Tattoos - Are They An Indication of Social Class?

What do you think?

I think they tend to be an indication of social class among anyone over, say, 35. I'm old, so perhaps it is different (i.e. generational divide).

They are tailor made for dimwits and guttersnipes, OP.

You obviously don't get out much. I go to an upscale gym filled with professionals and the like. You see them walking in wearing a suit and then in their gym clothes you see an enormous variety of tattoos.

I don't think it indicates anything really, the Duke of Edinburgh has a tattoo for instance. It depends on the tat of course - a discreet reference to the ship you served on or the unit you fought in is normal among people of all ages and social classes, a fake "ethnic" mess or Asian lettering (translated as "this some dumb ugly boy) usually indicates a lack of education and common sense.

Alternative title for this thread: "I think that damn Jamaican nurse is stealing from me again....where'd I put my pills...Oh, look, Matlock's on...ZZZZzzzzzzz"

Tattoos are indicative of the Trash class.

I tend to agree with you, r7. But that probably is indicative of my age.

[quote]You obviously don't get out much. I go to an upscale gym filled with professionals and the like. You see them walking in wearing a suit and then in their gym clothes you see an enormous variety of tattoos.

This tends to indicate the professionals are discreet in their placement of tattoos, so that they are not visible at work.

Tattoos are hot. DLers are such prudes.

R10 here, showing off my hot tats.

Any questions?

It's probably a generational thing whether you like tatts or not.

A personal observation: my father was in a national military nursing home and I regularly saw the old guys' tattoos after they had been inked 50 and 60 years prior. This was not a pretty sight.

As you know, old peoples' skin gets very thin with advanced age. The skin bruises and frequently bleeds with the slightest abrasion. Add onto that an old multi-colored tattoo that has become illegible due to age and you've got quite a nasty looking hide.

This is can attest!

Civilization is either falling apart or we're flying through growing pains, on our way to this:

One judges a tree by what it produces, not what it looks like.

My company will not hire anyone wth a visible tattoo, tongue piercing, snake bites, and ear lobe plugs. It is a definite sign of white trash.

Tattoos are so over. In the grunge 90s, when it started being cool to be an oppressed outsider, tatts (which were universally considered to be ultra-trashy) became hip.

But soon every little suburban basic had her little tatt, so to be an outsider you had to ratchet up the tatts. Soon girls were totally ruining their looks with virtual full body tatts. Heavy metals are coursing through their systems and I don't mean the music.

Now that's so over. We have a whole generation who's going to wear their hip pretensions like a badge of shame. In previous generations, the stupid things teens and 20-somethings did to be cool could be left behind as one matured, could be less, as Quint might say, "puhmanent."

What sort of person thinks their taste in graphics is going to remain the same till they die?

Tattoos indicate a lack of imagination about the future.

Tattoos are disgusting. However, a neck tattoo? Hand tattoo? Gages in ears? They're not artistic or a sign of individuality.

And no, you're not hired. If you think that's discrimination, think whatever you want. If I never tell you, then you'll never know. But you're still not hired even if you're the best one for the job. There is always someone equally as qualified. Stop fucking inking and defacing your body.

They're indicative of mental disorder

Tatoos were fairly common for hip college kids in the early nineties. Most of these kids are now middle aged with degrees and white collar jobs. Tattoos cost money so it was the rich kids who had the most ink when I was in school. It was also the more affluent kids who would get the, career limiting, neck and face tatoos. Even people with full sleeves don't trust a guy with face ink.

It's not uncommon to see teachers with visible tattoos or earlobes stretched. Tattoos are so common that I can't say it's indicative of a type of class, but more so a personality type. It depends on the tattoo. I am turned off by super vanilla types. Not people without tattoos necessarily, but those that clutch their pearls about it. They're usually boring.

The argument about how they will look on the skin later in life is entirely irrelevant. You do not care how their skin will look later and if you know the possible consequences, do you honestly think they don't know the same information you do? It's concern trolling.

I know a 15 year old boy who looks at his tattooed 27 year old brother and calls him "old school" because of the body art so it's possible the younger generation will have many fewer tattoos.

