* it's a little one.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)that I was in trouble.
Yes, she has to work it off!
Response to kentuck (Original post)
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Marr
(20,317 posts)But those comprise about .5% of the tattoos out there, imho. People tend to buy them like t-shirts now. Tacky designs, poorly done, and thoughtlessly placed.
Egalitarian Thug
(12,448 posts)so generally I find they fall into the unattractive to gross range of the scale. There are exceptions, of course.
Response to kentuck (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)I also realize that nobody gives a shit what I think about it, and that's as it should be. To each his/her own.
OregonBlue
(7,755 posts)EX500rider
(10,881 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)At the risk of sounding like an old fart, my first thought is always: "Geez, why'd you go and do that to your skin?"
In my mind, it makes people look ... I don't know how else to put it ... sort of messy.
Obviously to each his/her own, yadda yadda yadda ...
bunnies
(15,859 posts)this thread has been very informative. Its always nice to see hundreds of people talk about how repulsive they think you are.
Nine
(1,741 posts)Of course some people are going to like tattoos and some not, just as some people like the First Lady's bangs while others do not. I'm a bangs gal myself and I know many people abhor them. I'll survive.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to the First Lady's bangs are "repulsive". That, to me, seems to be a rather relevant difference in the direction of this thread than from the example you've allowed us.
Nine
(1,741 posts)You can't expect everyone to like your fashion choices.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)We're not talking about a lack of appreciation. We're talking about calling people trashy, losers and thugs. Have you ever been called any of those things by someone who doesnt like bangs? This thread is a whole different ball of hate.
Nine
(1,741 posts)bunnies
(15,859 posts)Thats what I thought.
Nine
(1,741 posts)Most of the anti-tattoo comments boil down to, "I personally find them ugly." If you have tattoos, I can see why you wouldn't be thrilled to see that opinion expressed, but that's all it is - an aesthetic opinion. I see very few people expressing a belief that tattoos are truly indicative of a person's inner nature. Some people have opined about what impression they think a tattoo projects, but that doesn't mean they personally believe it.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)That might be slightly feasible if even so much as one of them had said as much. Instead, they just blurted out the judgements as if they were their own opinions. Wonder why.
Nine
(1,741 posts)Would I judge his character on it? No. We've been married for years, I already know he has a fine character. But I would still feel he was projecting a certain image that doesn't appeal to me. If I met a stranger who looked like Larry the Cable Guy, I would try to have an open mind, but I'd probably still subconsciously make some assumptions about him. I'll bet you would too. I would never say that a person who wears a camo hat and a flannel shirt with cut-off sleeves can't be an educated person, a good progressive, etc. In fact, I often object to broad brush characterizations I see on this site. But if someone started a thread that asked, "Would you find a man attractive if he looked like Larry the Cable Guy?' I wouldn't be surprised to see people responding, "No. That look just screams redneck to me." To some people, tattoos bring a certain image to mind. I don't find that judgmental. I don't consider it the same as saying all people with tattoos ARE thugs, and all people with cut-off flannel shirts ARE rednecks.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)And I understand what youre saying about what that particular look projects. I guess I just feel differently because unlike the Larry look, its hard to lump all tattoo-havers into one package. There are different tattoos that say different things and are gotten for different reasons. Its a much broader group of people than the Larry types. Ya know?
So just for example, that poster upthread who insists we have no work ethic and are undesirable as employees. Its an absolutely absurd, broad-brush, insult.
I totally get that some people find tattoos unattractive. Im fine with that. Its the people like the one I just mentioned that frost my ass.
Nine
(1,741 posts)PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Don't feel to badly, though.
I am initially turned off by people wearing flamboyant hats, too.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)I read through this whole disgusting thread unfortunately. Most posts go way beyond being "turned off".
oldhippie
(3,249 posts).... not that long ago.
Remember all the snarky remarks about the British Royalty's outlandish hats during the recent royal wedding? There were certainly a lot of comments about their character.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)so I definitely missed that. After this thread though, Im not surprised.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)bunnies
(15,859 posts)Are you against all forms of personal expression? And speaking of "overt cries for attention" does that include protesters?
