Tattoos and piercings - why?

R

Rose65

Well-known Member
Location
United Kingdom
I want to understand what drives this. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's personal choice after all . I am just fascinated by the why.
There seems to be an epidemic of them on show all round us, on men and women, young and old. Entire arms and legs are covered.
So is it tribal? If so, which tribe?
If it is for art, is it to show everyone or just personal?
What of class - do upper class have tattoos and piercings? If not, why not?

Piercings must be very painful and infection must be a concern. Especially on parts of the body that are tender. So is it to show courage that someone would endure pain? Not to mention costs, I assume it all costs a lot.
 

Good morning @Rose65 I think tattoos and piercings are just a form of self expression which I have known people from all walks of life have. I am sure some people regret having them done as they get older but, I know others who absolutely do not. I have never thought that either were a show of courage or wealth.

I think it is a personal thing, some people want to have them done and others just don't see the attraction. When I was a child, I recall seeing older people have gold teeth and I always thought they must be very rich. :)
 
It is a personal choice, some are quite lovely.

But it does kind of bother me when you see people who are homeless sporting face, arms, you name it tats and claiming they can't get a job.

Same thing with the ring through the nose, They are humans, not bulls.
 

There are just as many types of tattoos as there are types of people, and reasons for getting them. Some see tattoos as a form of permanent jewelry, while for others itā€™s an expression of identity, or an affirmation of self. Some even acquire tattoos to remember a significant or difficult time or phase in their life, or commemorate a departed loved one.

Some tattoos are more visible than others, and their wearers wish them to draw attention. Mine are all invisible under normal clothing, and under most circumstances; I donā€™t flaunt them. Youā€™d never know that a small fox runs on the skin covered by my watch band. Only someone vaccinating me sees the foxes on my upper arms. A pharmacist giving me a flu shot pronounced the artwork ā€œquite well done.ā€ His clerk has his arms covered in tattoos, a bit excessive to my tastes, and not thematic. I still like the kidā€¦

You might be surprised at some of the kinds of people who have tattoos. Iā€™ve known nurses and therapists who have them...
 
My husband has full sleeves and a few on his back, my eldest and middle children both have tattoos and piercings. My middle child is a body piercer by profession. They had to apprentice for a couple years before becoming official and have several piercings of their own. Conversely, I have no tattoos, but do have standard, and daith piercings in my ears, which I originally had done for migraines and ultimately kept because I like them.

My son, 22, has no piercings, no tattoos and no plans to get any. As some have said, it is a personal thing done for myriad and individual reasons.

My middle child loves their job because they often find themselves in the position of helping people who are unhappy with some part of their bodies, change them in such a way that they leave the shop feeling better about themselves because of what is usually a small thing from the outside but huge to the wearer and that's all that matters, the feelings of the wearer.

Daith Piercing (Yes, it freaking hurts to have done!)
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Not long after I joined the Marines and was assigned to my first ship detail, I met a Naval Officer that insisted on getting a tattoo. He would tell me his grandfather got a tattoo which read ā€œItaly Foreverā€ and had a small black rose under it. His dad did the same thing and he said he was going to do the same.

We were in Okinawa for 3 days and told me and another Officer that tonight he is getting his tattoo and would we go along. We agreed. Fast forwardā€¦ā€¦ā€¦.We lost contact with one another for about 25 years when I received a letter from a man whose name I didnā€™t recognize until I opened it and read the letter and he reminded me of the tattoo.

He said he wanted me to know that because of that tattoo, he was dying of liver cancer. Somehow the ink got into his blood stream and settled into his liver and somehow, I donā€™t know or understand it, he got this small tumor, which after getting it checked was found to be cancerous. I never heard of such a thing and didnā€™t believe it, so I went down to the medical unit at Walter Reed and asked if this is or was possible. I was told by the Chief of Oncology, a Dr. Hoffman that Yes, a small percentage of people can get cancer from a tattoo, but usually itā€™s because the needle was never sterilized. To me, that now made sense.

I went to see this former Naval Officer while I was in Pensacola and he was married and now living in Tampa. Thankfully, because I was an Officer, I was able to track down his DD-214 and get his current address. When I showed up at his house, I think he was stunned. I was still in uniform and he gave me a huge hug and began to cry. He asked me why would you come all the way here just to see me? I told him his letter stuck in my crawl and I just had to see him because he was dying as he said in the letter. He looked very sickly. He was cold all the time and had a very heavy bathrobe on, even though it was 94 out. He couldnā€™t sleep or eat and was sick all the time from the drugs. He said he had less than a year to live.

I was sitting in my office in San Diego when I got a phone call from him. I was surprised. He said guess what? I donā€™t know, what? The doctor told me that if they can find me a new liver, I may be able to live. Thatā€™s great, I told him. A few weeks or months later, he had a match with a young fellow in Arizona who was dying from a gunshot wound to the head. Heā€™s brain dead and as soon as the parents sign off on pulling the plug, they will harvest his organs and when he gets the call, he needs to be leaving for the hospital. The liver transplant was being done at Tampa General. The doctor told him he may not wake up. Thereā€™s always a chance he could die during surgery. He consented.

Here it is about 8-10 years later and heā€™s still alive, although not without complications, including having to have kidney dialysis 3 times a week. He said he was feeling pretty good and was able to get some enjoyment out of his life. He has to take anti-rejection medications the rest of his life, but he said no matter what I have to do, Iā€™m alive and I get to watch my grandchildren grow up, which is all I ever wished for.

