Note to readers: If you have anything else to add to this list, please contact me. I want to hear your reasons for disliking tattoos since these are apparently just weak arguments from “the lowest common denominator” of people with negative opinions of tattoos. http://www.thetattooedengineer.com/?p=2405
I see a lot of arguments, questions or statements used against tattoos that really don’t make any sense at all. I am going to highlight 10 that I hear over and over again and explain why they are irrational.
- Would you put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari?
- What will happen when you get older?
- People with tattoos are all just sheep, following the herd.
- People with tattoos are rebels, trying to stand out from the crowd.
- The Bible says tattoos are wrong.
- You won’t be able to find a job.
- Tattoos are responsible for the spread of Hepatitis C.
- Tattoos are a waste of time and money.
- Tattoos are only for sailors, criminals and gang bangers.
- I have never seen a tattoo that enhanced a persons beauty.
Another variation is “Why put a bumper sticker on a Bentley?”
My reaction to this question used to be something along the lines of, “It’s my Ferrari, and I’ll put a bumper sticker on it if I want to.” But, the more I think about the analogy, the less sense it actually makes.
The Ferrari is obviously supposed to represent the human body. Every person on the planet has a body, and skin with space for tattoos. A Ferrari is an exotic sports car that a very, very small percentage of people on this earth can actually afford. How can the two even be compared? I am not a car, I am a living, breathing, thinking being.
If a bumper sticker on a Ferrari is bad, how about a tattooed Ferrari?
Or a Ferrari tattoo?
People use this argument from 2 general angles. First, they attack the way tattoos will age as your skin ages and wrinkles.
My skin will sag and wrinkle in the same way regardless of whether I have tattoos or not. Fine details in a tattoo may become obscured and colors may fade, but tattoos do not run like wet paint and can always be touched up if necessary.
With advances in ink, the days of black tattoos turning into unidentifiable green blobs are long gone and modern tattoos generally age very well if taken care of properly.
The other thing I often hear is, “You are going to be embarrassed by your tattoos when you are old and in a nursing home.”
Considering the fact that close to 40% of people in my age group have tattoos, if I do end up in a nursing home when I’m older, I expect to be in good company, surrounded by others with tattoos. We can sit around sharing stories about our ink and reminiscing about our youth. Some may even continue getting tattooed, no matter how old they are.
I am the only person in my family with tattoos, a small percentage of my friends have tattoos, very few of my co-workers have tattoos, and only about 21% of the general population have tattoos. Would someone please explain exactly which herd I am following by getting tattooed?
The biggest issue I have with this argument is that it’s just lumping all people with tattoos into one big group. It’s kind of like saying that all people that wear pants are just sheep, trying to fit in with the other pants wearing people of the world. Everyone knows that pants are made in many varieties. Well, the same is true about tattoos. All tattoos are not created equal. There are gang tattoos, prison tattoos, generic flash tattoos, and then there are extremely artistic and intricate tattoos.
Wait a second. You just said I was a sheep and trying to fit in, now I’m a rebel, trying to stand out. Which is it?
The complete contradiction between these last two arguments is pretty much the only proof I need to show that blanket statements about people with tattoos will never apply to all tattooed people equally.
A person who chooses to cover their face in tattoos is probably trying to stand out. But you cannot take an extreme example of something and try to universally apply it to all people who partake in the same activity at a different level. Like all things in life, there are varying degrees to be taken into consideration when talking about tattoos.
I already covered this topic in detail in another post, but I’ll summarize here.
First, the bible does not say modern day, non-ritualistic tattoos are wrong. Read Leviticus 19 in its entirety, and be aware of the context. Unless your tattoo is being done as part of a pagan ritual, you are doing nothing wrong by getting one.
People also love to proclaim “the body is a temple” and should be treated as such. Have you seen many temples? This one looks pretty well decorated to me.
“But god made you perfect, and a tattoo is a desecration of god’s work.”