Tattoos are for military and lower class.

Oh great, just what we needed. Another thread on tattoos!

I am only in my early 30's and I think piercings are so trashy. I have unfortunately interacted with a handful of white women with nose piercings. They are all over 30 and single and the skin always looks gross and inflamed around the piercing.

I recently overheard a youngish female shop assistant talking about her tattoos. Her mother had said when she gets old they'll look awful and she said when she's old she'll be more worried about pissing herself in public.

R14-has a black manservant named Jupiter that fetches her laudanum and mint juleps.

Watching cooking show I'm surprised at the number of chefs who have tatts, many covering forearms.

R26 Sounds fabulous! May I join him on the veranda while the (muscular --I'm adding that) Jupiter serves the juleps in a jockstrap?

Lotsa brides-to-be on "Say Yes to the Dress" have large tattoos showing the above the border of the dress. They look trashy.

I dislike them generally but particularly loathe them on young women. Trashy, cheap... these girls look badly used, like fairground strippers.

No nice young man wants to settle down with a woman who is branded and stamped, like a side of beef.

Don't parents teach their daughters any standards any more?

It's still an indication of class, especially when they become more visible, and bigger.

I agree with R16. I told my son that if he got a tattoo at 18, he would feel about it at 35 as he would feel about it now if he had gotten a ninja turtle tattoo at 11.

r14, what if the tattoos are not noticeable in the interview, but the first day of work he's wearing a short-sleeve shirt?

FDR had a tattoo. So did Winston Churchill and Barry Goldwater.

I sort of liked George Schultz when he admitted he had a Princeton Tiger tattooed on his ass.

[quote]I can't recall ever seeing a professional with visible tattoos, not even younger professionals

I was treated by a young ER doctor 8 years ago who had tattoos. They were entirely visible in his scrubs. (Upper arms).

OP, how old are you? Where do you live?

Oh course they are darling. Thurston would never allow me to have one.

I tend to agree with you, [R30] but also wonder if that's a double standard, meaning...if a photo of a handsome guy with tats is posted here, many of us would say he looks hot. Put the same tattoos on a pretty girl and we, myself included, (mis)interpret her as trashy and lower class.

They are an indication of no class.

They are a sure-fire indicator of stupidity.

They are an indicator of bad judgement which is a trait that is rampant through all social classes.

Tattoos have gone mainstream. It's always interesting to so many guys who come to my gym have tattoos under their suits and ties.

I could live without them. They are such distractions.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, just about everyone has tattoos and/or piercings, including septum rings. I would say it's a millennial tribal thing, but I see plenty of baby boomers with tattoos as well, piercings not so much.

Traditionally, tattoos were seen on bikers and men who served in the US Navy. Today, they have indeed gone mainstream. But it's true that the trashier the person, the more ink.

The worst are the assholes who get the Chinese characters tattoos. Unless you're Asian or speak fluent Chinese you just come off as a complete tool.

The last good one I saw was on the arm of the meanest most grizzled looking sailor-type you can possibly imagine.

It was a happy little seal balancing a beach ball on its nose. I broke out laughing right in front of the guy, and he laughed too.

GRANDMA THREAD.

I have womens eyes tattooed on both of my ass cheeks. I got them in Singapore when I was in the Navy. It was hard to sit for a few days. However I don't regret it.

My supervisor is working on his doctorate and has ink. You probably haven't seen many tatts in professional settings because most of us have the sense to keep them covered.

Tatoos signify lower class. Period. Most restaurants will not hire anyone with a nose ring as they say it's unsanitary and promotes hand to nose contact.

R50, you know a piercing and a tattoo are two different things, right?

Every one with tattoos is not trash, but every piece of trash has a tattoo.

So yes, they are indicative of social class.

A while ago I overheard a young lad moaning to one of his friends, "My mom offered to get tattoos for both of us, but I'm afraid that she'd pick something stupid for herself."

Promotes hand-to-nose contact is my new sig line for everything, R50, including cheques.

[quote]OP, how old are you? Where do you live?

