Why the negativity about tattoos?

[SailorMom]

I find that the attitude of people towards my tattoos helps me weed out people I don't want to spend time with :)

[pfamilygal]

I live in north Texas and spend many summer days at our local water park. I think tatoos are the minority around here, too. I can only think of one close friend that has a tatoo.

 

I was at Hurricane Harbor (Arlington) all day Friday and it was Tat City. Oy vey. And nasty tats! I don't need my kids seeing your "naked she-devil with giant boobs" tat. Yuck.

[I.Dup.]

It's an okay colored pencil drawing one might find in an okay talented student in a high school art class. Pleasant? Yes. Beautiful? Meh. If my kid produced it, I might frame it and hang it on the wall. Have it permanently tattooed on my body? Nope.

 

IMO, human begins are a type of canvass, but very subtle materials should be used, not crayons and paint by numbers. But, again, imo, it's a taste issue. I have absolutely no problem with others doing what they wish regarding body "art".

 

It is interesting to me to read comments on the picture I had originally posted in another tattoo thread. I'm not sure if people read the original thread, but that is the design I am thinking about getting for a 1/2 sleeve tattoo.

 

I had honestly never thought of tattoos being the same kind of "art" that you would hang on a wall. I can't think of one, single tattoo that would be something someone would hang on a wall.

 

Hmm.

[edelweiss]

I don't know if I speak for all who are in the low class category or not, but to me that doesn't mean low pay. You can have money and be low class, or you can have very little money and still be classy. Low class is not equivalent to low pay.

 

:iagree: Absolutely!

[kewb]

Personally, I wouldn't get one. I don't care for permanant body alteration. I don't think tattoos age particularly well and I don't want a needle injecting ink under my skin over and over.

 

As for what I think about them when I see them on someone else:

Some tats are trashy looking. Some are interesting pieces of art. Some are meant to be hateful. Some are just plain stupid. I will make a snap judgement of who you are as a person based on your body art. It doesn't mean I won't get past it and find out who you really are but there will be an initial reaction. I don't think you should be surprised that you don't get a customer service job where you are visible to the public. Employers have an image they want to project. More often than not numerous tattoos are not that image.

 

If you are going to get a tattoo then you need to be prepared for the realities of the reactions and prejudice you may be on the receiving end of. Don't be surprised and offended when it happens. It will happen. A tattoo is a personal choice. You may want to battle the establishment. More power to you but don't be miffed when the masses do not embrace your choice.

[DianeW88]

I think that anyone who gets a tattoo, particularly a large one, needs to be prepared for the ramifications that will most likely result from that choice. Here are several studies:

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/110/6/1058.abstract

 

http://vault.hanover.edu/~altermattw/methods/assets/posterpics/Fall2006/Smith-Gentry-Chailland.pdf

 

http://www.gse.uci.edu/docs/Bodily_Signs_2011.pdf

 

Working in pediatrics, I can tell you FOR SURE that tattoos on a teen (late teen 18-21) or the parent (large visible tattoos) will get a notation in a file to be aware that the child may be at risk. Often parents who have tattoos also smoke, use illicit drugs, consume alcohol, engage in risky sexual behavior, are less likely to have a college degree, and generally earn lower wages than those who do not. It is one sign (of several) that a physician will use to predict things about a patient's lifestyle and the environment in which the child may be raised.

 

Now, obviously, you may choose to have a tattoo and not engage in ANY of the above. But I think it is prudent to know that a large portion of society as whole will deem that you have...and that it can affect not only you, but your children in ways you probably never imagined.

[scubamama]

As an RN, I've seen all kinds of tatoos. The ones elderly WWII vets have, the homemade/prison style, hearts n' flowers, etc.

 

My hands down fav was one that said

 

"Keep Off The Grass!"

 

I'll let the imaginations run wild as to where placement was! :rolleyes: :tongue_smilie: :lol:

[Ferdie]

I was at Hurricane Harbor (Arlington) all day Friday and it was Tat City. Oy vey. And nasty tats! I don't need my kids seeing your "naked she-devil with giant boobs" tat. Yuck.