God made me with terrible vision and I chose to permanently alter my eyes by undergoing laser eye surgery. Should I be condemned for this as well? After all, I chose to make permanent changes to the perfect body I was born with.
Another point that I hardly see brought up is the fact that not everyone follows the same religion. Why should someone care about a misinterpreted, ancient law, printed in a religious book that they have no association with? If you want to avoid tattoos due to your own religious beliefs, that is fine. But don’t try to push those beliefs onto others who may not even be of the same faith.
Follow my basic tattoo advice, don’t get tattoos that cannot easily be covered, and this will not be a problem.
Of course there are exceptions to this. If you happen to be a Japanese government worker, being forced to reveal even your hidden tattoos, I can’t help you. It isn’t the tattoos fault that your rights are being infringed upon.
Hepatitis is not something to be taken lightly. But tattoos that are done in reputable shops carry very little risk. The CDC concluded the following after studying this issue:
“There is no definitive evidence that [hepatitis C] infections occur when sterile equipment is used,” comment the investigators. “Of note, no outbreaks of hepatitis C infection have been detected in the United States that originate from professional tattooing or piercing parlours.”
If you choose to get tattooed in your friends basement, all bets are off. Please be smart and leave the tattooing to the professionals.
Variations include, “they are a waist of time and money.”
My short answer to this is “It’s my time and my money and I can do what I please with it.”
If I am capable of paying my bills and still have enough money to get tattooed, why should it be any of your business? And while tattoos may appear expensive at first glance, they really aren’t if you look at the cost over their lifetime.
I started getting tattooed at 30 years old and let’s say I live up to the average life expectancy of a male, living in the U.S. and make it to 75. Even if I spent a total of $10,000 on tattoos, that would equate to $222 per year, $18.50 per month or about $0.61 per day.
There are dozens and dozens of things that people spend far more money on, every day of their lives. Half of Americans spend an average of $1000 per year just buying their morning coffee.
Please turn on the news, pick up a newspaper or look at the date in the corner of your computer screen. You see those last 4 digits that say 2012, that means we are well over 10 years into the 21st century. Times are changing, try not to get left behind.
I typically see this comment made by men, in reference to women. “I have never seen a tattoo on a woman that made her look better.”, or some variant. It is usually followed by a statement about how they would never date a woman with tattoos.
The world would be a very boring place if everyone had the same standards of beauty. People are attracted to a certain hair color, eye color, body type, or any number of physical attributes. I may not prefer a woman who dies her hair blonde, but I’m not going to spend my days ranting about it and trying to convince them that they are wrong. What turns one person on may repulse the next. It’s called variety. You know, the spice of life.
I could not possibly capture everything written against tattoos in a single blog post, so this list is just of few of the many things I see written on a regular basis. If anyone wants to share their own, I would be happy to respond to them here.
This blog is clearly confirmation bias where the author is attacking the lowest common denimator’s opinion against tattoos rather than real issues people have with tattoos, their culture, and the conformity of anti-conformity. If you want people to care about what you write, you shouldn’t pick on the weak arguments.
Yes, this blog is obviously biased and clearly this particular post was intentionally calling out the weak arguments. Weak or not, these are the arguments I see in comments across the web on a regular basis.
These are the issues that the people speaking the loudest are talking about.
If you can name some of the real issues people have with tattoos, I would be happy to address them.
I am against tattoos. Normally, in the case of such things as clothing or styles, I am more aloof. The problem is permanency. Therefore, when I have kids and they start thinking about tattoos, I will need to have a real opinion on the subject as their decisions will affect them for the rest of their lives…and I’d much rather they steered clear of them.
