TUESDAY, July 22, 2008 — Jen Graham, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., has gone through three sessions so far to remove a band of stars she impulsively had tattooed around her ankle at age 19. A tattooed ex-boyfriend gave her one “homemade” star with a safety pin and ballpoint-pen ink, and she had the design touched up and completed at a tattoo parlor soon after.
“I didn’t immediately regret it, but certainly within a year,” she says. “I’d thought about getting it removed for a long time and then finally made an appointment when I got a much more professional job at a publishing company and moved to New York. Plus my aesthetics had changed; I think tattoos look trashy now.”
Getting a tattoo is historically a male-dominated activity—but in a society where celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Rihanna flaunt their latest inked designs, tattooing has become popular among females as well. However, women may still face more societal stigma than men about their tattoos, and are more likely to have them removed because of embarrassment, body image, or career concerns, according to a new study.
More social stigma for women
Women represent at least half of the 45 million Americans with tattoos today, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). About one-fourth of adults age 18 to 30 have a tattoo, and 20% are estimated to be dissatisfied with their body art. Only about 6%, however, seek removal—a costly, painful, and time-consuming procedure that involves laser treatments, surgery, or chemical skin treatments.
In the recent study published in Archives of Dermatology, researchers from Texas Tech University surveyed a sample of 196 patients visiting dermatology clinics for tattoo removal. In contrast to a 1996 survey, study participants were more than twice as likely to be women (69% vs. 31% men), and were typically white, single, college-educated, and between the ages of 24 and 39. Previously, more men had requested tattoo removal.
Both men and women said they wanted to get their tattoos removed to leave their pasts behind them, and because they:
- Just decided to remove it (58%)
- Suffered embarrassment (57%)
- Had a lowered body image (38%)
- Were getting a new job or career (38%)
- Had problems with clothes (37%)
- Experienced stigma (25%)
- Were marking an occasion, such as a birthday, marriage, or newly found independence (21%)
While most women were pleased with their tattoos when they got them, their feelings changed over the next one to five years. “While men also reported some of these same tattoo problems leading to removal, there seemed to be more societal fallout for women,” the authors wrote.
Specifically, their tattoos had begun to cause embarrassment and no longer provided a feeling of uniqueness. More women than men said they were removing their tattoos because they often had to hide them (73% vs. 36%); they experienced stigma problems because of them (27% vs. 9%); and the tattoos elicited negative comments in public, the workplace, and/or in school (31% vs. 5%).
The decision to remove
Graham first visited a hair-removal clinic where a woman used a painful laser without an anesthetic. Since then, she’s had two treatments at a doctor’s office—much better, she says, because they numbed her first—for $400 each plus a $300 consulting fee. “Sadly, it’s not much lighter yet,” she says. “The edges are blurrier, though; right now it just looks like I have a bad tattoo.”
Though the removal process is expensive, Graham considers it a career investment. She’s waiting until the fall to have any more procedures—”It looks terrible right afterward; you get these huge blisters that stick around for over a week, and I’d rather hide it under pants or tights,” she says—and then plans to get one every four to six weeks until she’s satisfied.
When considering a tattoo, women especially should think twice about the location on their bodies, say the Texas Tech researchers. Compared with the earlier survey, more study participants had skin markings in visible locations such as arms and legs, suggesting that they may have felt more comfortable about getting a prominent tattoo at the time, but regretted it later in life.
What to think about
The FDA warns consumers to think of tattoos as permanent because removal doesn’t always work and some colors may never be entirely gone. Those considering getting inked are also urged to consider the following:
- Known health risks of getting a tattoo include infection from dirty needles, allergies to various ink pigments, and unwanted scarring or small bumps called granulomas, which may form around material that the body perceives as foreign.
- Tattoos can hide or obscure signs of skin cancer, French researchers reported in the same issue of Archives of Dermatology. Patients with a history of melanoma should avoid tattoos, and those with a family history of melanoma or atypical moles should choose small designs with light colors, the researchers concluded.
- The FDA has not approved any tattoo inks for injection into the skin, and many pigments used are industrial-strength colors suitable for printers’ ink or automobile paint.
- Do not buy or order do-it-yourself removal products online. These acid-based products are not FDA-approved and can cause bad skin reactions.
- If you want a tattoo removed, consult your health-care provider (not a spa, clinic, or tattoo parlor, where the procedure is not always FDA-approved); the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery can help you find an experienced and certified doctor.
