<p>singersmom, I hear you about the employment. In a way I felt it was discriminatory but I didn’t make the policy in this case.</p>
<p>By the time our kids are old, health care will have advanced so that their skin will look much younger than ours will in old age. Just look at all of the focus that’s on plastic surgery, maintaining youthful looks as the Boomers age. Our kids and grandkids will be the ones who will benefit from this research.</p>
<p>Consequently, I don’t think they’ll have the sagging skin/tattoo problems that many people in our and older generations have/had/will have.</p>
<p>There also probably will be easier, cheaper ways to remove tattoos.</p>
<p>“e attended a wedding today. Beautiful attendants and dresses, but it was a bit shocking and distracting to see the large (8”-12") tattoos on the backs of the bridesmaids and the bride. These were college graduates, but the tats were not artsy. Large eagle, orchid, and 2 undecipherable globs of “tattoo green.”</p>
<p>Also, my student teacher had a shamrock on her lower back. Right below her thong straps. EWWWWW. Yet another reason to be sure your clothing is a). high enough b). low enough c). properly fitting enough
to keep private things private. "</p>
<p>Remember that your opinion about how those tattoos look isn’t the wearers’ opinions or likely to be the opinions of their friends, who may even think that your tattoo-bare skin looks boring.</p>
<p>Our parents cringed when many of us married long haired guys or had hairstyles ourselves (like my own cornrows) that our parents thought were ridiculous. We thought that our parents were wrong, and were very pleased with how we looked. We had no desire to follow the fashion dictates of the older generation, whose sense of fashion was not appealing to us.</p>
<p>Even if we had followed what our parents believed was good fashion, our wedding pictures still would seem outdated and our styles a bit ridiculous viewed from the perspective of 2008. Our kids still would be snickering at what we considered to be good style.</p>
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<p>When it’s MY kid, you betcha. Yours can cover themselves in tattoo versions of Doonesbury cartoons, and I fully support their right to self-ridiculization. I also reserve the right – in my heart of hearts – to think they have caused themselves unnecessary future problems, and look kind of silly. </p>
<p>Northstarmom mentioned that our clothes and hair from 30 years ago look stupid to our kids. They look goofy to me, too, but hair grows out and none of you ever need to see me in my wedding tux. Tattoos are a fad that lasts forever. </p>
<p>Barrons, is there a way to invest in tattoo removal? Any pure plays?</p>
<p>^^^ I would invest in a chain that specializes in temporary, less permanent tattoos. </p>
<p>The ink/technology is available already. 
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<p>It is of a skull and crossbones, because she wanted everyone to know she was a bad a*. She isn’t*</p>
<p>Catholic?</p>
<p>I remember some kids whose parents were clergy & they were determined to prove that they were James Dean types.</p>
<p>The pendulum will swing in the other direction once the counter-culture allure of getting tattooed reaches critical mass. After all, what’s so “cutting edge” about them when everyone’s got one? Then virgin, smooth skin will come into style, and inked bodies will be considered, ‘so passe’, if not downright, dumb. That’s when tattoo removal services will really boom. </p>
<p>And over time, many people will experience image fatigue. The image that seemed to represent all that you embody at 18, or 26, or even 35, might not hold true once you hit 50, or 75, and in any case, is likely to be radically altered by the eroding effects of time. Personally, I doubt there will come a time anywhere in the foreseeable future, when skin science will so advance as to routinely and successfully negate all the forces of time and gravity. Right now, we are experiencing a generation of children who are both, more fat and less healthy than even their parents’ generation. Unless we quickly turn this trend around, many kids currently sporting tattoos will indeed see their beloved inked images become misshapened by fat and/or sagging flesh, or augmented by a scrim of stretch marks. (Lovely.:rolleyes:)</p>
<p>That said, I’ve seen many tattoos that I thought were beautiful. I can’t see any easily visible tattoo as being appropriate under all circumstances, but when I did think they looked “nice”, they were invariably sported by persons casually dressed, and under casual circumstances. To me, tattoos inherently have the potential to complicate one’s appearance, because of their permanence. But that’s just me. I respect everyone’s freedom to do what they see fit with their own bodies, even if I wouldn’t personally make the same choices. </p>
<p>I also don’t think it’s reasonable for any parent to expect to maintain the right to dictate what one of their offspring does with his/her own body for the rest of their natural life. I’m sure your daughter assumed our agreement was only in effect for as long as she was a legal minor. In any case, she sounds like a really good kid. You should be tremendously proud of her.</p>
<p>poetsheart: well said and I agree with every bit.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you think tattoos are so “wrong,” especially in places not normally seen. Some tattoos are very beautiful and meaningful. It’s not about being “cool” or “trendy.” I’m not a fan of profane, obnoxious, unartistic tattoos. I don’t think many people are. Your daughter wants to be a vet. She got a tattoo of a rat. It seems fine to me. Now if all of a sudden your daughter doesn’t want to be a vet or do anything with animals, then the tattoo kind of loses all meaning. She is an adult. She has the right to do whatever she wishes with her body. It’s unrealistic to expect children to hold on to silly promises after turning 18.</p>
<p>from a teen, I hate big loud obnoxious tattoos but I have no problem with small ones or ones that have some meaning to the individual, and some of them are actually very nice</p>
<p>can employers really have a policy against things like nose piercings? my mother has a nose piercing, its an indian tradition…
I don’t believe she’s ever had any trouble finding a job, haha</p>
<p>About 10 years ago, a student came to my office after spring break, all excited to show me her new tattoo. She lifted her shirt and there was a dolphin across her belly. All I could think of was when she’s pregnant, that thing will become a whale!!!</p>
<p>I personally detest tattoos and most piercings. But it’s not my business so long as they’re not on me, my husband, or children.</p>
<p>As long as it’s not a tramp stamp, it’s probably okay.</p>
<p>I am the 24 year old sister to a heavily tattooed 21 year old brother, and a 15 year old sister who sneakily got a tattoo done about 3 months ago. My parents just discovered my sister’s tattoo when they were on holiday in Croatia, needless to say they were not pleased! My brother got his first tattoo done the day after he turned 18, and how has tattoos on both shoulders/upper arm, one on his chest and one on his back. Eagle on his back and all the rest are abstract Celtic designs. They actually aren’t too bad on him. My sister’s one is awful though, it’s on her stomach and it’s a dove, and it’s quite badly done.</p>
<p>I’ve no interest in getting one though - gogo needle phobia!</p>
<p>How about suggesting glow in the dark tattoos? Not as visible in daylight!</p>
<p>No doubt tatts are more common(in U.S.) than before, and along with that more accepted. I read 1/3 now have at least one, and also that people rarely have (just) one.
