What do you reckon about tattoos?

Apologies for the "often" that crept into the sentence about postmortems. It should read ... and she has done...

I haven't read this whole thread and I don't have any strong feelings about tattoos either way. My adult children have not had tattoos, the fad passed them by. A nephew has half a tattoo of a tiger - he ran out of money.

However, I recently read the book Written in Bone by Professor Sue Black, the Forensic Anthrolopogist. She is a forensic expert and often has done hundreds of postmortems. In the book she says (I paraphrase) that tattoo ink works its way into the lymph and then collects in the lymph glands and with the current fashion for tattoos some people's lymph glands are all colours of the rainbow. I find that fascinating. She has identified people by tracing the tattoo ink...

Not at all keen. I have never been one for self mutilation.

Thank goodness people feel they can choose what permanent body art they like. Those who are judgemental, and dare I say, snobby, should remember you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Unfortunately my beautiful niece has covered an arm and shoulder and a leg in utterly chavvy tattoo meant to be artistic.Think ones on peoples necks utterly idiotic..cultural maori ones on maori people and genuine tribal ones on tribal people are fine..its the stupidity of the other kinds that bug me..people trying to look hard and tough when all theyve done is go to a pop festival or a drunken chav holiday in Thailand..they have tats done in Chinese or whatever script that could well be saying Im an idiot and cant read that my tat says ₩@#£€r...but tats eg mottos of yr ship or regiment ok..if just on arm that can be covered by a rolled up shirt sleeve...I remain anon as this post will bring a ton of recriminations..just my opinion.I ill still interact be nice to and love my niece etc..same thing re piercings...

I used to hate tattoos because I associate with a certain type of man, then I noticed a female colleague had quite a pretty butterfly tattoo which made me think maybe they weren't so bad. Then I was invited to my now DiL's hen party and during many fun activities many of us applied transfer tattoos. I put a butterfly on my upper arm which looked quite pretty. I decided not to wash it off until it started to wear off and a few days later at work one of my students said to me "I like your tattoo Miss! Did it hurt?" I told him that it wasn't real, so he asked "Why don't you get a real one?" I said "Because it probably would hurt!"

I'd get a transfer one again though and maybe apply it more imaginatively, but the great thing is you can wash them off.

Hate them. Two of my four granddaughters have them and I think what will happen when they get older and want rid of them when they fade and wrinkle? Each to their own obviously but to me yuk, just yuk.

Nell8, I remember something from way back about Ludo being a boring game but Llandudno a very exciting place.

Those that detest tattoos , just look away! It always makes me laugh the reactions from some people, the same as when some see personalised number plates they are horrified ?????

I absolutely hate all tattoos, whatever the design, wherever they are on the body, whichever gender.

Most of my friends have them, one is covered, but they are not for me. The friend, who has loads, loves to show hers off in the summer by wearing shorts and vest tops and loves it when people ask about them. Her daughter is now doing the same think and already has a 'sleeve' done. They think I don't want any because I've a needle phobia, I just wouldn't one want one full stop.

I detest tattoos with a passion!!!

For several weeks I have been receiving a morning visit from a
member of a health team, there are many of them, each morning one walks into my living room, last week one walked in and - I almost needed treatment for shock, he hadn’t put his ppe on, he was wearing a tee shirt, his arms and neck were covered in large tattoos. I think seeing thugs covered in tattoos on tv caused me to react with much fear. No I do not like arms
and neck covered in tattoos.

Small and discreet I don’t mind, and some have great artistic merit, but.....after a few years they begin to blur and just look a mess. To me, the large ones just look dirty. This is just an old lady’s opinion. It’s the permanence of them that would worry me. Are you really going to love a tattoo that you thought was so cool at twenty when you’re fifty?

I've found another reason to love Gransnet. You never know where it will take you. I started reading this thread two hours ago when I should have been decluttering. In the meantime I've struggled to remember an ancient playground joke about a man with a tattoo on his penis. Finally found it on Google. Read it out to husband who said it's definitely non-pc. It seems quite inoffensive to me ... Now I'm doubting my wokeness

Up to the individual

I think David Beckham would look even better without them.

Immediate reaction? A heart sinking, 'oh no, not again'.

There's been many threads on tattoos and as someone said, they're like Marmite, 'love 'em or hate 'em'.
I personally have four and plan to have one more. In the past I've been called a slut on here for choosing to have my tattoos. That's about the level the topic inevitably sinks to.

Carry on condemning.

They are incredibly tacky in my opinion.
Some visible ones make the individual unemployable and I resent paying taxes to pay unemployment benefit to someone who has deliberately done this to themselves.

When I loom at those big area tattoos I always wonder what the person would would think if they had an accident and end up with scaring, marks. Always convince myself they would want treatment to rid themself of them yet happily have tattoos all over. Can't understand the need for them.

I like them, I’ve got 3, wouldn’t have anymore, mine all have meaning , two of them after my parents who have passed and the other, is my husbands name , he has quite a few all have meanings, most of my family have them, one of my sons has a couples of sleeves, and some on one leg look really lovely, I don’t judge people on what they chose to have on their bodies or otherwise, nobody’s business other than their own, ,we do find it quite amusing how people get so uptight about them though

Detest them

I like them, but then I do have three myself. They’re in areas that can’t be seen by others but they each have a deep personal meaning to them which gives me a lot of comfort. I’m in my mid fifties, had my first one ten years ago. I think it’s each to their own.

Only been on GN just under a month and haven't seen a current thread on tattoos.

Wouldn't have one myself.
Don't mind seeing small ones but coverage of more than 25% - total dislike.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.