Fifty. So, practically dead. :)

I live in Western Canada. I see lots of tattoos, but always among people in service industries, such as food servers, hair stylists, etc. I am a lawyer, in a national law firm, and have never seen a lawyer with a tattoo, including younger lawyers. I do see them on the staff, though.

R26 - I don't make the rules at the company I work at. We have 20 locations in the US and about 5,000 employees. The rules for salary workers are dictated by HR. We don't hire H1B or TN employees either. It is simply the case that certain expectations exist in the business word. You are told to dress a certain way. Suits are to be worn when a client is on site. You cannot present a certain image or uphold a company brand if the employees have neck tattoos or plugs. That's life and it won't change.

R55, I'm in NYC and, yes, the younger lawyers have tattoos.

It's an indication that someone thinks he or she is a hottie. Or more accurately, they want YOU to think they are a hottie.

If by hottie you mean dummy, then yes, yes I do.

You mean a nottie.

R56 What is a "plug"?

Direct correlation between number of tattoos and increased mental illness. Look it up. One or two tattoos just indicates herd mentality or no capacity to think ahead and realize how much you'll regret it in the not too far future.

Never saw one that made me want to get one myself.

One of my sisters is a specialist nurse who makes 70 grand a year and she's covered in them.

A plug means that it takes up a larger home closer to the size of a dime, rather than just a simple post mechanism.

I work in a school and the late 20s social worker has a big one on her arm, plus a nose ring. The person who pointed it out to me was shocked because you don't see it much with these kind of professionals. In general, she's a bit weird.

Agree with R64. You see them all over hospitals, including professional staff.

Tats as an indication of social class is obviously more about the observer than the tattoo-wearer. There are far too many people in professional occupations wearing tattoos for it to have anything to do with social status. That flew out the window many years ago.

Just because you can't see tattoos doesn't mean a person doesn't have them.

[67] me thinks the lady doth protest too much! Yes, tats are now and will always be a sign of low class status. The fact that people place them where they can cover them indicates they are ashamed of them.

I'm glad I don't think with your brain, R68. That must be a scary place to live.

R69 I'm not R68, but I think I prefer his brain to yours.

Tattoos are an indication of physical or sexual abuse as a child, a form a self-hatred/torture. It's selfishness too. Do you really think we'll want to see your tattoos at the beach when you're 65 and your cute little butterfly has expanded to an outline of the continental US?

When I'm 65, I suspect the least of my worries will be what you think of my tattoos. Come to think of it, what you think of how I look is the least of my concerns now. I seriously doubt I would like what I see when I look at you.

It's possible they're an indication of physical or sexual abuse, but that's the first time I've heard of it. For me and my friends who have tats, they're pure embellishment.

What r3 said...worse fad ever!

I hate them. When I see a guy that has a lot of tattoos I suspect disease.

I suspect that guy's a one-pass wiper, R74.

I am remembering that one, r75!

This never fails to crack me up:

It varies A LOT from region to region, as this thread makes clear. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, where it seems like virtually everyone has a tattoo of some kind and no one would ever call it a sign of "white trash," "low class," "indication of physical or sexual abuse," etc. - in fact you'd be laughed at (rightly, in my opinion) for saying something like that.

But obviously it's different in other parts of the US.

In New Zealand most people seem to have tattoos - possibly a carry over from Maori art and culture. It isn't seen as a bad thing.

Here in the Northwest, large expensive colorful tattoos are a subject of admiration. Recently, I saw a guy with one who had strangers a fawning all over him because of it.

So many of them are utterly ugly and stupid looking and in foreign languages that are not translated correctly.

It can say a lot about the person and their IQ.

If they were in the military and got some kind of tat to signify that...I'm cool with that. Otherwise they are all fug.

Some people just get them to make themselves look cool.

Tats as eyebrows?

Was this a fad among the Jewish a long time ago? I seem to encounter many really old Jewish folks with tattoos and their not even good ones, just mostly numbers. Weird.

Well said, R83.

And R37?

He's NOT handsome!

HE'S!

GOT!

FUCKING!

TATTS!!!!!

A fairly striking, pretty face. Classic blonde coloring. And then.... all this.

