<p>Sorry, garland, it sounds to me like you are speaking as if you an ortho doc who examined the bite, looked the Xrays, etc. of those people… A “little bit crooked” on the outside = can mean a big trouble down the road. For example, my teeth did not look that bad… People could not see that I was missing a tooth that I lost to a freak accident during my teen years. My dentist, however, advised me to seek counsel of an orthodontist, because my teeth were shifting slowly, but surely, into the empty space, and my bite deteriorated becaause of that, putting unneccessary wear on some teeth. Did I really need those braces? You probably would have said no. Do not judge the book by its cover, as you are telling us, the folks who are clearly not fond of most tattoos.</p>
<p>BB–perhaps I am not being clear. I’m sure there are often good medical reasons. I it is quite improbable that there always are.</p>
<p>I definitely have heard orthodontists make the “fitting in” argument.</p>
<p>Another example might be porcelain onlays to replace amalgams. I had a bunch of amalgams replaced with porcelain onlays. The onlays perform better and the look better. Similar to orthodonture, that appearance may be beneficial. There isn’t a negative connotation that I’m aware of with straight and properly functioning teeth nor is there a negative connotation with not having amalgam fillings.</p>
<p>People do things because they like the look. It’s fair to say (though I think it’s changiang) that someone else’s negative connotations might make job difficulties. But that is a different thing from stating outright that they say anything about the person–negative is in the mind of the beholder.</p>
<p>That YOU have a negative feeling about someone’s choice doesn’t say anything about the person any more than any other choice people make about their appearance.</p>
<p>I’d just like it if more people could separate “this is awful” from “I don’t like it.”</p>
<p>Garland, what is your definition of “awful” when it comes to appearances? Just curious…</p>
<p>Since we are discussing teeth… One thing I know for sure that the % of dentists who keep their office clean and use sterile procedures is higher than that of tattoo shops. Sorry, but when I see a bunch of tattoos on someone’s body, the three-letter “words” (beginning with a letter “H”) almost always come to mind.</p>
<p>"I’d just like it if more people could separate “this is awful” from “I don’t like it.”</p>
<p>Or “hideous” and “low self-esteem”.</p>
<p>BB-you should definitely not come to Seattle, especially avoid the parts of town where younger people live and work. Your brain would explode.</p>
<p>BB–i basically wouldn’t use that word in describing other people’s choices in how they present themselves. I think it’s rude.</p>
<p>Sorry, I am immune to that - I used to work in those parts of the city and still visit them quite often. 
However, those things still come to mind without my brain exploding. What would we, pharmaceutical scientists do, if everyone practiced safe sex and did not expose their wounded skin to non-sterile environment? :)</p>
<p>Misspie it was Alfred. I loved the college and it is the most interesting assortment of engineers, art students and business students all rolled into a small college. I was fascinated. S2, not so much.</p>
<p>I guess the answer to my question is “we would have cured cancer by now”. Of course, I’m kidding, but there is some truth in that answer. Neither the NIH nor VCs have unlimited funds.</p>
<p>garland, fair enough; I agree that “awful” is a strong word, and yes, there are universally “awful” things (hate crimes, theft, etc.). Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not think that I used it to describe tattoos in this thread. However, I was raised to offer my honest opinion about things, and if I find something unappealing to me, such as snot-like nose rings, I will say so.</p>
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<p>I agree wholeheartedly. I also find it troublesome to compare women to cars. Talk about objectification! </p>
<p>Count me among the pierced bunch that do not do drugs. Actually, I don’t even drink. I have an eyebrow piercing and a conch piercing, and although other people seem to find that very disturbing, I like them, so I have them. The eyebrow piercing happened at 13 and I got the conch piercing when I was 21. </p>
<p>To me, although I’ve seen this thread 5 times over on this site, I’m still always surprised with how judgmental some people are. No, I don’t have low self-esteem, nor am I awful or a loser. I am a graduate student working for a well-known researcher, and my appearance thus far has not held me back. Heck, if any of you have kids enrolled at my university, there’s a slim chance that I might be their instructor. </p>
