Tattoo You

Body English

by blogSpotter
When I was 20, I was feeling my oats. I thought the whole world was wrong, and needed to be set right. My politics tilted far to the left, and I was expecting a revolution any day. That was the 1970's, and my way to express contempt for political elites was to wear long, messy hair, patched blue jeans and a slogan tee shirt. By the time I was 30, I was employed as a computer programmer and my politics was a little more subdued -- I was voting as a liberal Democrat, but not expecting any revolutions. By 40, I had learned the wisdom of choosing your battles, keeping your powder dry. One has to let pragmatism be a guide, or he will be out in the cold. I'm reminded of the Serenity Prayer:

God, Grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

In my 40's, the last line has much resonance. I haven't abandoned all my idealism or hope, but realize that change is a process -- not an immediate, tumultuous event. If you've hobbled yourself by being unemployable or by getting a long rap sheet, you’re not much good to anyone's cause.

Now, I look at twenty-somethings with their tattoos. Tattoos can be innocent -- a panda bear on the ankle, a rose on the lower back. Even a barbed wire tattoo on the bicep is fairly tame. These are all ways to express your inner imp, but they can easily be covered with clothing. Not so cute are the tattoos I see with more frequency, that climb the arm and the neck like black flames. These tattoos express loudly one's "rage against the machine". The wearer isn't mainstream, he's not a suit -- we get it. Now, will he get it in 10 years, when he comes to his senses and realizes that tattoos cost $500/square inch to remove? One could pierce something, dye the hair blue or wear Goth clothing and accomplish the same. But irrevocability is probably the ultimate appeal.

For the time that you have your body art, you've pretty well limited your employment to Tower Records or Whole Foods Market. Do you really want to limit your future for a transient fashion statement? I look at photos from 20 years ago and cringe at how I looked; at least hair and clothing can be changed. A tattoo wearer can look forward to being part of the new "tattoo underclass". I know one young man who could be a GQ model, except for the tattoo flames that consume half his face. Another woman that I see frequently has a black and blue floral design all the way up her arm; the first time I saw her, I thought she'd been beaten. In closing, I think it's possible to voice an opinion, and possible to present a 'true' image of yourself without disfigurement -- just color me baffled.

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