 

Here is the water park we go to. Very few naked she-devil tats here:

 

http://www.flower-mound.com/cac/

 

Or try this water park:

 

http://www.hfalls.com/colony/

Edited June 3, 2012 by Ferdie

[mom4him]

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

 

 

I am an older mom and I have the philosophy of why purposefully do something unnecessarily to your body that could very easily bring harm to you. I have to be honest, I don't get that.

 

I do also agree with the one poster that stated she thinks they are tacky. The art that the one gal showed is beautiful, hanging on the wall, possibly even put on a really nice t-shirt but I don't see the attractiveness of it ON a person.:tongue_smilie:

 

ETS: I do want to express that I do NOT believe that just because a person has a tattoo they are tacky/trashy/etc. They are people created by the Father. It is the tattoo that I find as such. I also don't like to drink out of a plastic glass nor do I like plastic nic nacs sitting on my shelves.:D

 

One person said that they see them as a fashion statement. Tattoos last a life time unless removed. Most fashions last only a couple of years.;)

Edited June 3, 2012 by mom4him

[Jpoy85]

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

 

Unless its a Homeschool Bumper Sticker. :lol::lol:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I want a Tat. A Memorial Tat for the baby we lost, but im too chicken and Ill likely never get it done. I also know I shouldnt, but I dont mind if other people have Ink on them.

[Moxie]

I think that anyone who gets a tattoo, particularly a large one, needs to be prepared for the ramifications that will most likely result from that choice. Here are several studies:

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/110/6/1058.abstract

 

http://vault.hanover.edu/~altermattw/methods/assets/posterpics/Fall2006/Smith-Gentry-Chailland.pdf

 

http://www.gse.uci.edu/docs/Bodily_Signs_2011.pdf

 

Working in pediatrics, I can tell you FOR SURE that tattoos on a teen (late teen 18-21) or the parent (large visible tattoos) will get a notation in a file to be aware that the child may be at risk. Often parents who have tattoos also smoke, use illicit drugs, consume alcohol, engage in risky sexual behavior, are less likely to have a college degree, and generally earn lower wages than those who do not. It is one sign (of several) that a physician will use to predict things about a patient's lifestyle and the environment in which the child may be raised.

 

Now, obviously, you may choose to have a tattoo and not engage in ANY of the above. But I think it is prudent to know that a large portion of society as whole will deem that you have...and that it can affect not only you, but your children in ways you probably never imagined.

 

This is cultural. I doubt any ped. in Seattle or San Francisco is labelling a child "at risk" because of a parent's tattoo. Utah, yeah, I can see that being the assumption.

[DianeW88]

This is cultural. I doubt any ped. in Seattle or San Francisco is labelling a child "at risk" because of a parent's tattoo. Utah, yeah, I can see that being the assumption.

 

Actually, we did this when I worked in a ped's office in Denver, as well.

[Ibbygirl]

This is cultural. I doubt any ped. in Seattle or San Francisco is labelling a child "at risk" because of a parent's tattoo. Utah, yeah, I can see that being the assumption.

 

:iagree: Here in South Florida tattoos are so common that it seems that those who don't have a tattoo might be the minority. I used to teach a group of Middle School girls at church and several of them had permanent tattoos as well. I can't possibly see pediatricians flagging that many people. Shoot, several of the doctors at pediatrician's office have tattoos themselves. In this location, I can't see how it could be flagged as an indicator of anything other than being trendy.

[Spy Car]

Actually, we did this when I worked in a ped's office in Denver, as well.

 

Utah...BTW...is looking better and better to me :D

 

Except for the coffee thing :tongue_smilie:

 

Bill

[Ibbygirl]

Utah...BTW...is looking better and better to me :D

 

Except for the coffee thing :tongue_smilie:

 

Bill

 

okay, you've got me curious. :). What is "the coffee thing"?

[Happy]

Interesting discussion. I've appreciated the various points of view stated here.

 

I'm in the 'was raised to believe it was trashy and low class' catagory.

 

Today I see that it's a fashion statement so my early POV has changed.

 

Still...it would not be my first choice. I don't like them and I wonder at the insides of some of these folks. As in...I see a lot of young adults expressing themselves with body art--tats, piecings, hair color and styles. It seems instead of grabbing a canvas and painting (or guitar,a pen, or a camera, etc.)....they are decorating themselves. It seems to me a way more self centered production.