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Comments (48)
I think it’s a little ridiculous to reduce female intelligence in regards to their decision of getting tattooed using the primary argument that women are following ridiculous pop culture “role models” like Rihanna and Angelina Jolie. I think it’s a worth while study to look into the reasons women versus men are getting tattooed, but I found this article extremely 2-dimensional and lacking journalism.
Agreed with the last poster, I think it would be far more interesting to study why those choosing to have tattoos removed got the tattoos in the first place.
I won’t be getting my full sleeve tattoos removed any time soon….
Agreed. I started my tattoos ten years ago, and as it was obviously a conscious choice, I cannot imagine myself “changing” so much that I’d want to remove them. Tattoos are generally more accepted by society these days, and that may be why more people choose to get them – not just to blindly follow celebrities.
I agreed with other comments posted. You have to know why people got tattoes. For me tattoes are a form of expressing yourself, and it has nothing to do with following pop culture. We are all different and everyone has the right to express however they want. I myself have a tattoe. Do I regret it?, No. It reminds me of my younger days. So for me it has a meaning of being free and wild without responsibilities.
I have several tattoos, some of them in visible locations like my ankles and arm. When I got my first tattoo I was in the military. At that point, I was not allowed to have any ink that showed while in uniform (was not accepted then for officers but was for enlisted). Even then, I though carefully about what I wanted, why I wanted it, and where it was going. The military wasn’t going to be my only career so I chose tattoos that were tasteful if they did show (like while wearing a skirt) but easy to cover up if needed (pant suits work great).
I find the tone of this article rather insulting however. If you visit the link to the study, you’ll notice that this study was done in 2006. It was limited to 4 clinics in 4 different states (Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Texas). I hardly think that’s an adequate sampling to make such a generalization. Then again, I’m not a scientist so I obviously am missing something.
People who get tattoos are adults. It is a little hard to feel sympathy for their vain decisions. We live in a free society: you can buy a V-8 SUV, get an interest-only mortgage, get a prominent tattoo of your boyfriend/girlfriend’s name. Just don’t expect others to bail you out if you regret these decisions later.
don’t people know in the quest to be so “different” with tatoos,they have become more like everyone then they know,the people who really stand out are the ones who choose not to have them.
If you must get a tattoo, at least be wise enough to think 10 or 20 years into the future. My son got a large tattoo of a logo from an album of his favorite band.. which promptly broke up. He hadn’t consulted me, but if he had, I would have pointed out that it was going to look dated in five years, not to mention that it makes him look like a bath towel with an odd monogram…
I agree with the previous posts. Most adults do not get a tattoo just because someone in hollywood does. That seems pretty minor and shallow. I know some people do it because it’s a trend and others are getting it done. What does that make them…stupid!! People generally do not think in long term, only for the moment. Tattoos are walking pieces of artwork that were not meant to be hung in a museum. People should think very thoroughly on the kind of art they want inked on them. Because what looks good at 22 may not look as good at 62!! Remember that people.
I agree with other posters that the author of this article gives a very shallow look at women who get tattoos. I’ve had mine for 30 years now–I got them when I was in my 20s. And I certainly wasn’t influenced by celebrity tattoos! Nor did I want to be “different.” I made my decision to have my legs fully tattooed due to a love of tattoos that I’d had since I was a small child and first saw some. I have never once regretted getting my tattoos, which reflect my love of the ocean and marine life.
The one thing the author did get right is that there is still a bit of prejudice about women with tattoos. Mine can’t be seen when I am at work, for that reason.
Perhaps Ms. MacMillan should do an article about those who have no desire to remove their tattoos and who gave real thought to them before getting them as a balance to the one-sided, prejudiced view in this article.
I’m 43 and getting my first (and probably only) tattoo. I think that if people are embarrassed or regret having it done, they didn’t think it through when they had it placed on a visible location that could impact career advancement, etc. It has taken me a long time and I finally have a design that I think will be appropriate no matter my age, and in a location that won’t hold me back from promotions, jobs, etc. (yes, it is in a “viewable” location)…
The report is definatly one sided. I have many visible tattoos on my wrists and arms and have no plans of ever getting them removed, they will always remind me of the time I have spent in the navy and of significant events in my life. A repot really needs to be done on the reasons why people get tattos and the stigma of having them.
