Why the negativity about tattoos?

[Moxie]

I'm curious why people have negative feelings about tattoos. Please explain.

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

[Mama Geek]

This will become a hot topic on here, but I want to pose a question from the opposite pov.

 

Why do people get tattoos knowing there is a large segment of the population who have negative feelings about it and then get upset when they come across those people?

[Mandylubug]

for me, it is a religious conviction to not have a tattoo.

[Paintedlady]

I guess I just find them tacky or low class. Sorry, but you asked! *ducking the flying tomatoes* :leaving:

[Cassy]

I don't like them, but I'm not sure why, as a couple of my friends have very pretty tattoos which I think are quite tasteful. All I can think is that when I was a child the only people I knew who had tattoos were greasy, hairy workmen who swore and smoked roll-ups, they were ... altogether rather unsavoury; I think that might have influenced my opinion of tattoos.

[DianeW88]

I guess I just find them tacky or low class. Sorry, but you asked! *ducking the flying tomatoes* :leaving:

 

:iagree: and yes, she asked. :D

[phathui5]

Dh and I both have tattoos, all of which are where they would be hidden by work attire. I'm all for tattoos that can be covered up for a job interview.

[LillyMama]

For me it's a sense of style / preference thing. Similar to how I don't like certain hair styles or types of shoes or styles of pants. I don't necessarily think less of people who have them. But I do think it's a permanent declaration of style and I change my style too often to get one. Likewise, I think of people with tattoos have having certain styles and, if anything, I think I feel sorry for them that they committed themselves to a style they can never escape. If that's okay with them, so be it, it's their body. But I will probably warn my daughter from them for that reason.

[Lisbeth]

I was taught that they are tacky and low class too, along with ankle bracelets and wearing a ring on every finger.

 

It is also a religious conviction. As a member of the LDS faith, we are strongly discouraged from getting them.

 

One funny quote which has been around for a while about tattoos: Would you put a bumper sticker on a ferrari?

Edited June 2, 2012 by Lisbeth
addition

[5kidsforME]

I guess I just find them tacky or low class. Sorry, but you asked! *ducking the flying tomatoes* :leaving:

 

 

:iagree:

[catz]

Dh and I both have tattoos, all of which are where they would be hidden by work attire. I'm all for tattoos that can be covered up for a job interview.

 

:iagree: I have a small tattoo on my lower back I got in my mid twenties. I have no problem with tattoos, but I do think they look tacky if you can't easily cover them. No one would guess in a million years that I have a tattoo if they met me.

[I.Dup.]

As the person who started the "I'm getting a half-sleeve thread"...Tacky and low class- ouch!!

 

I don't mind that people don't like tattoos, certainly. I guess I just didn't know there were still such strong stereotypes about them. I'm newly 30 and they just seem so common to me. :confused: I'm surprised people still feel so strongly about people who have tattoos.

 

I totally understand the hesitations mentioned, though. It's def. something worth thinking about.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I don't find them attractive in the least. Even if I did, I wouldn't do it because of religious conviction.

 

(FTR I have no issue with medical tattoos such as those done after breast reconstruction).

[I.Dup.]

Can someone share what the LDS faith says about tattoos? I am curious. :001_smile:

[Forget-Me-Not]

We view the body as a sacred gift from God, so we are encouraged to refrain altering it--whether that is tattoos or piercings beyond a single pair for the ears :)

[jenangelcat]

I get people not finding them attractive, not your style etc. But saying something is low class is really offensive. Classism isn't a good thing.

[higginszoo]

For me? Because I've never had anything that I've had a strong conviction that I want something in particular on a specific place on my skin forever, especially when it's going to hurt to get it there.

 

For others? Well, I've seen a lot of people with some pretty tacky ink -- either badly done or just not well thought out. I've seen other people with beautiful artwork, though. But I'm not universally against other people having it ... I tend to be live and let live, though.

[edelweiss]

I guess I just find them tacky or low class. Sorry, but you asked! *ducking the flying tomatoes* :leaving:

 

This is how I see them as well.

[twoxcell]

Personally I find them tacky and a big waste of money. I really don't care what other people do though.;)

[clarkacademy]

I get people not finding them attractive, not your style etc. But saying something is low class is really offensive. Classism isn't a good thing.