 

My sons and my dil, all in their twenties, have tattoes. All of them got one as sort of a right of passage, I think. They can be covered...mostly.

 

My youngest got another tattoo earlier this year. It was his way of honoring me and my fight against breast cancer. Sigh. He has a huge pink ribbon on his chest. It has my name in it. The thing is fully six inches high--which is larger than he intended, I think.

 

It may have made him feel better but as an 'honor' to me, it makes me sad and mad. (We discussed it before he got it done so he knew my opinion. Once it was done, I've held my tongue except to say ONCE that I wished he hadn't done it.) That thing is going to be on him long after I'm done fighting this disease. I wish if he had really wanted to honor me that he would have volunteered somewhere or worn a pink pin on his shirt or had t-shirts made, run a marathon OR gotten a college degree. :D What he did was sweet, but very self centered as it required no effort on his part. He didn't even pay for it...it was a 'gift' at a bachelor party for a friend.

 

So I have very, very mixed feelings about tattooes.

[sparrow]

I can't see how it could be flagged as an indicator of anything other than being trendy.

 

:lol:

[Farmgirl70]

I read of a program somewhere that offered tattoo removal for folks getting out of gangs. It seemed that the folks involved realized that the tattoos gave out a message that they no longer wanted to send. Hmmm...I wonder if I can find that again. I wonder how many people (non-gang members) would have their tattoos removed if it was free.

 

I live in a neighborhood with a number of gangs in it and have friends who work with gang members. The problem with gang tattoos is not that it is a tattoo, but that the particular tattoo connects them to their gang and everyone knows it. Rival gangs will see the tattoo and recognize it as alliance to their gang and so will their former gang. Removing the tattoo removes that signal. It's not so much about having a tattoo, KWIM?

[DianeW88]

Utah...BTW...is looking better and better to me :D

 

Except for the coffee thing :tongue_smilie:

 

Bill

 

There's a Starbucks a couple of miles from my house. We do allow the "coffee people" inside state lines. :D

[nmoira]

Utah...BTW...is looking better and better to me :D

 

Except for the coffee thing :tongue_smilie:

 

Bill

Meh. I'm happy in Portland. Good coffee. Good beer. Great library system. Powell's. Everything really. Most of my friends have at least one tattoo. I'm content not to judge them, and I'd wager that most of the people who think tattoos brand one as trashy or low-class (and what exactly does this mean?) would find another reasons to pass judgement anyway.

 

DH is still screwing up his courage to get a tattoo of the penny-farthing logo from the Village. Better than the Mark of Eyghon, I guess. :tongue_smilie:

[Spy Car]

There's a Starbucks a couple of miles from my house. We do allow the "coffee people" inside state lines. :D

 

Really? :D

 

But will people think I'm trashy and low-class? :tongue_smilie:

 

Bill

[edelweiss]

I wonder how many people (non-gang members) would have their tattoos removed if it was free.

 

I don't know, but I do know that my BIL, who is a cosmetic dermatologist, makes a pretty penny off of tattoo removal. :D

[Spy Car]

Meh. I'm happy in Portland. Good coffee. Good beer. Great library system. Powell's. Everything really. Most of my friends have at least one tattoo. I'm content not to judge them, and I'd wager that most of the people who think tattoos brand one as trashy or low-class (and what exactly does this mean?) would find another reasons to pass judgement anyway.

 

DH is still screwing up his courage to get a tattoo of the penny-farthing logo from the Village. Better than the Mark of Eyghon, I guess. :tongue_smilie:

 

For good coffee and good beer, I might have to live with other people's sense of self-expression. Good-bye dreams of Deseret! :D

 

Bill

[Aelwydd]

Well, geez, I didn't realize there were two threads on this subject. I guess my answer to this one is the same on the other thread. My C&P answer:

 

I think that it depends on what one equates tattoos with: an immutable physical trait, or the optional exercise of one's personal aesthetic.

 

I don't put tattoos in the same category as someone's facial features. I put it in the same class as the style of clothing one chooses, or the color someone puts in their hair. And in the same way I find some outfits or hair styles or music or other personal preference to be more or less classy, I employ my own personal aesthetic to body art. I personally don't care for tattoos, because they just look strange to me. Even with beautiful designs and colors, it still looks to me like discolored and stained skin. It's not something I find attractive.

 

It's not a matter of the person being classy or trashy. I find tattoos to be a detraction from my appreciation of the beauty and form of the body. That's what makes them [tattoos] unappealing to me, a sort of lowering of a beauty standard.

 

That is not the same thing as saying the person is unappealing to me. In the same way I have a cousin who sometimes wears back-less shirts with cut-off jeans shorts with printed messages on her butt. I like my cousin. I do not like this particular style of wear.

 

Maybe a better analogy would be smoking cigarettes. For all that some people, and a lot of media in the past, have both perceived and depicted smoking as a sexy, attractive habit, there have always been people like myself who see it as an unhealthy, "trashy" habit. I have some dear friends who are smokers. I see them as wonderful, amazing, and very classy people, but I see the habit of smoking as lacking in refinement, and not attractive.

 

That's how I view most tattoos. Unrefined, unattractive, unhealthy.

 

ETA: I'm expressing my opinion because it was specifically asked in this thread. It's not a strong aversion, and frankly, isn't something I really dwell on. I meet someone with tattoos, I have a vague dislike in the back of my mind for the tatts, if I even notice, but it's not something I give more than a passing thought. It's not something that affects my like or dislike of that person. I have many family members and friends that have tattoos. It's a non-issue. I just want to make that clear, because describing a preference or aversion to a specific thing in the abstract is quite different from going around and telling people point blank that you really dislike some aspect of their aesthetic.

[Runningmom80]

Well, I'm glad my dh still finds me attractive with my hideous "stigmas." :lol:

[beaners]

I think that anyone who gets a tattoo, particularly a large one, needs to be prepared for the ramifications that will most likely result from that choice. Here are several studies:

 

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/110/6/1058.abstract

 

http://vault.hanover.edu/~altermattw/methods/assets/posterpics/Fall2006/Smith-Gentry-Chailland.pdf

 

http://www.gse.uci.edu/docs/Bodily_Signs_2011.pdf

 

Working in pediatrics, I can tell you FOR SURE that tattoos on a teen (late teen 18-21) or the parent (large visible tattoos) will get a notation in a file to be aware that the child may be at risk. Often parents who have tattoos also smoke, use illicit drugs, consume alcohol, engage in risky sexual behavior, are less likely to have a college degree, and generally earn lower wages than those who do not. It is one sign (of several) that a physician will use to predict things about a patient's lifestyle and the environment in which the child may be raised.

 

Now, obviously, you may choose to have a tattoo and not engage in ANY of the above. But I think it is prudent to know that a large portion of society as whole will deem that you have...and that it can affect not only you, but your children in ways you probably never imagined.

 

I don't have large visible tattoos, but I'm pretty sure medical professionals note all kinds of "warning signs" about my family. I was "too young" when my first was born (21 in an area where late 20s is far more common), I have "too many" children, and they are "too close in age." We don't fully vaccinate, which gets a big fat note in bold letters.

 

I do find a bit of humor in becoming statistically more likely to engage in a behavior because I need to take off a piece of clothing for a medical examination. I'm not angry about it or out to change the world. I wouldn't walk up to my dear sweet 90 year old neighbor back in PA with my watch off and tattoo showing just to shock her. :001_smile:

[happymomofboys]

I find that the attitude of people towards my tattoos helps me weed out people I don't want to spend time with :)

 

Judgy attitudes are so tacky and low-class. ;) I was just thinking last night that, after this thread, I'm tempted to get another tattoo in a more prominent place just so I can more easily identify the kind of people I'd like to avoid. :lol:

[pfamilygal]

Judgy attitudes are so tacky and low-class. ;) I was just thinking last night that, after this thread, I'm tempted to get another tattoo in a more prominent place just so I can more easily identify the kind of people I'd like to avoid. :lol:

 

Just because someone finds tattoos to be trashy doesn't mean they wouldn't hang out with someone with tats.

 

I mean, I'm not a fan of tattoos. I don't like the way they look. They don't seem very refined to me. But lots of my friends have tats. I don't think twice about it. But for me, no tats.

[Aelwydd]

Just because someone finds tattoos to be trashy doesn't mean they wouldn't hang out with someone with tats.

 

I mean, I'm not a fan of tattoos. I don't like the way they look. They don't seem very refined to me. But lots of my friends have tats. I don't think twice about it. But for me, no tats.

 

:iagree:

[Runningmom80]

I so don't get the whole "what will they look like wrinkly and saggy?" comment. Who cares at that point? Wrinkly skin is hideous anyways, what's the difference? My stomach has lots of loose wrinkly "twin skin" from carrying twins full term on a very small frame. I can assure you that my tattoos are much more visually appealing, and it's tattoo free, but if I had a tattoo on my stomach, it's not like that's what made the wrinkly skin ugly. :lol:

[Renee in NC]

This is cultural. I doubt any ped. in Seattle or San Francisco is labelling a child "at risk" because of a parent's tattoo. Utah, yeah, I can see that being the assumption.

 

:lol: At least I know that DSS isn't going to hold it against me. I have a very good friend who is a social worker in our county and she is *not* the only one with tattoos.

 

As far as the "notation" in the file by a physician - who cares? Why does that hurt me or my child? I have a good working relationship with out ped. Is he really going to change his opinion of me because I have a tattoo?

 

ETA: I don't have any, so this is all hypothetical.

Edited June 3, 2012 by Renee in FL

[Walking-Iris]

You know what I find trashy, low class, and unattractive? This thread! Amazing how many moms here have said they have tats and still the trashy, unattractive, low class comments continue to fly. Amazing that people say they have good friends with tats and they don't judge even though they still think tats are ugly etc. I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who harbored those kinds of thoughts about my lifestyle choice. Amazing that some people think it's okay that children could get flagged as at risk because of tattoos. So? Are all our fellow forum members who have tats putting their children at risk? Do we forum members with tats engage in drug, alcohol and sexually illicit activities? Maybe we should start another poll to find out. Good idea?

 

I'm also amazed at the hypocritical comments. "The body is beautiful." "God's creation" blah blah blah. Beautiful until you're old with sagging, unattractive skin that is. :glare:

 

Honestly I'm reminded of why I stay away from the general forums usually. What a complete waste of time and effort.

[Xuzi]

You know what I find trashy, low class, and unattractive? This thread! Amazing how many moms here have said they have tats and still the trashy, unattractive, low class comments continue to fly. Amazing that people say they have good friends with tats and they don't judge even though they still think tats are ugly etc. I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who harbored those kinds of thoughts about my lifestyle choice. Amazing that some people think it's okay that children could get flagged as at risk because of tattoos. So? Are all our fellow forum members who have tats putting their children at risk? Do we forum members with tats engage in drug, alcohol and sexually illicit activities? Maybe we should start another poll to find out. Good idea?

 

I'm also amazed at the hypocritical comments. "The body is beautiful." "God's creation" blah blah blah. Beautiful until you're old with sagging, unattractive skin that is. :glare:

 

Honestly I'm reminded of why I stay away from the general forums usually. What a complete waste of time and effort.

 

My DH has a tattoo. He got it many years before I ever met him. I dated him, and married him, and had kids with him. I think he is the most wonderful, amazing guy in the whole world. And I still find tattoos to be unattractive, and SOME, yes, even trashy (generally the ones of naked women with over-sized bOOks).

 

Are the two opinions (love of my husband/strong dislike of tattoos) mutually exclusive? I don't like my grandmothers taste in home decour either, but I still love her to pieces, in spite of her "lifestyle choice" of over-sized furniture and animal prints not being to my liking.

[Walking-Iris]

My DH has a tattoo. He got it many years before I ever met him. I dated him, and married him, and had kids with him. I think he is the most wonderful, amazing guy in the whole world. And I still find tattoos to be unattractive, and SOME, yes, even trashy (generally the ones of naked women with over-sized bOOks).