Inks are poison…and Human Being must consider it seriously. Your blood is being poisoned!! and body is not the place to put art works???duhhhh…Wake up humans!!!! Be intelligent enough to know urself…
Cheers!!
well the first comment i have is that your blood will not be poisoned because the tattoo only goes into the skin not the blood. Tattoo’s aren’t stupid just because some article said so, its a personal choice. Most people think o wow he/she has a tattoo they must be a slob. Just because you don’t want one doesn’t mean you have to bash everyone who has one or is thinking about getting one. This article and most of the comments made against tattoo’s is very bias. And to touch on nancy’s comment “don’t people know in the quest to be so “different” with tatoos,they have become more like everyone then they know,the people who really stand out are the ones who choose not to have them.”
Why do these people who don’t have them stand out to you so much compared to people with them. You are making tattoo’s sound evil. You comment almost states that if you have a tattoo you are one of the stupidist people on the face of the earth. You may very well agree with that statement but don’t beat down people who have them or are considering them. That is ignorance and that is the real problem here.
This article is stupid! not the people with tattoos
This is all very ridiculous, I can’t stop laughing at it. Here are my thoughts on this…
I have tattoos, and no matter what other people may think or say about them, it doesn’t change the fact that I love them. The tattoos I have are for me. They are very meaningful to me, and maybe not to anyone else, and that’s perfectly okay with me. I don’t get tattooed for someone else, so to all those people out there who are so against them, good for you, cause I don’t care what you think.
I’m an artist at heart, and these tattoos are a way of expressing my inner artist, if you would. So yeah, they’re permanent, but when I’m old, I highly doubt I’ll be showing off my body to anyone but my old husband. I’m not worried about what I will think of them when I’m older. I am who I am, and growing older will not change the fact that I love artwork.
peace ♥
The caliber of responses to this article also provide more information on the type of person who gets tattoos.
I think it’s almost as enlightening as the article itself, not to mention entertaining.
I like seeing tattoos on other people, but I will never get one because it is not consistant withmy philosophical beliefs regarding the flourishing human’s need for a constat state flux and growth.
Americans (fat) have no respect for their bodies – inside or out.
Firstly, who frickin’ cares?!? Why in God’s name would it matter to you if someone else had a tattoo? Does that one little thing about them mean so much in the overall evaluation of them as a person? Secondly, think very hard about your tattoo before you get one. If you don’t know whether or not your future job will allow you to expose one at work, then don’t get it in an obvious place. Furthermore, think hard about what you’re gonna get and consult friends and family about it to get some feedback before you make the decision permanent. Thirdly, who cares what it’ll look like when you’re 60? Do you really think that the tattoo is the only thing that’s gonna be droopy and less attractive at 60?
I have several tattoos myself, one very large one on my upper arm and shoulder. I got my tattoos for me….NO ONE ELSE. If you like them, great, if not I don’t really care. I would caution anyone going into a professional field not to get them in a visible location though.
The article is half right though. Due to women’s clothing more skin is exposed than in normal men’s clothing, so women (especially professionals) should carefully plan the location on thier body.
A tattoo on the face or neck is just stupid, unless you are an artist, rockstar or similar career field. A death sentence in the professional world.
Bottom line. Plan what you want, where you want it and allow time to think about it so it isn’t an impulsive decision.
wow, just wow, love how when i read articles on tattoos they are always biased, its so retarded. I have read hundreds of articles and I have had ink done, I love my tattoos with every fiber of my being and cant wait to get more. Yeah, when im 60 I probably dont remember what my back piece, or my leg piece was, but I’ll know it was a big enough part of my life to remember.
Tattoos are a beautiful form of artwork, and I will always love tattoos, whether they are mine or someone else’s. I have also read that people say you dont respect your body if you have a tattoo, it’s my body I’ll fucking do what I want with it…get over it. It’s not like my tattoo is effecting your life, what do you care anyway? Just look somewhere else if you dont like my ink.
i just got my 2nd tattoo at age 57 . butterfly on my ankle and i LOVE it .
Oh you guys. Its so entertaining to me to read the different views. I think this… and I do have a tattoo in a place that I wish I would’ve thought it more. But I dont regret getting it cuz its so meaningful to me that… screw it :)
however, I dont believe tattoos are gotten to stand out. And before I say this I realize there are the unfortunate few that get them cuz they’re dumb and followers but… I believe we get them to express an idea. A thought. We’re choosing to express ourselves in a way that many dont agree with but we think is beautiful. So, some women change their minds along the way… good for them. We live in a gorgeous country where that’s allowed and applauded. Lets celebrate the fact that we can choose either way and stop with these very silly finger-pointing sessions.
Its all very simple. If you want a tattoo… get one.
If you dont like them… dont get one.
If you thought u like it and u got one and now u dont like it… remove it. simple.
