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Tattoos are actually century old traditions found all over the world in a variety of cultures. The styles of tattoos may change and be trendy, but tattooing itself has and always will be around.
a good looking individual should NEVER get tattoos other than in barely noticable areas ,some young women have ruined their looks with them .
other less striking folk may feel it adds a dimension to their overall appearance and this could be true of course .
The other issue is blending - you wouldn't put formica furniture in a stately home next to all the antiques etc , when two or more tats are added they have to MATCH lol - some are just mish mash ,butterflies with swords added to celtic crosses from years ago and truly appaling works of art
American male level of class and dignity at an all-time low
I don't know about them earlier being just for "tough guys", but what they are, and have always been, is tacky, low-class, and showing extremely poor taste.
A lot of younger guys not only dress poorly, worst in history, but tattoos and long ugly beards complete the pathetic look.
No kidding. It's elementary, my dear! What's your point?
My point is that it is now a practice of epidemic proportions.
Those excessive numbers were so obviously brought on by pop culture and a human propensity to follow the herd/crowd.
My point is that they aren't the "fad of the moment doomed to drift away" as you claim. People have been tattooing themselves, often head to toe, for centuries and most likely will for centuries more. The have been a part of human culture since the invention of art. Their purposes may have changed and will continue to evolve, but they will always be around.
There is something sexy about tattoos. I like sleeves on a muscled guy. Of course sometimes they CAN look trashy or awkward, as with anything you put on your body, but when done properly and tastefully, they can look quite beautiful and strong.
I think tattoos are disgusting. I never saw a person look better with one and I find it a huge turnoff that so many women are getting them, showing them off like they look good. In my eyes they are trashy and it brings down their looks by several notches. In most cases from a short distance it looks like they have a nasty scar. I do not understand why anyone would want to do that to themselves.
But in the end it's their body. If one wants to scar their body with graffiti then they have the freedom to do so. I do not get the fad / appeal...
1. prison culture: people watch too much crime dramas and identify with the heroic bad guys. That is, they want to look bad in order to look good.
2. cry for help: people today are so isolated they are lonely with or without fair weather "friends". Hurting themselves this way is a socially acceptable form compared to razor cutting or anorexia.
It might be because tattoos these days are more popular with the females, and getting things like sleeve tattoos are more feminine.
Sleeve tattoos are about as far from feminine as you can get, with the possible exception of female body builders. However, I find the "written script" tats that are popular with girls these days to look just as ridiculous. If you need to tattoo a daily affirmation on your arm/body/breasts/face just so you can feel 'special' when you look at it, then perhaps that money would have been better spent on therapy.
On a positive note, it should be pointed out that with the current tat craze in full swing, the competition for professional careers should suffer a sharp drop-off in the near future. At least until tattoo removal becomes a widespread and very profitable business. I will be the first to admit that I can't wait for that first IPO.
Being in my 40s I think it has become a hyper-masculine thing. Not masculinity, the way that my generation understood it but outward signs of masculinity, physical violence, etc. but not exhibiting any maturity in their masculinity. In other words, maybe they don't know any other way to look tough. I feel that dreads on young Black men has become the same thing. When I was there age it was all about a tight fade, maybe a Gumby, high-top in the eighties, etc. A clean cut look, because that was what the women were attracted to but these days it is the exact opposite.
Too much of a preoccupation with your looks comes across the wrong way to women. At least it should. And sometimes that is an indicator of sexuality although younger women don't seem to care about that so much than women my age. Going both ways, whatever, is more socially acceptable for men than it used to be.
I don't have any tats either.
Last edited by goofy328; 09-06-2015 at 07:05 AM..
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It's elementary, my dear! What's your point? 
American male level of class and dignity at an all-time low
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