What is the attraction of tattoos

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   RealityTalkposted 10 years ago

   What is the attraction of tattoos
   
   Tattoos seem to be the fad of recent years. Almost everyone "has" to get one. And some people have to cover the body with a multitude of tattoos.  Tattoos are not my personal taste.  I have none & I have no intent of ever getting one.  I find tattoos unappealing & a turn off.  I'm glad my wife feels the same. I know I am probably in the minority on this one, so tell me why you like tattoos.  Or why not.

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   fpherj48posted 10 years ago

   OK, Peter,  I'll be glad to pipe in.  Yes, it does appear that tattoos have become a "fad," of recent years......although the art form (body art, that is) has been a practice for centuries.  Cleopatra had a tattoo......Oh MY!!
   I clearly remember when the only individuals who had tattoos, were G.I's who got drunk on leave, and gave up 5 bucks to have their girlfriend's name, carved into their upper arm, or some such place.  An occasional guy who rode a Harley and maybe some truck drivers, jumped on the tattoo wagon, too.
   Heavens, never would a woman consider a drawing on her body!!  But that was also back at a time when ONLY women got piercings.....and ONLY their ears!  Times surely have shifted.....and fads.....well, my guess is, that's why they're called, "FADS."   They come and go in popularity.  It only takes ONE person, actually, to kick start a CRAZE!   (and there are those who doubt we are descendants of the ape....."monkey see--monkey do?")
   In a word, YES, I do like tattoos.....with qualifications.  Tastefully done artwork, on particular individuals, on specific locations of the body, and no more than 2 or 3 per body!.........I'm going to have to agree with you, that you and your wife are in the minority.......at THIS point in time.....LOL.   But having said that, it does not appear this current "Tat-Rage" will cease, any time soon.   Just take a ride and count the tattoo parlors that have sprung up, everywhere.  I'll go one comment further......Press-on tattoos are HUGE with kids, as young as 4 & 5.   What can a Blank Body do?   
   I must confess.....although I hide it well, I am a sexist, at heart.  Hey, I'm a boomer, give me a break.  The defining lines were ever so clear and distinct between Adam and Eve, as I formed my twisted mind-set, in the '50's-'60's.  Which brings me to women and tattoos.  You guessed it......tiny, delicate, "feminine," tattoos....like, a rose, bumble bee, butterflies......placed where they are only visible at one's discretion........yeah, IMO, there are some rules to follow, for each and every choice and decision we make.......another boomer trait.  We actually adhered to social codes & modes.
   I don't share links in most forums.....but if you visit my Hub-Home,(profile page) you will find my hub on the "Latest Fads & Rages...."  or whatever my Title is.
   That's it, Peter......aren't you glad you asked?     Great question!

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      As said, I am not a "tattoo sort-of-guy." That said, I am on the same page with you.  If women do get tattoos, I find it more attractive if the tattoos r small & few. Too much of anything makes me think of a child coloring outside the lines.

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      LOL...."Tattoos are like clothes!"....You probably shouldn't have even mentioned this.  Next fad we hear about will be TATTOOED BVD'S!!  or bras and panties!  There are enough weirdos for that to take off!  We'll blame you, RT!....

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      fpherj48, remember me if it comes to be.

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      fpherj48posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Of course, Peter!  How about:  "Tattoo Undies," by RealityTalk.  We probably shouldn't laugh......by this time next year, you could be a millionaire!

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   jansharesposted 10 years ago

   I'm with you, RealityTalk. No judgment of those who like them but it's just not for me, nor do I find them attractive. I love my skin the way it is and I like looking at the clear, smooth skin of others, just the way God made it, to glisten and shine in its own hue. A bunch of detailed tatoos are very distracting to me. Thanks for asking this question.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I relate to your comment "I love my skin the way it is ... the clear, smooth skin of others ..."  I find the unblemished human body extremely attractive.  To me, tattoos are like clothes.

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   lburmasterposted 10 years ago

   Personally, I do like tattoo's. My husband used to be a mechanic and couldn't wear a ring while fixing cars. So to make sure he always remembered me, we agreed for him to get a tattoo of a ball and chain with my name on it in tasteful calligraphy. To me, they are a symbol of strength and pain tolerance, which is something I respect because I have a really low pain tolerance. If the tattoo is meaningful, it is worth it. Such as ink reminding you of surviving breast cancer or getting married or losing a good friend/family member.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I like your reason to get a tattoo "as a meaningful reminder."  It is a permanent reminder one carries with them at all times which they can display to others. Personally, I prefer to keep my personal memories in my head, but I understand.

