A couple of days ago, while walking to work, I spied an urban mom out with her urban kid having one of those hideous, no-win arguments that are so de rigeur with the under 5 set. I discreetly observed the proceedings from a few feet away, smiling empathetically natch, when something fantastic caught my eye: This woman, dressed unobtrusively for a hot summer day (black tank, shorts and flip flops) was the canvass for a most elegant tattoo. A garland of beautifully rendered tea roses encircled her neck asymmetrically, winding from the collarbone up as if she were a trellis. If only that wretched child had let up slightly on the freak out, no doubt I would have asked her all about it and reported back.
At any rate, this really got me thinking re: tattoos. Though I am endlessly fascinated - and often delighted - by body art, for the following reasons I don't have any (and probably never will):
- I'm a bit north of the age-span for which tattoo getting is a regular rite of passage. (When I was young, we misspent our youth on dangerous sexual practices...) Furthermore, I was raised conservatively (as far as personal presentation is concerned) and tattoos were considered somewhat blue-collar (forgive the pun). While I don't buy that hype now, it did influence my decisions 20 years ago.
- In the words of my friend Nicole "What if I don't like it 3 years from now?" Style may be eternal, but I am fickle, and I have serious concerns that the K who chooses something now could be lamenting it later. What can I say; it's the Gemini in me...
- The process of obtaining said tatoo kind of creeps me out. Don't get me wrong, I've been getting acupuncture regularly since my teens, but those needles are as thin as thread and are not laced with ink. Oh, and they go in once and then you're done. I'm very squeamish about having something pumped into my skin. Something painful. This doesn't bode well for the Botox years :-)
- And finally (and probably most relevantly), I'm not sure I want to see my body age through the prism of a tattoo. I'm old enough now to see how skin changes, how gravity works. And while I'm optimistic that it's never going to impact me horrendously (what with my defying age and all :-)), the bet-hedger in me is concerned about putting it to the test with indelible ink.
I know that many of you have gorgeous tattoos. I've read about them and seen photos of them and admired them from afar. So today's question is: What do you think of body art (feel free to include piercing if you like)? Do you have some? If no, why not? If yes, what made you choose the design(s) you have. Are you addicted? So intrigued to hear your answers...
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