<p>My best friend, an undergrad, has a tattoo, piercings, and blue hair and works as a resident assistant now. She’s a lovely, intelligent person who just happens to like that aesthetic. (She also happens to find drugs abhorrent.) I could describe numerous other people who fall into this general category but I suppose that is sufficient to answer the OP’s question. </p>
<p>From my experience working with college students on a broad level, I have to stay that the pierced and tatted folks were more likely to be the RAs than the ones in trouble. That’s just my experience though and college is definitely a bubble that’s a little different from the rest of the world. </p>
<p>I really think things are slowly changing in this regard, and tattoos and piercings are becoming so commonplace that there won’t be much to talk about in 20 years or so. Already, one of my professors (tenure track) has a nose stud. She’s also a brilliant scientist and an incredibly nice person. It’s awfully silly to me that some people who see her outside of the classroom would make assumptions on the base of one minute aesthetic choice.</p>
<p>I now work at an art school. The students, who are a bit older (grad only), are quite comfortable in their often tattoo’d, pierced skins (with dyed hair and interesting clothing, as well). They are truly wonderful people, and those who judge them on their looks are missing out.</p>
<p>However, if my kids had been into the tattoo/piercing thing in high school, I must say I would have been uncomfortable.</p>
<p>Makes no sense, I know. Life’s like that.</p>
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Sounds like something you’d see on Monty Python.</p>
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I think that might have been referring to the word I used - “hideous”. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When I use that word I’m obviously referring to my own impression - not any different than if I said I thought it was ugly, or distracting, or interesting, or cool looking, or beautiful. </p>
<p>I fully realize that while I find a lip ring or things stuck through eyebrows or a majority of tattoos hideous, some others, almost certainly the person sporting it, will find it the opposite. Neither of us is wrong - we’re each describing our own impressions which are simply different.</p>
<p>kels, I think it makes perfect sense. I say this as someone with a tattoo. I don’t think it’s a decision to be made lightly or at 17. Yes, I’m young but I highly doubt I’ll regret the one I have. I am waiting years before the next to make sure I want them through various stages of life as well.</p>
<p>I could never get my uncle, or my FIL, to talk about their tatoos. “Damn stupidest thing I ever did”, “Mumble Mumble” was the most I got out of them. They were embarrased of them. And they were ugly after decades. SIL has a little ankle tatoo that she won’t talk about either.</p>
<p>So… my own first impression of someone’s tatoo (being honest here) is that they will hate it someday, or regret it, and that they were either foolish or vain to get one. Sorry, but I sure don’t see the positives.</p>
<p>Missypie, I saw a fellow walking from the shower on my kids’ dorm floor, and his chest was covered. Where do they get the money??</p>
<p>“Missypie, I saw a fellow walking from the shower on my kids’ dorm floor, and his chest was covered. Where do they get the money??”</p>
<p>So what does a tattoo cost, anyway?<br>
Large one color?, small Multi color?, full sleeve? I had never thought about this aspect - are they expensive? Are we talking about dozens of dollars or hundreds ?</p>
<p>Hundreds to thousands for one that large depending on color and complexity. </p>
<p>Really, less than what many students spend partying or clothes shopping in college. Different priorities for different people.</p>
<p>I’m one of the old folks that thinks that tattoos and piercings are not yet socially acceptable. However, I have a 19 yr old son that got his first tattoo this year, and has ear gauges and piercings on his lip. I can barely stand it, but overall he is a good kid. It’s just his way to express himself.</p>
<p>I keep telling him that people will treat him differently because of this, and he is convinced I am old fashioned. The truth is that I am beginning to see more of this in workplaces, so I do know that it will eventually become less of an issue. </p>
<p>My 17 yr old daughter thinks nothing of tattoos, either.</p>
<p>That won’t change my viewpoint though. I will never get a tattoo. </p>
<p>Oh, I do know the TSA thinks that tattooed, pierced young people are druggies. One time my S was going through security on his way back to school and he was briefly detained while they dusted his hands!</p>
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<p>Considering TSA personnel have been found to have been involved in various actual criminal activities ranging from stealing luggage items to worse things like sexual harassment and abusing their authority…I wouldn’t use the TSA as a valid yardstick to judge respectability.</p>