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Protest is done for the greater good. I approve of protests for the greater good.
Tattoos and flashy hats that say "Look at me, this is Me"....
not so much.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)Its incredibly self-absorbed to think that people do things just to get your attention, dont you think? Some people actually enjoy expressing themselves for themselves. Imagine that.
And now youre trying to quantify your dislike of overt cries for attention? Its ok when it fits your idea of what a person should be?
I guess everyone else should just shut up, wear khakis and white shirts, and stifle all forms of self-expression. What a great world that would be.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Just don't expect others to be impressed.
As hard as it is for you to accept, you will be liked, by some people,
in spite of your "markings", and not because of them.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)My tattoos have nothing to do with impressing anyone. Those who would judge me because I have ink arent the type of people worth my time anyway. Nor are those who would like me just because of them (if such people exist). Thankfully, I havent run into either of those types of people in my real life. Thankfully, I dont know anyone that shallow.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)why are you dragging this out if you "couldn't care less"?
bunnies
(15,859 posts)has nothing to do with being disgusted at judgmental bullshit. Yeah. I have a problem with judgmental bullshit. Call me crazy.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)I really don't care either way (as I stated up thread), but the whole "I have ink...," "Nice ink, man..." is annoying as hell. We all "have ink." I just carry mine around in a pen. You have a tattoo, not "ink." I hate this whole culture of needing to give something a "special name," and that DOES indeed speak to a need for attention (outside of ornamental attention). It's a tattoo.
Other than that, tat away. My brother has a really cool one on his shoulder. He's also lucky in that he's friends with the artist.
Ending comment, he's lucky because they are never worth that kind of cash.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)I dont even know what to say.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)You prison thug bunny!!1
People that judge on external stuff are repulsive to me.
Prison thug? Hell Im an unemployable, trashy, abomination! I can hardly stand to look at myself.
Seriously... the judgements are what shocked me so much. Its perfectly fine not to think somethings attractive but to judge people based on something like that? Deplorable.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)about tattoos. Weird.
When I leave my house I can't go more than a block down the main boulevard without seeing a dozen people with tattoos.
A lot of people I deal with at work have them, and I mean a lot of them, sleeves, whatever. So it's odd to hear people talk like this. Makes me feel like we're back in the 50's or something.
I live in a big city, maybe a lot of the people who don't like them haven't really been exposed to them.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)But I used to work for a Venture Capital company in Boston tattoos and all. Thankfully most of the people I encounter arent as bigoted as many in this thread. If they were to ever see my friends and I together, they'd probably cross to the other side of the street. Who could blame them? Most of us have piercings too. OMG! THE HORRORS!!!
You totally nailed it with the 50's thing. Maybe next someone can start a thread about how revolting women with really short hair are. Or maybe one about women wearing pants.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Women are working now!!! Who's going to have dinner ready when the man gets home? (and yes it has to be a man at home, we dn't want to disrupt the theme of the thread)
bunnies
(15,859 posts)When did THAT happen? Just look what the world is coming to. We're DOOMED!
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)to so many of them.
I know my dislike doesn't matter or mean anything, especially to the people with the tats, but it's just interesting to see people's gut reactions to tattoos and how many of us think they are ugly. Disclaimer: Of course, live and let live, to each her own, carry on, ink up if you want, go for it, etc. etc. etc.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)with anyone here anytime soon. I get that some folk have a taste for or against tattoos, but it's all the judgements that are being made I find most appalling on a "liberal/progressive" site.
bunnies
(15,859 posts)Whatcha doin for dinner later? Looks like the Judgmental Cafe will be packed. The food sucks there anyway.
FloridaJudy
(9,465 posts)You'd probably need to be on the third date to notice my tattoo, though. It's on an area of my body that's usually covered except at the swimming pool. So I didn't do it to be trendy, or make a statement. It's meaningful to me alone.
