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Tattoos in General

Do Tattoos make a person more or less attractive?

  • More attractive

    Votes: 4 13.3%

  • Less attractive

    Votes: 18 60.0%

  • IDGAF

    Votes: 8 26.7%
  • Total voters
    30
Cherub786 said:
It’s difficult to find stats on this, but I suspect that majority of people who get tats are when they are still quite young, in their teenage years. Then they accumulate more tats as they get older. But it must be quite rare for someone to get their first tat in life when they are in their 40s or 30s or even late 20s. Hence, those who do get tats in that mature age range must have gotten their first tat when they were much younger and so simply continued the practice. This proves that having more maturity and education results in not getting tats. But those who don’t get tats for cultural and religious circumstances demonstrate the superiority of growing up with certain taboos and discouraged behavior. When you grow up without a restriction you are more likely to experiment with it just to try out something new. But if you grow up knowing that certain behavior is restricted or taboo in your culture, you are more likely to avoid it at that critical age, and hence never do it at all throughout your life. In other words, it is better to grow up with more restrictions regarding certain behaviors. Since Western lifestyle and culture is very permissive in allowing their children to engage in behaviors, this is why children of that culture end up engaging in such things as getting tats, dying their hair funky colors, bizarre hairstyles, face piercings, etc.
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Nope. My dad was slated to get his first ever tattoo at 62 years of age. It was gonna be a big piece, too. Unfortunately mortality had other plans for him, however.

There's actually quite a few middle age+ people who only start getting tattoos now because they are no longer so socially restricted from doing so, like they were when they were young. And that's not "better" if what they want is to have tattoos. Having a society that judges people on meaningless stuff like that is stupid, and it's good that we're moving away from it. Your stupid stereotypes about gender or whatever can stay in the last century where they belong. Whether you like it or not, your idea of our "culture" simply isn't true in reality.

Of my friends who have tattoos, I am far and away the one who started the youngest, and the only one to start in my teens (yes, still like them all, if you're wondering). One of my friends didn't get his first until about 30, one was about 40, I have a friend who's getting his first soon and is 29, one in her mid-30's, and yes, some in their 20's.

But it's by no means rare to start getting tattoos later in life. Even elderly people show up to tattoo studios with "virgin" skin. I believe we also have a number of members of DP who started in middle age or later.
 
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Cherub786 said:
I think tattoos are a sign that people aren’t comfortable with their skin. I’m a brown person (though light brown/fair complexion) and it is very rare that you find tattoos among us brown people (South Asian community). Now obviously that is mostly because of cultural and religious reasons, but I find that tattoos are mostly an American thing among White people (don’t know about Europe). Tattoos are also among a certain class of people, not very popular among the highly educated group (like Ivy Leaguers for example) and also generational (I think millenials aren’t that interested in tattoos as the older generations).

So for me this is something psychological. Only those people want to permanently decorate their skin because they aren’t comfortable with their tone. Otherwise it makes no sense to turn your body into a canvas.
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Wrong again. Tattoos exist in every culture on earth, and have for millenia. Hell, we even dig up mummies with tattoos sometimes -- often very highly ranked people in their culture. All cultures have gone through ebbs and flows where tattoos are accepted or taboo, like everything else on earth, from clothing to different types of greeting. But it's never gone away anywhere on earth.

Has it occurred to you that some people just... enjoy art?

What is with your ceaseless quest to pathologize everyone who isn't exactly like you?
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
Wrong again. Tattoos exist in every culture on earth, and have for millenia. Hell, we even dig up mummies with tattoos sometimes -- often very highly ranked people in their culture. All cultures have gone through ebbs and flows where tattoos are accepted or taboo, like everything else on earth, from clothing to different types of greeting. But it's never gone away anywhere on earth.

Has it occurred to you that some people just... enjoy art?

What is with your ceaseless quest to pathologize everyone who isn't exactly like you?
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“Every culture” is an exaggeration. Many cultures don’t do tattooing, including my own. Our women do put henna on their hands and feet, but those aren’t permanent. Likewise, tattoos aren’t part of Chinese and most East Asian cultures, especially due to the influence of the Confucian school, which disapproved of it. These are basically massive cultures. The ones that do practice tattoos are usually primative tribes like the Maori peoples of New Zealand (Ta moko).