I agree with most other posters, in that this article is lacking. I am 23 years old, and I have 4 tattoos. (I got the 4th last Monday) I am college educated, and most certainly not a “Trashy” person. I may be young, and I have only had my first tattoo for a little under 3 years, I certainly do not, nor do I see myself regretting them, at any point in my life. They all mean something significant to me, and they always will. My two most visible tattoos are family symbols, something that will never change for my family. I think there is something to be said for the type of person who blindly decides to get a tattoo, and just walks in, knowing nothing about the shop, or the artists, and just picks something off the wall. I think it would be interesting to know why some people think that this is a good decision. I always tell people when they ask about, or comment about getting a tattoo that whatever they decide to put on their body, it needs to be something that will always hold importance in their lives, otherwise they will regret it.
I just turned 21 and went to vegas to celebrate, and get my first tattoo. I have wanted the same design and the same place(non-visable) for years and thats why i got it. It’s very meaningful to me because it’s my zodiac sign gemini and no matter how hard i try, i will always be a gemini. I dont think i’ll ever regret my tattoo. I even have plans for more!!! My mom wanted to get a cross on the back of her neck but couldnt find a design she loved so…. she didnt get it. but when she does find it i’ll be right next to her while she gets inked!!
To all the tattoo haters out there. GET A LIFE. Its not your body thats marked forever so why do u care?
To all my fellow tattooed women. YOU GO GIRL!!!!
I love the health risks at the bottom of the article. Does the FDA care about medications they approve that are harmful, or all of the additives in foods people consume every day?
I’ve thought many times about getting a tattoo, and as much as I wanted one, I weighed-out the good and the bad, and just saw more bad. All I could think about is when I am an old wrinkled lady in a nursing home, I would probably regret it. I would have obviously got it somewhere concealable for work, etc. But hey…you only live once, go for it, if you really want one. Just make sure you have a good artist. Maybe one day I’ll get one, it’s just a big decision you have to live with forever!
It also shows and incredible disregard for the future. humans are also instinctively programmed to search for mates with clear skin,bright eyes and other heathy attributes in which to mate and procreate.this basically means that those who believe they are defective and broken will seek out those with intentional blemishes. because,as we all know, every tattoo looks like dirt,a bad bruise or an ugly stain from 10+ feet away.so it is not illogical to surmise that it is a good way for the broken to recognise the broken.The emotionally stained to find the emotionally stained.
……..but it still is the best way for one to enter the trailer park without having to show the gate guard id. because once he sees the tattoos ,he knows you must live there……
This story is in the wrong century I think they should have published this in the 60′s. This whole idea that women are out there getting tattoos because of stars and regreting them is BS. I had my tatoos way before Julien had a carrer and my only regret is I can’t get more strickly because of money and weight. I work in the health care field and the only ones who seem to have problems with tattoo’s are people in there 80′s no one has ever judged me because of my tattoo’s then again I don’t flash them at work and they are mine for personal reasons. All of the women I know with Tats love their tats and have no regrets but are always talking of that next tattoo.
I’ve never contemplated getting a tattoo, nor have I considered starting smoking or doing drugs. Some people are leaders, and some are followers. It is helpful when the followers physically identify themselves, however.
I have 4 tattoos in my body; one in my right wrist, my right and left forearm and so on… I don’t regret getting 3 of them however by mistake I choose the 4th one pretty bad and I hated it after was finished not because it was done bad but because I didn’t like the way it looked after it was done. I would definitely fix it with another artist and try to make another design on top it or something but I would do it because I love tattoos and I think they look hot and sexy either in women and men. Women even more because they are not common in women years ago and now they are which makes the whole thing sexier… I am loving it I want to fix my 4th one with a Scorpio design… You go guys specially the girls!!!!!!
I work in the health care field. I have 3 tatoos. I got my first at 18. No one can see it except my spouse. I got my second after my oldest daughter was born, again, small and tasteful and not noticable. I got my third after a life altering event and I got it to remind me to never take life for granted. I have finally found my 4th and last tattoo picked out. I think about my tattoos long and hard before I get them. No one would ever guess that I even have them. I got each and every one for me and for a significant event in my life. Whether I am 80 or 36 they will always have meaning to me and make me smile. Close minded people that refuse to see any other view other than their own, don’t get one. The good thing about America is we have the right to do with our body as we so choose.
My girlfriend had a Medussa of 7 Penises tattooed on her shaved head. Testicles hand down the back of her neck. It looks amazing. At the same time she’s having a lot of trouble finding work. We’re thinking about having them removed now. I still like it though.