So if I do not really have a problem with different styles, why would I have a problem with tattoos? Style in the matters of visible adornments such has baggy clothes, tight clothes, or paper bags, is a superficial means of self expression. You are delivering an instant message about yourself through visible cues. The fact of the matter is, there isn’t much you can say superficially, it is a very weak form of communication (which is why superficiality is not held with a high regard). So let’s say someone wants to express that they are edgy and overt to social norms… well they will dress as such by not following trendy styles. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much it when it comes to expressing yourself through clothing, it’s all surface level. If you want to express yourself further, you’ll have to actually talk to someone. In realty though, you are asking people to judge you based on your appearance. While some people enjoy that idea, others like me don’t. This is not to say I do not express myself at all through my clothing or style, I just do not put much emphasis or importance on it. I am too complex to express myself through purchased goods… they simply compliment my personality.
Now let’s talk about tattoos, body art that expresses who you are visually. You do not get a tattoo for your eyes only; you get it because you want others to see it as well. Don’t tell me it’s only a reminder of blah blah (it’s not worth remembering if you need a tattoo to remind you of it), you’re getting it because you want to put something on display. Let’s say that person is your grandmother that passed away (I’m using this example as such tattoos are usually used in these arguments), you loved her very much and you want to immortalize her on your ribcage. We’ll assume your grandmother approved of tattoos (otherwise that would be a pretty stupid way of representing the person), you are taking your dead grandmother you loved very much and putting her on display as a superficial means of self expression… It is in bad taste. Sure, your grandmother may be a part of who you are, but she is not part of your style and not meant to be used in other’s judgment of said style.
Another thing tattoos can express are personality traits or interests. Interests are fleeting and there is no need to tattoo them on your body, it is a silly risk (especially when you’re younger). Personality traits also change (again, especially when you are younger), the risk is also silly. The important point is that you can express such things without the permanency. It is in my opinion that all individuals should continuously strive to improve themselves; therefore, you should never limit yourself to current traits. This renders tattoos useless; you will never assuredly capture yourself through one nor should you strive to. This is why so many regret their tattoos once they get older. My mother worked with a plastic surgeon who did tattoo removals, people don’t know that you can’t always remove a tattoo or that it can leave hefty scarring. She has told me many horror stories of people breaking down after learning that they will be stuck with those wings on their shoulders for the rest of their lives. When they were 18, they represented freedom, now they represent a simplistic cliché and a bad decision.
The last styles of tattoo I will address are cultural. People get tattoos to show they are Italian or they were in the army. This is something about yourself that will never change, so the idea makes more sense and I have a tough time arguing against it. I don’t think tattoos are nice enough to warrant a permanent place on your body, but that is a matter of taste. The only thing I could say is that being part of an ethnicity or other social group doesn’t really express much about you, so why would you designate a permanent place for it instead of wearing an Italian t-shirt from time to time.
Overall, I think current society is obsessed with superficiality. It is not a value that was instilled in me as a child, I was always taught you should express yourself through words, not your body or clothes. As I have grown up, I have noticed this has helped me develop much quicker because I was never limited by tangible representations of myself; I was free to change and be what I wanted at any given time. It also forced people to actually get to know me rather than make snap judgments based on what they saw. I think I have led a better life due to these ideals and I will want the same for my kids. In other words: “No, you will not get a tattoo of a dolphin on your ankle.”
I can apply almost everything you said to myself in spite of the fact that I have tattoos.
Superficiality was not a value that was instilled in me as a child either. I do express myself through my words and actions and no matter how many tattoos I have, I am still free to change and be what I want at any given time. My tattoos are very much a part of me, but they do not define me by any means. Tattoos are never meant to be an all encompassing representation of a person, so there is no need to feel limited by them in any way. I am also too complex to fully express myself through purchased goods. My tattoos simply compliment my personality.
My ink is a reminder, but you will never hear me say that it is ONLY a reminder. Of course I want people to see it and I like the way it looks. But don’t let that detract from the meaning behind it. Just because I have a tattoo to remind me of something, does not mean that I depend on the tattoo to remember. It is more of a catalyst that makes me think back. We all have events in our lives that helped shape up into the people we are today. The memories of these events are never truly forgotten, but how often do we actively think about them without some kind of trigger to remind you? These triggers come in many forms. They may be pictures, seeing a childhood friend, driving through an old neighborhood, watching your old favorite movie, hearing a song on the radio, or in the case of tattoos, looking in the mirror and seeing it on your skin.
