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Original poster

Why get lots of tattoos?

106 replies

NeedASolution · 29/07/2022 21:53

Why do people who have lots of tattoos get so many? I ask because I have a relative who gets them so often that it seems like an addiction. I don't know if she is happy and wonder if it's a bit of a coping mechanism for something. Or not, maybe she just likes it.

FWIW I have no tattoos myself and no strong feelings about them, just interested.

OP posts:
Strikemepink · 29/07/2022 21:54

I expect everyone’s reason will be different.

Hellocatshome · 29/07/2022 21:56

It can be addictive and some people definitely get a big rush whilst being tattooed. Other people are searching for something/unhappy with themselves. Different reasons for different people.

Lovemusic33 · 29/07/2022 21:57

Personal choice, though I do think it can become a bit of an addiction.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Beauty
Hotandbothereds · 29/07/2022 21:58

Because they like them?

What do you like doing OP, do you not have likes, interests, hobbies? Why do you do those things? It’s the same kind of question -just because you’re not keen doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong in it.

BillyBobBear · 29/07/2022 21:58

Cos it's my body and I'll do what I please with it Grin

I often joke to DH that my body will be worth thousands in years to come. Much like Taylor's legs 😂

Fabswingers · 29/07/2022 21:59

Addictive, plus they can look really good too.

Original poster
NeedASolution · 29/07/2022 22:14

Hotandbothereds · 29/07/2022 21:58

Because they like them?

What do you like doing OP, do you not have likes, interests, hobbies? Why do you do those things? It’s the same kind of question -just because you’re not keen doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong in it.

I didn't say I'm not keen, I said I have no strong feelings about them. Just interested in why people get them.

@Hellocatshome I never thought of it being a rush.

OP posts:
Original poster
NeedASolution · 29/07/2022 22:15

BillyBobBear · 29/07/2022 21:58

Cos it's my body and I'll do what I please with it Grin

I often joke to DH that my body will be worth thousands in years to come. Much like Taylor's legs 😂

Yes, living art! This was the other thing I wondered about.

OP posts:
BeanieTeen · 29/07/2022 22:20

I think most people do it for aesthetics. They do put a lot of thought into what they’re getting done and genuinely like the look or have thoughts and meanings that go into what they choose to have done.

But with some people it does seem to be addictiveness or maybe boredom, there’s no rhyme or reason to what they get done and it can just look cheap and dysfunctional.

ShirleyPhallus · 29/07/2022 22:22

Probably cos they like them.

Either that or it’s cos they’ve spent all their benefits on wide screen tvs and cigarettes already

hattie43 · 29/07/2022 22:23

I'm sure it maybe coincidence but everyone I've met with multiple tattoos / full sleeves etc has had mental health issues , all these people were under 30. My friends daughter included .

EmmaH2022 · 29/07/2022 22:24

I wondered this too. I am seeing more people with lots of tattoos.

in the past, I only used to think of Jonny Lee Miller as having lots of them <drools> and only had one friend with sleeve tattoos.

now lots of people have lots. It is interesting to me in terms of art and design. I'd get bored though, and want to change.

BattenburgDonkey · 29/07/2022 22:24

They are addictive in a way but also look nice, it’s just something some people enjoy having done. I personally don’t understand why some people go to salons for false nails regularly, they’re so inconvenient to have, I hate having them put on and taken off (only tried it once), and I think a lot of the time they don’t look nice on a lot of people, I don’t hate them or people who have them, I just don’t get it. It’s just different things for different people. I’m sure some people with lots of tattoos aren’t happy, and I’m sure some people who wouldn’t be seen without false nails are unhappy with themselves too. (Disclaimer, it’s just the first example I thought of, nothing wrong with false nails!)

Perpetualstateofchaos · 29/07/2022 22:30

They can be addictive. I have few and plans for more. Mine all have meaning to me, they look random but all relate to certain aspects of my life happy and sad or how I have changed

Original poster
NeedASolution · 29/07/2022 22:33

Yep, this too. I feel like more people have them than not now, and having lots is not unusual.

@Perpetualstateofchaos I like the sound of your life map. Do you like to share the meanings with people, or does it feel like a private thing?

OP posts:
ShaneTwane · 29/07/2022 22:37

Because they are fucking rad. Hope that answers your question.

Sux2buthen · 29/07/2022 22:41

ShirleyPhallus · 29/07/2022 22:22

Probably cos they like them.

Either that or it’s cos they’ve spent all their benefits on wide screen tvs and cigarettes already

Try harder, that was a weak attempt at bait

Kenwouldmixitup · 29/07/2022 22:42

I’m noticing where I live that people are having tattoos on their face. Ten years ago this was an anomaly.

BBJP1989 · 29/07/2022 22:46

Because I love them. I love having paintings on my body.

Why would I get them if I didn't love how they look?

I feel happy when I see them.

Kanaloa · 29/07/2022 22:48

If you’re worried your relative is unhappy then ask them. I imagine if the only worry you’ve got is their tattoos then they’re probably fine.

But the answer to this is the same as the weekly thread about ‘but WHY do people wear leggings/pierce their ears/fake tan/get lip fillers/so on and so on and so on.’ It’s because they like those things/think they’re cool/think it makes them look nice.

Sandra1984 · 29/07/2022 22:48

I got some colourful Japanese flowers on my lower back when in my 20's because it was "cool", edgy and I like Japanese flowers. I'm 45 yo now and totally regret it. I am not that person I was on my 20's, I've changed a lot (which is what usually happens when you age). I look at all these young girls covered in ink head to toe and I think "Oh dear...". I feel sorry for them. Laser doctors are going to get rich in some years.

Kanaloa · 29/07/2022 22:50

hattie43 · 29/07/2022 22:23

I'm sure it maybe coincidence but everyone I've met with multiple tattoos / full sleeves etc has had mental health issues , all these people were under 30. My friends daughter included .

Of course it’s a coincidence. Unless you think they’re handing out full sleeves with your sertraline prescription nowadays. Or maybe you think the tattoos activate a mental health issue?

MaryJoLisa · 29/07/2022 22:57

It's trendy. Everyone who has one says it's because it's their life's mission/ambition/calling/ whatever. Same with piercings. Imo, everyone is currently on a mission to out tattoo everyone else. What was once a statement, a message, or a meaningful piece of art is now reduced to who can out ink the next person. It's not cool anymore, it's a bandwagon.

Sandra1984 · 29/07/2022 22:57

@Kanaloa But the answer to this is the same as the weekly thread about ‘but WHY do people wear leggings/pierce their ears/fake tan/get lip fillers/so on and so on and so on.’ It’s because they like those things/think they’re cool/think it makes them look nice.

The above is all temporary stuff. You may want a fake tan in your 20's but you may not want it in your 50's. Apply this to leggings, nose piercing or blue hair. We've all done and worn outrageous stuff in our 20's that makes us roll our eyes when we look back. People change.

BBJP1989 · 29/07/2022 22:59

Part of me thinks why wouldn't you get tattooed?

We wear make up, decorate our houses, dye our hair, hang paintings. What's the problem? We'll all be dead soon, and it's only skin. If you want to have tattoos then why not.

Nobody has to have tattoos. Don't get them if you don't like them.

(I'm 35-45, I have a mortgage, and a job in education - for those who assume we're all degenerates and junkies.)