Is your mother alive? Did either of your parents teach you self respect?

What discerning man would choose.... THIS?

R83 = Sarah Silverman

Go away, Sarah! You're not funny, honey. You're disturbed.

Every Picture Tells a Story

R13, I loved what you wrote. It's rare I read real wisdom here or anywhere else.

Millennial here.

It's totally a class thing. You Olds crack me up.

White trash get those nasty tats across their chests with nonsensical sayings on them "Live young die once" - half the time there's a word spelled wrong. Or they get random tattoos with stick figures or the names of their grandparents or dead brothers or something. White trash girls get tramp stamps and random stuff on their arms and legs.

Artsy kids will get some sort of hipster tattoo, some even go full sleeve, but it's always either ironic or really intricate and always very balanced.

Frat boys sometimes get bands on their biceps or ankles and sorority girls will sometimes get a discreet tat on their ankles or upper thigh.

But most people I know do not have any tats--talking about people who went to good colleges/Ivies and have professional jobs in NY/DC/CA. I'm personally not a big fan, especially on porn guys but not grossed out by them the way some Olds are.

But again, it's 100% a class marker, about as sure a sign as one of those undercut haircuts (Macklemore/Peaky Blinders-it has a lot of names but you know what I am talking about.)

R85 I agree, that is sheer vandalism.

r89 So the style of the tattoo has everything to do with class. How enlightening. Has Neiman Marcus opened tattoo parlors in their stores yet? I'm dying to see what they're showing in tattoos for the fall season. Bergdorf Goodman will be close behind I'm sure.

Damn, that woman looks very low class with that graffiti all over her body. If I was straight, I would never be interested in dating her...Yuckers!

R52, my sister is trashy but she doesn't have a tattoo.

Tattoos are for TRASH.

Not today. Maybe highly visible tattoos - face, neck (or other places depending on the job and dress requirements). But, SO many people have tattoos today - though must would easily be covered up in a professional setting.

T R A S H

[quote]Millennial here. It's totally a class thing.

No. I'm in Portland - there are plenty of bankers and lawyers here with tattoos - full sleeves, even. It's not always a class thing everywhere.

A few tattoos here and there, that can be covered easily, I can handle. But when it's like the girl at R94 I think it looks terrible. She's defaced her perfectly good skin. Not too long ago, only weirdos got tattooed to that extent.

r97 Portland? Really? There is no class system in Portland. In fact, there's nothing in Portland.

Even if you find them trashy, they're not an "indication of social class" - i.e., you can tell the social class of a person based on whether they have a tattoo.

classies

I assure you few people of my ilk have tattoos. The few who do would likely have gotten them while they were young and in college if ever. We look down on tattoos. They are common and do not go over well.

I'm educated, run my own successful business (with employees), and was raised very upper-middle class, and I have tattoos. I also know many professionals (think doctor, lawyer, finance types) who have them as well. None of us are covered in them however.

I think the trashy assholes are the ones who have such low self esteem that they obsess over something as harmless as a tattoo. Build a productive life and you will find that you care less about matters that have nothing to do with you.

What kind of tattoos do you have?

We have to look at you, R103, as you make your way through our lives. It is not pleasant.

A tatted person. Could be complicated but more often just a foolish person who never considers the future.

Being a very old codger who actually remembers 45 records, what is this sudden fascination with that adapter design for tattoos?

They are an indication of lack of class.

Trailer.

Park.

Trash!

"If I was straight, I would never be interested in dating her...Yuckers!"

I'm sure she's disappointed that she'll never be able to date a grown man who says, "Yuckers".

r28 Make sure the jockstrap is made of leather.

Such an original idea for a thread, OP.

I'd rather be w someone who's 30 pounds overweight than all inked up. I think it's so boring, ugly and desperate.

I hope we've reached peak tattoo. I was travelling back on a ferry yesterday from a beach and all this ink was all around me - sleeves and sleeves of it - and I was thinking how ugly it was. Besides, the taut skin of a twenty five year old doesn't last forever.

They say love between the ugly is the most beautiful of all, but I say "Nay!"

