Lots of judgement on this post. I have quite a few tattoos. I’m 52 and didn’t get my first one until I was 40. People ask me why and I respond, “because I wanted it.” I think they’re fun, atttactive, and each tells a story. I didn’t get any earlier in life because I was climbing the career ladder and tattoos were frowned upon. I work in the pharma industry, which is very conservative. When I hit 40 I was diagnosed with cancer, eventually beat it, and I stopped caring what other people think. I even started wearing short sleeve shirts on casual Friday’s and didn’t give a shit any more because I was well established in my career. Basically, my thought process was - fuck you if you don’t like my tattoos. You’ve known me for how many years and now you’re going to judge me? Funny thing is there are so many people who like my tattoos and want to get one but are afraid of what others will think. It must be a sad way to go through life caring so much what others think that you’ll let others dictate how you live your life. To each his own.

I'm new and trendy and don't like going along with the crowd. I like the counter culture. For that reason I will never get a tattoo!
Also I can remember my family member's names without inking them into my skin thank you very much.

One of the reasons for getting a tattoo used to be rebellious individualism. Now, so many people have them, you are more individual if you don’t have one. I don’t mind the look of small, discreet tattoos, but I think whole arms look like gangrene from a distance and I find tattooed necks and faces intimidating. I have heard that some of dyes, especially red dye, can cause reactions and may also be carcinogenic.

Like every adolescent, the stunted "adults" who turn to body modification in the search for meaning have at their core a whining voice that says, "I wanna be DIFFERENT, like everybody else!"

I’m quite fickle, and that has put me off getting one.

No problem with others getting them though.

I try not to stare at visible tats, but that would be like going to an art museum and closing my eyes.

I see it as art, if it's bad or obviously meaningless I have less respect for the person it's on because it shows me their standards. Sometimes they are down right dumb looking.

That being said I have two bad tattoos myself. One I got as a throw away just because I was too eager to wait when I was young and the second because I was too eager to wait when I had my own tattoo kit. I take them both as learning experience for different reasons. I wish I had the resources for more meaningful and professionally done tattoos but both the ones I have do have meaning to them, even though they aren't of the quality I wish they were.

Seems like an impossible question to answer, everyone has their own individual reasons so no answer would be accurate for ever person. Probably a little of both in various degrees.

It has become normalized, that's for sure. Piercing your ears doesn't get such questions, but what is the point of that really? Why is it acceptable and even expected of most woman to have the traditional earlobes done? What society sees of it is arbitrary.

While I personally have no qualms with those who have tattoos, I've long maintained that when it comes to full body tattoos there could be an underlying identity crisis there...

At one time tattoos were only for the fringe of society. Only a bad ass would have. Now I walk into Walmart and my 60 year old cashier has a butterfly tattooed on her neck. The social acceptance of tattoos has taken the fun out of having them. Probably why the fringe is getting more extreme forms of body mutilation.

I got my tattoos later in life...except one.....all of them are related to my most important people and memories. It became very important to me to always have what's most important to me WITH me all the time. It's not a fashion statement or a rebellion....they make me smile when I see them. If I get anxious, I can rest my hand on my arm, and under it will be all I need to remind me I'm never alone....it helps.

Great question! I have to admit I've never truly given it much thought. Now that I am however, I believe you really hit on something. When I was a teenager in the 70's tattoos were not huge like they are today but they were still a thing. The idea, is not much different then why guys wore long hair (or not), or why you wore patched up jeans and flowers in your hair (or not).You were branding yourself as a member of a particular group, an identifying marker, if you will, as to "where you are coming from". I think we all ascribe to this to some degree.The problem with tattoos, as I see it, is their permanence. They don't allow for growth or even changing your mind.The mushroom tattoo I got at 17 no longer holds the significance for me that it did at that age. Just some thoughts, again, great question!

I think some hide behind their tattoos , when you look at them you don't them only their tattoos