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   residentstoneposted 10 years ago

   Well, when I started 25 years ago it was the outlawish nature, and the way they looked on skin, which I still love if their good. Which the one's you're talking about usually aren't. I'm working on a full body suit, and personally still love the way they look if they are extremely well done. I have 3 tattoo's that "mean anything", the rest I just like the way they look, the endurance it took to get them, and having more than the posers :0)
   
   I hate bad tattoo's or 1 or 2 poorly placed. And usually the people who get them. Especially the deep meaning people.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      By a full-body suit, I assume you mean tattoos covering most or all of your body. Funny story: 35 yrs. ago I knew a man covered head-to-toe w/tattoos.  His wife wanted to show her 1 tattoo on her breast. Hubby was 275 lbs.  I politely declined.

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      residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, I'm not digging on the whole neck, face, head thing, but yeah. And ink has changed a lot in 35 years. Here look:http://residentstone.hubpages.com/hub/Why-do-your-tattoos-look-like-a-3-year-old-goat-with-down-syndrome-did-them.

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   Larry Wallposted 10 years ago

   Guess what, we are in total agreement. I am reminded of an old episode of MASH where Col. Potter asks, "Why would anyone put something on their body that they would not hang in their living room." Not the most profound statement of all time, but it gets the point across. For the record, I have no tattoos and never will.

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      residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thats my point Larry, if they were well done you would hang them in you're living room. I would hang a majority of mine. Work so well done it looks like you were born with it.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Larry, lol.  I love it.

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   Rosana Modugnoposted 10 years ago

   The question is "What is the attraction of tattoos" and I couldn't have answered it better than fpherj48.  Thank you for sharing that.  The history here is very important.  But your question can't really be answered by one person, because it is about personal taste. 
   
   Personally, I love tattoos.  My daughter is a tattoo artist who inherited artistic skills from both sides of the family tree.  And of course being an Artist myself, I find some of them very beautiful and visually appealing.  Of course it depends on the placement, the color, the artist's rendition, etc.  But they are art, only the canvas is human.
   
   I have a few and plan on getting more.  I love how they feel going on, enjoy the artistry that goes into them, enjoy watching the artist and the extension of my self expression, just like people express themselves in other permanent ways, (piercings, hair dye, plastic surgery, etc).
   
   We all have our own personal style, our own way of expressing ourselves as individuals.  Some of us just prefer to commit to that on our own skins, that's all.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Your comparison to expressing oneself by piercings, hair dye, etc. is a fair comparison.  Except that tattoos have more permanency than the others.

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   jlparkposted 10 years ago

   Every tattoo I have tells a story - about me, about my life, about where I was in my life when I got each one.  They tell the things that are important to me, and one in particular has been designed in such a way that my children's names and DOB will be added to it as they arrive in my life. I have plans for ONE more (other than the addition of names etc), with a HUGE amount of cultural meaning that I want to make sure is designed carefully (ta moko design - cultural significance to my country.)
   
   Why do I get them? Because I like them. My partner doesn't mind them. They are a way of expressing myself. Would I have the art of them hanging on my wall? Of course.
   
   Are you the minority? No, not really. Every single one of my tattoos (aside from two small ones on the inside of my right wrist) is covered for work. In the summer two more can be seen if I were sandals which isn't often at work. If I wear a watch - I can cover the two on my wrist as well. Why cover them? Because I understand not everyone sees them as I do, or my partner does, and I do not wish to make anyone uncomfortable. But in my own time - I don't cover what I don't need to - because it's my body, and my life.
   
   Why did I start? I wanted one. Only one. HAHAHAHA - Courage in Chinese on my back. Fourteen years later - I have 12. They are just err...mildly addictive. But, I make sure they have meaning!
   
   Was it a fad that started it? Nope. I had been thinking about one for a number of years, and at 17, got my first one - carefully thought out. Only two people I knew had tattoos then - a good friend, and an older family friend.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      It's too bad everyone cannot upload pictures of their body art along with their comments.  I asked this question because I am really curious.  Thank you for answering.