"Love among the inked is the most hideous of all, but thank god they tend to prefer their own broken, idiotic kind!"

It's a yupster thing - dads with minivans get discreet tatts to prove to themselves that they are "edgy" and not just slaves to their perception of what is hip. Morons doing exactly the same thing as everybody else in an effort to prove how special they are. Especially popular among the trust fund brats, the gentrifiers, etc., along with giant stinky beards and sweater vests. So gross.

Wow, it's my skin bitches. I'll do what I want with it. Why the fuck do you care. Shove your snit-faces up your fat asses. Criticizing others is what really lacks class.

That's the Gosling's Rum logo r46

Does anyone ever get like just 2 or 3 small, brightly colored, well thought out, well planned tattoos and feel satisfied!

I am wondering- can you be satisfied or does the need/itch to add kind of take over?

I always appreciate them and am interested in them - but feel no desire to get one!

I

R6 nails it.

R110 = tattoo freak = mentally unstable

someone once said - if you really believe in an image or phrase: carry it around on a pice of paper or cardboard for 3-6 months! If at the end you're still as psyched about it ....

Which one of you bitches is this?

^ # piece

r119, they say that once you get a tattoo, you'll want to ink yourself all over. Don't do it!

What is the big word on top of R123??

I dunno, but the person in question will NEVER get a decent job.

No R123, that's not a DataLounge tattoo.

THIS is a DataLounge tattoo:

[quote]Wow, it's my skin bitches. I'll do what I want with it. Why the fuck do you care.

For the same reason you care if somebody builds an ugly house on the lot across the street.

R123 -I wonder- could you even have that in Germany - where Nazi Symbols are banned??

No, r130...very illegal.

Jews do not get tattoos. And then they get them. To be defiant of the patriarchal powers that be.

One or two small tattoos in discrete locations of the body, I have no problem with and it's up to the individual to decorate their body as they choose. However with that said, I have no tattoos and I absolutely abhor the full arm(s), legs, chest, neck, etc body tattoo that is the craze these days from people lacking self control and common sense. It's akin to being branded just to fit in as "cool" these days and to Instagram/FB the newest ink candy.

It's all very tribal and I'm not part of a tacky tribe. I would not be interested in a guy with excessive tattoos, it's childish and ugly after a point. I'm a straight female btw.

R126 Rahowa. It's Nazi gibberish. It means racial holy war.

R128 I takes a real man to get that. Lol!

R131 I did not know Nazi tats were illegal over there. I wish it were here in the US. I'm sick to death of these tools.

I'd worry at some point about some medical tests. My sister needed some type of MRI for a brain issue. The radiologist asked if she had any tattoos. He said that due to the possibility of metal in the inks, no one with tattoos could have this specific MRI.

My partner warned his nephews and nieces that he wouldn't be leaving an inheritance for anyone who smoked or got a tattoo. One nephew predictably is an unemployed smoker with a full arm tattoo but all the other kids have gone through college, well-employed etc.

So the loser who could benefit from (approximately) $350 grand if we were to die tomorrow won't get a cent while his overachieving sibling and cousins will each get a nice little endowment.

So the unemployed, smoking loser would be deserving of a free ride if he got his tattoos removed?

Tattoos have consequences.

[quote]Tattoos are so over. In the grunge 90s, when it started being cool to be an oppressed outsider, tatts (which were universally considered to be ultra-trashy) became hip.

I thought it wasn't til the late 90s ('98 or so) when tatts really took off with everyone getting the barbed wire around their upper arms.

I think piercings happened earlier than tatts. '93 or so when you had all those gross metal faces running around.

I flat out laugh at the tools wearing ear gauges when I encounter them.

R140

Here in the Northwest, I encounter folks with ear gauges several times a day.

I'd be cracking up all day if I lived there!

Love to laugh!

"Yo buddy, who shot your ear lobe!?"

Septum rings are the worst for me. One young woman I know, whom I had respected as being quite savvy and intelligent, one day appeared with one, and all I could think of was, "That's just sad."

