Why People Get Tattoos

[JavaMan]

About half way through a five mile run at o’dark thirty on Sunday morning, my psychologist friend and running buddy broke the silence as the sun was breaking through the eastern horizon, with “What do you think of taboos?” After about a five second befuddled contemplation on my part, I looked over at him and said, WHAT? And he says, “I said, what do you think of tattoos?” After a shared chuckle as I told him what I had thought he asked, he mentioned an expansive tattoo on the arm of one of the pitchers on his MLB fantasy team. The conservation on tattoos didn’t go very far and we ended up talking baseball, as we often do.

Fast forward to this morning when this tattoo article appears in my article feed. With the conservation with my friend still fresh in my mind I got to thinking about tattoos and athletes, and why seemingly so many athletes have inked up. I read the article and opinions on why people do and don’t get tattoos, and what people think and don’t think about people with tattoos and thought that it might add some insight here on the BY. It is quite informative.

Insight here because increasingly I've wondered if top ballers in high school do not get recruited by Geno and staff because they may have tats. And, if so, may that now be changing as we currently do have a player who plays with an uncovered tattoo.

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When tattoos first emerged in the 1800s, they were considered a sign of being a criminal or deviant. Today, they are becoming increasingly commonplace. According to one estimate, thirty-eight percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo.

But why do some people get a tattoo, while others choose not to do so? ...

Read the rest of the story [HERE]

 

[Hongster]

Any shown tattoos are ugly regardless what it is.

 

[Bama fan]

About half way through a five mile run at o’dark thirty on Sunday morning, my psychologist friend and running buddy broke the silence as the sun was breaking through the eastern horizon, with “What do you think of taboos?” After about a five second befuddled contemplation on my part, I looked over at him and said, WHAT? And he says, “I said, what do you think of tattoos?” After a shared chuckle as I told him what I had thought he asked, he mentioned an expansive tattoo on the arm of one of the pitchers on his MLB fantasy team. The conservation on tattoos didn’t go very far and we ended up talking baseball, as we often do.

Fast forward to this morning when this tattoo article appears in my article feed. With the conservation with my friend still fresh in my mind I got to thinking about tattoos and athletes, and why seemingly so many athletes have inked up. I read the article and opinions on why people do and don’t get tattoos, and what people think and don’t think about people with tattoos and thought that it might add some insight here on the BY. It is quite informative.

Insight here because increasingly I've wondered if top ballers in high school do not get recruited by Geno and staff because they may have tats. And, if so, may that now be changing as we currently do have a player who plays with an uncovered tattoo.

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View attachment 46074 ​

When tattoos first emerged in the 1800s, they were considered a sign of being a criminal or deviant. Today, they are becoming increasingly commonplace. According to one estimate, thirty-eight percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo.

But why do some people get a tattoo, while others choose not to do so? ...

Read the rest of the story [HERE]

Interesting subject . But I would worry about how an article on tattoos just suddenly appeared in your feed. What a coincidence!

 

[Adios]

I came close to getting tattoos. Glad I didn't. Tattoos get ugly with age. It's egomaniacal, ultimately, even if you get tribal tattoos. Unless a tribe forced you to get tattooed.

 

[JavaMan]

Interesting subject . But I would worry about how an article on tattoos just suddenly appeared in your feed. What a coincidence!

SERIOUSLY?????

 

[JavaMan]

Any shown tattoos are ugly regardless what it is.

Hong, my friend:

"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself." -Wayne Dyer

 

[HuskyBandDad]

I wish I had the money that my family members spent on tats.
I can think of 5999 better things to spend $ on then tats.

 

[Argonaut]

Insight here because increasingly I've wondered if top ballers in high school do not get recruited by Geno and staff because they may have tats. And, if so, may that now be changing as we currently do have a player who plays with an uncovered tattoo.

For the most part, I think that by the time a kid is old enough for tattoos, they're either on or off of Geno's radar. CW plays with that tiny cross uncovered, but the tattoo on her arm is definitely not showing. I just think she came into the program with a tattoo that isn't easily covered (I mean, can you imagine playing a game with k tape on the side of your head? And makeup would easily be sweat off.) Unless a UConn player gets a tattoo while they're in the program that is allowed to go uncovered, I don't think any standards have really changed.

But why do some people get a tattoo, while others choose not to do so? ...

1. Personal choice - I have 20 piercings, but I understand that there will be a time in my life when I'm over them and they can come out. Other than a small scar, no one will be any the wiser. Tattoos, on the other hand, are (mostly) forever. That's scary for a lot of people.
2. Profession - I know, for sure, I wouldn't have gotten my second (and longest tenured) teaching job if I was covered in tattoos. People can wear long sleeves and attempt to cover them, but it's hot in the south and I'm not about that life.
3. Religion - This one is pretty self explanatory.
4. Mamas - My mama would kill me. I'm sure a few other people are in the same boat. But I also know a lot of people whose mama has tattoos. Family dynamics can play a huge role in why people do and don't get tattoos. And the things I would have had tattooed on me at 18, I laugh about at 30.

 

[JordyG]

Hong, my friend:

"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself." -Wayne Dyer

I think he said the tattoo was ugly, not the person or the reason.

