Considering the stigma that has surrounded tattoos in the past (and even still in the present), I was pleasantly surprised to find out that (according to an article published in June from The Associated Press) 24% of 18-50 year olds in America have at least one tattoo. That is practically one in four people. Ha ha.. don’t worry though, I’ve been continually told that one in three people have an STD, so STD’s are still more common than tattoos (or so I’ve been told! Hard to believe I guess).

Chris Keaton, President of the Baltimore Tattoo Museum, who is also a tattoo artist, says, “Really, nowadays, the people who don’t have them are becoming the unique ones.”

While this statement may seem true, tattooed people are still not the majority. That would mean that over half of people in America would have to have at least one tattoo for the non-tattooed people to become the minority. Duh

So anyway, my opinion on it stands that it’s still more “against the grain” as I like to call it, to have tattoos. This obviously is dependent on a lot of factors; where and what they are, your job, lifestyle, etc.. I know that many people think it makes you “cool” to have tattoos, but personally, I can’t stand people who just have them for flash (aka, trying to be a “cool, tattooed person”). Lame. If you go from having no tattoos to having like, half your body covered in less than a year, than you need to step back and think about if that’s really what you want. YES, they’re addicting, trust me I know, but they are forever (duh, sorry, I know I HATE when people say that over and over! ha ha), but I feel that if you get a whole bunch in a short period of time, it means one of two things:

A) You were dead broke for a long time and you just got enough money to get the tattoos that you’ve been wanting for a long time (all piled up)…

or

B) They were never into them, maybe started hanging out people that had them and decided they wanted to be “cool” and be totally covered also, so they did.

B, obviously, is way lame. I don’t understand why people have try try so hard to be something, instead of just BEING themselves. Yeah, maybe having lots of tattoos is you, and that’s all good, I love tattoos, but it irritates me when people are just trying to be something by getting them.

Listen- I’m going to need people to stop being chodes and just.. well.. stop. Ha ha, anyone over 18 can get a tattoo so it’s not something that makes you cool. Yes, I like them a lot (on myself and others), but I also hate posers and stuff so.. just don’t be lame, ok? Thanks

Article referred to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/10/AR2006061000591.html