I recall one very good-looking tall fellow who was a bartender. He had to wear a shirt and tie for his job, but on the side of his neck poking a couple of inches above his dress shirt collar there was no way to hide the end of some tattoo design that came to a point; that was truly distracting.

Ear gauges are a gateway adornment.

Sadly this is often next:

There is one fellow in the local gay bars here who has a lip insert, for lack of a better term, like that. His face is entirely covered in tattoos like some sort of a Maori warrior. He is British, and a very nasty person in general.

Why do so many Americans conflate social class and economic class? They often are related but not necessarily so. Someone may earn a high salary (and be part of a higher economic class) but still be part of a lower social class. Tattoos are a lower social class phenomenon. I wish the fad would fade.

That's true.

In places like Bermuda, Savannah, and Charleston you can be as poor as a church mouse but if you have the right surname and possess a certain amount of education, gentility, and in some cases noblesse oblige, ALL doors are open to you.

This thread reeks of old people. The art of tattooing has improved through the years. Also, tattoo removal is always an option. It's just skin.

R136, money doesn't seem to matter to him. For shame!

No R149, just people with some standards. I'm 26.

Tattoo removal never looks natural.

R151, standards of? It has already been established that teachers, doctors, lawyers, corporate figures, etc have tattoos. If they have achieved their career goals, have friends and enjoy their life then what exactly is the issue with their choice? That they may not like it in 10 years? Why do you care? It's coming off as bitter and uptight. No one cares anymore. We're talking about class as if any of you bitches have tea with the Queen. No one in your life is important. Everyone realizes these things are irrelevant to intelligence and skill. You're in the minority. All it means is that you chose to be unwilling to deviate from a linear path. Deal with it.

And when I say the minority I don't mean not having a tattoo. I am referring to your stance on it. It's a dying position. The primary reason to cover a tattoo in a work setting is because it could be a polarizing symbol, image, text, etc. I don't think twice about seeing some guy at the supermarket with a visible tattoo on his arm. He probably drives a better car than you.

Tattoos are easily removed with a blowtorch.

None of these old ass people care.

I glanced at a few pix, did not red story.

Are those tatts 50+ years old?

Hey, R123!

Where'dja get that picture of R117?

Tattoos are trashy AF and always will be.

The screeching pro-tattoo screeds are exactly what trashy trash with tattoos holler about in real life.

The rest of us are judging you. You know this.

If you're so convinced we're one offs and not representative of society, why are you so invested in going on and on about your "classy" tattoos?

Bitch, please.

Tattoos are trashy—like the graffiti in bad neighborhoods. Unfortunately, they seem to be popular among the working classes and nouveau riche.

…and poseurs everywhere.

Ex working-class who go to land grant universities and then move to the Brooklyn of their region love them.

Also those from similar backgrounds who enter psuedo-professions like cooking, craft-bartending, and blogging.

You can always tell their background.

R132 humble brag

smell her. "land grant universities" - quel horreur!

Only insecure and angry people get tats.

Thanks, R164, could not have said it better myself.

R159, you think very highly of yourself if you think people who do something that is totally avoidable are concerned about you judging them. That is the most narcissistic logic I've read here.

People who get tattoos are followers. They want to be seen as edgy and original, so they do exactly what their peers do. It would have been moderately edgy in 1983. It's been passé since hausfrauen started getting Marvin the Martian and Tweety Bird ankle tattoos in about 1992.

The issue is that you're incapable of believing that many people see tattoos as an art form. Just like some put up paintings on the wall, some prefer to take it a step further and put that art on their skin. It's an alternative way of thinking that is not always an indication of following. Obviously there are some shallow minded, following people just like buying expensive paintings, clothes or cars to keep up with those they want to impress. You still cannot minimize other people's belief that it's truly art. That's their prerogative and not that big of a deal. It means nothing. You're dead 50 years from then.

It's one thing to not get tattoos, it's another thing to judge those that choose to live without fear of "oh no what if I don't get that 35k a year job". who.gives.a.fuck. Your life is boring.