 

The poster answered her feeling on the question asked. She is not being offensive it is how she feels.

[Jennifer L]

Dh and I both have tattoos, all of which are where they would be hidden by work attire. I'm all for tattoos that can be covered up for a job interview.

:iagree: As long as it can be easily covered I'm fine with it.

[Moxie]

Another question--

 

If you view them as tacky/low-class, will you alter your opinion as they become more mainstream? Ear piercing were once tacky/low-class but no one thinks that now. I'm just curious if ideas about tattoos will change in the future.

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

[Audrey]

For myself, they just don't suit who I am as a person. I don't think of them as "trashy," necessarily, but I've never seen one that I thought was particularly classy either, and certainly never seen one that I'd want on myself.

 

On others, as I've said... I've not yet seen a tattoo that I really loved, but I can appreciate some of them on their artistic merit, and be happy for people who really love their tattoo. It is certainly a very personal choice. On rare occasions, I've seen some very offensive tattoos, but that was obviously the intent of the wearer. I've also seen quite a few tattoos that I think are very poor quality, artistically speaking, and I tend to feel sorry for those people because they're stuck with an ugly tat forever.

 

ETA: FWIW, my father had 2 tattoos. Popeye on one bicep, an eagle on an anchor on the other. He was in the Navy. I thought everybody's Navy dad had a tattoo or two. I have very fond memories of Dad flexing his bicep to make the eagle wave or Popeye toot his pipe. So, it's not like I'm against tattoos on the whole, per se.

Edited June 2, 2012 by Audrey

[jenangelcat]

The poster answered her feeling on the question asked. She is not being offensive it is how she feels.

 

That's really irrelevant. Lots of people state things they feel (like all the people upset that Rue and Thresh were POC), it doesn't make what they say not offensive.

 

It's the internet, and like in real life you are free to state how you feel. But don't expect to not be called on it. An enabler, I am not.

[Moxie]

We view the body as a sacred gift from God, so we are encouraged to refrain altering it--whether that is tattoos or piercings beyond a single pair for the ears :)

 

How is altering your ears okay but a tattoo isn't okay? I'm not being snarky, I promise, I'm just trying to understand.

[clarkacademy]

Another question--

 

If you view them as tacky/low-class, will you alter your opinion as they become more mainstream? Ear piercing were once tacky/low-class but no one thinks that now. I'm just curious if ideas about tattoos will change in the future.

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

 

I disagree I know PLENTY of people who have the same view for pierecings PLENTY

[Moxie]

I disagree I know PLENTY of people who have the same view for pierecings PLENTY

 

Really?!? That surprises me. Nearly EVERY female has their ears pierced. That is a lot of people to have a low opinion of.

[greenvneck]

I don't have any piercings but I do have one small tattoo that I love. In fact, I would be hard-pressed to come up with more than a handful of names of my friends who DON'T have at least one tattoo--and we are all suburban homeschooling moms, ages ranging from early-30s to mid-50s, living in conservative North Texas. Very few of us are conservative, though. :lol:

[webbeccjo]

The poster answered her feeling on the question asked. She is not being offensive it is how she feels.

 

just because its how she feels does not mean that some people won't find her opinion offensive :)

[clarkacademy]

Really?!? That surprises me. Nearly EVERY female has their ears pierced. That is a lot of people to have a low opinion of.

 

I am not talking about a simple ear piercing. Tongues the HUGE things in ears facial that sort of thing is not as accepted as people would like to believe.

[UnsinkableKristen]

I disagree I know PLENTY of people who have the same view for piercings PLENTY

 

I don't know a single person who still thinks this. I truly thought that was a opinion gone WAY by.

 

 

ETA: I see you mean larger body piercings. Okay, that makes more sense.

 

We view the body as a sacred gift from God, so we are encouraged to refrain altering it--whether that is tattoos or piercings beyond a single pair for the ears :)

 

Not snarky, just curious - why is a single alteration to God's sacred gift okay, but another one isn't? Is one tattoo okay if you don't have pierced ears?

[ebrindam]

Trashy...especially on women. Sorry :-/

[LG Gone Wild]

... Not a fan here. Looks like we are embracing and normalizing thug culture like having one's pants dangle below the butt crack. Plus, it looks like people are trying too hard to be cool.

 

ETA: Have a large one and I shouldn't have done it although it does look cool.

[Robin M]

When I was growing up it was during the era when only convicts and bikers got tattoos. It was considered low class. Then it became the pervue of gang members. so if you had a tat, you were a gang banger, belonged to one or low class. As an employer who deals with a wide variety of people including the older generation who take a dim view of someone with tattoo's we don't hire anyone with visible tattoos or piercings of any kind. I had one long term employee - She had tattoos but kept them covered while at work. She quit after a while. Her only reason. Her noise was getting irritated from having to remove her nose ring to come to work.

 

As our business has evolved and our customer base has changed to more musicians with multiple tattoo's, I've had to try and change my frame of mine from the past to the present where they are now personal symbols for folks and it doesn't mean they are a criminal.

 

Personally I think they are ugly, especially on a woman. It detracts from her beauty, doesn't add to it.

Edited June 2, 2012 by Mytwoblessings

[Forget-Me-Not]

How is altering your ears okay but a tattoo isn't okay? I'm not being snarky, I promise, I'm just trying to understand.

 

No, it's a good question, and one I don't really have an answer to. . . perhaps because a single set of ear piercings is such a cultural norm. I know very, very few adult women who don't have their ears pierced, KWIM? Plus, most people could stop wearing earrings and those holes would close up.

 

And there are members who choose to do tattoos and body piercings. It won't affect your membership in the church, it's just general 'counsel' that most people choose to follow :001_smile:

[clarkacademy]

When I was growing up it was during the era when only convicts and bikers got tattoos. It was considered low class. Then it became the pervue of gang members. so if you had a tat, you were a gang banger, belonged to one or low class. As an employer who deals with a wide variety of people including the older generation who take a dim view of someone with tattoo's we don't hire anyone with visible tattoos.

 

As our business has evolved and our customer base has changed to more musicians with multiple tattoo's, I've had to try and change my frame of mine from the past to the present where they are now personal symbols for folks and it doesn't mean they are a criminal.

 

Personally I think they are ugly, especially on a woman. It detracts from her beauty, doesn't add to it.

 

:iagree:This is how my grandma raised me. Sadly we had convicts in our family on my bio fathers side and even they would never get tats.

[sparrow]

Another question--

 

If you view them as tacky/low-class, will you alter your opinion as they become more mainstream? Ear piercing were once tacky/low-class but no one thinks that now. I'm just curious if ideas about tattoos will change in the future.

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

 

*Become* more mainstream? Everybody has a tattoo now! I answered on the other thread, but that's why I dislike mine now. I got mine in the early nineties and it was counterculture then (so was I :001_smile:)---not so much anymore. I don't think it's low-class, but it is a definite indicator of our generation.

 

I honestly think the years of everyone getting tattoos are on the way OUT.

[LittleIzumi]

How is altering your ears okay but a tattoo isn't okay? I'm not being snarky, I promise, I'm just trying to understand.

 

Not snarky, just curious - why is a single alteration to God's sacred gift okay, but another one isn't? Is one tattoo okay if you don't have pierced ears?

 

It's not permanent. Ear piercings in the lower lobe will close up if left alone for long enough. (I've had two close up on me--I only wear earrings once or twice a year, and one just closed up on me again. Went too long without putting an earring in.) Temporary things like temp tattoos and hair color are just fine. (I didn't see my real hair color for several years. :lol:) It's permanent changes that are strongly discouraged.

[DianeW88]

And there are members who choose to do tattoos and body piercings. It won't affect your membership in the church, it's just general 'counsel' that most people choose to follow :001_smile:

 

:iagree: It is not something that will affect an individual's standing in the church at all. And I can think of several women in my ward who do have tattoos.

 

And as my mother used to say (and she was not LDS by the way) , "Your body is a gift from God and not your personal canvas to draw all over like a little kid with a magic marker."

[VeganCupcake]

I don't particularly like the way they look. Some are nicer-looking than others, but in general, none of them are very appealing to me. Maybe those I have seen close-up are just poorly done?

 

(I'm also LDS so it's a religious thing for me personally, too.)

[Quiver0f10]

I just don't find them attractive.

[ereks mom]

I wonder if it's an age thing. I'm 50, and I think they are trashy and low class. However, it has absolutely nothing to do with religious beliefs. Yes, I realize it's an unfair prejudice. Growing up, I associated them with criminals or older men who'd been in the service. Tough guys. I think after that, they became popular with gangs. I think it's a fad now, trying to stand out but ending up looking like everyone else. Honestly, most of the women I have seen with them seem pretty tough and scruffy. We were at the ice cream shack recently and saw several teenage girls covered in tattoos. I told my son that any one of them looked tough enough to beat him up. He agreed.

...I think I'm pretty fair with my prejudice, though, because I find them just as disgusting on men.

 

Same here.

 

... Not a fan here. Looks like we are embracing and normalizing thug culture like having one's pants dangle below the butt crack. Plus, it looks like people are trying too hard to be cool.

 

 

 

:iagree:

[Barb_]

My husband has a Kokopelli that I like over a tribal band that I don't. The Kokopelli is meaningful because it is a symbol of fertility and childbirth. He got it after he caught our son (midwife hadn't yet arrived). The tribal band is stupid because it means nothing. And it's crooked. Then he has this HUGE scorpion he got on a whim once to "surprise me." Uh-huh. It's red and looks like a giant lobster. I loathe his lobster.

 

My SIL has a sun on her back that turned into a vampire-teethed sun when the artist slipped. She hates it.

 

Tatoos can be objectively beautiful, but usually they just seem...cluttered.

[LillyMama]

;)

No, it's a good question, and one I don't really have an answer to. . . perhaps because a single set of ear piercings is such a cultural norm. I know very, very few adult women who don't have their ears pierced, KWIM? Plus, most people could stop wearing earrings and those holes would close up.

 

Funny, both my mom and my sister have un-pierced ears, my mom doesn't wear make-up and my sister only rarely does. And she didn't start until she was in her late 20's. We're not LDS. My mom's dad decided girls who colored their hair, wore makeup or pierced their ears were "fast." My dad was in the army when they met and he fell for her because he thought she was just a more intelligent, less-airheaded girl because she didn't do all of those things. It's just funny how different people view the world.

 

When I was in college, I got my belly button pierced before my ears, because I could hide it from my mom. I'm excited for whatever drama my daughter will bring on me.

[clarkacademy]

My husband has a Kokopelli that I like over a tribal band that I don't. The Kokopelli is meaningful because it is a symbol of fertility and childbirth. He got it after he caught our son (midwife hadn't yet arrived). The tribal band is stupid because it means nothing. And it's crooked. Then he has this HUGE scorpion he got on a whim once to "surprise me." Uh-huh. It's red and looks like a giant lobster. I loathe his lobster.

 

My SIL has a sun on her back that turned into a vampire-teethed sun when the artist slipped. She hates it.

 

Tatoos can be objectively beautiful, but usually they just seem...cluttered.

 

Don't they have to fix that?? I would freak out. Well another reason to add to my do not do list.

[gardening momma]

I don't think they look nice--even the butterflies, flowers and birds. I think they look a bit tacky, too.

[mom2denj]

Just food for thought. My husband works with a guy that has tattoos fully covering his arms. We live in Florida and he works outside. He has to wear long sleeve shirts ALL SUMMER LONG. Yes, he regrets them.

 

Personally, I do not like them. However, I do not have anything against small tattoos that can be easily covered up.

[Spy Car]

Ear piercing were once tacky/low-class but no one thinks that now.

 

I wouldn't say no one ;) :D

 

Bill

[stansclan89]

;)

 

Funny, both my mom and my sister have un-pierced ears, my mom doesn't wear make-up and my sister only rarely does. And she didn't start until she was in her late 20's. We're not LDS.

 

Just to clarify...I know very few LDS that have un-pierced ears and don't wear make-up. (I am an active LDS member.)

[Word Nerd]

I can't think of anything I'd want permanently marked on my body. I don't wear earrings either. Just not into body art-decoration, I guess. I've seen some cool tats and some that are just plain hideous, but mostly I just don't think they're that attractive. DH has two, and I like them OK.