I too find most if not all tattoo's vary between unattractive and hideous, depending on the degree to which the person has covered themselves. I think I've stated my position any number of times. However I will add this. No matter the reason a person gets a tattoo I think there is something that most do not consider. If instead, a person walked into a tattoo parlor and asked to drink the ink instead of becoming tattooed the imprinter (I hesitate to call most of them "artists" since almost all of them work off stencils) would probably deny them. Because of course the ink is a poison. Well, why do tattoo's fade? Because the body slowly sips that poison into the body over time. How is that good for your internal organs, connective tissues, or brain and bodily functions? Has anyone ever done a study on comparative and related health issues between people who get tattoos and those who don't? Am I talking out of my untattooed posterior, or is this a real issue?

 

[Bama fan]

SERIOUSLY?????

View attachment 46078

Absolutely not. Hence the wink emoji.

 

[JavaMan]

I think he said the tattoo was ugly, not the person or the reason.

Good point, Jordy. Perhaps. But do tattoos exist without a person...who had a reason?

 

[JordyG]

Good point, Jordy. Perhaps. But do tattoos exist without a person...who had a reason?

Neither the word or the person are the thing. But yes, we define ourselves by our persistent behavior, and yes we can frequently judge future acts by our current behaviors. You are what you consistently do.

 

[diggerfoot]

When I was a teenager tattoos were unusual and I view people who got them as making a statement, wanting to stand out, or some similar reason. Now tattoos are fairly common and now I view people who get them more as fitting in, at least with their peers. I have no blanket feelings towards them; depending on the tattoo and location it can look beautiful or ugly. I never got one because getting something of permanence felt like a constraint on my freedom. I understand some get them precisely as an expression of freedom from some type of expectations, but I was never a slave to anyone else's expectations anyways.

 

[Hongster]

Hong, my friend:

"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself." -Wayne Dyer

Javaman my friend. Nice quote but who doesn't judge in this life?

 

[JordyG]

When I was a teenager tattoos were unusual and I view people who got them as making a statement, wanting to stand out, or some similar reason. Now tattoos are fairly common and now I view people who get them more as fitting in, at least with their peers. I have no blanket feelings towards them; depending on the tattoo and location it can look beautiful or ugly. I never got one because getting something of permanence felt like a constraint on my freedom. I understand some get them precisely as an expression of freedom from some type of expectations, but I was never a slave to anyone else's expectations anyways.

While speaking to a young barista in a Starbucks last month I noticed she had a new tattoo (new because of the protective covering on it). I asked if she was going to colorize it and she said no. I noticed it was her first. She said yes and that her ultimate goal was to have a sleeve. I hesitated and then said well, everyone today has a tattoo, and that if you really want to be different; if you really wanted to separate yourself, you should have no tattoos and no piercings. That would make a statement.

 

[meyers7]

Any shown tattoos are ugly regardless what it is.

Ummmmm no. Just like there are paintings and people who are ugly, sure there are tattoos that are ugly. But there are also paintings, people, tattoos that are attractive.

 

[SVCBeercats]

But why do some people get a tattoo, while others choose not to do so? ...

It is a herd animal thing.

 

[eebmg]

I would separate the purely decorative tattoo's from those obtained to deliever a message, celebrate a specific act or in memory of a loved one.

 

[JordyG]

I would separate the purely decorative tattoo's from those obtained to deliever a message, celebrate a specific act or in memory of a loved one.

To me a tattoo is a tattoo. The reason behind each is different and usually, if not always, personal.

 

[bbfanLA]

When I graduated from the University of Cincinnati, I got a little tattoo on my ankle - the Chinese symbol for rebirth. I just “knew” that I, a small town Ohio boy, was going to work in entertainment in New York or Los Angeles and was going to start a new life. I ended up getting a job in entertainment in Los Angeles and have been here ever since and I still love my tattoo. Now if I had gotten stuck in small town Ohio, not that there’s anything wrong with that but that’s not what I wanted, then maybe I’d hate my tattoo now. But the tattoo, for me, was a symbol to keep pursuing my dreams, no matter how out of the ordinary they were for people where I’m from. People from Ohio are always telling me how unbelievable it is that I go to movie premieres and interview celebrities all the time because that’s just not an option for people in small towns, but that was what I wanted to do since I was a little boy. The tattoo is symbolic of my journey and fighting my way into an occupation that many thought was just a pipe dream.

 

[j66kicker]

While speaking to a young barista in a Starbucks last month... ...if you really wanted to separate yourself, if you really wanted to be different you should have no tattoos and no piercings. That would make a statement.

Having no tattoos, no piercings and hair the color of actual hair would certainly make a statement among the help at the Starbucks I go to. Not sure you could get hired, though.

 

[Puppy Love]

Our three kids (two boys and a girl) have tattoos that say “always with you”, written in Italian in their grandmother’s hand writing. I’m not exactly a fan, but I appreciate that they did it together. For the most part, I really dislike tattoos.

 

[trb123]

Don't know about tattoos. But I know that a lot of people drill a hole in their noses so that they can smell better.

 

[Mdoggie]

I have a full sleeve and 1/2 on the other arm. My tattoos honor my sisters, daughters, grandmothers and all the women who have been influential in my life. My wife suggested the sleeve. Most of my tats were done after I turned 50. I absolutely love them.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Here's how I like my tattoos: