It is said that the body is God’s temple. For many, that is a commission to wallpaper it, permanently, with a buzzing needle. It’s the harmless act of rebellion our grandmothers shudder to think about: tattoos. Whether it is celebrating adulthood after turning 18 or just wanting to piss off parents, our generation loves them.
They come in all shapes, sizes and varying degrees of idiocy. There are the ever-popular tramp stamp or butterfly for the freshman girl out from under Mommy and Daddy’s umbrella.
Half-sleeve tribals are rapidly becoming the ink of choice for protein powder-guzzling gym bros. Don’t forget asserting love for your nerdy hobbies with a [insert symbol from choice franchise here]. The best are the designs that make no sense, but hold a serious, deep and personal story behind them that makes sense only to the tattooed.
No, I’m not hating on tattoos. I have two, and the third is in progress. I love my tribal velociraptor, and the Gurren Lagann half-sleeve is going to look sick when it’s finished.
A Pew Research study found nearly four in 10 members of the Millennium Generation had been tattooed, and half of those had two or more, more than any generation before it. Between 2003 and 2006, there was a 9 percent jump in the number of tattooed adults. Now, I could bore you all day with statistics, but here are a few more interesting ones before moving on: Democrats are more likely to have tattoos, 31 percent of adults felt sexier after getting their ink, and only 16 percent of tattooed adults regretted the decision.
There is one more statistic though: The same Pew Research study found 70 percent of tattooed millennials received their ink in easily concealable places. It’s all great fun to defy The Man by getting a tribal with a meaning you don’t actually know, but it’s still submission when you make sure your sleeves cover it.
The number of tattooed adults may be rising, but stigmas still exist among older generations. Associations of ink with biker thugs and prisoners still abound. Unfortunately, we have to consider looking hireable unless we want to work at Spencer’s or Hot Topic for a career.
Just think, though: Acceptance of ink rises with each generation. Who knows, in a few generations, children could be taught by teachers with full sleeves and we’ll be represented by lawyers with ink snakes coiled around their necks.
The reasons and designs for getting tattoos are so wide and varied there is no way they can be generalized, and neither can tastes. A design can be completely awesome to one person and a waste of ink and skin to another. When it comes down to it, the only person whose opinion should matter is your own. Take time to consider one. They are, you know, permanent.
Then again, impulse tattoos are awesome, too.