 

Are the two opinions (love of my husband/strong dislike of tattoos) mutually exclusive? I don't like my grandmothers taste in home decour either, but I still love her to pieces, in spite of her "lifestyle choice" of over-sized furniture and animal prints not being to my liking.

 

Some tats are better looking than others. I agree that some are meant to send certain messages, whereas most are simply personal expression. Tats aren't for everyone. Tastes are different. It's the general holier than thou tone and sweeping generalizations in this thread that are bothersome. I might not like someone's taste in home furnishings either, but I certainly wouldn't start saying that the majority of people with animal prints were low class and trashy, or that their house looked that way, or that they might be more likely to engage in illicit activities and "oh goddness what will their house look like in a few years?"

 

There is a huge difference in saying "tattoos are not for me personally" and just plain rudeness.

[Danestress]

That a tattoo looks trashy and that the person sporting it is a trashy person. It is interesting to me how few people seem able to see this distinction.

[Runningmom80]

That a tattoo looks trashy and that the person sporting it is a trashy person. It is interesting to me how few people seem able to see this distinction.

 

There's not much of a difference to me. "you're not trashy, but your tattoo is." is still insulting.

 

 

If a person thinks less of me because I have tattoos, then I honestly do hope they tell me, so I can avoid them in the future. :001_smile:

[Walking-Iris]

There's not much of a difference to me. "you're not trashy, but your tattoo is." is still insulting.

 

 

If a person thinks less of me because I have tattoos, then I honestly do hope they tell me, so I can avoid them in the future. :001_smile:

 

And what gives anyone the right to decide what "trashy" is? I personally find well manicured suburban lawns unattractive. I also find well manicured cookie cutter suburban moms unattractive and boring. I think dreadlocks are absolutely gorgeous but I wouldn't personally have them. I love the look of high heels but don't wear them. I feel uncomfortable and a tad immodest in short skirts and dresses, but I don't consider women who do wear them immodest. These adjectives are not only insulting, but mentally lazy.

[Danestress]

There's not much of a difference to me. "you're not trashy, but your tattoo is." is still insulting.

 

 

If a person thinks less of me because I have tattoos, then I honestly do hope they tell me, so I can avoid them in the future. :001_smile:

 

They just don't love the tattoo. Maybe I am weird. I can hate tattoos and truly adore the person who wears them. But I am not really picky about style, fashion etc. It honestly wouldn't bother me at all to know a friend hated the way grey hair looks or found my clothes boring and unflattering. Whatever ... She isn't with me for the clothes.

 

We have threads here sometimes that ask opinions about decorating. If someone asks, "how do you feel about the Pottery Barn look" I know someone is going to love it, and others are going to say they find it ugly, boring and cheap. I assume they are not actually calling me ugly, boring or cheap. It would be exceeding rude to share that opinion unasked for after seeing my living room. However, it doesn't seen so bad on a message board after being asked. I felt sensitive about my Pottery Barn sofa, I would avoid the thread. But I wouldn't try to shame those who honestly share that they hate the look.

Edited June 3, 2012 by Danestress

[nmoira]

There's not much of a difference to me. "you're not trashy, but your tattoo is." is still insulting.

 

MIL has no filters with this kind of stuff... she just says whatever it on her mind because "it's honest" or "it's for their own good." OK, but she's incredibly unpleasant to be around because of it.

 

I remember once the kids and I were at the coast with her. There was a young couple with a baby, a bit gothy. The baby was radiant, like something out of a marketing supplement... gorgeous, huge drooly smile (you know the one), engaged, and obviously adored. All that was missing was flower petals sprinkling the heavens. But all MIL could see were the mother's fishnets, torn at the knee. That's all she needed to judge them as unfit parents. It's tiresome. Just because we think something, doesn't mean we need to say it, and say it repeatedly, and loudly. :glare:

[GailV]

I so don't get the whole "what will they look like wrinkly and saggy?" comment. Who cares at that point? Wrinkly skin is hideous anyways, what's the difference? My stomach has lots of loose wrinkly "twin skin" from carrying twins full term on a very small frame. I can assure you that my tattoos are much more visually appealing, and it's tattoo free, but if I had a tattoo on my stomach, it's not like that's what made the wrinkly skin ugly. :lol:

 

1. Some wrinkly skin is actually quite beautiful, frankly. I see some people who are old and wrinkled, and think they're absolutely gorgeous.