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   Abby Campbellposted 10 years ago

   RealityTalk, I personally don't understand the attraction to tattoes either. Both my husband and I do not have tattoes, and I have always said that I must be the last female on earth with virgin skin. LOL. Well, there are my girls too, but I have seen pictures on their computers of tattoes. (They are 18 and 19.)
   
   It doesn't bother me if others have tattoes. It's their body and they can do with it as they wish. However, some of my daughters' friends have had tattoes right out of high school and now regret it two years later. I asked them why they got them, and most of their replies are, "I was young and dumb. It was during my partying days." For being only 20 now, they have a long life ahead of them while hating what they now call their mistakes. But, many people do like them.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Abby,
      My 17 yr. swears he is getting a tattoo on his 17th birthday. I said no tattoos until he is 18 that's why his b-day. He has already picked one out. I think he'll be sorry, but I agree w/u. It's his decision.  Me, I like bare skin.

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      residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Dont let him get something crappy from someone crappy, where do you live? Statewise, and closest big city?

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I don't want to give out my location, but I do appreciate any advice you have as to where to get a tattoo & what we should know before my son gets one.

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      residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I can respect that. Um, I just know who is who state by state. So, um, google tattoo artists in you're area, a little extra drive and cost will be worth it. Start checking their online portfolio's, I'd get into it more, but only 21 characters left.

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      RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry about that residentstone.  Thanks for the advice.  I do appreciate it.

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      residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      No problem. Look for outlines that are solid and bold. Look, for well saturated color that isnt spotty or dull, For black and grey look for smoothness and softness giving way to bolder, darker blacks and greys. Some dudes specialize in one or other.

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      Abby Campbellposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      So sorry, RealityTalk. It's difficult when our children do something that we don't like or understand. I'm sure we did the same to our parents in some way as well. If you allow him to, I would try to find a "quality" artist as residentstone stated.

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    myeffortsposted 10 years ago

    I agree with janshares. God has created us in the most beautiful and perfect form. Tattoos won't add much to the beauty of the body, rather would spoil it. This is what I think of it.

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       residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Have you met God and asked him?? Why is there so many God folks on here, is Hubpages a cult? I think God would be covered in ink, big ass beard, pounding some Ale, all deep voiced and laughing, mead dripping from his thick gruff.

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       myeffortsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Everyone has certain beliefs in life, so do I. You have the right to disagree. This is how it goes..

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    JamiJayposted 10 years ago

    RealityTalk, everyone has different personal preferences when it come to their lifestyle and body, and tattoos are no exception. I have several tattoos (with plans to get many more). I do think many people like to jump on the bandwagon and follow the crowd (especially after pinterest came into the picture in recent years, tattoos seem to be duplicated a thousand times over which is a shame). I think tattoos are self expression and a beautiful and difficult art form for the artist. I like to sit down with the artist and create my own and unique vision of a tattoo design and see how the artist takes my thoughts and words and puts it on my body as art. My tattoos have personal meaning to me and where I have been in my life, and I love to have this little reminders (and they will be there forever). Getting a tattoo is also a great stress reliever for me as well, I meditate when getting a tattoo and I find it very interesting how much our minds control our bodies and pain. Everyone gets a tattoo (or doesn't) for different reasons, but I do it for myself. I also have stretched ear lobes (which my parents and sisters hate, but I love them). I like to make my body look they I want it to because it gives me a sense of confidence and individuality. I do know many people who do not have tattoo and would never get them and that's okay, just as it is okay for me to choose to get them.
    This was a good question.
    -Jami

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       RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks for your comment JamiJay.  I understand where you are coming from.

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    Mr. Thinktankposted 10 years ago

    It's a way of personal identification, representing emotions and memories and overall having a sense of being different from "the norm". I have nothing against tattoos because I realize that it has it's own culture and, whether some people believe it or not, its art. Art is subjective, just like some people like realism, others like abstraction, some like tattoos some dont. I personally haven't reached a point to where I want anything inked onto my skin, but I still respect other people that do. The stigmatism of automatically judging someone just because they have tattoos is a hard one to get rid of, but I hope as time passes people learn to accept and not judge those that wish to put ink on their skin.