^^ inked up bitch

I'm not incapable of understanding that you "see" it as an art form. Just like some bitches in sundresses "see" their ukulele caterwauling as an art form and dudebros "see" their stinky beards and man buns as fashion forward. You are the one who is incapable of seeing that it's trite and boring and makes you look tragic.

I have no problem with tattoos that mean something--if you've been the army by all means get a tank on your arm. Navy? Enjoy your mermaid or hula girl.

But unless you grew up on a South Seas Island you have no business wearing their tribal tattoos, and unless you're Chinese (or at least know how to read it) skip the Chinese characters because you're nothing but a poser.

Whatever happened to "Live and let live?" I haven't heard that expression in years. Not many believe it anymore, judging from this thread.

R173 Most of the anti tattoo posters on this thread are elderly.

Old people are threatened by pretty much everything. And their shrill judgement is their way of feeling powerful, when really, nobody gives shit what they think. "Social class", indeed.

Hey oldsters! The tattooed don't think of you at ALL....especially sexually. When you've finally saved enough from your Social Security check, you can hire a escort who is free of ink. In the meantime, you are just taking up space.

At some level, yes.

Lots of people my age (37) have them but pretty discreet or like someone said above, they have armbands or anklets. Kids names, sayings across the chest all pretty much scream "low class."

Armband tattoos are pretty tasteless to me.

When did tattoos go from being edgy, "rebel" to mainstream popularity? Early 2000s is my best guess. And, why did it happen? More social media and media in general, thus people seeing more people "like" them with tattoos, as well as more famous people with tattoos? Just natural societal change where people really didn't care as much and the consequences of doing so weren't really that great (at least if you could cover them)?

Me too, R176, but they are not uncommon on frat boy types of wealthy families. Not common either, but if they have one, that's usually it.

Only a trailer trash woman would have the words "F**k You"on that fat ass.

As an elderly, I'm not threatened by tattoos. I just think they look ugly.

Are these artistic? Help me understand what you speak of.

Don't look artistic to me.

Maybe at Virginia Tech, R176, home of the jort.

^To R178

Tattoos are this era's mullets and polyester double knit suits. At least it's easy to change clothes and get a haircut. Twenty years later you look at photos of your old self and cringe. Tats mean twenty years later everyone else will look at your old inked-up self and cringe.

What about Red's tattoos, are they artistic? I really want to get this fine distinction.

Not hot at all.

Honestly, can you picture a real lady like PRINCESS GRACE with a tattoo ?

Tattoos are scummy and on women it says 'pure trash' !

I've seen beautiful body art, but it is so rare and requires commitment to theme and color. A friend has a snake that wraps around her whole body. She got it in the 80s when it was pretty unusual for a teacher to have any tattoo, let alone one so extensive. Easily hidden under her teacher clothes. Most people seem to get unrelated shit here and there (none of it original, much less coordinated). Their skin looks like bathroom walls in flyover country truck stops.

How can you tell a younger person to be thoughtful, patient, well thought out! You don't want them to look like a manic scribble pad of random thoughts/symbols they barely thought through!

There should almost be a waiting period as with pet adoption! "Are you sure you want 'Fuck You' on your face?"

R170, I do have one tattoo. My partner is an engineer (a well paid one) and I'm in education. Everything is going pretty swell for us.

Oh just a few, not too many.

I could get behind this:

The best tattoo of all time is Alex Pettyfer's slap dash Thank You about his hot aromatic crotch.

That was in bad taste, r194. What on earth are you thinking?

He’s sexy and has a lot of tattoos

I got my first tattoo at 35 and now have 7. Each one is a "souvenir" from a trip I made. Not one is visible without my wearing short shorts and I will never wear those. There are still two more I want to get. I'm 58.

At this point, only followers get them. I find the most interesting people i know, the real independent thinkers are free of them, at least aged 30-45.

It’s certainly a class thing. Spend any time on a beach in East Hampton and you won’t see many tattoos. MAYBE one or two on the younger people. Maybe. In town, they’re on the employees and maybe servers. Same for the Upper East Side. The people in my building, their college-aged kids; none (that are visible, anyway).

Now it’s just a very small slice of the population, but it’s my experience.

