I've always said to myself "I'll get a tattoo when I can think of something that I'll still think is cool when I'm 70"

Ain't got a tattoo.

My brother has our family coat of arms as his only tattoo, I think that's reasonably timelessly cool.

Wait... I disagree completely but it's correctly posted in unpopular opinions. Fine... Take my up vote.

There are bad tattoos but I love most of them. I don't have any yet, but my wife and I are talking about getting our first.

"Do you think my tattoo is cool?"

Have you actually heard someone say this? Someone that wasn't a child at a fair?

Fuck it, you used the community correctly. Have my upvote you damn prude.

For the record I totally agree. But if one of my friends just gotta tattoo im gonna pretend to be excited for them. What else are you sposed to do when someone just got permanent artwork etched on themselves?

Met a scientist that worked at NASA. He didn't like tatoos either, but made a pact that if they launched their satellite project, they would all get tattoos of it. I don't like tattoos at all but I can respect that.

Maybe tattoos as a concept are bad (stabbing ink into your skin semi-permanently, that is), but the artistry and skill that can go into them is insanely respectable. Coming from someone who probably will never get a tattoo, I love seeing creative tattoos executed well.

For example: The humble pistol shrimp

You know what’s stupid is people against vaccines having tattoos

I know people who use tattoos as a way of permanently recording who they were at a given point in their life, because we all change over time. I can understand that perspective, but it's also exactly why I don't want one.

Every time I've looked back on myself 10 years later, I've thought about what a dumbass that person was. I wouldn't have wanted that idiot picking a tattoo for me.

10 years from now, I'll look back on the imbecile I am today and be relieved I didn't get any ink.

Starland Vocal Band! They suck!

Edit: I think there's a lot more buyer's remorse with tattoos than people admit.

I have full sleeves and a chest piece. I get them for myself and my own story. They mean something to me. I don't care what you think about them.

Having said that you used the community correctly. But I not agree with you. Tattoos can be stupid and pointless to the user as well. They can just be there and it's impulsive and they want to tell a story.

Body mod is a choice, you're not being required to get a tattoo. However, it's a personal freedom and identification, like getting the fuck out of someone's control.

Was gonna downvote but then saw the community so I guess I'll upvote it? People want to etch something onto themselves permanently, I think that is pretty cool a person likes something so much they want to mark themselves with it. Some of the things people get tattooed tho, not so much lol.

I used to want tattoos. Thought I'd be covered from head to toe. Then my brothers started getting tattoos and I realized two things.

1. Good tattoos are really expensive. I'm not talking about full sleeves or back pieces. I mean sticker sized hand or arm pieces are even expensive. You want color? Price goes up. You want something that will look good in five years? Price goes up. You want anything that's a challenge or creative for the artist to do? The price goes up. Sure you can get cheap little tattoos for $100, but then its a shit tattoo that someone with little experience or a drug habit has to do. (My brothers used to throw tattoo parties for a local junkie to make $50 to $100 a pop off of underaged kids. That dude would make a killing.)

2. Most tattoo ideas are not original or good. Both my brothers got full arms of junk that's all meaningless platitudes and shitty sticker tattoos. Oh you got a skull. A flower. Some filigree to surround your tramp stamp. Even my own idea which was a snake wrapped around a guitar would have looked like shit after a while.

All this is coming from a tattoo fan. I've seen a lot of good work. A lot of cool art. That's rare. That requires a lot of money, and an excellent artist. Those shops are so few and far between. You have to hope the artist has an opening. You have to have a minimum $1000 for anything with thought and color. After a while I just gave up the idea of getting one and decided to appreciate them from afar.

Personally I have nothing against tattoos—you don't have to be an artist to appreciate art—I simply cannot think of any design or text I like so much that I want it displayed permanently on my skin.

Also I do not have the pain tolerance nor the nerves to sit still while I get stabbed hundreds (thousands?) of times a second. I hate needles with a burning passion; I can barely handle getting my blood drawn.

Mine was never inked to be "cool," and I think it falls under one of your "exceptions."

It's on my chest, and is always covered. I choose a design that's tied between something close to my mother who passed when I was young, and the Japanese art of Kintsugi (repairing broken ceramics with gold to reflect beauty in imperfection.) It exists as a reminder to myself when looking in the mirror at home - I can and will be better despite all of the damage, and that I will continue to build myself into the person that I want to be.

Tattoos are art, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes art is a little more personal too, and not always created to be shared with the world.

There are a few narrow exceptions.

Do tell!

I don't want one myself, but I don't think they're stupid at all. The content or location of a tattoo might be stupid, but not tattoos themselves.