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    Borsiaposted 10 years ago

    Reality Talk; I come from a place and time when tattoos were a sign of low class and poor education so for me they are a total turn off.
    But I also realize that times have changed and tattoos and piercings are far more mainstream. So to each their own.
    I see a lot more people having them removed than ever before as well, a very painful experience.
    I still suspect that it falls into the general heading of "fad" but I doubt that I will be around long enough to see it pass.
    It seems to be more of an American thing, I see very few in any of the 3rd world countries I've lived in. I've never seen a "tramp stamp" on a beach in China, Colombia or the Philippines. Once in awhile I see them on men but almost never on a woman.

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       residentstoneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Fad to the sheepled masses, maybe, but people have been getting tattooed  since they found out how to get ink in the skin with pieces of bone shards, so thousands and thousands of years.

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       Borsiaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       My reference is to modern day America, I should have made that clear.

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    MysticMoonlightposted 10 years ago

    People get tattoos for their own reasons. It does not matter if I like them, how they look, good or bad, it isn't me and I see it as that person's choice to do so how they please with their body. Fad or not, it's none of my business what another person does and why. I wasn't really for or against them either way. I understand how they can be an expression, a story told without words and that has always made sense to me. It wasn't until I lost someone dearly close to me that I felt the desire to get one in their honor. This person had always loved the expression of tattoos, talked for years about getting one but never did for one reason or another. He died without ever going through with it so, I looked at it as something that I could do to honor him, as something that he would no longer have a chance to do. It took months for me to decide on what type I wanted, how to have it done tastefully as an expression of that point in my life and what it meant to me. The tattoo artist sat down with me and listened to what I had in mind and why I was doing it. He helped me express the exact symbolism perfectly, worked with me on each detail and for me, created the story I wanted to tell. It is mine and I own it. The reason, the meaning, the story behind it all, is right there and somehow I believe that the person that I did it in honor of knows these things too. He is gone but I feel that my tattoo is like a love letter of sorts to him, something almost sacred, that only a few are privy to knowing fully about and I like that, it's special. I never did it for or as a "fad". I was 34 years old. I had lost someone tragically. It is what felt right for me to do and I did it, with NO REGRETS!

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       RealityTalkposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I'm sorry for your loss.  That was a very nice thing to do; getting a tattoo in his honor.

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    RealityTalkposted 10 years ago

    I was in line at the grocery store & right in front of my teen daughter & me was a grown woman with a large winged picture tattooed on her back; it looked ugly. I couldn't help but turn to my daughter & whisper, please don't ever do that to yourself.
    
    Recently, I heard Donal Trump pronounce his dislike of tattoos & that he would never date a woman stamped with ink drawings & that in his opinion it hurt them in the working world.  lol.  I found something I agree with Donal Trump.
    
    Tattooed people remind me of children. Those kids who couldn't keep the crayon within the lines.  It seems childish to draw pictures on ones self.  Also reminds me of National Geographic pictures.  Those "lost tribes" that seemed primitive & had drawn all over themselves.
    
    The human body is a beautiful & sexy thing.  But not with tattoos.  Tattoos detract from beauty, they don't add to it.  Tattoos are currently an American fad & for the sake of my kids, I hope a short lived fad.  Yes, I know tattoos have been around a long time, but they were not utilized to today's extent in America until recently; a fad.
    
    Look at a beautiful, attractive & sexy woman with no tattoos & one with tattoos.  The tattoos detract & are a turn off, not a turn on.  I'm laying on the surgeon's table to be be operated on.  I see a surgeon with a clean look; I let the anesthesia do its thing.  I see a surgeon all tattooed; I scream & jump off the table.  My lawyer has tattoos.  No he doesn't.  Not mine.  I am hiring a paralegal to work for me & represent my firm.  Do I hire one with or without a tattooed body.  You guess.  I take my kids to daycare.  I see it is run by women tattooed all over.  Me & my child leave.  I watch the Miss Universe contest.  Do I root for the tattooed woman or the pure skin woman.  You guess.
    
    If you want tattoos that is you choice, not mine.  If you believe tattoos are aesthetically pleasing, that is what you believe.  I just cannot understand.  That is my thinking.  Human skin is so beautiful; so sexy.  I hate to see it messed up with ink.

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