Tattoos, yes or no? Are they adornment or obnoxious?

Question:

Tattoos, yes or no? Are they adornment or obnoxious?

Don't mean to proliferate the debate but do you like them or not.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Like Haleystorm posted; tattoos have a long history in the world. Tattoos are used for many purposes in a number of cultures; for spiritual, personal, medical, social reasons for starters.

Here's a good link to the history of tattoos:

http://www.designboom.com/history/tattoo...

My own personal opinion towards tattoos is that they can be both adornment and obnoxious, based on one's own perception.

Tatttooes that are adornment depend on the placement on the body in my opinion, whether it be on the neck, ankle, shoulder blade, lower back, arm bicep. Some tattoos in many cultures are meant to display a person's spiritual or material wealth, moral or ethical belief systems.. or to be artistic using their skin like a painter's canvas. Some are very beautiful in color, shape and size.

But tattoo placement is important depending on the purpose of the tattoo in some cultures. In the West, I think it's more about coming across rebellious or showing one's individuality more than anything. Some people get tattoos to be offensive, some want to display their favorite memories, spiritual beliefs, or just get one with no purpose behind it.

I think tattoos become obnoxious only when they display vulgar or violent imagery that is meant to offend.

Knowing that skin sags as the body ages, and that ink fades with time, I will not get a tattoo b/c it would be expensive to recolor the tattoo due to fading and the idea of a tattoo losing its shape due to sagging skin just gives me the heebee jeebees.

So I'm on the fence as far as the tattoo debate goes. I like what some cultures have done with tattoos but in general I don't really think about them and don't plan to get one. The thought of catching a bloodborn disease from a bad tattoo artist's needle is enough to deter me.