In my opinion, people who break down when they realize that their tattoos cannot be removed, were not educated enough on the tattoo process in the first place. No matter how much the removal process is improved upon, tattoos are intended to be permanent and should always be treated as such.
Is there ever a case where people are not forced to get to know you, rather than making snap judgments? No matter how you dress or look, people will get a general first impression of you and from that point on it is up to your words and actions that either confirm or contradict those impressions. If I am dressed for work in khakis and a button down shirt, most people who meet me for the first time in that context would be likely assume that I did not have any tattoos.
I live my life by all of the same ideals you mentioned, but also decided to get tattooed at a later stage of my life. The two are not mutually exclusive.
Everything you say has some truth to it. I won’t pretend it doesn’t. That being said, I cannot accept that something that simply compliments your personality has a permanent place on your body. It’s like picking one shirt for the rest of your life… and most people doing it when they’re young and dumb.
If I am going out of my way to make a statement with a tattoo (as I would with certain shirts as well… but again, not permanent), I am inviting others to pass judgment based on it. Dressing well won’t do that in the same way as a tattoo will. A tattoo is much bolder, it is meant to be. It’s yelling at everyone you meet “HEY! I’M A LION BECAUSE COURAGE PULLED ME THROUGH MY PAST STRUGGLES!” (if the tattoo is a lion… or a botched grizzly bear). In turn, you are highlighting whatever your tattoo symbolizes so you better be sure whatever it means remains relevant to you.
You did not raise this as an argument, but I want to address it anyways. Other people can do what they want with their bodies, I really don’t care. Being forward thinking though, it is likely that I will run into this issue with at least one of my kids while they are young and dumb and I will need valid reasoning behind my concern. “I don’t think you’ve thought this through enough” or “You’re not old enough to make such a long term decision” will not sit well as making mature, well informed decisions is not a teenager’s forte. Once they’re older and more independent, I would leave them with a simple: “Personally, I wouldn’t do it.” I do not want to come off as someone who alienates tattooed people, I just think there are non-permanent ways of expressing yourself that are just as powerful. To me, it’s a mistake to commit yourself to something that is inherently superficial. If you really love your tattoo though, who am I to tell you otherwise?
Maybe I understated things when I said my tattoo simply complimented my personality. It is a lot more than that for me, but I was really just trying to make the point that it does not define my personality.
A tattoo is permanent, but does not always have to be shown. When I get dressed in the morning I have a choice as to whether I want my tattoo to be visible or not. I can easily cover it with a long sleeved shirt, even with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. I can show a small portion of it by wearing a short sleeved shirt, or I can make a more bold statement by wearing a tank top and showing even more.
Many people I know have tattoos that are almost never visible in public. How is this screaming out to everyone that they meet? If I chose to get a tattoo on my face or forehead, then I would totally agree with you. But I made a conscious decision to place my tattoo where it can be covered with normal clothing.
My advice to pass along to your kids when the time comes is to wait a minimum of 6 months, a year is even better, after choosing a design for a tattoo. If you haven’t changed your mind in that period of time, then and only then should you even think about getting it tattooed.
This has been a really good discussion. It’s always refreshing to hear from people who are against tattoos, but still have an open mind on the subject.
love the blog man. as a person who plans on getting tattoos i like how you address the issues people have with them. honestly its just closed minded people that think everyone walking around with a tattoo is a rebel or thug. Tattoos are so mainstream today i cant image why people have such distorted view about people that choose to get them. keep it up
What about our our men & woman in the service protecting our Country. Have you ever seen a Marine without a Tattoo to show pride of being an American & and a Marine?
My opinion, don’t take it personal please:
I am not agree with the article. I think tattoo is actually for criminals, prostitutes, freaks, slaves, jerks, plebeians, people with inferiority complex, midlife crisis or other mental issues, etc. It’s not stereotype, it’s true. People with good self-esteem and good manners don’t need to spoil their bodies and turn them into public toilet wall. Tattoo is like a dirt, skin disease or livestock brand, it makes you ugly.