I appreciate that many people tattoo as forms of self-expression and art, but I fundamentally disagree with it from my own religious and cultural perspective. The fact that many people end up regretting getting a tattoo only serves to reinforce my perspective. In my previous posts I was trying to get to a very specific point, which is the understanding of why people get tats from a purely psychological approach, which should be an interesting study that may reveal something about feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing.
 
Cherub786 said:

“Every culture” is an exaggeration. Many cultures don’t do tattooing, including my own. Our women do put henna on their hands and feet, but those aren’t permanent. Likewise, tattoos aren’t part of Chinese and most East Asian cultures, especially due to the influence of the Confucian school, which disapproved of it. These are basically massive cultures. The ones that do practice tattoos are usually primative tribes like the Maori peoples of New Zealand (Ta moko).

I appreciate that many people tattoo as forms of self-expression and art, but I fundamentally disagree with it from my own religious and cultural perspective. The fact that many people end up regretting getting a tattoo only serves to reinforce my perspective. In my previous posts I was trying to get to a very specific point, which is the understanding of why people get tats from a purely psychological approach, which should be an interesting study that may reveal something about feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing.
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No, it isn't.

If your culture has never done tattoos ever, then explain to me why all the religions that came from your ethnic region specifically address tattoo practices. Also, I did a quick google, and even in countries where it's illegal, such as Iran, there is still a tattoo industry, and there are still working tattoo artists who apparently do have clients. So, no, you're wrong again.

Asia is actually very famous for tattooing. Some of the most spectacular modern artists come out of Japan and Korea. Some Chinese cultures are also well-known for traditional single-needle styles, which they still practice. I mean, you do know that there's a branch of tattooing that is popular all over the world and in America called Japanese, right? Where do you think it's from, Ohio?

Your baseless armchair psychology is as vapid and worthless as your incredibly empty knowledge of tattooing. People get tattoos because humans like creating stuff. Same reason we do just about everything else.

Far from being primitive, the Maori are actually a hell of a lot more knowledgeable than you seem to be.
 
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Superfly said:
Um - that is a religious mourning ritual, and has nothing to do with someone getting a tattoo.
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I'm addressing the point that self-expression takes very different forms depending on your religious and/or cultural upbringing. The motivation behind that self-expression (religious, cultural, aesthetic, etc.) is besides the point. A high school kid in America will not think about self-expressing themself in the way a Muslim kid will think of doing so in Pakistan. Because of your cultural upbringing, you will not mind your kid getting a tattoo, but you will definitely mind him practicing self-flagellation , and it is completely the other way around in the other cultural setting.
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
No, it isn't.

If your culture has never done tattoos ever, then explain to me why all the religions that came from your ethnic region specifically address tattoo practices. Also, I did a quick google, and even in countries where it's illegal, such as Iran, there is still a tattoo industry, and there are still working tattoo artists who apparently do have clients. So, no, you're wrong again.

Asia is actually very famous for tattooing. Some of the most spectacular modern artists come out of Japan and Korea. They are also well-known for traditional single-needle styles. I mean, you do know that there's a branch of tattooing that is popular all over the world called traditional Japanese, right?

Your baseless armchair psychology is as vapid and worthless as your incredibly empty knowledge of tattooing. People get tattoos because humans like creating stuff. Same reason we do just about everything else.

The Maori are a hell of a lot more knowledgeable than you seem to be.
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I’m talking about tattoos as a cultural phenomenon. The examples you gave aren’t showing that. Just because you can find people doing certain behavior in another country doesn’t mean it is socially acceptable and not taboo.
 
Cherub786 said:
I’m talking about tattoos as a cultural phenomenon. The examples you gave aren’t showing that. Just because you can find people doing certain behavior in another country doesn’t mean it is socially acceptable and not taboo.
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What part of "traditional" did you not understand, dude?

Like I said, all things go in and out of being taboo, from hats to hand gestures. That proves nothing.

All cultures have a history of tattooing practices, and even in ones where it's currently in a taboo phase, at one point it was mainstream enough to develop its own cultural tradition.

All that aside, why should anyone give a crap what you think they should do to their bodies?
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
What part of "traditional" did you not understand, dude?

Like I said, all things go in and out of being taboo, from hats to hand gestures. That proves nothing.

All cultures have a history of tattooing practices, and even in ones where it's currently in a taboo phase, at one point it was mainstream enough to develop its own cultural tradition.

