tats in general are at least halfway “in” for much of the US. many in major cities have them, the people in the flyover states see tats on the telly. as far as the workforce goes, companies seem to be split between tolerating body modifications and not.

tasteless tats will be prevalent as long as being drunk and stupid is. original art that complements a person will always be rare.

I think tattoos these days are the equivalent of hair salons and sushi bars and things with “green tea” in them. All of these things are great things in the world, and of course, there are going to be over marketed and kitsch aspects to some or most, but will these things ever “die” like a fast fad or trend? No, because to every tacky side of life there lives the original, authentic, and classy version that everyone copied in the first place.

About whether or not I consider my tattoos while dressing: OF COURSE. Naturally I am drawn to more subtle colors of dress, but my tattooed arm drives me to dress down a lot. I consider it to be an accessory and I don’t like wearing things I feel clash with it. It’s about the equivalent of feeling cluttered in an outfit if I put my glasses on.

The only thing I really, really, hate about having such bold and obvious tattoos is the fact that it’s an open invitation for everyone else to show me theirs. I cant tell you how many people come up to me, ask me about my tattoo, and then lift up their shirt to show me their tribal arm band or their piece on their shoulder blade. I might be a bitch, but quite frankly, I don’t give a damn about a stranger’s tattoos. Or the people that grab your arm.

Anyway, in answer to your questions…

“are tattoos a trend that are on their way “out”? or is the art making inroads, just now seeing greater acceptance? conversely, does their acceptance have a long way to go?”

I think they’re going to gain more and more acceptance as time goes on. The standards for good tattoos have gone up a lot over the years, and I think that’s a great thing. There will always be people (especially young people) who get bad tattoos but I don’t think that those decisions should be taken as a reflection of the tattooed population as a whole. That article made me realize that yeah, they do still have a long way to go as far as acceptance goes. But there are pockets of tolerance, particularly in urban areas like SF, where one can forget that anyone was ever against them.

“are persons who have tattoos to be taken less seriously than those who do not have them? do tattoos say anything about class or class structure? i.e., are those that have them of a lower class, or perceived to be of a lower class by society at large?”

At one point in time, tattoos did say a lot about the class or social function of their wearers. Think about sailors in WWII who got tattoos at their ports of call, or circus freaks. But I think that time is in the past now, and tattoos are now mainstream. Some are upset that their means of rebellion and setting themselves apart from the rest of society has been co-opted by the masses, but I personally don’t have a problem with it at all.

Getting and having a tattoo is a highly personal experience, one that means something different for every person. Some people do get them for attention, others get them to mark important events in their life, others get them to memorialize a loved one, and still others get them to express devotion to a particular ideal. Some people just get them because they’re pretty. Some people get them for the experience of the body modification process (which is highly spiritual for many– check out some of Fakir’s stuff, if you have a strong stomach). I don’t think any of these things have anything to do with class. A good tattoo is *expensive*. Like, really expensive. I think if anything is a class signifier, it’s the quality (and perhaps content) of the tattoo. I don’t think anyone should be taken less seriously or be perceived as lower class just because they have a tattoo — which is not to say that doesn’t happen all the time in real life. But for myself I often find myself being *more* impressed with someone because they have a tattoo.

Granted, if someone has a *bad* tattoo and are proud of it, I’m likely to think less of them. “Bad” can be subjective though. Like for example, I’d never date a guy wearing tattoos depicting scenes of violence, because any guy who chooses to permanently ink their skin with such things is probably not someone whose values I share (plus I just wouldn’t want to see it all the time). Or if I was conducting a job interview and the interviewee had a shaky Tweety Bird or Taz tattoo on their forearm, I’d probably think twice about hiring them because I’d wonder about their tastes and decision-making skills.

“from a style/styling oneself sort of perspective: if you have tattoos, do you consider them when getting dressed? are they a part of your style, or separate from it in some manner (i.e. you don’t think about them in relation to your wardrobe/what you wear)?”

I personally only have two small tattoos behind my ears, so I don’t really think about them much in relation to what I wear. In November, I’m scheduled to get a large floral tattoo that will cover part of my upper back and arm, so I’ll probably be better equipped to answer this question at that time. I suspect I’ll probably be more inclined to wear clothes that show it off. But in reality, my manner of dress probably won’t change much at all. I planned the tattoo so that it wouldn’t really impact my style at all, besides perhaps enhancing and accessorizing it.

Regarding tattoos, I have 2 fairly large ones that I got when I was in my late teens and early 20’s. I like the later one better and most likely would choose something different today, but I still love them because they are a part of me and represent times in my life. And I agree tattoos are not just a fad as they have been around for many years.

As for age and style, I think that style is something everyone has be it good or bad. Some people choose to creatively express it at all ages and some people get lazy when they are old or vice versa. It is a interesting topic and I agree with Sal, I have been seeing so many daring young people wearing the most creative outfits lately. I guess there were always those types around but I feel like this generation is on a more individual tip, which I think is great. It was so boring when I was young with everyone following the same trends and all wearing the same things. I guess it is still like that but I feel as though more and more young people are being true to their self.

Thanks again for bringing up great topics to chat about!