Obviously, I'm not going to be terribly fond of someone who tattoos a swastika or a Confederate flag in a visible location, but it's the subject matter, not the state of being tattooed that offends me.
With or without permanent ink on your skin, it's your character that repels or attracts me. The last nurse who cared for me in an ER had a dragon on her forearm. She was kind, competent, and graced with a fine sense of humor. That's what really mattered, not the fire-breathing lizard (even though it was very well done).
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)I do like symbolic tattoos. My friend who was adamantly anti-tattoo got three of them in the last few months. His Mom, sister and step dad all died in the last year. His mother was half native american. He got an eagle feather on his forearm with the dates she was born and died along the sides. He had a picture his sister drew with her name above it on his calf and he had a tattoo done on his other forearm with his step-dads birth and death dates and his signature.
Tattoos like those are highly symbolic and meaningful, IMHO.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)I don't care for overdone all over jailhouse tats at all.
I have permanent eyeliner tattooed on, and plan to get a purple butterfly tramp stamp soon.
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)Sometimes they are, sometimes they're not. Just depends on the design and where I guess.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)lastlib
(23,323 posts)cbdo2007
(9,213 posts)with a design on them.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)cbdo2007
(9,213 posts)wow.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Very surprising to find so much of it on DU. Sad.
cbdo2007
(9,213 posts)cui bono
(19,926 posts)There are people in this thread who look down on those with tattoos - think they have a worse work ethic, are not team players, are not well-balanced, and get tattoos as a pathetic attempt to look cool because they can't think for themselves - just because they have a tattoo, with no regard to the person's character.
That is judgmental.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)if she's an artist or otherwise funky.
But I'm gay, so who cares what I think, lol.
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bunnies
(15,859 posts)And welcome to DU.
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bunnies
(15,859 posts)Anyone who would judge you (or me) without knowing us just because we have ink is not worth knowing.
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GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)So when she looks at the ground she's walking on she will always remember where she came from.
Smart woman! No tramp stamp for her!
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Response to kentuck (Original post)
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appleannie1
(5,072 posts)upper chest. I find them just plain ugly.
datasuspect
(26,591 posts).
Rex
(65,616 posts)nt.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)I've seen many beautiful designs, beautifully executed.
The downside is that they seem to diminish the appearance of a person. However, pleasing my eye isn't anyone else's job, so go on with your bad selves. Don't listen to me.
intaglio
(8,170 posts)Many Japanese tats with the very subtle shadings certainly can add a special something.
Salviati
(6,009 posts)If we were all the same, it would be a boring world.
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)Can't imagine why I would give a fuck what anyone else does with their body.
Rex
(65,616 posts)Opinions are like onions.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)...until you work through a determination of whether or not you have a good reason to "care" about all of the issues involved?
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)...and that is exactly how my brain works.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)...but either way, that's not a reasonable thing to expect of most people. It would be like saying you don't feel pain when someone hits you in a dark room, until you turn on the lights, find out who did it, and ask them why -- and if they had a good reason, it magically wouldn't hurt.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)forming opinions. That is the difference between us and the conservatives. My father said today that the reason Southern states have high pregnancy rates is because young girls who can't find a husband get pregnant so they can live off of welfare. Is it okay for him to form an opinion before evaluating who his opinions hurt? No. It's not okay for us to do it either.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)Last edited Wed Oct 9, 2013, 05:17 PM - Edit history (5)
...from forming opinions that are complex evaluations of people's motivations for their actions and life circumstances.
I don't evoke liberal standards, or any other high-level evaluation, before deciding if the weather is hot or cold, a flower is purple or orange, or a fabric is coarse or smooth. Aesthetics isn't at the lowest level of sensory awareness, but it's a lot closer to sensing temperature and color and texture than it is to deciding what people may or may not be doing to get welfare.
As for whether anyone is hurt by my opinion, it's not like I'm running up to people on the street and lambasting them for their ugly tattoos. I apply appropriate social awareness to when, where, and how I voice my opinions.