All that aside, why should anyone give a crap what you think they should do to their bodies?
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To answer your last question; well its a discussion board the whole point of us being here is to share our views. If we didn't give a crap why are you responding to me?

Coming back to culture, I totally understand that it is fluid and not static. But some cultures are more durable than others, especially ones which are strongly based on religion. My own perspective of being against tattoos is more or less as ancient as the practice itself.
 
Cherub786 said:
To answer your last question; well its a discussion board the whole point of us being here is to share our views. If we didn't give a crap why are you responding to me?

Coming back to culture, I totally understand that it is fluid and not static. But some cultures are more durable than others, especially ones which are strongly based on religion. My own perspective of being against tattoos is more or less as ancient as the practice itself.
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I'm asking you to defend the assertion you made about other people's value with something besides an absolute and total ignorance of the subject.

You do know that even 50 years ago, your cultures were actually LESS religious than they are now, right? They're no more durable than any other culture. I mean, some of them are currently undergoing coups and civil wars. There's nothing "durable" about that.

In similar fashion, America was settled by Puritans and other forms of extremely strict religious people. Now those sects are either completely gone, or only the tiniest of minorities, and certainly not part of the dominant social culture, even though America is a young country and its history is quite short. Even religious societies change, and often very rapidly.

You should really learn about stuff before speaking about it.
 
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SmokeAndMirrors said:
I'm asking you to defend the assertion you made with something besides an absolute and total ignorance of the subject.

You do know that even 50 years ago, your cultures were actually LESS religious than they are now, right? They're no more durable than any other culture. I mean, some of them are currently undergoing coups and civil wars. There's nothing "durable" about that.

In similar fashion, America was founded by Puritans and other forms of extremely strict religious people. Now those sects are only the tiniest of minorities, and certainly not part of the dominant social culture. Even religious societies change, and often quite rapidly.

You should really learn about stuff before speaking about it.
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Yes it’s true we were less religious, but there are cycles of religious revival. Right now I see religiosity decreasing once again, especially among the millenial generation, but I know, based on the historical pattern, that soon there will be another religious revival as there was in the 1980s to early 2000s.

Coming back to tattoos, you cannot deny that many cultures consider them taboo. But I find it strange that there is a growing trend in your Western culture to be against circumcision (which we practice). There are many health risks to the skin associated with tattoos, due to the toxicity of ink. But there isn’t a movement to ban tattoos as there is a growing political movement to ban infant circumcision. This shows me that culture of social acceptance is a very powerful factor on question of legality.
 
20 years in the Navy and never been tattooed.

Sent my daughter off to Radford University and 4 weeks later she had a tattoo. :shock:
 
SmokeAndMirrors said:
What part of "traditional" did you not understand, dude?

Like I said, all things go in and out of being taboo, from hats to hand gestures. That proves nothing.

All cultures have a history of tattooing practices, and even in ones where it's currently in a taboo phase, at one point it was mainstream enough to develop its own cultural tradition.

All that aside, why should anyone give a crap what you think they should do to their bodies?
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But we should care what you think? Like your much expressed opinion is valuable but Cherub's is not?

I think tattoos, on men or women, are signs of low intelligence. As is the use of the ridiculous word 'dude' - but that is just my opinion, no more or less interesting than yours.
 
Don't like them on anyone much.


Particularly saddens me to see a pretty young woman covered in tatts. To me, it's like some hack doodled on the Mona Lisa.


Yeah I know artistic personal expression blah blah. S' how I feel about it.
 
Goshin said:
Don't like them on anyone much.


Particularly saddens me to see a pretty young woman covered in tatts. To me, it's like some hack doodled on the Mona Lisa.


Yeah I know artistic personal expression blah blah. S' how I feel about it.
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I don't care for tattoos, either, on men or women, but, they're probably better on men.

It's their own choice, obviously, but when I see a young woman with arms/neck/face tattoos, I can't help but wonder if she'll regret them when she's in her 70s.
 
Cherub786 said:
Yes it’s true we were less religious, but there are cycles of religious revival. Right now I see religiosity decreasing once again, especially among the millenial generation, but I know, based on the historical pattern, that soon there will be another religious revival as there was in the 1980s to early 2000s.