 

2. What several people find appealing about tattoos is their artistry. Once the skin starts to sag, the placement of the various artistic elements slips around, the visual balance is changed as the "canvas" begins to move. Also, the clarity of the ink itself changes. So the tattoo becomes less aesthetically pleasing. Frankly, some of them start to look like plain ol' dirty skin.

[Nakia]

That a tattoo looks trashy and that the person sporting it is a trashy person. It is interesting to me how few people seem able to see this distinction.

 

 

Can you please tell me what the big difference is? I am not being snarky, I promise. I just don't understand how someone can say a tattoo is/looks trashy, but the person with said piece of "trash" on them is not trashy.

 

What I'm comparing it to is something I find extremely trashy: skirts so short that I'm afraid to look for fear of seeing the chick's lady bits. Those are trashy skirts. AND in my mind, even though it's wrong, that makes the person wearing the skirt trashy. I cannot separate the two at first glance. Maybe that makes me narrow-minded. I am actually the least judgmental person you could ever meet, but that connection is made in my mind in an instant. It doesn't mean that I won't give them basic human respect because I will. And it doesn't mean my opinion cannot change, but it takes time (and the woman is gonna have to put some clothes on, ya know?). I hope I'm explaining myself well.

 

Like I said up thread, none of this bothers me personally. I've been judged and treated like trash, in an ER, when I had a hurt child, and I'm 100% sure it's because of my tattoo (I just have one visible tattoo) and nose ring. I know my daughter's chart was not flagged as someone mentioned because I have a copy of it. The doctor just had the same opinion some of you have. Once I made it clear that I wouldn't tolerate her attitude, she changed her tune.

 

I don't care if someone thinks I'm low class or trashy. I know I'm not. I love my tattoos; they mean something to me, each representing something important in my life. I have plans for more. :D

[Nakia]

There is a HUGE difference between saying, "I don't like tattoos" and saying, "Tattoos are trashy."

 

I believe Mrs. Mungo explained it very well earlier in this thread, and I don't feel like finding it to quote.

[TXBeth]

I was at Hurricane Harbor (Arlington) all day Friday and it was Tat City. Oy vey. And nasty tats! I don't need my kids seeing your "naked she-devil with giant boobs" tat. Yuck.

 

FYI: Vulgar clothing or tattoos are not allowed at HH (my sis is in management there). If you see something p0rnogr@phic, report it to an employee. They will require the person to cover it up or leave the park.

[Nakia]

They just don't love the tattoo. Maybe I am weird. I can hate tattoos and truly adore the person who wears them. But I am not really picky about style, fashion etc. It honestly wouldn't bother me at all to know a friend hated the way grey hair looks or found my clothes boring and unflattering. Whatever ... She isn't with me for the clothes.

 

We have threads here sometimes that ask opinions about decorating. If someone asks, "how do you feel about the Pottery Barn look" I know someone is going to love it, and others are going to say they find it ugly, boring and cheap. I assume they are not actually calling me ugly, boring or cheap. It would be exceeding rude to share that opinion unasked for after seeing my living room. However, it doesn't seen so bad on a message board after being asked. I felt sensitive about my Pottery Barn sofa, I would avoid the thread. But I wouldn't try to shame those who honestly share that they hate the look.

 

Okay, but in this case if a person has a tattoo, they've already bought the furniture, and you are insulting their "living room." KWIM?

[Ibbygirl]

They just don't love the tattoo. Maybe I am weird. I can hate tattoos and truly adore the person who wears them. But I am not really picky about style, fashion etc. It honestly wouldn't bother me at all to know a friend hated the way grey hair looks or found my clothes boring and unflattering. Whatever ... She isn't with me for the clothes.

 

We have threads here sometimes that ask opinions about decorating. If someone asks, "how do you feel about the Pottery Barn look" I know someone is going to love it, and others are going to say they find it ugly, boring and cheap. I assume they are not actually calling me ugly, boring or cheap. It would be exceeding rude to share that opinion unasked for after seeing my living room. However, it doesn't seen so bad on a message board after being asked. I felt sensitive about my Pottery Barn sofa, I would avoid the thread. But I wouldn't try to shame those who honestly share that they hate the look.

