[Howard]

I don't know about you guys but I don't want to date a woman who has all the colors of the rainbow.

 

[Jgarner197]

While I am admittedly not a fan of tattoos, I did wear a military uniform for just a bit over three decades and can tell you that having someone, in the name of self aggrandizement, mutilate your body with "inked scars" is not part and parcel of your service contract. In all candor, the wife and I have no tattoos, but sadly I cannot say that for any one of our kids. Darned kids never listen! LOL.

My parents know the same frustration as I am one of those darned kids that never listened as well, lol! I have two tattoos, one on each arm, placed evenly for symmetry and completely obscured by clothing. One was in remembrance of my sister that passed away suddenly in an accident at 21. I'm proud of that tattoo. My generation and the tail end of the previous are just different I suppose in that I know lawyers, doctors, dentists, bankers, realtors, and even politicians that have as many or more tattoos than I. Plenty of them that are even visible in clothing. I certainly don't regret getting mine but I definitely see an advantage to potentially not having them at times. Women with tattoos don't particularly bother me either as I previously stated I'm pretty laid back. My rule has always been that I am more careful/cautious with whom I choose to hunt and shoot with than that I sleep with.

 

[Dhaller]

I don't know about you guys but I don't want to date a woman who has all the colors of the rainbow.

I wonder if she's available for kid's birthday parties?

DH

 

[Dhaller]

I learned that there is a distinct difference between lack of tattoos and lack of visible tattoos. At a MENSA gathering last year, we had an outdoor luncheon. Many women took advantage of the pleasant weather to wear sleeveless garments. I was amazed at the number of well-educated, 1%-type women sporting minimalist tattoos in areas that would normally not be visible to the public.

Oh, I would expect a fair amount of ink among MENSA women; MENSA doesn't exactly draw its numbers from the conservative, suburban tennis-club women set.

One thing I noticed, which was initially surprising, was the absolute lack of ink among ballet dancers. My daughter studies with the Atlanta Ballet at their main studio, so we see the dance core, the principals and so on, practicing there. Not a tattoo in sight. Ballerinas and danseurs are the exception to the otherwise near-ubiquity of tattoos among performance artists (and related creatives). Another reason to encourage one's daughter to study ballet.

DH

 

[drlivingston]

I don't know about you guys but I don't want to date a woman who has all the colors of the rainbow.

It looks like she dressed as a bag of Skittles for a costume party.

 

[MNJ83]

I am technically a “first batch” millennial, but I was fortunately, miraculously, spared from the desire to get any ink on my body, or many of the vapid idiosyncrasies people my age have, due to having ulcerative colitis at 12 culminating in Colon Cancer at 24 which was actually a blessing in disguise. By the time I was engaging the world more in my mid/ late 20’s my mind was less prone to be corrupted with the idiotic ideas of our time.

Out of my circle of friends and close acquaintances, there are two other people that I can think of that are also ink free. The fact that people in age group felt/feel compelled to get their bodies marked is a testament to the poor critical decision making skills of an entire generation.

Nothing wrong with a man having a couple of discreet tattoos, but when you have a monolith of people, including women, that have basically defaced entire bodies and limbs with “art”, such as entire sleeves, inked necks and knuckles, it’s a clear indicator civilization has descended into a downward spiral of epic proportions.

 

[Matt S]

I don't know if it's true, but I suspect that body modification (whether it's tattoos, hair dying, unusual piercings, or even non-corrective plastic surgery) stems from insecurities. This is something I've seen in the people I know. I know that I'm happy enough with my body that I choose to hang art on my wall instead. And getting a tattoo to remember a loved one is not the way any of my lost loved ones would want to be remembered. But this is also the culture that I come from. I acknowledge that tattoos and other body modifications have other meanings in other cultures.

 

[Dhaller]

Nothing wrong with a man having a couple of discreet tattoos, but when you have a monolith of people, including women, that have basically defaced entire bodies and limbs with "art", such as entire sleeves, inked necks and knuckles, it's a clear indicator civilization has descended into a downward spiral of epic proportions.

I don't know - I think if you hopped in a time machine and traveled around, you'd find that the beardless, tattoo-free modern era, up to the mid-90s or so, is an anomaly - I think body art (like beardedness) has mostly been the norm, historically-speaking.

I mean, it's not for me, but most of the tattoo aficionados I see (my exposure is mainly at my CrossFit gym) are far from careless, having put quite a bit of thought into their... narratives, or whatever it might be termed. And they are pretty disciplined people, very fit and so on; I can't say I worry about their stewardship of the Western world, especially.

Granted, there are the permanent memorabilia of Spring Break, "tramp stamps" (or my favorite term for them, "hoe tags") and ankle roses and the like, but I actually think those are more the exception than the rule.

If I had to identify a harbinger of the End Times, I'd be more likely to point to Eighties kids hanging out at the mall doing nothing... much worse than enduring a tattoo session!

DH

 

[derum]

I am technically a "first batch" millennial, but I was fortunately, miraculously, spared from the desire to get any ink on my body, or many of the vapid idiosyncrasies people my age have, due to having ulcerative colitis at 12 culminating in Colon Cancer at 24 which was actually a blessing in disguise. By the time I was engaging the world more in my mid/ late 20's my mind was less prone to be corrupted with the idiotic ideas of our time.

