To ask what a classy tattoo is?

[Confussedandoutoftouch]

Ok, please don’t shoot me down this is an honest question from an obviously out of touch person. ( name changed obviously)
But what the hell do people mean when they say that a tattoo is classy or amazing art work??
I see them everywhere but have never seen anything that I would say was attaractive on flesh.
They are various degrees of quality of art work yes but classy nope.
On another thread people were saying they had high quality tattoos but what does that even look like? Surely to anyone judging a tattoo is a tattoo I e a permanent mark on your body?
I would assume people like David beckham and Robbie Williams must have the higher quality tattoos? Basic As they have the money ? But to many people they would be judged poorly in a few real life settings. I would not personally say I like the look.
Sorry but pondering the consequences of not being aware of a difference and wondering if judgments are being made on artwork quality Within the tattooed population and the non tattooed are just judging any tattoo?
Explane probably photos required here.
Sorry about typos struggling with iPad tonight

What's up people who go on about noticing "beautiful clear skin"? It's fucking creepy.

At least no one will make a lamp shade out of me!

Mine are quite small but they aren’t the best quality TBH.

Friends of mine or people I see I would say they are beautiful when they are very well done, good colouring etc. Some can look ratchet because the artist wasn’t great or the design/placement isn’t to my taste. I wouldn’t dream of saying someone wasn’t classy just because they had tattoos. IMO classiness is more than your appearance it is a demeanour and presence!

I wish I could like your comments Haworthia. And yours HollyHocks - what an amazing reason to have a tattoo.
I love good tattoos done by great artists. If you can't see that such a thing can possibly exist, that's really fine. Wouldn't life be boring if we all liked the same thing. Classy is subjective.

In response to the comments about being associated with more working class types, I guess you don't live in a city. Come to London - you'd see immediately that's a very outdated view - they are universal and ubiquitous. David Dimbleby has a tattoo of a scorpion on his shoulder. How does he fit into your narrow stereotypes?

No such thing

My friend is a doctor and has loads of body tattoos! I am LMAO about it being working class types. It’s bloody expensive so I don’t think that exactly holds up!

PookieDo

I am (well was) a solicitor before a career change!

I sort of agree with soapona. I have seen some absolutely lovely tattoos but most are not very well done.

A friend has quite a few tattoos. The one she keeps getting work on is the one on her lower back - she got it done when she was too young to afford a really good one and it bugs her whenever she catches sight of it. Her other tattoos are well done (because she went to a really good place for them).

I think small black or blue ones on the ankle or wrist are more tasteful than coloured ones on the arms or legs.

Someone upthread posted some pictures of watercolour tattoos. These I do like but I have been told that these are likely to blur over time (dunno if it’s true).

My main gripe with tattoos is the permanence (I know this is the point). The tattoo I would have chosen at 18 would not be what I would have liked when I was 28. As I’ve aged, I’ve changed my haircut / hair colour / make up / dress sense. It isn’t easy to change a tattoo.

It doesn’t bother me that mine have faded now, it’s pretty normal. I have one on my foot too. My Dsis ended up getting a cover up and then lasering it off it took a long time and hurt a lot so although mine aren’t the best they are small enough that I don’t need to remove them

I work with a woman who is very very smart and prim looking and in her 50’s, she is quiet and shy and last week she came to an informal meeting in sandals and she had a fairly large lovely floral foot tattoo which totally took me by surprise as I wouldn’t have had her down as someone who would have tattoos at all

It is so nice to go to the beach and see young people with perfectly clear skin, not a tattoo in sight, amongst those who do have them. It's the same with weddings, so many brides have stuff drawn all over and that's only on the bits that are visible, goodness knows what they have under their clothes.

Who goes to weddings or beaches and spends time worrying over what is on other people's bodies? What an odd way to spend your life. Surely you only go to weddings when you love the people getting married, thus the bride could turn up in a Mr Potato Head costume and you'd have a great day celebrating their joy rather than tutting under your breath about the dolphin on her left flank from her 18th birthday party in Majorca?

Each to their own and all that. I've seen lovely tattoos and awful ones. Like hairdos, outfits and everything else in life, it's all based on personal taste. You might think tattoos aren't classy, I think being mean about something entirely unconnected with you is pretty classless behaviour, too.

Low self esteem
Poor judgement
Impulsive
Less educated
Less likely to be a professional such as Dr or solicitor

Hmm. One of the most senior civil servants I know, the man responsible for funding all schools across England, has a huge spider tattooed on his arm. He is very well educated, professional and intelligent, has good judgement, and is seen as very credible and intrinsic to the DfE by the ministers in the department as well as across Whitehall. All this and he doesn't even bother to cover his tattoo! Scandalous.

I don't have any tattoos so I'm not defensive, just agog that these attitudes still prevail.

OP, I think they probably see their tattoos as better because I suppose there is a sliding scale. At the bottom would be things like the finger ‘LOVE & HATE’, racist symbols, kids names on necks etc. The more neutral patterns or positive symbols might be seen as better. I am yet to see a tattoo that I like but keep an open mind as there are probably some out there.

I think its a lot less classy to be so judgemental and over involved in what other people look like than it is to have a tattoo.

You can't help seeing them though, JoanMavis. My belief is that people are entitled to do what they like with their own bodies but I don't have to like every thing. I wouldn't want my adult child to have a tattoo but couldn't do anything about it if they did and I'd still love them.

I am surprised at how some people find them so offensive, they are pretty common these days. I’m in my 30s as his DH and I would say we were unusual amongst our peers in that we don’t have any tattoos.

And unless someone had an offensive tattoo I would never judge someone because they had one.

Those tiny, dainty ones. Thing is they don't hold up and fade rather quickly.

Imagine going to the beach and worrying about someone has tattoos or not. Couldn't be me.

You can't help seeing them though, JoanMavis

Maybe not, but you can help judging.

I never understand these " I had a consultant covered in tattoos". That's unusual! I dare say something else when I go on holiday I know I'm in a proper 5 star resort by the tattoos on display round the sun loungers. Virtually zero I'm happy 😃 lots I know this must be like Benidorm and karaoke will be on the entertainment programme.

I dare say something else when I go on holiday I know I'm in a proper 5 star resort by the tattoos on display round the sun loungers

Oh I go to a 5 star resort, just one with its own private pool. Countless sun loungers around a pool are just not classy.....

soapona you're vile.