I think it's totally weird, and likely a dishonest (even if well-intentioned) head game to pretend that you can look at any sort of design, like a tattoo or a T-shirt or a painting, and have that sensory input float in your mind as a totally value-neutral pattern of colors and shapes until you've evoked the full array of all of your human sensitivities and moral values, and that no aesthetic sense will be arrived at until a full and fair and generous evaluation has first taken place.
I can imagine no mental process (at least not one I'd willingly endure) that will make me decide that this:
...is beautiful. That this tattoo is the owner's right to have, his decision, his choice, that his happiness in getting it is what matters to him, etc., etc., are all totally different issues from whether I think the tattoo is beautiful or ugly.
And it's fucking ugly.
I can imagine a touching story behind such a tattoo, like the man getting that tattoo to please a child who was dying of cancer, who also loved pizza -- but at best that would make it a beautiful gesture to wear an ugly tattoo, not a tattoo that is, in and of itself, beautiful.
Response to Silent3 (Reply #518)
liberal_at_heart This message was self-deleted by its author.
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)a mother who gets a picture of her newborn baby or someone who gets a picture of a loved one they have lost? Give me a break. If you don't like tattoos don't get one. Leave those who really love theirs alone.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)...now who here is being judgmental about tattoos? You've given yourself "liberal" permission to decide that some people's personal choices in tattoos aren't even worthy for comparison to other people's choices of tattoos?
Who's not leaving whom alone? Having your eyes fall on a particular tattoo, and having the visual impression register in your brain as "ugly", is somehow some sort of terrible interference in that person's life?
You seem utterly incapable, or unwilling, to even get the concept of an aesthetic impression and separate that in your mind from some sort of intrusive judgment -- even though you're apparently hypocritical in that regard yourself when it's a pizza tattoo.
Iggo
(47,578 posts)Evoman
(8,040 posts)Tattoos or no tattoos. All races. All types.
As long as they have eyes I get lost in, and a bangin' rump, I'm there, yo. I'm engaged to a gorgeous woman who has a kanji on her ankle. I loves her, yes I do.
cpwm17
(3,829 posts)and a major turnoff.
Response to kentuck (Original post)
WilliamPitt This message was self-deleted by its author.
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)My cousin-in-law Rory's tat, which he got after the Bruins won the Cup:
Great stuff.
Silent3
(15,359 posts)At least with the first one I can sort of see the appeal, not that I like it that much.
The second screams "tacky!" to me, and (no, this is not an absolute, inflexible judgement about the person with no room for change -- just an honest initial impression) kind of sad that anyone would attribute that much importance to a sports team's performance. Even for a player on the winning team I'd find that tattoo a bit much. For just one of the team's millions of fans, frankly that seems pathetic to me.
If he loves it, it's still his business, of course. (God! Why are these stupid disclaimers necessary!?) But my strong negative reaction is there well before my brain editorializes and decides whether it's "right" or "fair" to form an opinion or an impression.
Ino
(3,366 posts)don't care what you think of them.
Marrah_G
(28,581 posts)I like them, my guy likes them. If I could afford it, I would get a couple more. it's easy to strategically place them so the only people who see them are the people you want to see them.
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)Jenoch
(7,720 posts)there will be nursing homes filled with old ladies who need help using the bathroom and the nursing assistants will get the honor of seeing all of the tramp stamps.
Doremus
(7,261 posts)I've tried to like them and have actually grown beyond my intense hatred of them to general distaste.
If that makes me an ogre, so be it.
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Turbineguy
(37,375 posts)but I wish that women would really go for those initials that surgeons have carved into my skin in various interesting places.
WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)Eddie Haskell
(1,628 posts)I mean you're just trying to prove how superficial and vapid the DU is ... right? Well done.
Response to kentuck (Original post)
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maddezmom
(135,060 posts)What about attractive men or unattractive men? it is their choice and I have a feeling they aren't doing it to please you or anyone else.
The Midway Rebel
(2,191 posts)Tattoos seem to piss people off for no good reason other than people LIKE to be pissed off. Tattoos really seem to bring the authoritarian types as indicated in this thread...and they can all suck by big ugly blue tattoo.