Out of my circle of friends and close acquaintances, there are two other people that I can think of that are also ink free. The fact that people in age group felt/feel compelled to get their bodies marked is a testament to the poor critical decision making skills of an entire generation.

Nothing wrong with a man having a couple of discreet tattoos, but when you have a monolith of people, including women, that have basically defaced entire bodies and limbs with "art", such as entire sleeves, inked necks and knuckles, it's a clear indicator civilization has descended into a downward spiral of epic proportions.

Or perhaps they just like tattoo's.
There are far worse downward spiraling habits that they could indulge in.

 

[drlivingston]

I don't know if it's true, but I suspect that body modification (whether it's tattoos, hair dying, unusual piercings, or even non-corrective plastic surgery) stems from insecurities.

Bingo...

 

[medhat]

Strangely, I have no issue with tattoos (I don't have any myself). Pretty much the only 'body modification' I do have issue with are tongue piercings. Some time ago I remember reading a dentist interview saying that it's simply the worst possible thing you could do to teeth, as (obviously) it will wear away at the enamel and, unless technology has changed and I didn't get the memo, permanent teeth remain just that, permanent, unless you go ahead and trash them.

 

[Dhaller]

I don't know if it's true, but I suspect that body modification (whether it's tattoos, hair dying, unusual piercings, or even non-corrective plastic surgery) stems from insecurities. This is something I've seen in the people I know. I know that I'm happy enough with my body that I choose to hang art on my wall instead. And getting a tattoo to remember a loved one is not the way any of my lost loved ones would want to be remembered. But this is also the culture that I come from. I acknowledge that tattoos and other body modifications have other meanings in other cultures.

Oh, I don't think it necessarily stems from insecurities; I took the liberty of bolding and tilting the most relevant points.

I'm fifty-one, and I grew up in an environment in which it would never even have occurred to anyone to get a tattoo: that was for pirates, bikers, and tribesmen. But for some reason, there was a culture shift around the mid-90s; I (and probably you) may as well have stepped off a boat or a spaceship, so different are the current attitudes. Those "other cultures" are no longer on an island or a pirate ship, but right here, right now.

I can think of any number of very confident, educated, successful people with tattoos; I don't think it's in any way a crutch.

DH

 

[Matt S]

I do know that some people do use body modification as a way to deal with insecurities. But that's not the case for everyone.

 

[EclecticSr.]

I do know that some people do use body modification as a way to deal with insecurities. But that's not the case for everyone.

I might add for the majority IMHO.

 

[Matt S]

I might add for the majority IMHO.

Are you saying the majority modify or don't modify their body to deal with insecurities?

 

[Shaver]

In my, not inconsiderable experience, of the tattooed I would suggest that far from the act being a *cough* 'creative' urge it is more often than not a feeble attempt to manufacture character in the absence of such.

The above goes double for body vandalism, sorry I meant modification, except that one may expect to also add a dash of self-loathing.

Whilst I am up on my high horse and cantering around the paddock I might also pronounce that I am particularly repelled by large tattoos - especially on the legs, for some reason.

Flesh can be infinitely beguiling, endlessly distracting, unsurpassably entertaining. Conversely, coloured scribbles become rather tiresome rather quickly.

 

[EclecticSr.]

Are you saying the majority modify or don't modify their body to deal with insecurities?

The majority do not. I should have been more specific

 

[EclecticSr.]

I have several times noticed men walking about in shorts in the dead of winter so as to draw attention to a newly acquired leg tattoo. Dumb on both counts.

Another favorite are the celebrity chefs, both men and women with full arm tats and then have SALT tattooed on the fingers of one hand but can't fit PEPPER or SCHMUCK on the other. They prepare food sleeveless up to their armpits in a hot environment.

 

[SG_67]

I have several times noticed men walking about in shorts in the dead of winter so as to draw attention to a newly acquired leg tattoo. Dumb on both accounts.

Another favorite are the celebrity chefs, both men and women with full arm tats and then have SALT tattooed on the fingers of one hand but can't fit PEPPER or SCHMUCK on the other. They prepare food sleeveless up to their armpits in a hot environment.

I have to say it's quite annoying. I'm not sure I want someone like that back in the kitchen anywhere near the food I'm about to consume. I suppose it's happening whether I like it or not.

The poster boy for this is Guy Fieri. He's absolutely disgusting. Besides my abhorration for grown men who have remained in a protracted state of adolescence, the way he stuffs his fat face on that TV show is enough to make me avoid it.

If you ever want to read something truly funny, read the NYT restaurant review of his now defunct Times Square restaurant.

 

[EclecticSr.]

The poster boy for this is Guy Fieri. He's absolutely disgusting. Besides my abhorration for grown men who have remained in a protracted state of adolescence, the way he stuffs his fat face on that TV show is enough to make me avoid it.

Then proceeds to give a nuanced description of the flavors in the greasy spoon concoction he just consumed.