<p>I like the idea of having a "secret" tattoo, something physically hidden that is significant to you, but it seems that tattoos are generally looked down on. The employment thing is also something to consider. Tattoos are almost always linked with the poor and impulsive masses. </p>
<p>I would advise, should you feel the need to get one, the decision of where to put it is far more significant than what the design actually is.</p>
<p>i have a tattoo and really like it -- although i made sure not to get it where future employers might see it, because it may be frowned upon by them... not that i would really care what others think about it, unless of course they are deciding if i get a job haha... to all the tattoo haters, that is your opinion and i respect that, but i think that are really sexy on women. megan fox, case and point.</p>
<p>I would never get one, simply because there isn't anything that I'm passionate enough about to have permanently engraved on my body. For those who DO have something of that sort, I do see the justification.</p>
<p>edit: except for "tramp stamps"--haha.</p>
<p>Tramp stamps are disgusting to me because my 47 year old aunt has one <em>gags</em></p>
<p>a girl i know has a hummingbird sihllouette on her collarbone, it looks great on her...idk, it just suits her well. </p>
<p>I hate large obscene ones, people's names are never a good thing. but I think a really small one that means something to you in an inconspicous place could be nice---I'm thinking like in the little space on the back of your neck behind your ear, something like that</p>
<p>I'm interested in this too. I like the idea of tattoos, but so many look trashy and I've found that, as a general stereotype, I tend to respect and enjoy the company of non-tattooed people more than tattooed people. But I'm considering getting a small, inconspicuous tattoo, so I'm a hypocrite. But I'm curious as to people's reactions to tattoos.</p>
<p>any man who gets a tattoo is kind of trashy. I always laugh when some ****** who hasn't read a book in years and drinks 40's of budweiser gets an asian letter that means "passion" or something and thinks that he is so profound.</p>
<p>lower back tattoos can look good on women, but once you lose that figure it will look like hell</p>
<p>Once you lose that figure you'll look like hell, tattoo or not. Don't slack on working out, ladies.</p>
<p>I already have two tattoos. I got my first one in March and my second one in May. My first one is the word 'redemption' on my left inner forearm. I got a ton of bull from older people who told me i was stupid for getting it. Little did they know the meaning behind it for me. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, my father is an alcoholic, my brother is an addict, and i got it to just remind myself not to become them. That although i've made mistakes, they're not who I am, just things that have shaped me.</p>
<p>My second tattoo is a colorful dragonfly on my left foot. My mom has been my rock all of my life, and her and i got similar, but not matching tattoos on the same day, just to mark overcoming so much and the beginning of another new chapter in both of our lives.</p>
<p>I have plans for more tattoos. my right leg from foot to knee will be dedicated to a tattoo of a phoenix.</p>
<p>There are somethings that i don't agree with but if someone wants to put something on their own body that they feel strongly for, then that's there choice, and i won't say anything negative. It's art. It's meaningful. It'll be there even when you're far from where it came from. But that's just me.</p>
<p>I love you AJH2008</p>
<p>As represented by the responses on this board, there are obviousl stigmas attactched to tattoos.</p>
<p>However, maybe another perspective from someone who has a tattoo will give you more insight. My dad went with me to get my tattoo before I even turned 18. It's on my shoulder, so I can always cover it up when interviewing for jobs, ect. It's small. It's meaningful. And that covers most people's critera for what makes a tattoo acceptable. However, I think that mindset is somewhat short sighted.
Call me cheesy, but I really do think of tattoos as works of art. As do people who dedicate their lives to tattooing and the people who dedicate their bodies to it. Everyone knows they're with you forever, and if it's something you really want to express for the rest of your life I see no problem with doing so. We make billions of copies of famous paints, books, plays. We frame family portraits and hang them on walls for every person who steps foot in our houses to see. We save our favourite songs to 3 different locations on the computer, put them on flash drives, and make sure to get a copy of the cd. What makes a tattoo so unacceptable in comparison to these other visual and audio arts forms, forms of expression?</p>
<p>Tattooing is not just seem trashy thing that young people do to make themselves look or feel cool. Sure, some people do it for reaons unapproved of. But the art of tattooing is much more than that. The first tattoos were viewed as a means of protecting people against danger and pain. Egyptians used tattoos as good omens for women soon to give childbirth. Scythian and Thracian tattoos were signs of nobility. The Maori people and countless tribes in Africa have tattoos adorned over their bodies. On the other hand, tattoos can be percieved as un-Christian. Signs of criminality is associated with tattoos, from the Han Dynasty in China to the tattoo covered inmates in prisons today. Ancient greeks and romans used tattoos to identify slaves.</p>
<p>So, I think the debate over whether tattoos are good or bad has very little to do with the tattoos themselves, but moreso with the culture. With the reason behind getting the tattoo, with what the tattoo is associated with. Ultimately, I think people are better off deciding for themselves. There will always be people who say they are stupid, unbecoming, trashy, ect. Yet, for all of these individuals, there is another planning on getting a tattoo. Bottom line: try and make sure it isn't something you regret. Because this work of art is not as easy to get rid of as a painting, song, or statue.</p>
<p>I think that people's opinions also depend on where they are from. They seem to be more widely accepted in California, but not in other places.</p>
<p>They are pretty to look at, but the only people I have ever known with them tend to be lower class I-got-this-tat-in-jail-or-at-someones-house. Tattoos have just recently become legal in Oklahoma, so we are still adjusting to it becoming more widespread throughout different crowds of people.</p>
<p>Some can pull it off well, and some just make it look a bit trashy. But I don't know.. that's my opinion.</p>
<p>Lots of people have tattoos and you would never know it. I know several college professors that have them and I know a bunch of my high school teachers had at least one. Then there's my mom and sister.<br>
Neither of my family members are trashy by any means.
I'll probably get one soon- my shoulder-blade and small. I really see nothing 'bad' about tattoos, minus tramp-stamps (and other obviously trashy ones)...</p>
<p>This thread really shows how cc isn't the real world. According to a lot of surveys, between 25-40% of people (in the US) aged 18-40 have at least one tattoo.</p>
<p>"Ink can't improve upon the preexisting sexiness. "</p>
<p>Another way of saying this: Getting a tattoo is like putting a "South of the Border" bumper sticker on your Ferrari.</p>
<p>No matter what any of the pro-tattooists say, when people see a person with a tattoo, they automatically insinuate negative things about this person. Personally, on women, a tattoo is a total turn-off for me. A beautiful body should not be tainted by any outside influence, even if it is art. If you're so artsy you can wear trendy clothes, you don't have to get a tattoo. If you want to get a tattoo in memory of someone, start a charitable organization in his/her name or build a small monument. And when you get old, the tattoos lose their colors and your skin gets wrinkled and it does not look like art anymore. And obviously, tattoos, in revealing places can only negatively affect one's employment options/chances. I had an English teacher who had tattoos all over his forearms and neck; thus, he had to wear a long sleeved, collared shirt everyday, even in the scorching summer heat.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Personally, on women, a tattoo is a total turn-off for me. A beautiful body should not be tainted by any outside influence, even if it is art.
[/quote]
That's what I believe.</p>
<p>I don't see what the big deal is. As long as it's something you can cover up then there's no stigma attached really. Just remember that it's something that will be with you your whole life.</p>
<p>Tattoo's are like many things in life... really cool when you are a teen, not so cool when you grow up.</p>
<p>Tattoos are cool and are a very self-expressive form of art. You all are just sticks in the mud! I mean obviously they are a trashy if you're whole body is covered or if you have a portrait of Richard Simmons on your face or something, I mean come on.</p>