I have a tattoo on my arm in big fancy letters that says MIDWAY REBEL.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Younger people are obviously cool with them. And some older people have joined that bandwagon. Personally, I could not imagine wanting one.
Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)They shouldn't bother anyone else either. Unless they're racist tats.
Left2Tackle
(64 posts)Put me down as yes for attractive. More beautiful? No, there are more important things to consider.
Personally, a nice shoulder and back tat...nice
Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)bullimiami
(13,108 posts)Llewlladdwr
(2,165 posts)Thank you very much DU, I knew we could do this.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Tattoos aren't my thing, but I've learned to like them and appreciate them.
BainsBane
(53,093 posts)This too
Other than that sort of thing, I do not care.
Hekate
(90,865 posts)Believe me, I was not consulted at that early age. My disapproval made no difference.
However, they are now well into their thirties and that point is moot. My son is on a long-term project with a real artist to have a "sleeve" done, and I have to say that dragon draping over his shoulder is a beauty. Everything he has can be covered by a business shirt with the sleeves half-rolled up.
My daughter her teenage tatt redone as a colorful fairy, and it's pretty on her ankle. She's had others done to mark passages in her life: when her baby daughter died of SIDS, she had the baby's handprints tattooed on her back up by her shoulder blades. Those are in black, like you get when you ink your hand and place it on paper.
It comes down to personal choice. I've known all my life that if I were ever to have one done it would be a small flower in a discreet location, but as I am now in my mid-60s it's not ever going to happen.
I think there are a certain proportion of youngsters who regret their tattoos for various reasons: inking your first love's name on your chest or arm is kind of dumb, but getting all identified with a gang can make it really hard/dangerous to drop out and be anonymous. Below a certain age, it really should be a no-no -- but then look at my own kids.
Heidi
(58,237 posts)She was a little sad that she had to hide it from her very judgmental 95-year-old mother for a long while. The tattoo makes her happy. It's others expressing opinions about her body that bothers her. I mean, what kind of person feels entitled to comment on other people's harmless choices. I don't have any tattoos and don't want any, but I've never felt judged for that by anyone who does have tattoos.
Hekate
(90,865 posts)... The one's I saw on my nephew's girlfriend's upper chest: Last of a Dying Breed in big black Gothic letters. It just really said to me young, dumb, and almighty depressed. There was some family story about her family having no sons to carry on the name.
I've seen some stuff in photos that seemed hugely extreme, but on the whole what most people do with their own skin seems to be no longer an issue for most of society.
Heidi
(58,237 posts)Nor does yours.
Rex
(65,616 posts)I know someone that has a graveyard across their back tattoo and they add a tombstone when someone they love dies. Made me think of tattoos in an entirely different way.
El Supremo
(20,365 posts)We only screwed up our bodies with drugs.
samplegirl
(11,512 posts)The womans body is beautiful without tatoo's. I think tatoo's are unattractive on any womans body. I see so many woman with them and when they put them randomly all over their bodies they just look stupid. I have never ever really seen a tatoo that I really liked. Something about what I know it will look like later in life.
You rarely see a runway model with tattoos all over.
UTUSN
(70,762 posts)Let's skip Phase 1 (anthropology), on to Phase 2: Non-"artistic, testosterone-"proving" (military & prison).
NOW, with all the artsy stuff, neh and meh.
Here's my inflammatory theory: Today, the tats are for lonely reasons, to go through ordeals to get TOUCHED by somebody/anybody/whomever, with (on t.v.) stories about why they are so SIGNIFICANT emotionally. What they were about in Phases 1 & 2 were identity and testosterone. Now, they're about loneliness.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)A Nazi Swastika would make someone less attractive to me, but other symbols could make someone more attractive.
OmahaBlueDog
(10,000 posts)Not wild about piercing, either.
AAO
(3,300 posts)Zavulon
(5,639 posts)I'm one of those who has never gotten the point of tattoos. I've seen more than I can count and have never seen one that made me think its presence was an improvement.