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    TIMOTHYNOHE   82,708
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T is for Tattoo

Thursday, May 03, 2012

I don't get it!!

What is the big deal with tattoos? Why are so many people getting them? When did they become mainstream?

When I was young, the only people who got tattoos were sailors, pirates and outlaw bikers. Now just about everyone is inked. And kids as young as middle school have tattoos. That says more about their parents, than it does about them, but I mean come on! The technology of tattooing has not changed enough to keep a 10, 20, 40 year old tattoo from fading and sagging. That little rosebud she got on her breast at age 19 is now a long stem rose at age 50.

I have had otherwise sober people tell me that after you get your first tattoo, you will want more. Almost an addiction. Once the fad fades, it won't be like body piercing, where you can just take out the pins. No, you are stuck with it for life.

I must admit. I have thought about getting a little "26.2" on my leg. Then I thought better of it.
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DEBBYFROMMT 5/4/2012 6:37PM

    Darn, I was hoping for pictures!

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BUDDYSMYFRIEND 5/4/2012 3:03PM

    I was on hold with somebody one day (probably waiting for tech support!), and was looking at the peopleofwalmart.com site. I discovered they have a whole section for tattoos. I never laughed so hard in my life, as a parade of the stupidest, ugliest, and even misspelled tattoos rolled past. You can see them at http://wtftattoos.com/ (I'm not sure how to make that clickable, sorry)

I don't have any tattoos, but I have nothing against them. I even think about maybe getting a small discreet one some day. What I dislike is young people getting them without thinking through the consequences of life down the road. Getting tattoos on your face at 18 might be cool - but not when you're looking for a job, or are a father at the PTA, you know? And for heavens sake - use a spellchecker and a brighter-than-dirt artist!

Comment edited on: 5/4/2012 3:04:04 PM

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PAYNEAS 5/4/2012 11:44AM

    It's a form of self-expression. Some pierce (and yes while you can take the piercing out, the hole itself will never go away completely), some tattoo, and some spend tons of money on the latest fashion (which will probably go out of fashion long before a tattoo would even fade). To each their own, in my opinion. I personally cannot wait to get my first tattoo, when I reach my goal weight. They are tattoos that I've been considering and researching now for more than 5 years. Not likely I will regret it, even when I'm 90.

Now there are those that simply don't think or research and get terrible tattoos. Bad artists or bad tattoo idea, it happens, they will regret it. Zombies are all the rage right now but getting tattoos to make yourself look like one just baffle me. I don't see that having personal meaning to someone or even being relevant 20 years from now. Luckily there is tattoo removal (although I hear it is even more painful than getting one and extremely expensive).

People have been tattooing themselves for thousands of years. It has times when it is popular and other times when it is not. This is one of its popular times. It has been around longer and will be around longer than a Louis Vuitton purse and cost about the same.

Middle school kids getting them is disturbing though. You are talking permanent and not temporary right? I would think that is against the law in most states. Reputable tattoo parlors require you to be 18+ and not drunk or high.

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STEPHANALILLEY 5/4/2012 11:07AM

    I'm 42 and I got my first tattoo, at 15, sitting in my friend's living room. A pair of puckering lips on my back shoulder. It fit my flirtatious personality and it was the forbidden fruit. My next tat was of a pissed off Minnie Mouse on my calf. Also fit my personality. Next, I got a humming bird and Irises on my front shoulder. They were a tribute to my late grandmother. She painted a mural on her kitchen wall of irises and each of us grandchildren were a bug/animal. Though I was a ladybug in her painting, humming birds are my passion and, again, I personalized my tat to me. The last was a tramp stamp, a butterfly on my lower back with eyes; I'm always watching my back... All four are very personal and I chose to get them as a way of expressing my individualism and for my enjoyment. If you met me on the street you wouldn't even notice them. I have had the lips and Minnie recolored once in the last 20+ years. When I get so old that they sag, I think I'll be wise enough not to care what anyone else thinks about my saggy tattoos (though I feel that way now). Both my children have tattoos; my son has several and my daughter has one. They are 4 years apart and the first tat they each got when they turned 18 was in memory of my late nephew who was killed by a drunk driver. My daughter wants a dream catcher, adding feathers, beads and such for each life event she conquers/enjoys, a living "charm bracelet" if you will. I think that's a great idea. Early tattoos were black ink and not very detailed; not like the bold colors and intensely detailed works of art you see now-a-days. They aren't for everyone, but isn't that true of everything in life? You can't judge a book by its cover is my favorite childhood quote. To tat or not to tat, that is the question... I say go for it! It's a badge of honor unique to you and your experiences and I think a marathon inspired one would fit you to a tee... Not that my opinion matters... ;-)

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MARATHONDAD 5/4/2012 9:34AM

    I love tats lol and they are very addicting. I am going to get a running tat soon. but I like the ones that have meanings. But younger kids shouldnt have them

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HONBAD 5/4/2012 7:26AM

    I dislike them as well. I grew up hearing my Grandma's view on them: "If you get a tattoo, it might as well say 'Low Class' because that's what it's going to tell everyone anyway." Now, I know a couple people that I consider to have class that have them, but I have never understood it either. And I'm 26.

I think my Grandma's quote may be a tad harsh, but I do like what Kate Gosselin used to tell her kids about her tattoo - "Don't color on yourself!"

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MCDOWN75 5/4/2012 6:49AM

    I love my tattoo. It is a symbol of my success and achievement in the face of disaster and destruction. My dragon symbolizes my strength. My friend who works next to me has her tat on her wrist. It is a flower with buds coming off. Each bud represents a grandchild, including the one they lost. Tattoos mean different things to different people. My dragon may sag, but it will always be there to remind me of my triumph whenever I forget and need some reminding. Don't judge too quickly. I don't like parachuting either (why jump out of a perfectly good plane), but I'm not going to look down on them for doing it.

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TYKXBOY 5/4/2012 1:18AM

    I used to be surprised every time I found out that seemingly conservative people had tattoos. Now, I'm surprised to find anyone over the age of 18 who doesn't have a tattoo. Heck, even my mom has expressed the desire to get a tattoo (and a purple streak in her hair!). I'm not sure when it went mainstream, but apparently, it's now some right of passage like getting your wisdom teeth taken out.

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PIXIEMOM13 5/3/2012 11:46PM

    I can understand not getting it.. but also figure to each their own.
My dad was a sailor.. in the Navy and he had a very small (about the size of my thumbnail) tattoo of an heart on his forearm. If I ever got a tattoo it would be something small and it would probably give me warm fuzzies to have something like that in common with him.

But I probably won't get one just because I can't think of an image that I'd want to have permanently..so (shrugs)

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AMYNYNJ 5/3/2012 11:38PM

    I agree and I'm in that age group you're talking about. Waste of money and waste of time.

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