R56 What is 'H1B and TN '?

Never do anything permanent in your youth. Never know where you'll end up or who you will be later in life.

No skin doodles.

I met a 20 something and one of her tattoos was a pineapple on her forearm. Damaged and wearing it.

You used to at least be able to count on Jewish guys not to have tattoos for religious reasons.

Not anymore. Younger generations of Jews even cover themselves with them now (both male and female).

It's a shanda.

No. Tattoos are an indication of lack of class.

oh my

My mother was tattooed in her teens. 50 years later they are very blurry.

Those people who get song lyrics will look a hot mess.

More than three

Go away from me

Why is it an aspiration to be a professional?

I see guys in suits at the guy who have tattoos underneath constantly nowadays. It’s not a class thing for people under 30

R208 it means you had a education and have a well- paying job

Young attorneys with tats...

But will they make partner?

I almost prefer a full sleeve to random little tats. Miley Cyrus and Rhianna both have little tats scattered all over their bodies and from afar they look like smudged dirt or something. I know people who lose someone often get tattoos of their loved one. I used to watch that show Miami Ink because that Ami guy was hot. People who got tattoos would tell the motivation for the tattoo while getting inked up. I can appreciate the beautiful ones with lots of color that looks like art. But personally I have none. I want no regerts.

Tattoos are boner killers. Difficult to see past them to a beautiful body.

Her majesty has several hideous tattoos.

[quote]FDR had a tattoo. So did Winston Churchill and Barry Goldwater.

My parents each had the same tattoo as Goldwater, and it's a weird story. It was the initiation insignia of the Smoki (smoke-eye) 'tribe' of Arizona. Far from being a group of Native Americans, the Smokis were white businessmen who studied and stole Indian religious ceremonies, which they performed in elaborate pageants for tens of thousands of tourists each year. They were finally shamed into stopping this about 25 years ago.

White privilege and tribalism, taken way too far.

Seeing professional women with feet tattoos or men with them on the hands, just makes me think they are trash people.

"Seeing professional women with feet tattoos or men with them on the hands, just makes me think they are trash people."

I thought Corky St. Clair moved to New York.

Nothing says "white trash" like a tattoo across the collarbone or on the stomach, 99/100 it's words rather than a design, usually a piece of a verse of scripture or a rap/metal lyric.

Younger guys often have a couple of smaller tattoos regardless of social class, but they're usually pretty discreet. (Tribal bands, for instance, pretty much announce "I was a douchey frat guy back in the day.)

It seems Gen Z is much less interested in tattoos--they see it as something those old fogey MIllennials do.

R6 made me laugh, but since it was written over two years ago, I doubt you'll see thi

MAGA on my 400lbs ass.

Brands were made for cattle and that's not what we're selling at Miss Monas.

It’s irrelevant with respect to class. Military veterans have a lot of them, and you’d be surprised how many veterans have their masters or Ph.D.. I’m in an engineering field, and tattoos are commonplace. When I interview canddiates, male or female, I’ll ask about the inspiration behind their art if it’s visible - but it’s not a negative at all.

I like seeing creativity. I’ve had more than a few who had mathematical formulas expressed as art and not just the expected nautilus, either. Perhaps it’s not your personal taste, but that’s not relevant. I don’t have an art. I just haven’t found any that suits me.

Tattoos have a long cultural history. That you immediately infer social class may speak more to your bias.

I have tattoos from the early 90s. It was rebellious at that time and I don't even notice them anymore.

I say it depends on the person and the actual tattoos. I wouldn't judge ANYONE by something they did between 18-25. Get over yourselves.

Tattoos in white & Western culture (as opposed to others where they have certain meanings they don’t in, say, Europe and North America) always have been, and always will be, either straight-up trashy, or an indication of service in certain branches of the military (particularly the navy) or having been in prison.

No number of 35-year-old office workers with ink makes any difference to that. There was a phase where they were considered edgy or interesting, which really rather dates anyone from that era accordingly given it’s already passed. They’re already out of fashion with Generation Z, as said above.

The stupid people who think they are cool getting Asian word tattoos and not understanding the real meaning.