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Societies have said, "Do it, be a man." They've said, "Don't do it, you'll be branded for life." Whose right? Today it seems like everyone has tattoos, you can get them anywhere, of anything ( [|go here] if you don't believe me on that!).

The word tattoos comes from the Tahitian tatu meaning "to mark something", the purpose of tattooing has varied from culture to culture, but until recently, with the pop culturalization ... (is that a word?) of tattooing, ritual and symbolism have always played a part in tattooing. Tattoos are said to have originated around 12,000 BC. Tattoos were used for many things, from marking slaves and spies, to marking skills that made women better eligible for marriage.... (More from this site [|here])

Today, more than 6% (10 million) Americans have at least 1 Tattoo, suburban housewives, hardcore drug users... That's a lot of ink. We've come a long way from 787AD when Pope Hadrian outlawed Tattooing as a dark art...

Once regarded as something horrifying and taboo in the West, today 32% of people asked say they get tattooed because they are addicted to ink. (4% said they liked the pain... that's a WHOLE other kettle of fish right there) So where are we today? Certainly not EVERYONE is ink crazy... []

While tattoos certainly have an interesting history, there are SOME places where a stigma certainly still exsists. The Corperate World. Does that surprise you? Does this Surprise you more?

42% of all interviewed employers/ managers said their opinion of someone would be lowered if they had visible ink.

and 3 out of 4 respondents said that they believe visible ink is unprofessional.

after seeing these tats... I could understand...

And remember, tattoos ARE for the most part permanent, what you get if gonna be with you a LOOOONG time. Unless of course you want to shell out THOUSANDS to have it removed... So, is it worth it to be trendy?

-17% of people with tattoos have considered having it removed - 5% of people have covered one tattoo design with something else - about 6% of Americans have at least ONE tattoo.

I'm part of that 6% of Americans who have tattoos. And I love them. (I wasn't fond of the pain, though). I didn't get my tattoos because fashion said they were cool. I don't have a peace sign, or a fairy, or quote. Most people don't get my tats without a little explanation and that's okay. with me me. I get them. Get tattoos you can cover, and get something that means something to you. And never under any circumstances get something because FASHION dictates that you should.