7 Comments
User's avatar
Cindy's avatar

The thought of tattoos on aging skin, of signs and symbols of the past still clinging long past sell dates, of inky

chemicals causing destruction to the body. No, just no.

Expand full comment
Stephen Bradford Long's avatar

I have a number of tattoos, and I’ve just accepted that when I’m 80, my tattoos will look like the rest of me: wrinkly, saggy, and old. I hear this revulsion often, and I just don’t understand it. Everything ages and crumbles, and my entire body will look the way my tattoos look in 40 years.

At the same time, everybody is allowed to have their own likes and revulsions, and to decide what to put on their bodies.

Expand full comment
Nathan C's avatar

Agreed. When I see folks in their 70s or beyond with tattoos, I don't think, "wow, they'd look so much better without tattoos." Skin shows its age whether it's tattooed or not. I perceive older people with tattoos as having a more youthful vibe.

Expand full comment
Stephen Bradford Long's avatar

Agree!

Expand full comment
Pat M.'s avatar

What a strange thesis! I see tattoos as a slightly less harmful form of self-mutilation by someone unable to live comfortably in their own skin, a revolt against nature and nature’s God. Virtuous? That I will have to think about.

Expand full comment
Stephen Bradford Long's avatar

As with many things, tattoos can be self-harm or a virtuous act. It can be a rejection of nature, but also an affirmation of a deeper nature. I've encountered numerous cases of both.

Expand full comment
Stephen Bradford Long's avatar

I love this. Every single tattoo I have is sacred, representing a value, story, or turning point in my life. I'm currently in the process of getting a large chest piece representing the virtues that make up the moral compass of my life, and it has felt like a sacred pilgrimage. I wear my tattoos with pride and reverence.

Expand full comment