To tattoo or not to tattoo !

Nona I'd happily stand next to you in the bus queue, clutching my bus pass, tattoos on display, freaky hair blowin' in the wind, and D.M's proudly cladding my feet!
papaoscar I seem to recall similar things be pondered over 'teddy boys', with their greasy (very scary!) hair (and some of them carried hidden knuckledusters) and prior to them 'flappers' in the 1920's - showing their knees! and of course, Punks with their piercings. I think young folk have always tried to distance themselves from their elders. I don't particularly condone these 'fashion' whims but piercing/tattooing parts of their bodies is their own choice, which they may well regret as they grow older..but doing this doesn't equate to being evil people, a lot of teddy boys eventually grew up to be responsible, passive fathers/grandfathers. Roses Ah no![shsock] don't bin your beige - wait for a while and it'll become very fashionable again (like my Avocado green bathroom suite!)

No Bo. Stay we need all sorts to keep the blood flowing and to keep the conversation lively.

papaoscar - a lot of people have asked that question (including me.)
I saw one explanation - it's a new art form.
The main thing that puzzles me is, it must be painful.
The small discreet tattoos in remembrance of someone or something I can understand.
I also don't understand why it's such an emotive subject.

One thing I learnt/learned? when I worked in a pub (how common is that?) was, never ever judge people by how they look or dress.
Some of the nicest, kindest people were long haired,tattooed, earring wearing, leather jacketed (with chains etc) bikers. They frightened me to death until I got to know them.

Quite a few intolerant people around.

I have a small tattoo, does that make me a bad person?
Live and let live, I say.

I see more and more folk, young and older, festooned with tattoos, some artistic others not, and I really cannot understand what drives all this. I see people with lumps of metal sticking out of lips, nose, tongue, eyebrows and ears and I just cannot work out why they want to contaminate their bodies with all this muck. Can somebody please explain?

A long time ago (in the Year of the Punk) one of my daughter's friends went the whole hog - full regalia - including blue Mohican hair. He looked - well a bit scary. He also had two showers a day and washed his clothes very frequently, was well spoken and very clever. He went on to study law and is now a solicitor.

He recently confided that his most upsetting memory from that time is a very 'well turned out lady' marching up to him, pushing him around, spitting at him, calling him a commie yob (and much, much worse). He said the language she used was appalling! Outwardly she looked like butter wouldn't melt in her dainty little mouth.

It works two ways...

Goodness Margaret, you sound very intolerant!

What does it say about Sam Cameron that she has a tiny discreet tattoo which no doubt she had done when much younger.

IMO nothing common about Mrs Cameron.

It is mark of respect to appear in such a way as not to upset others who have to look at you.
This is a basic and most people adhere to it. Others feel they have to be different but lacking anything else they let themselves be tattooed, colour their hair or find some other way of drawing attention to themselves.

BA did right not to employ her. Being tattooed says something about that person and if Sam Cameron is tattooed then it says the same about her.

I dislike tattoos and hair in primary colours and have always thought it common.

And I have a whole drawer full of beige Nora Batty tights to wear with them.

That's true bo [I know cos it used to be my hobby!]
AKA I truly tried to bin my beige crimplene dresses [all 6] but somehow I couldn't bear to as they have been with me for such a long time, it would seem like a betrayal.

Aka Yep, here to stay in more ways than one. Reading through this thread, I will say that I understand why BA wouldn't want to employ anyone (male or female) who turned up at an interview with an arm or face full of explicit tattoos, BA have their own immaculate image to preserve, but I still can't work out why a small and discreet (which to me are the key words) tattoo should or could be, offensive in any way. It seems like pre-judgement of the nastiest sort, not everyone with a tattoo goes round strangling kittens

Have to agree about piercings and facial tattoos making people unemployable, I wonder if it is sometimes deliberate. I wonder if it is not the tattoo as such but the attitude of the wearer especially at interview. Have seen young men with facial tattoos ask aggressively " what you looking at " ?