 

I'm just shocked that anyone would think Pottery Barn is "cheap". :ohmy: I always thought their stuff was expensive. I can't imagine what anyone would think of my house if they think Pottery Barn is cheap. :lol::lol:

 

Not that I really care. I have 2 Autistic kids. My house is trashed. Anyone who judges me by my house is just not living my reality. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm a little busy surviving my life right now to care! :p :lol:

Edited June 3, 2012 by Ibbygirl

[Ibbygirl]

I don't care if someone thinks I'm low class or trashy. I know I'm not. I love my tattoos; they mean something to me, each representing something important in my life. I have plans for more. :D

 

You could never be low class or trashy, Nakia! :grouphug::grouphug: I love your tattoo too. I even told Blessedwinter about it in the other thread because it was so beautiful. :) :grouphug::grouphug:

[Danestress]

For me there really is, and maybe some of it is exposure. I can find clothes trashy and I truly in my heart don't think the person is trashy. Or pick another word - trashy is a loaded one. But I really don't think I can know what a person is like on the inside based on an outfit or the way she wears her hair.

 

I do think maybe part of this is experience. I have an adult kid, so I have gone through all the teenage and college years. Kids experiment with looks - and should. It would have a much more limited circle and I would be less happy if I judged people firmly based in what they wear or whether they have tattoos or piercings. I can dislike those things, but if part of me starts making judgements about the person, I try to get past that because these things can't really tell us much about the person as a person.

[Paintedlady]

That a tattoo looks trashy and that the person sporting it is a trashy person. It is interesting to me how few people seem able to see this distinction.

 

:iagree:

[Dissent]

Both me and my wife have tattoos. I have 4 and she has 2 of them. I plan on eventually being full sleeved and chest and back done. That is a long way off and my mind may change but to me getting ink is an addiction and its a lot healthier one than smoking or drinking.

[GailV]

Can you please tell me what the big difference is? I am not being snarky, I promise. I just don't understand how someone can say a tattoo is/looks trashy, but the person with said piece of "trash" on them is not trashy.

 

What I'm comparing it to is something I find extremely trashy: skirts so short that I'm afraid to look for fear of seeing the chick's lady bits. Those are trashy skirts. AND in my mind, even though it's wrong, that makes the person wearing the skirt trashy. I cannot separate the two at first glance. Maybe that makes me narrow-minded. I am actually the least judgmental person you could ever meet, but that connection is made in my mind in an instant. It doesn't mean that I won't give them basic human respect because I will. And it doesn't mean my opinion cannot change, but it takes time (and the woman is gonna have to put some clothes on, ya know?). I hope I'm explaining myself well.

 

Like I said up thread, none of this bothers me personally. I've been judged and treated like trash, in an ER, when I had a hurt child, and I'm 100% sure it's because of my tattoo (I just have one visible tattoo) and nose ring. I know my daughter's chart was not flagged as someone mentioned because I have a copy of it. The doctor just had the same opinion some of you have. Once I made it clear that I wouldn't tolerate her attitude, she changed her tune.

 

I don't care if someone thinks I'm low class or trashy. I know I'm not. I love my tattoos; they mean something to me, each representing something important in my life. I have plans for more. :D

 

Not the person who made the referenced comment (and haven't visited this thread for several pages) but if my dd put on a short skirt that practically showed the lady bits, then I might say something like, "Hey, that comes across as trashy." So, I know whether or not dd is trashy (she's not), but I can see that the outfit is. And she knows that she isn't trashy; she can accept that I'm commenting on her costuming choices, and we can discuss whether it's appropriate for the occasion. I might also comment on her diction, vocabulary, etc.**, in the same way -- simply giving her feedback. Isn't that what the person was saying with that comment? That's how I took it.

 

Also, if people here are saying they think "trashy" but don't act on that instant impression, and you think the same about short skirts, aren't you essentially on the same page?

 

**My kids are the ones who are given those "trashy" roles in theater productions, I'm assuming because they "get" how to turn it on and off.