I think getting tatoos are a bad decision. It shows poor judgement at a young age that will carry into life. The girl on American Idol with the full arm tatoo was an idiot. She insulted judge Simon showing lack of respect and poor judgement just like her ugly tatoos.
First of all, I want to comment on the individual that doesn’t know anything. The ink that they use isn’t poison. I’ve had two tattoos for more than 11 years and I haven’t gotten sick from them yet. Should I be looking for something to creep up on me because I got the tattoos. Second, if the art is done correctly and you have a true artist, the work will look great. As far as women being afraid of not getting a job or a promotion and anyone rather they be male or female shouldn’t fear this. Again, if the work is done correctly and it looks good and of course isn’t crude or rude, there shouldn’t be a problem. I have seen many women with tattoos that can be seen and many of those tattoos were excellent. They shouldn’t be ashamed of them or embarrased by them. It is art. It is something of you. It is also NOT a sign of being stupid or a slob or garbage like many closed minded upper management or snobs might think.
Our skin is flawless, then for whatever reason someone thinks a tattoo would become a great conversation starter, then a time later, its realized how flawless our bodies were, how radiant our skin, then one realizes the mistake made. Now, where to get the money, which will be 3 times the cost of the original tattoos cost, to remove. Never do it, its always wrong decision.
Someone by the name of Sandy just commented “Never do it, its always wrong decision.” I got two of them and when I did it it wasn’t the wrong decision. I look at them now which is twelve years later and they still aren’t the wrong decision and I know many women as well who have the same thoughts. I guess next there will be some fool like Sandy who will start damning ear rings or any piercings. I have an earring as well and will not go any further with it but those who do have the right to do what they want so if some guy decides to split his penis down the center, more power to him. It always seems to me that those who don’t have or wont do are always the first to start complaining or griping.
I dont understand why someone would have their own name put on their arm. If they cant remember their own name, they probable have bigger issues. To me, it makes a hugs statement when someone has a meaningless tat. It says I DONT REPECT MYSELF. Tats should be to express something that will effect your life forever.
I am 19 yrs old & have 2 tattoos. One on my hip and my foot. I have always wanted tats, so I got my first one when I was 16, with my parents there of course. I decided on my name in chinese, its on my hip so it can be covered. then my second I got on when I was 18, on my foot. its 3 stars with small swirls around. Its very cute, and not painful like everyone says. But anyways. I thought carefully when getting both because I didnt want them to affect my career or anything. But as I’m reading these stories, I think to myself ” why didnt these people think logically ” lol. I would never get something stupid or in a place that can’t be covered
um, why hasn’t anyone commented on pagan. does anyone actually agree? can you actually believe that? i see the symbolism, where you pulled all your ideas from. But, I have a tattoo and I am far from your calculated number. Further, to me my tattoo represents a strength to retain innocence and stay above the things that could make me a so-called broken person. Everyone has a different way of thinking, just as you apparently have the right to express your extremist views on a website I have the right to express my views on my own body.
15 years ago I had my eye liner and eyebrows tattooed. I have NEVER regretted it and am probably going to have the eyes redone as it is fading with the years. I’m nearing 70 years old so am hardly a child and could not care less about what “celebrity” women are doing.
I think most people were ignoring pagan. When someone acknowledges someone who is being acting irrational it has the tendoncy to harbor reactions back, so in his/her case ignorance is bliss.
you’re right kat. blush, it’s hard not to treat blogs as an irrational forum.
Amarie, I saw that pagan prick’s post, too and I was just about to point out that no one else seems to have noticed it. I’m way off from that calculation, and that stereotype. I mean, to have a tatt you have to be a trailer park slut, really? God forbid any of us educated women who earn 6figure+ salary get one. I have my tattoo, and I planned where it would go very carefully for the specific reason that I wouldn’t want it to negatively effect my future careers because I do understand that there are some people out there who are uncomfortable with them. I don’t view having a Rubaiyat permanently emblazoned on me in my native tongue as something “dirty” “stained” or “broken”. And while I am sure that there are some girls out there who perhaps conform to those stereotypes that pagan so fervently clings to, I see mine as me having the courage and bravery to say to whoever happens to see it “I am proud of where I come from, I am Iranian, no one will take that from me and I refuse to hide from it”.
Obnoxious comments aside, this whole article was disappointing. It’s like they’re not even interviewing or checking the portfolios of who they’re hiring to write this stuff, and when so many good writers are in need of jobs. Clearly fact checking must nowadays be a thing of the past, although I never wanted to believe it. Ey Internet, the downfall of respectable journalism.
