Why do some people have such a downer on tattoos?

Question

I would like answers of both people with tattoos and people who don t like them i have 4.
2 dragons my wifes name and a wolf with my daughters name under every one is meaningful for me in one way or another i want to know why people hate them when they don t have to look at them

Answer 1

You have a good idea of what tats are all about. I have 8 and every single one of them means something to me. Someone once said the you never hear people with tattoos complaining about those who don't have them and this is true. A lot of those people would trip out if they knew some of their favorite people had a tattoo like Sean Connery and few that know President Bush Sr. has a skull and crossbones on his ankle from his fraternity days in college.

You might have gone a little far for putting your wife's name on you cause relationships do end either by divorce or (forgive me) death but children will always be your children even in death.

By the way, I am a tattoo artist and shop owner.

Answer 2

The only tattoos that I really raise an eyebrow at are the ones that are visible on a person's neck or face... otherwise I feel it is to each their own. That said, I would be kidding myself that I wouldn't treat someone with a neck or face tattoo differently in a workplace setting. I'd worry about what a client or customer might think of our organization. [Of course, cultural tattoos such as the Maoris have would be exempt from that opinion.]

And to be perfectly honest, I worry sometimes when I see young people with a lot of tattoos. When tattoo popularity wanes again (and like most everything, it will), I wonder if some of the inked won't wish they had been a little more discreet or conservative with their tatts.

Many of these fears might be moot, though, as tattoo removal becomes more advanced.

Answer 3

Some people still see them as a rebellious thing, and some people think that just because they disapprove they have the right to tell people that they are wrong in having tattoos. What they don't realise is that people have free choice, and I don't think anyone should be condemned for having tattoos. I have worked in a corporate environment for the last 8 years, working with very high level executives and have never ever had a problem getting a job or keeping a job and being respected in the work place, despite having 5 tattoos.

Answer 4

I guess there is a time and place when "expressing yourself" is important. I have three tattoos and love each of them. I love that I will always have them to represent who I am and what they mean but the can all be easily covered and I can still be a professional. There is a stigma because tattoos, though pretty mainstream, are still counter to the norm. It could be that they represent gangs or punks or people who don't want to conform and in a professional world where appearance is important tattoos don't really have a place. I guess it all depends on wheather or not you care what people think or if you want that high paying important job.

Answer 5

i love em!! it annoys me that people assert their judgements of people on here so freely without knowing the people who are asking genuine questions. some people are real jerks, probably mostly because it is so anonymous on yahoo. whatever.

i have three tattoos right now. in 2006 i had two tattoos covered up. and am currently working on a full back piece (the beginnings of it is my profile picture) and i have a large tattoo on the top of each of my feet. i am planning on continuing my tattoo collection until i don't want anymore. all of my tattoos are custom pieces created by my artist who is also a close friend. i love them and consider them to be an investment in art because they truly are art.

about half of my friends have tattoos. some of them are teeny tiny and some of them are fully sleeved out, arms and legs. they are all a great bunch of people.
also, i have never gotten a tattoo for anybody but myself. i don't ask other people to like them, but if they don't... they should just keep their mouth shut.

i also find it amazing that so far none of the tattoo haters have stepped up and preached about ruining the body and causing cancer, i don't even know what that's about.

Answer 6

I love my tattoos. I have 5 and plan to get a huge design of swirling flowers over the bottom of my leg when ive saved the money.
I think some people think it is wong to "damage your body", you know the god created you this way type of thing.
I think of it as personalising my body and as this is my body i am going to do what i want to it to make it look more beautiful (to my mind anyway) I dont use drugs, smoke or drink all i have is tattoos and piercings so i think a lot of these people that harp on about damage should have a look at the *** in their own hand!
Someone that i once worked with stated "only lesbians and criminals have tattoos" its this ignorant band of people that really annoy me. It would be like me saying "only slappers wear high heeled shoes" its simply not true and is (i find) extremely offensive.
Everyone is intitled to their own opinion however i dont think we should force our ideas onto eachother and make others feel bad because we dont agree with their point of view.

Answer 7

Well, i don't have any tattoo's, but that is only because i choose not to, i have some friends with tattoo's but my personal opinion about them is that Tattoo's are permanentantly inking your body with a design that you may not even like in 10 years. Plus, to me it isn't very classy. I don't disciminate people for having them. I can say that some of them look a little trashy but at the same time i respect the fact that everyone has their own right to do whatever they want with their body as long as it is appropriate for soceity. I just am not going to ever have one.

Answer 8

You know what, I really don't get that either.
I really only come on here and see really annoyingly, ignorant comments on tattoos.
Every single one of my friends is either covered in tattoos, or has multiple ones you can easily see. I have tattoos spanning across my chest that I can't cover with an average shirt. My fiance is sleeved and has a hand tattoo.
We never, ever get people to have such opposing opinions on them. Everywhere we go people are like "wow, where'd you get those", or "oh can I see your tattoos". All different age ranges. I've had older couples compliment me. I've had your typical soccer mom be in awe. Even cute is when little kids "oh and awe" and their parents are like "that's pretty cool, huh?"
I've had a random stranger from FL (I live in MI) come up to me and take a picture of my chest so he could show everyone my tattoos back home.
Really the only negative thing I've ever had to deal with personally, to our faces, was this disgusting red neck who was sitting with his obese child, in the store we were at, mocking my fiances ears (they're stretched to 1 and 1/2 inches). You know who stuck up for him? My mom who is your typical, overly conservative Martha Stewart. Then the rest of the store backed us up too (its really small and most the people were standing where we were).
So how is it that people just think tattoos are so played out or trashy. I really don't know a lot of trashy people that have tattoos. I know more trashy people without them. So am I to assum that if you don't have them, you're worthless and trash?
Tattoos aren't a fad. They're not a trend that's passed. They're just getting started, and its here to stay. If its so taboo and so wrong, how is it that TLC...a learning channel...has a huge hit show based off tattoos? Miami Ink. Watch it if you oppose tattoos. You might realize why people are getting them if you watch peoples everyday experiences. A lot of the tattoos are memorials, or celebrations of sobriety or a career start, or dad and sons first tattoos together. One guy from OK comes in and talks about his movement to get OK to not ban tattoo shops.
I think naive people tend to think that tattoos are trashy because they get the rare chance to know someone with good art, and good moral.
For some reason there's an image of this heroined out girl with a smiley face tattooed on her throat, that is engrained on everyones minds.
My friends and family are all good people. And chances are if you hung out with us for one night, you'd completely change your view on it (for the most part it's all beautiful work we have, that consists of pieces that are a LOT bigger than a tribal band and not anywhere near a typical tattoo) and people that have them.
My dad even has tattoos. He was an MP for 20 years, and now in his older age is starting up a collection with his wife (an RN who teaches college).

Answer 9

I've got no beef against people who have them. I've considered getting some in the past, it's just the whole thing of them lasting forever that always dissuades me.

I think it's a society thing as well; unfortunately certain people will judge a person with tattoos as being working-class with not much education. That's probably completely wrong, but that's my take on it.

Answer 10

I have lots of tattoos. I know a couple of them were "spur of the moment" kind of tats... I regret a couple of them, but for the most part I am who I am, and the tattoos I regret are still a part of me and represent where I was in my life when I got them, so I love them in my own way.

Alot of people don't like them and judge them because tattoos aren't right for them. because they'd never get them and don't think anyone else should. They think since they'd regret them you would too, and they want to try to "save" you from making the "biggest mistake of your life". Ick.