Go do it now Roses

Very true Bo tattoos are here to stay

I worked for many years in the NHS, on the wards, and one of my tattoos is clearly visible (on my wrist). It is not offensive, and I have never covered it. The only comments I have had about it from patients and other members of staff have been complimentary. If a small, inoffensive tattoo is acceptable in a hospital environment, why isn't it acceptable in the more fashion conscious and glamourous world of flying? because whatever we think about tattoos (not a lot from the look of this site) they've been around for a long time, are becoming more fashionable and, whether we (or BA) like it or not, are here to stay…

Message to self 'must bin all my beige crimplene dresses'

My daughter recently wanted to dye her long hair red [really red!] but checked with her bosses first, who said, 'yes, but you must wear it tightly pulled back for work.'So she does that now, and let's it go free at the week-end [pillar box red, rather beautiful.]

Glad to see you are back Bo was the camomile tea the truth? I hate the stuff, but if it works....? I think the airline or any employer does have a right to exclude people who don't fit the company look or policy.Yes, you would think that a small discreet tattoo might be accepted [and could be covered up] but maybe this could not be covered?We have to right to have tattoos, but equally employers have a right to say 'no thanks'.
Kids in particular must be aware that looking different [wild hair, tattoos] is not a good look to future employers.However sad this may be, it's the way the world turns.

Good for you boheminan and you've hit it on the head about the Beige Brigade

I have a tattoo too.

I don't like tattoos. My twin daughters knew I wouldn't approve and each got one when she was 18. One has a butterfly above her bikini line - I saw it once, 15 years ago. The other had a small dolphin on the back of her shoulder. Two years ago, she began treatment to have it removed, costing £500 in total - it can't be seen now. I never once said 'told you so' but the gleam in my eye when she said she was having it removed spoke volumes!

Whhheeeee. Back again (I did have a cup of camomile tea to calm me down ). I've never been afraid to be 'different', yes, I'm 'arty' looking. At times throughout my life I've been very hurt by cutting remarks made by (usually) older women who seem to think it's their right to bitch to my face about my two self designed tattoos, the colour of my hair, or the clothes I choose to wear. I wouldn't dream of commenting on their wall to wall beige clothes. Years ago it was perfectly acceptable for 'ladies of a certain age' to rinse their hair blue, and as Annodomini points out, tattoos have been around for a very long time to adorn the blank canvas of our skin - as has 'make-up'. I understand where you're coming from Roses and personally am not keen on 'all over' tattoos but I believe the tattoos we're talking about (BA) were discreet, so I just don't understand why there should be such a huge fuss made…surely a lot of passengers have tattoos/piercings/'funny clothes'

Hate tattoos. When DS was about 3, at the leisure centre he shouted loudly and pointed at a man covered in tattoos 'Mummy, why has that man scribbled all over himself in biro?'

A rather bizarre experience: As a school governor, I had to chair a meeting with the parents of a boy who had been excluded. The stepfather was a big skinhead with a tattoo of a topless woman on his right biceps. It was a hot evening and when he moved his arm, the woman's breasts jiggled up and down. It was slightly distracting!

The human body has been a blank canvass for thousands of years and tattoos are the most ancient means of body adornment. The 5000 year old 'ice man', discovered in 1991 had many tattoos on his body. Cultures from all over the globe have a tradition of tattooing. Our ancestors did it with woad. It is an accepted and expected custom for the Maori of New Zealand, adopted by many of the non-Mauri population. Tattoos traditionally have cultural, ritualistic or religious significance, though the same can't be said for the weird and wonderful 'art' that adorns some of the 'painted' gents and ladies seen around our streets and parks when the weather permits stripping off!

www.designboom.com/history/tattoo_history.html

Bo I hadn't noticed your tattoos, and your long hair suits you with the pink highlights, you look like an art teacher. But the point is that you can do anything you like, and good on you, and you haven't got a lifetime of employment ahead of you.
I was mainly thinking of young people getting jobs [or losing them] because they hadn't thought about it.If they want to get into the music business or the arts, then a certain look is acceptable that isn't in the mainstream.

Also, maybe people shouldn't be judged for having tattoos [their characters I mean] but of course they will be, just as people are judged for wearing scruffy clothes, hair in weird style, piercings and so on.Maybe they should be as well, as it screams 'look at me!' We are all judged every day for the way we look, especially when it comes to employment, so a lot of young people are virtually un-employable just for this reason.