In Russia man or woman without bad habits (smoking, drinking and drug using), without tattoos, piercing and other “body modifications” looks respectable and beautiful. Or classical, natural, respectable look is “boring” and “outdated”? If you want to be “bright” and notable, why you can’t impress other people with your good manners, knowledge, skills, hobby, looking and acting like a real gentleman or lady. Is it still “boring” or too difficult for you? Why it’s easy for me?
Your body is your appearance, you must respect it. Can you imagine a Venus or David with tattoo? They are looking disgustingly with it, right? Anyway, with tattoo you look like a kid with pencil in the nose: cool and impressive for you, but horrible and silly for others.
I think and hope, the most of Europeans and Americans are not so vulgar and dissolute. Remember: freedom is not permissiveness, you need some limits and discipline.
Respect yourself and your body.
Good luck. Greetings from conservative Mother Russia.
Sputnik.
i absolutly agree with this post.
I am a 19 year old woman. I got my first tatto at the age of 16. I was raised with great manners. I am a smart young woman with a bright future. I have never gotten in trouble with the law nor have i ever been “gang related” I was a cheerleader in high school. The negative view about tattos piss me off. If you looked at me you wouldnt even know i had tattoos. You would think i was just another bubbly cute girl. But if you look closer i actually have tattoos.
Tattoos dont make a person good or bad. They are an expression of what the person feels.
Sputnik you are wrong. Im not a freak, slave, prostitue or a jerk. I have tattoos because i think they are beautiful. I dont have any self-esteem issues. I think i am a very beautiful girl. My tattos represent the most important thing in my life which is my family. Maybe you should actually look at what the tattoo means rather than classify every tattood person as a thug or gangster. I am 19 years old with 2 tattoos and i have never even seen a gang member. So before you start classifying me as a thug maybe you should know more information about me
Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other websites?
I have a blog based on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have
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your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to send
me an email.
You missed a major one that people say: “Tattoos last forever” when actually Tattoos are an art form on a dying canvas! There are cave paintings going back tens of thousands of years still in existance today but each tattoo art piece will only exist for 70 to 80 years and then it is gone forever.
This thought occurred to me after getting my first tattoo done so happy I was with the design and then thinking this will die with me.
Yeah, I have hear that one so many times, though tattoo removal does mean they are not always as permanent, my reply to these people is that, on the contrary, tattooed mummies such as ‘Otzi’ are a common enough find, and tell us a huge amount about the lives and spirituality of the individuals who lived many thousands of years ago. I think this is wonderful, I would love my tattooed pelt to be poured over by civilizations of the distant future. : )
Re: the “Irrational Arguments” section: there’s nothing irrational about some of those arguments. Some of them are perfectly rational – you just happen not to agree with them. Take the “bumper sticker on a Ferrari” argument. The crux of that school of thought is that the human body – hundreds of millions of years in the making by Mother Nature through the sublime process of evolution – cannot be aesthetically improved upon by an ink gun in the hands of someone who makes drawings for a living, etching a wound into living skin that is permanent. This isn’t a personal judgement on those who sport ink, it’s an honest reflection of the dissonance some people feel when they see irreversible sketches on human skin. Tattoos are made to be observed, and to some observers, seeing a tattoo has the same quality as seeing, say, a “KHOT 99.9 FM!” bumper sticker placed on the back of a beautiful $400,000 sports car. It’s a legitimate visceral reaction not necessarily associated with conservatism, judgementalism, fear, conventionalism or close-mindedness. It’s an honest matter of taste. To deride a person who generally does not appreciate tattoos for authentically aesthetic reasons, is an ugly form of stereotyping no better than any other. You may disagree with opinions relating tattoos to bumper stickers, but that’s simply your opinion. It’s not the “rational” debunking the “irrational”. People who like tattoos – who resent people who do not like tattoos – are not on a special moral high ground. I think that as much as anything, they just enjoy spending time resenting people.
