<p>" I feel like the same could be said about eating a slice of cheesecake…"
Yes , but the effects of eating a slice of cheesecake isn’t going to stay permanently with you</p>
<p>"Tattoos do not define a person.</p>
<p>I think it’s silly for someone to respect a person, and once they find out the other has a tattoo, write them off as someone they don’t want to associate with."</p>
<p>MOWC made an interesting comment about fake breasts. (Let’s stipulate we are not talking about reconstruction or imbalance-correcting or not even modest enhancement like to a B cup.) just good old fashioned big-time implants, clearly visibly fake and “worn” with tight fitting / revealing clothing. Is it ok to think ill of someone’s judgment for that? Or to find it aesthetically unappealing? Or unspeakably tacky? What’s the difference other than personal aesthetic preference? </p>
<p>Tattoos are generally much less obtrusive than a couple bags of saline stapled to your chest.
Rather than making movement and shopping for appropriate clothing easier, like my breast reduction did, adding large bags o fun, are going to have the opposite effect.
But as long as I dont have to pay for either the implant or the removal, I really dont care.</p>
<p>I love this thread. I really do.</p>
<p>Niquill- I like your cheesecake comment. I agree.</p>
<p>@Pizzagirl </p>
<p>There is a mom @ DDs school, she wears the long, bright weave. Fake eyelashes, facial piercings, tear drop tattoos on her cheeks, cheetah print tattoo on both sides of her waist, tight teeny bopper clothing, low cut crop tops that show the tr*mp stamp in the lumbar region, sky high heels, long, gaudy nails…she looks a mess. We actually thought she was one of the new students last fall at report card night. I often wonder if moms do this because they are seeking attention. Or maybe her job requires that she should look this way? I also wonder how one can parent a teenager when one looks this way. It must be a very interesting dynamic in their household. </p>
<p>And I’m sure she doesn’t eat any cheesecake…killer body, not an oz. of fat. But still, she looks a mess. </p>
<p>I wonder what kind of job she might have that would require that she look like that? :)</p>
<p>There was a girl in my Ds class who lived with her grandmother, and only saw her mom occasionally as she was a " dancer" and raising a child interfered with her work.
The girl was in 4th grade, and had obviously been exposed to inappropriate sexual behavior going by her own behavior and dress.
It was really sad, cause it was like she never even got a chance.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, there are varying types of what is considered tasteful. I don’t find in-your-face boobies tasteful. There’s nothing wrong with thinking ill of someone judgment. You’re welcome to your own opinion. Personally, I wouldn’t write that person off and declare them as someone I would not want to associate with. Why? Because they’re more than their larger than life boobies. Do I know their character? Do I know their background? No. I weigh character, values, and actions more than physical appearance. That is why I think it’s silly to see someone associating with a person, only to write them off once they find out the other has a tattoo. </p>
<p>It’s almost trivial to me. You may not like your friend’s fake implants or their ear piercing, but don’t you know them as a person? I know I think differently from the others that have posted on this thread, but this is how I see it. </p>
<p>@emerald-
I can understand someone not finding them attractive, that aesthetically they are not pleasing to them,wouldn’t want them, that is a matter of personal choice. Likewise, I agree with those who say tattoos are permanent and that they suspect many people have regrets after getting them, getting a tattoo when drunk or for a boyfriend or girlfriend or because friends goad you or because ‘it is cool’ to me are wrong reasons, that if you are going to get something permanent, then think about it.</p>
<p>I wonder if the same people who judge tattoos judge people who get plastic surgery? What about Aunt Sonia who gets the nose job or the face lift or the boob job? Those are all just as permanent, should we judge someone for altering their looks? To fix those, you need more surgery, and the more surgery you have the odds are it will end up looking weird…</p>
<p>What really bothers me is when I hear judgement, like “I think they want attention”, “I think they are going along with the crowd” “I think they are immature”…are there people like that? Of course, but that could describe a lot of people. Doing stupid things on impulse happens in the financial world all the time, and can end up costing a company a lot of money <em>shrug</em>…just means they are immature people, but that doesn’t mean all tattoos are worn by narcisistic ,imatture show offs…</p>
<p>As I wrote in other posts, I personally think something like a tattoo should have real meaning to a person, because it will be with them a long time, if not forever, and I don’t like people who do anything without thought. However, judging people with Tattoos because maybe more than a few do them without thinking is like judging people who get married because of people like Donald Trump or the like who get married and divorced, given how many people get divorced, and especially those who do it multiple times, shouldn’t we be judging anyone who wants to get married as being impulsive, childish, etc because after all, look at all the divorces?</p>
<p>Sadly, I think the reason for the comments about people with tattoos is the same old crap, it is about conformity and being right and proper and so forth (and again, I am distinctly separating this from people who don’t like them aesthetically). Yes, tattoos have been viewed as low class, as being for bikers and outlaws and sexually promiscuous people, drug addicts, etc, but that is just a cover for a very different thing, daring to go outside what society says is “normal”. Why should a tattoo or something like that keep someone from getting a job, if they otherwise are talented? Of course it happens, but it happens because far too many people love conformity, they feel uncomfortable around people who are different, do things differently, and though to me it is silly, it is threatening, because someone who is different is hard to decipher, they don’t ‘look right’. Humans have a long history of this, discrimination against those of other faiths, or skin color, or height or weight, stems from this, there are studies out there that basically show that people see someone who is overweight and they consciously or not, judge them as weak or lazy and often stupid, too. </p>
