Why Get a Tatoo?

[John Cole]

Katy,

As a kid, I always enjoyed my grandfather's various tattoos: a three-masted clipper ship on his chest, along with an anchor and hula dancer on his forearms. My favorite, though, is a friend who has "Oil Here" emblazoned around his navel.

Nothing in the world would convince me to get one, but if I did, it would be K.M.R.I.A. in small letters: Kiss My Royal Irish Ass.

One time a student arrived late on the first night of class, a heavily--and I mean heavily--tattooed woman. I asked her name, and she told me her first name. When I asked her last, she said, "Whipp." I replied, "That figures."

[KotOD]

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They're good if you want to be different exactly like everybody else and maybe are a bit of an attention wh*re. They generally don't seem to communicate much to me otherwise except self-absorption and a streak of impracticality.

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I think you should get one so that you can immediately expose people that prejudge you, like Blarg here.

[KotOD]

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I've been thinking about getting one that looks cool/reps a cool philosophy (on left shoulder). But other than it being a nice shiny thing that convey's a portion of my personality, I can't figure out why to get one. Do you need a backstory to get a tattoo to avoid being annoyed by questions?

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Tattoos are almost as common now as they used to be in the ancient world. There is still a stigma attached to them, stemming mostly from bizarre religious views, but they are becoming more mainstream. You don't need a story - it's just a piece of art decorating some available space.

Just make sure that you get a great artist to do your work, and make sure you take care of it.

[KotOD]

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why is it the color always fades to an awful bluish-grey?

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Because people don't take care of them. It's the same as taking care of a painting or any other piece of art. After the initial healing process is complete, use lotion, cocoa butter or shea butter daily and always cover them in sunscreen and reapply when there's a chance they will be in the sun. I've had two of mine for over ten years and neither have faded in the least, and the one on my arm is five colors.

Eventually though, you will need a touch-up even with the best of care, because the colors will lighten, but it shouldn't be for a very long time. Well, unless you had a guy that used cheap ink, or didn't do the job well.