I would still like to know was it the ink or the needle? I watched the tattoo artist and I couldnā€™t remember if he swapped needles or not. They tried to talk me into getting a tattoo my whole career, but I never took the bait. One of my Sergeants even offered to pay for it, if he could pick it out. I told him absolutely not. I never even considered it. I did think about getting my one ear pierced, so when I was in my street clothes, I could wear it, but my girlfriend at the time asked me to please donā€™t. She had a spell over me. Anything she asked for, or anything she asked me to do or not to do, I obeyed, except when she asked me not to go zip lining, I had to tell her, ā€œSweetie, I love you with all of my being, but this boy is going zip lining and youā€™re going along.ā€ She refused all week until we got to the place where they had the zip lines set up. Thereā€™s different degrees and heights. She did the novice zip line and loved it.
 
I think if you need to understand why people have them, you need to find them appealing first. If you don't, you can't possibly understand why people get them. But I'm not an authority on the subject. By definition, you are not an authority on anything if you don't understand it.
 
People ink themselves for many reasons.

I have tattoos. 9 so far. I didnā€™t start getting them till my 50ā€™s. Each one is deeply meaningful to me. My most recent ink is my wedding tattoo and my husband and I got matching ones. His thumbprint on my wrist, styled into a heart, and mine on his wrist.
C6987308-C2DA-4407-8668-353AC6A52B9E.jpeg
I have 5 kids and Iā€™m the only one with tattoos. I also have several piercings. My daughter also has a daith piercing @Medusa! She had many other piercings most of which she removed over time. One of my boys has several piercings also but most of them except for one ear piercing has gone bye bye.

I wish Ron would get his ear pierced but he has no interest. šŸ˜‚ I want one more piercing..a nose stud. Tiny diamond. I think they look stunning!

Body adornments are very much a personal preference. Do I find some of them unattractive on others? Yeah sure I do, the same way I might find someoneā€™s choice of shirt the wrong color for their skin tone, or a hairstyle unflattering. But thatā€™s just my opinion, and Iā€™m free to have an opinion about anything! Same as everyone else.

I just try to not let my opinion become a judgment of someone. Iā€™m sure we all do too šŸ˜‰
 
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Ronni said:
People ink themselves for many reasons.

I have tattoos. 9 so far. I didnā€™t start getting them till my 50ā€™s. Each one is deeply meaningful to me. My most recent ink is my wedding tattoo and my husband and I got matching ones. His thumbprint on my wrist, styled into a heart, and mine on his wrist.
View attachment 285340
I have 5 kids and Iā€™m the only one with tattoos. I also have several piercings. My daughter also has a daith piercing @Medusa! She had many other piercings most of which she removed over time. One of my boys has several piercings also but most of them except for one ear piercing has gone bye bye.

I wish Ron would get his ear pierced but he has no interest. šŸ˜‚ I want one more piercing..a nose stud. Tiny diamond. I think they look stunning!

Body adornments are very much a personal preference. Do I find some of them unattractive on others? Yeah sure I do, the same way I might find someoneā€™s choice of shirt the wrong color for their skin tone, or a hairstyle unflattering. But thatā€™s just my opinion, and Iā€™m free to have an opinion about anything! Same as you.

I just try to not let my opinion become a judgment of someone. Iā€™m sure you do too šŸ˜‰
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Your matching tattoos are really nice. ā™„
 
Rose65 said:
I want to understand what drives this. I'm not saying it's wrong, it's personal choice after all . I am just fascinated by the why.
There seems to be an epidemic of them on show all round us, on men and women, young and old. Entire arms and legs are covered.
So is it tribal? If so, which tribe?
If it is for art, is it to show everyone or just personal?
What of class - do upper class have tattoos and piercings? If not, why not?

Piercings must be very painful and infection must be a concern. Especially on parts of the body that are tender. So is it to show courage that someone would endure pain? Not to mention costs, I assume it all costs a lot.
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There are most likely as many different reasons as there are tattoos ........ there are many all over different spectrum of the population .......

the $$ can be very expensive and makes me wonder what priorities some have. spouse has 2 got them after 40 and had the discretionary income ........so i was fine
what must drive people crazy is it can be a hit and miss with the artists and have seen a show dedicated to trying to repair or hide horrific tattoos ..... it is sad to watch some of the bad outcomes they want fixed or removed

piercings of all sorts are a constant source of infections if area not keep clean etc..... saw some real mess with people with infections.
 
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It is so interesting to hear these stories. Obviously there are many deeply personal reasons to have tattoos.

Has anyone had one, regretted it and had it removed, covered or something? I understand it is very hard to remove them but possible
 
Medusa said:
Conversely, I have no tattoos, but do have standard, and daith piercings in my ears, which I originally had done for migraines and ultimately kept because I like them.


Daith Piercing (Yes, it freaking hurts to have done!)
View attachment 285337

EDIT: Spacing
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Medusa, I have never heard of this. Is the ring one the daith piercing? How does it help with migraine?
 
I guess I'm a traditionalist- I think humans have neat bodies, and tats just trash it up. And if you want to be a jackass by marring your body with tats, it's a free country.- my biased opinion. I think those, who have visible tats, like on the head, neck, and hands, are going to regret those decisions when the trend for tats wanes- as it will do. You can throw out your 1970s extra wide bell bottoms, you can't throw out your skin. Trends come and go. It wasn't all that long ago when men wearing earing was scandalous. At some future time, when men are wearing huge elaborate earrings, some guy won't have any- a brand "new' trend.
 
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jujube said:
I have one tattoo. It was my 60th birthday present to myself. It's reasonably small, tasteful and hidden.

I just wanted a tattoo. It makes me happy. I'm a baaaaad girl now.
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jujube, I don't think you'll get a Harley, and start robbing liquor stores just yet. To me, you got a tat that was personal, "reasonably small, tasteful and hidden." It wasn't a hissing snake wrapped around your neck. I think those tats are going to be a future problem.
 

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