Thanks for commenting, Robin. If you read more of my blog you will see that I have stated on a few occasions that I have no problem with people generally disliking tattoos. I don’t resent people who do not like tattoos, hold grudges against them, or hold any feeling of contempt towards them.
If you read my post again, you will see that my argument against the bumper sticker analogy is aimed towards the analogy itself. The idea of comparing the human skin to an exotic and rare automobile.
But I can also see things from your perspective, and what you are arguing against sounds more like my last argument, “I have never seen a tattoo that enhanced a persons beauty.” While disliking the aesthetics of tattoos is a perfectly valid reason to not get one yourself, it is not a valid argument against me getting my own tattoo. If someone who owns a $400,000 sports car wants to show support for their favorite radio station with a bumper sticker, that is their business. It isn’t hurting anyone, and for every person that sees the bumper sticker and hates it, there are probably just as many that will see it and simply recognize that the car owner might have similar music interests.
You said yourself that the reaction to tattoos is a matter of taste. My main point that it is irrational to apply your personal likes and/or dislikes to the rest of the population.
Well I have a tattoo on the back of my neck with my maiden name and a butterfly. Not big. But my 3 sisters and I all did it the same day as a showing of our love for each other and those who gave us life. It is shown when I want it to be and private when I don’t. Needless to say today my daughter and I plan on getting a mother daughter tattoo and we are excited. Who cares what anyone else thinks.I do not drink, do drugs, hurt anyone, I work, raised great children so judge me based on that.
Here’s one for you! I read on a website that “only the less attractive get tattoos in order to enhance their looks and receive attention and that extremely attractive individuals don’t have tattoos”.
My grandmother is 64 and has 3 tattoos which she got over the last 5 years. People are so damn hypocritical.
Very interesting blog, interesting replies as well. I’d like to make note of something. In the final paragraphs of rebuttal #2, you mention that 40% of people within your age group have tattoos. That’s almost half. Rebuttal #3 is in response to the idea that people get tattoos because everyone else is doing it, and yet you say only 21% of the general population have tattoos. If that’s the case, the highest percentage of those people that do happen to choose to get tattoos also happen to be within your age group. Followers don’t follow people outside of the group they wish to belong to. Perhaps the influence of almost half the people within your age group having tattoos played a larger role in your decision to tattoo yourself than you’re willing to admit. People may bluster in pride that they aren’t influenced by the herd, but something encouraged 40% of young people these days to get tattoos.
Tattoos are on the rise throughout all demographics and I happen to fall within one of the age groups that is statistically the most tattooed. I have never been a rebel, but I have also never been one to follow the crowd. The popularity of tattoos today makes it virtually impossible to avoid interacting with people with tattoos. The more tattoos I saw and the more I learned about tattooing in general, the more interested I became in getting one.
I did my research and waited years before eventually deciding on my tattoo design. I
believe that my decision to get tattooed had more to do with society’s higher level of acceptance of tattoos than trying to fit into a certain crowd. I also feel that there is a difference between being influenced by the herd and trying desperately to become a member.
You also missed an important part of my #3 argument, “The biggest issue I have with this argument is that it’s just lumping all people with tattoos into one big group.”
Some people want to get tattooed just for the sake of getting tattooed and decide to walk into a random tattoo shop with their friends and pick a piece of flash art off the wall that hundreds of people before them are already walking around with. Others will commission an artist to create a custom piece of artwork that has deep personal meaning to them. Both of these people will answer yes when surveyed about whether they are tattooed, but to me they fall into very different categories.
Polls also show that the vast majority of people with tattoos (over 70%) say that their tattoos are not normally visible. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2010/10/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change.pdf People often claim that tattoos are all about seeking attention, but I think this statistic goes a long way towards countering that argument and also the idea that everyone with tattoos is just trying to fit in.
Thanks for your effort.