I had a nightmare last night.
I dreamt my granddaughter paid us a visit and gave us a horrible profile.
“Guess what I have, papa,” she exclaimed, removing her sweater.
She showed us her arm full of tattoos as I gasped with disbelief. It’s as if she did it intentionally to rebel against her family, knowing how much it may have bothered us.
But it was only a bad dream, I reminded myself. After all, she’s only 9.
I’m guessing it all stemmed from that washable tattoo she had displayed during her last visit of some cartoon caricature she had seen on TV. The ads are relentless when it comes to getting kids sucked into modern protocol. Hey, tattoos are cool, and let’s get with the times.
Visit any gym or health club and you’ll see tattoos on display. The guy next to me on a treadmill had tattoos covering every inch of his arms. I peeked over for a closer look and saw the most ghastly images: A skull with crossbones and Satin’s insanity.
Everything duly wrong with society was imprinted on his body, giving me the idea he had a problem with life. Could be he was a disciple of Ray Bradbury’s “Illustrated Man.”
You know the book. It’s the classic tale about a vagrant with a tattooed body who comes to represent the souls of the sinful victims of a mysterious carnival. The man’s tattoos, allegedly created by a woman from the future, are animated and each tells of a different tale.
And let’s not forget Norman Rockwell’s classic illustration of a sailor at the tattoo parlor, with the artist crossing out the names of his previous loves with the newest replacement.
What’s the world coming to anyway? It’s bad enough walking into a store and seeing a clerk with body piercings in the tongue, nose, and earlobes. Such a sight makes me cringe. Who would ever hire an employee like that?
I know good help is hard to find. I don’t mind a pierced earring gem on a guy but not much more in the way of a hang-up. Now, I’m looking at a walking, talking comic book. I fail to see the practicality.
Okay, it’s hard to resist a peak but what choice do you have when the person next to you working out is an outline of calligraphy.
Years ago, my ancestors were forced into being tattooed as a way of identifying the orphanage they were assigned to. It became a permanent part of their recognition process. My grandmother wore hers to her grave and spent a lifetime seeking out others with a similar imprint.
When she found a similar tattoo, it turned into an emotional reunion.
That is not the case with random tattoos. The people who go overboard with them are defacing their bodies to the point of becoming obnoxious.
They’re wearing them on their necks and ankles, face and buttocks. Why anyone would want a tattoo on his/her posterior is beyond me. Who’s going to see it? One woman I know is wearing a heart on her breast with the inscription “love.” Maybe she’s the “playgirl” of the month.
How many times I’ve photographed brides with tattoos in the most conspicuous places. Most of them have asked me to remove the distraction from my lens as if it were a scar.
Since the camera records what it sees, I’ve asked them to turn the other cheek. The end result, because they’re wearing a tattoo they don’t want, are one-profile shots that hardly complement a wedding album.
Will somebody tell me what value there is in wearing a tattoo of barbed wire around your arm? Or how can anyone justify the appearance of the Grim Reaper? Who would want to be reminded of death every moment?
Used to be a time when only adults adopted the fetish. Now it’s kids. A glance at our high schools reveals the unthinkable. Teens are surprising their parents with a tattoo. Occasionally, it works the other way around.
One website I turned to featured 49,704 different designs including demons, cancer, skulls, and snakes with fangs extended. Ethnic tattoos warrant their own popularity. With Armenians, a common sight is the red, blue, and orange flag or a vision of Mount Ararat where Noah’s Ark is said to have landed.
Other than the grandchildren fancying their playtime tattoos, I am thankful none of my three children ever sported a tattoo. I’m willing to bet that most who have taken the plunge inside a tattoo parlor are living to regret the move. They were caught in a weak moment or throttled by peer pressure.
Bottom line: The human body is a sacred creation. Learn to respect it.
Tom Vartabedian
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“I’m willing to bet that most who have taken the plunge inside a tattoo parlor are living to regret the move. They were caught in a weak moment or throttled by peer pressure.”
This statement has no basis in reality. I know quite a few people with tattoos and have yet to find a single one that regrets their decisions. I have also never met anyone who got their tattoos in a moment of weakness, a drunken night out, or by virtue of peer pressure.
I have respect for my body and honor it by eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis. I also chose to adorn it with a beautiful piece of artwork created by a very talented artist. My tattoo has very deep meaning to me and getting it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. I have a college education and a well paying, professional job. My tattoo is partially visible in my normal work attire and has earned me nothing but positive remarks and reactions from co-workers.
To answer your question regarding who would hire someone with piercings in his/her nose, tongue and earlobes? Any sensible manager who was competent at doing their job and capable of not judging a book by its cover. Would you rather they hire a less qualified employee who fit your own person style ideals?
I won’t try to explain the rationale behind tattoos like barbed wire around the arm or the grim reaper because I did not choose to have those images inked on my body. Every tattoo has a unique meaning to it’s owner and I would never attempt to answer for anyone but myself.
I will agree that many people are getting tattoos at too young of an age and not putting as much thought into them as warranted for something that will be on your body forever. But please don’t assume that this is the case for every tattooed person you see walking the street.
Tattoos of skulls, snakes and demons each have their own meaning and it’s not necessarily what you think. Skulls can be symbolic of overcoming death, protection, strength and power. Snakes are also very symbolic. The Caduceus, consists of 2 intertwined snakes and has been the symbol of the American medical profession for nearly a hundred years. Most tattoos have meaning far beyond what you would think upon first glance. So, before assuming that the “ghastly” images you are seeing are symbolic of everything wrong with society today, take the time to research the meaning behind some of those images in tattoo form. What you find may surprise you.
I’m writing regarding your tattoo article. In particular your comment, ” I’m willing to bet that most who have taken the plunge inside a tattoo parlor are living to regret the move.” Well I took the plunge into a tattoo parlor at the age of 42 & love my tattoo. As a matter of fact I am designing another one now. I believe that “the human body is a sacred creation” & that everyone else should learn to respect the choice I have made for mine.
well said Paul B.
Remember years ago, the Armenian pilgrims to Jerusalem were tatooed. During the Genocide, my grandmother and her three daughters ended up in the Druze Village 2 hours from the airport in Damascus. Later, when her 5 year old grandson died in the village, she and her daughto carried her 5 year old grandson to the cemetery in Jerusalem. My grandmother had a tatoo a little above her left wrist – a garland with a cross and I believe a date.
My first overseas assignment I went to Jordan (my mother chose that posting), and at that time it was Jerusalem, Jordan. Needless to say, I drove my bright red Chevy convertible on the Dead Sea Highway and was in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, you name it my 2 years I was there. Yes, I got a TATOO too, but just a little cross at the top of my left hand. I treasure it. My 24 year old grandnephew, Krikor, loved it. Not too long ago, he had a “large” Armenian cross tatooed on his hand. I am so proud of him.
So…it depends on the tatoo! Right?
I could not agree with Paul B more! People get tattoos for many reasons. Yes, it’s true, some of them because of a drunken night out, but also for very personal reasons. Friends of mine have them to remind them of places in their lives they’ve been before or to represent family who have left them too early in their lives. Some get them cause they just like the design & to them it the design speaks to them. Who are you to say what is right or wrong? Do you criticize someone for the way they dye their hair? Is a natural blond more qualified/smarter than the bleached blond?
Having just hired 3 people in the past year, I can honestly tell you that the well dressed, no piercing, no tattoo employee ended up getting fired for being a huge slacker, while my full arm tattooed hire is the best assets to our company! Had I chosen purely based on looks, we’d be up a creek without a paddle to put it nicely!
I respect your right to not have a tattoo so all I’d ask is that you respect mine to have one.