Ok, you people are making judgements about EVERYONE that has tattoos based on people you may know that have tattoos, that apparently did it for the wrong reasons and didn’t put much thought into their decision. By the way, I know MANY people that have tats and not one of them got them because of celebrites, thats insane. Who cares about a celeb havin a tat? They’re celebs, so of course their tats are going to be put in the spotlight, but that doesn’t influence EVERYONE that gets tats. Most people get tats for the simple reason that they want them, its as simple as that folks. I love every tattoo that I have. I have them, not to be “different”, but because I love tattoos. I do agree that you should think about what you want for a while before you get it done, or you will regret it shortly afterwards. But the judgements about people with tats are ridiculous. Get over it! Just because you don’t understand them doesn’t mean that you have the right to criticize. The only difference between people that have tattoos and people that don’t have tattoos, is people that have tattoos don’t care that you don’t have tattoos.
On Pagan’s comment, I will have to say this person is completely blinded by moral stupidity, blindness to other’s feelings, intelligence, emotions and other’s education period. As far as a human’s future to find a mate as Pagan put it, with the two tattoos that I do have, I have never had a problem attracting intelligent women, one who of course being a very beautiful woman as well who is also well educated with her own business. I am far from broken and defective. The woman I am speaking of never thought of me as broken or defective. As for you Pagan, you should really learn to spell before you make comments about those of us who have tattoos rather we be women or men. Your “recognise” is actually “recognize”. One other thing, I seriously doubt any one of us who has tattoos are emotionally stained either.
Shahrzad Pahlavi I agree with you completely. Fortunately growing up becoming an adult I didn’t inherit all of my parents ideas and refused to live by some of what they tried to teach me. These ideas that people have, like Pagan are completely wrong. The author of this article should really try to find something really worth writing about or maybe try to get all sides of the story and not just one side of it. This story has many sides and should be given thought of that before putting it to paper so to speak. As I said earlier, I know quite a few women who make a 6 figure salary who have tatts. Those who don’t or can’t experience something shouldn’t preach or criticize.
Unlike the iranian, I don’t feel the need to put myself through any pain to “express myself” (get attention). Honestly, I think It sucks that you would feel the need to announce where you’re from. nationality is just another way of separating yourself from others and we are all too separated already.Your body doesn’t have to be a billboard if you can communicate well and if your beliefs and ideas change(which many do),all u have to do is change your opinion.Develop a personality instead. become interesting and you wont have to disfigure yourself to appear interesting.
tattoos are already becoming the sign of the ignorant follower. much like if we were wearing mullets that we cant ever take off completely (without having to cover them with another mullet.) It’s a fashion trend with a sacrifice and a permanent consequence.
I don’t really mind those with tats out of site and might consider getting one someday. but it is really sad to see those so desperate for attention ,that they put themselves through so much discomfort to end up looking like a subway train in the south bronx and to basically label themselves as unemployable (which i know some people on this forum are well aware of and avoid getting visables)
by the time the stigma of “trailer trash” or “poor judgement” completely dies from those with visible ridiculous tats,the stigma of ‘the mark of the sheep’ will be in full effect.And thats a stigma that will last 80 years because there will be permanent reminders on millions of peoples skin. it wont come back into style like bellbottoms. bellbottoms had to be out of site to eventually come back.
Has any fad lasted once 13 year old girls start getting them done? do you honestly think that your tat would be cool if miley cyrus got the same one?
“members only” jackets don’t need skin surgery to take off,parachute pants don’t need to be covered up with other colors of parachute pants.
we all thought we were being unique when we choose our specific color spandex but we realized soon after that color didn’t matter,spandex itself was dumb. So choose what ever tat you want and feel special because it means something specific to you because in a few years they will all mean something specific to everyone just like spandex does today.
If someone was walking down the street wearing spandex and you stared laughing and they said “No bro, I got these spandex before ANYBODY got them” or “the design on the spandex represents my lost tribal ancestors” or “I bought these spandex to signify my commitment to sobriety” would you laugh any less or respect them any more?
all will do the same to you. they will just crack up that you permanently disfigured your beautiful skin to follow what every 13 year old girl is doing.
Coolness only lasts until the people we regard as followers and sheep adopt it.Then no one cares WHY you did it,theyll be too busy laughing THAT you did it.
And that laughter will be louder and funnier than the dude whos wearing spandex in 2009.he went through no pain or disfigurement to follow his fashion trend.He just bought them….