I cautioned S about the fashion idea of them. Somewheat in style to have them today, but styles come and go easy. Easy to change from poly disco clothes that once were all the rage to any other style. Not so easy to change a tatt.
Plus, imo, a trampstamp looks cuter on a size 5 behind than it does on a size 16, much like the earlier poster that felt Tweety not as cute at 50.
I asked S, is there something so important you need/want to say that it must be with a tatt and can’t be printed on a t-shirt? S is practical too, and knows it can be a drawback to employment. Also asked him to consider that if tatt was so important to him, why would he want it in a discreet place? Why not the middle of his forehead for all to see?</p>
<p>One of my girls came home and I noticed something on her back, when I inquired she responded “its nothing”. Oh yes dear, there’s something. Then she lifted up her shirt - a tattoo bigger than my hand(maybe bigger than both my hands) that said “Unique”. My first question was how did she get it as she was just 16. Her reply “I have a fake ID”. YIKES! I guess everything is relative - 19 and a small shoulder tattoo. I think it will be ok. not a choice I’d make. But your DD is an adult. (my girl is not related to me, but I love her and her sister and consider them the daughters of my heart). Her grandmother’s response to the tattoo and fake id was to kick her out. Not at all what I expected. But the 16 year old with huge tattoo and fake id, did make it through high school and into college in spite of having no home (she bounced between relatives for the rest of high school - refusing to speak with me as I was the one that called grandma and told her about the tattoo & fake id. I was hoping grandma would reign the girl in.)</p>
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<p>In style? I was not aware of that.</p>
<p>What a stupid reason to get a tattoo. That’s not why I’ll be getting a tattoo.</p>
<p>This thread is very enlightening. Talked to someone today that’s in her late 30’s and got a tattoo when she was in her early twenties. She has a 10-year-old that keeps asking her about it. At this moment it’s not something she’s proud of. She’s already spent about $1k trying to have it removed and it’s really going nowhere (plastic surgeon, laser treatment, etc., bad infection last treatment-needs to heal for a while before they can do more). Very unhappy. Right now she thinks if she had to choose between divorce and tattoo removal, she would choose divorce.</p>
<p>Somewhat in style? Yes, Jman. In fact the ladies were typically in dresses just below the knee, often with a split up the side. The guys often in a 3 pc suit, and almost always all clothes were poly. In that case, the disco era of music and fashion was shortlived- but it was very big in its time.
Tatts, though are somewhat in style. They are not looked down upon by nearly everyone as they once were, as evidenced by some here in this thread. They’re not just the traditional tatts for pirates and U.S. Navy anymore. Certainly not everybody has one, yet more and more (young) people especially are choosing to get one. For example, do you think SO many young women got the idea of getting a trampstamp completely independently of each other? Do you think So many(usually guys) choose some kind of Asian symbol completely independent of each other? That seeing others with it so they get one too- pretty much defines a fashion trend.</p>
<p>Sadly, those who change their mind about their (tatt)fashion statement, or are limited in employment, of if public opinion changes and suddenly it out of favor- a tatt can’t change as easily as ones’ clothes.</p>
<p>For example, do you think SO many young women got the idea of getting a trampstamp completely independently of each other?</p>
<p>I dunno- but for instance my oldest D has a name that was so popular in the neonatal intensive care unit- that it was shared with 5 other babies!
I didn’t even name her until I was lying on the delivery table and as she was a girl instead of the boy, I had convinced myself she was- I said her name would be the female version ( I didn’t think she would live, even until I got to the nursery & didn’t want her to die unnamed)
How does that happen?</p>
<p>I think anytime you make a really bad impulsive decision, there is a big chance you are going to regret it.
Jumping off a tall bridge, figuring a diagnosis of AIDS means you are gonna die in three years & run up big credit card bills, getting drunk and having sex with your ex, after they have remarried…and getting pg- there are all * kinds *of things people do that they regret.</p>
<p>But someone who carefully considers the style of the tattoo, & chooses something that means a lot to him or her personally, irrespective of what others have chosen for themselves- that decision I don’t think will be regretted. A time might come when it doesn’t mean as much, or it could even be more meaningful- as long as it was well thought out in the first place.
But getting your boyfriends name tattooed across your derriere when you are 18? When you have been dating for a week?
Oh what a surprise that you changed your mind when you are 18.5
:rolleyes:</p>
<p>as “dumb things that 19-year-olds can do” go, that’s really not that bad…it doesn’t involve illegal drugs, a totaled car or a night in prison, and these days a tattoo’s not truly permanent (expensive as removal is). As a fellow 19-year-old, I’ve also done things that have miffed my parents, who once conceded that they would actually be a bit worried about me if I never did anything rebellious/stupid :-)</p>