<p>Someone short is perceived as being "less powerful’, someone taller much better (among financial people, bankers and traders and such, the men tend to be pretty tall, among other things, they often are recruited from the jocks on campus)…then, too, we have religious faiths where conformity of belief is a big deal, you are supposed to believe certain things, and if you don’t, you are looked at askance (just try mentioning to an orthodox type Christian that you don’t believe in the Trinity, and watch how fast they will tell you then you aren’t Christian…). </p>
<p>A lot of this is changing, as the old guard passes on. Around where I work, one of the biggest financial groups around, there are a lot of men and women who have tattoos and no one cares, there are men who wear earrings and so forth, lots of variations, and no one cares. Sure, there are people who will see a tattoo and say “no way I am hiring them”, but when you talk about people with desired skills, and when you talk about industries where the people tend to be younger (or young at heart), all people care about is how you do your job. I kind of agree with another poster, who said if her nose stud bothered someone enough not to want to hire her, why would she want to work there? There are so many people with tattoos these days, and it is so hard to find talented employees, that it is counter productive to think like that, and a lot of really uptight companies over the past 10 or 15 years have started figuring out that being that way, hiring people equally uptight, doesn’t tend to lead to diversity of thought or creativity, since they tend to attract people whose goal in life is to be like everyone else <em>shrug</em>. Are there consequences to being different? Yep, but more and more, a lot of people are not afraid to do so, and what happens is people realize someone with a tattoo isn’t a drug addict or weirdo, the girl with the nose stud isn’t some flake, the guy with earrings is the guy who pulls a rabbit out of the hat and makes something happen, and so forth. </p>
<p>I don’t actually know if my grandmother ever got her tattoo. I moved across the country soon after that discussion. Then my mother, that grandmother’s daughter, passed away. My grandmother only lived another year and during that year she also learned that her only other child, my uncle, was very ill. She probably had other things on her mind. But she did compliment me on the two-toned rose on my shoulder. </p>
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<p>I don’t really care how you dress or whether you have tattoos (in non-extreme cases, anyway), but how you drive can impact (literally) me or someone else on the road.</p>
<p>“Pizzagirl, there are varying types of what is considered tasteful. I don’t find in-your-face boobies tasteful. There’s nothing wrong with thinking ill of someone judgment. You’re welcome to your own opinion. Personally, I wouldn’t write that person off and declare them as someone I would not want to associate with. Why? Because they’re more than their larger than life boobies. Do I know their character? Do I know their background? No. I weigh character, values, and actions more than physical appearance. That is why I think it’s silly to see someone associating with a person, only to write them off once they find out the other has a tattoo.”</p>
<p>Well, it’s a good thing I never said I don’t “write people off” or stop associating with them, isn’t it? Good grief, half my office staff (the young people) have tattoos. I can a) not care all that much and b) if you ask me, still not care for it and c) the world still turns on its axis and life goes on. You are conflating “don’t like something aesthetically” with " scream in horror, run away and refuse to even talk to the person." </p>
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Niquill- The point is that when people CHOOSE to do something regarding their physical appearance- even if it is coloring their hair pink, getting a piercing, not maintaining a healthy weight etc- it does say something about their character. This can cause another person to react adversely. This is different from “well, her face is not all that attractive so she must not be a person I would like very much.”</p>
<p>I think there is an important distinction between “tattoos” and “people with tattoos.” I don’t like tattoos, but I like plenty of people who have them - just isn’t a choice I’d make for me and myself. I don’t like SUVs either and wouldn’t ever buy one, but plenty of my friends have them and that’s fine. People with tattoos are, well, you know, people - some are good and some are bad. I don’t have to like their tattoos. Just like they don’t have to like my ring or necklace or handbag or shoes or haircut. </p>
<p>I am not conflating, Pizzagirl. You are. You are assuming my post is in response to the previous posts in the thread. While some points are, the point you believe is…is not.I have said it is perfectly fine for someone to thinking ill of someone’s judgment. I may add to say it’s perfectly fine to find something aesthetically unappealing. It’s your opinion. Please don’t get gruff with me over something I said that doesn’t even apply to you - people writing off those with tattoos.</p>
<p>You brought up a good point, MoWC. Tattoos or other physical alteration may be considered a definition of character by others. I, myself, do not consider it do be so, but I do understand that for others it may be. Everyone is welcome to make their first impression judgements. It’s when those first impressions rule further interactions and perceptions that I do not agree with. I am not saying you, or Pizzagirl, or any poster in this thread are guilty of doing this. I am only speaking on my observances in daily life. </p>
<p>I had a trainer once who talked a lot about being comfortable in one’s own skin. I’m kind of slow on the uptake, but once I saw that he wore a toupee, I changed my assessment of his character and he became a bit of a comical figure to me. I switched trainers shortly afterwards. </p>
<p>It’s not the same as huge and unnatural fake boobs, but I reserve the right to decide that someone’s choices reflect their character. </p>
<p>Yes, you do, IxnayBob. Yes, you do.</p>
<p>It always bothers me just how physical appearance-obsessed society is. Nothing is probably going to change about that any time soon, but I do hope that if enought people speak out about just how absurd it is, maybe things will change eventually.</p>
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<p>I have lots of close friends with tattoos. I think their tattoos are tacky, just like I think the time some of my friends wore a powder-blue tuxedo or voted for ***** was a moment of total stupidity. But it’s not like I’ve never done anything incredibly stupid in my life. </p>
<p>I see tattoos as a statement. While I generally don’t have a problem with tats I do caution my kids that the statement they choose to make about themselves to the world may change over time or depending on circumstances, and visible tattoos don’t allow for the kind of adjustment a statement made with dress, speech, hairstyles or makeup does.</p>