I was doing some research for a blog post on web.tech.law and came across this post titled “Tattoos: A 21st Century Perspective” by Kendall Goodwin which I thought I’d share. Tattoos seem to be very much an individual thing. I don’t have any and probably never will. Getting a tattoo has never really appealed to me and it is probably due, in part, to my strong aversion to needles. That said, my wife has a tattoo and I have a couple of friends who have several. I haven’t really discussed their attitudes towards their tattoos in much detail but they may agree with Kendall’s point:
The distrust/suspicion of people with visible tattoos seems to be a generational thing: I know lots of people’s parents who think that tattoos are only for hoodrats, but very few people my own age who feel the same way. And while there are some instances in which tattoos are an act of rebellion, I think they more commonly serve as symbolic art. People get tattoos to commemorate life milestones, to remember their heritage or people they’ve lost, to remind themselves that they can be the best versions of themselves, to say with art what they can’t say verbally. There will always be nimrods who get dumb tattoos that don’t mean anything to them, but for the most part, getting a tattoo is often more intentional and thoughtful than that.
I could give my views about tattoos and what appeals to me and doesn’t but that would be a lot like talking about how kids should be raised without ever having had any of my own (FYI, I have 2 kids and I am still figuring it out, probably always will be trying). I don’t find them repulsive and, for the most part, they fascinate me or appeal to me a great deal. I support my wife’s choices regarding her tattoos. I just don’t go through catalogues looking for one to have applied to my body.
I am curious what people’s attitudes are; why they get tattoos; what their personal rules are and so on. So, what do you think?
Image credit: Tattoo Arts Festival in Pattya, Thailand by Binder.donedat, licensed CC BY ND 2.0
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What do you think?