Coming back to tattoos, you cannot deny that many cultures consider them taboo. But I find it strange that there is a growing trend in your Western culture to be against circumcision (which we practice). There are many health risks to the skin associated with tattoos, due to the toxicity of ink. But there isn’t a movement to ban tattoos as there is a growing political movement to ban infant circumcision. This shows me that culture of social acceptance is a very powerful factor on question of legality.
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Aaaand once again, absolutely none of that is true, and you are easily the least informed person in this entire thread.

But the fact that you think non-consensually cutting the body parts off of infants is comparable or preferable to grown-ass people making their own aesthetic decisions speaks volumes.

Try to come up with something that's not some conspiracy your grandmother told ya, eh?
 
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Sweden said:
But we should care what you think? Like your much expressed opinion is valuable but Cherub's is not?

I think tattoos, on men or women, are signs of low intelligence. As is the use of the ridiculous word 'dude' - but that is just my opinion, no more or less interesting than yours.
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Well, you're factually wrong. Doesn't matter if it's your "opinion" or not, you're still wrong. :shrug: It's not an "opinion" that you're wrong.

My only claim is that we should view these issues with something approaching reality. I obviously can't force anyone, but unlike the un-tattooed people who are just obsessed with what others are doing with their bodies, I never tried to.

And I also never said something so dumb and factually flawed.
 
Goshin said:
Don't like them on anyone much.


Particularly saddens me to see a pretty young woman covered in tatts. To me, it's like some hack doodled on the Mona Lisa.


Yeah I know artistic personal expression blah blah. S' how I feel about it.
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Well, everyone has their opinions. Some people like tattoos, others don't.

I personally don't like tattoos that much either.
 
TheGoverness said:
Well, everyone has their opinions. Some people like tattoos, others don't.

I personally don't like tattoos that much either.
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Well I'm not denying anyone their right to do to their body as they wish. I'll go one further and say I try not to be overtly judgey about it.

One or two of modest size in discreet places is not so bad. But when I see people, especially healthy and attractive young folks just COVERED in them, I can't help but find it rather distasteful. Phrases like "gilding the lily", "painting the rose" and "moderation in all things" pop to mind. Like seeing Michealangelo's David covered in graffiti.
 
Goshin said:
Well I'm not denying anyone their right to do to their body as they wish. I'll go one further and say I try not to be overtly judgey about it.

One or two of modest size in discreet places is not so bad. But when I see people, especially healthy and attractive young folks just COVERED in them, I can't help but find it rather distasteful. Phrases like "gilding the lily", "painting the rose" and "moderation in all things" pop to mind. Like seeing Michealangelo's David covered in graffiti.
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It's all the eye of the beholder. I happen to love me some really nice graffiti, just about anywhere.

But then, I've never claimed to be typical, or necessarily socially endorsed.
 
Jredbaron96 said:
It really depends on the tattoo. Some tattoos are a work of art, other's just look cool and really fit the person.

Others, like some stupid basic white girl **** or an ex-lover's name? Yeah, those are stupid.
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It also depends on how many tattoos. I would not hire someone with tattoos on nearly every square inch of exposed skin.
 
5 pages, and not a single pic of a hottie with ink?



Come on guys. I expected better.
 
Cherub786 said:
but I find that tattoos are mostly an American thing among White people (don’t know about Europe). Tattoos are also among a certain class of people, not very popular among the highly educated group (like Ivy Leaguers for example) and also generational (I think millenials aren’t that interested in tattoos as the older generations).

So for me this is something psychological. Only those people want to permanently decorate their skin because they aren’t comfortable with their tone. Otherwise it makes no sense to turn your body into a canvas.
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I'm going to have to disagree with you on that.

While I do agree tattoos are largely a American thing, I don't see any real divide between race. Both black, white, and hispanic soldiers in my unit have tattoos. Most of the younger soldiers do. Granted, I'm talking all Army people, so maybe it's different, but from what I've seen in general younger people of all races are more comfortable with tattoos than their older counterparts.
 
Sweden said:
I think tattoos, on men or women, are signs of low intelligence.
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Edison had a tattoo. Winston Churchill had a tattoo. George Orwell had a tattoo.

Just because someone is tattooed does not indicate a lower intelligence.

Your blanket generalization, however, does indicate as much.
 
KevinKohler said:
5 pages, and not a single pic of a hottie with ink?



Come on guys. I expected better.
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15906be0bc26b4b4ac5cb612cca40828--tattooed-girls-inked-girls.jpg
 
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