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When tattoos make you look ridiculous

Munjibunga, though I can't possibly argue that your point is wrong (its 100% correct!), but comparisons like that can be used to compare anything to anyone.

All muslims share something in common with suicide bombers/the 9/11 terrorists.
All white people share something in common with the KKK
All black people share something in common with the bloods and crips

On a side note, I think its rather offensive sticking bikers in with prisoners gang bangers, prostitutes and strippers. It shows off another of your social prejudices, most bikers are nothing more than people who like bikes, who like meeting other like minded people. The stereotype that all bikers are reckless troublemakers is not only inaccurate, but idiotic. Read up on 99 percenters mate. Unfortunately popular media has portrayed all bikers as bearded social delinquents who go round causing trouble. Most real bikers wear a suit Monday to Friday and bike to relax at the weekend. My dad happens to be a big bike fan and I can assure you, neither him not any of his biking mates have been involved in any of the stereotypical activities your said, nor are any of them tattooed.
 
i havent read through every page so i apologize if i say something that has been said a million times already. i am 18 and have one tattoo that says "as i watch these colors fade, never does my love for you" the only thing that bothers me is people thinking it is for someone in particular. it isnt, it means when i say i love something, i will always love it. but anyways, i have 3 rules about getting tattoos that i think are very good ones:

1- No names unless it is someone close to you who has passed
2- No tattoos while drunk (even though most artists shouldnt tattoo a drunk person. and i dont drink or plan on ever drinking so that rule doesnt affect me.
3- No tattoos that cant me covered up with a t-shirt and pants UNTIL you are sure that it is acceptable in the career field you have chosen.

with that being said, my best friend, who is 18 also, got his entire forearm tattooed with the Judas Priest painkiller motorcycle cover. i love JP but not that much. THEN he went and got "HELL YEAH" tattooed on his knuckles. needless to say, he works at spencer gifts and cannot get another job. he screwed himself for life i think. plus his ears are stretched to 1".

on another note (sorry for talking forever) i read on the first few pages that people with tattoos are in a lower social class, i was very offended by that. tattoos are art. and some people get through very tough times with tattoos. just because i have a tattoo and have plans on getting a lot more, doesnt make you better than me. all my tattoos have meaning. and if they dont, it will be because i appreciate the artists work and let him do whatever he/she wanted to do.

again, sorry for the long post
 
I have a tattoo on my right forearm and I don't give a rat;s ass what people think.

Screw you if you have a problem with it.

I don't have tattoos...yet.

I was watching the movie The Promotion, (spoiler alert). In one of the scenes, there is some kind of company retreat. They make a circle and make them put a paper bag on their heads.

Then the host says remove something you don't need. So everybody removes the bag but 1 of the guys. Instead he starts taking off his clothes one by one, until is time for his shirt.

He takes off his shirt and there is a big tattoo of Kiss, right on his chest. Everybody starts laughing. Apparently they guy had his Harley days.

So I ask, anybody out there that works in an office (clarify, not a music job or being a musician per se), a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, etc, any "office" job, that feels awkward by having a tattoo.

I was thinking of getting a tattoo, but at some point I don't want a tattoo crawling out my shirt during a presentation. Would people think hey he is the cool guy, or hey stay away from that guy.

I know it's all stereotypes. Like during my high school years, only cause I liked marilyn manson, people thought I did drugs. I didnt, I just liked the music.

What do you think people you work with, say of your tattoos:

a) You don't care what they say.
b) People think you are cool...including your boss
c) People think you are shady, and they try to stay away from you
 
Lower social status. That cracked me up. The fact you see them as an emblem of lower social status says a lot about you, not them.

We all judge. But judging status on a tattoo and its location is just plain ridiculous.

Like 'em or not, stereotypes are ubiquitous. Tattoos will affect your ability to either get jobs or advance in jobs in many cases, especially the most desirable jobs. While they have gained greater acceptance in recent years, there are still many of us old farts out here that see them as an emblem of lower social status. While they don't automatically mean you are lower than someone else on the social ladder, it's something you share in common with every prisoner, biker and gang banger. That's an association I prefer not to have made about me. I knew that even when I was a Marine, drunk, downtown, with my buddies who were all getting tattoos.

In my company, I don't care if people have tattoos as long as they're not a distraction. For instance, I wouldn't have a front-desk receptionist who had full sleeves sitting there in a tank top. The tats would have to be covered.
 
Cool. You've got an ornate X on your hand.

Ignorance is Bliss.

The ornate "X" stands for two differnet things-

One, it the Gebo rune. As in "Gift".

Two, its the symbol for Straight Edge, as in one whom does not partake in drugs of any sort (including alcohol) or smoking. More so, it is a reminder to live life in an honest manner and to be bold and brave. To be an individual and not be affected by what others think or be influenced by them when your gut reaction says differently. Based on your remarks, it seems like you have little experience in these regards.

The world has to come to grips with their prejudices just as it has always. Womens rights to vote in the 1775? Forget about it! NEVER GONNA HAPPEN. Of course no one would ever of thought that the color of slaves on this soil would ever have a chance at Presidency. The world changes.

This outdated prejudice will become a thing of the past for the vast majority of Americans sooner than later.
 
i am straight edge, but i hate people who try to get others to be straight edge, i am all for people doing whatever they want as long as it doesnt hurt me or the people i love. straight edge people take life for what it is, we dont hide behind drugs or alcohol. that being said, tattoos are amazing. and they are becoming more and more socially acceptable
 
Think about Carly Smithson. How do you think that sleeve would affect her ability to get a role on Broadway, if she wanted to? She could be the most talented singer and actress on the scene, but the producers are going to have to deal with a big ol' tattoo that probably isn't going to fit many characters. While it's one of the nicest-looking tattoos I've seen, I think it's going to be an impediment to her opportunities.

Link Removed

dude she's freaking hot
 
I have upwards of 20 tattoos, nobody I work with seems to mind. I work in a pretty visible spot in an office too. Most of mine are covered though, except the few that peek out on my arms when wearing a short sleeve shirt and the ones on the insides of my elbows. Unfortunately, it is still considered unprofessional by some.
 
I don't have any tats. I think you better be sure you are ready to live with it for the rest of your life. A friend got his wife's initials... another got his kids names (that, I can understand) but it makes sense to get it in a place that can be covered. I don't think they are necessary.

although when I was a kid, Lyle Tuttle (a famous tatoo artist) did draw an eagle on my arm (my dad did some work for him)
 
IMHO everyone makes too big of an issue of this. I'm in a very high level corporate position and most people I work with have no clue that I have the majority of my back covered. If you want tattoos and want a professional career, you just choose carefully where to place them. I love my tat's (and disagree that they have to have some wonderful meaning to them) as they are beautiful art that I get to carry with me everywhere I go.

Even when I was working in a big four public accounting position where people did know about my tat's (manager level - so they didn't hurt me there either), my coworkers were more in the "cool can I see" than the "why did you do that".
 
This isn't a shot at anyone particular. But, I think this thread is pretty worthless. I know we all have our opinions. I have tats and I could care less what anyone thinks. Find somethin' better to do then judge people with ink. It isn't your skin so it shouldn't matter...

Steve
 
Two, its the symbol for Straight Edge, as in one whom does not partake in drugs of any sort (including alcohol) or smoking. More so, it is a reminder to live life in an honest manner and to be bold and brave. To be an individual and not be affected by what others think or be influenced by them when your gut reaction says differently. Based on your remarks, it seems like you have little experience in these regards.

Seems to me if you require a reminder to live life in an honest manner and to be bold and be brave, you're doing it wrong.

My lack of tats is a symbol of my straight-edginess against Staight Edge™.
 
Change the thread to title to "When guns make you look ridiculous" or "When religion makes you look ridiculous" and this would have been closed eons ago.

I put more faith in my tattoo artist than God.

Geesh people, get over it.

Many people are going to have a rude awakening in another 15-20 years when having a tat is the norm. It's having less of stigma as the years pass as people realize it's RIDICULOUS to judge people based on them.