Tattoos what's the purpose of getting them?

i have one tatt, (i don't understand y people have them all over their body either) and i got mine b/c i was home sick when i was away at college, and b/c i lost a relative in 9/11, so i got my tatt as a comfort, a reminder, and to commemorate something.

I have several tattoos ranging from memorials of fallen loved ones, to tributes to my forefathers, to symbols of unity for my brothers around the world. I don't regret a single one of my tattoos because they all have meaning behind them and that will never change. I took lots of time to decide and sketch what I was going to put on my skin. Artists tweeked the ideas to make them better (I'm no Rembrandt) but they all started in my head. There are lots of trends and flash out there and he has a point that much of the art has lost it's meaning but if it means something to you then it isn't pointless. You might not be a sailor, a tribe member, a traveling freak, or a gang member but tattoos still mean just as much if you put meaning into it. Just think about what you are putting on you before you do and you won't regret it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Other folks may find them artistic and beautiful. Some find them erotic or sensual. Most tats are a permant mark in time...maybe a reminder of a certain event of their lives or loss of a loved one, an advertisement of a hobby or favorite pass time. There are more reasons to have a tat but I believe these are the main ones.

On the other side of the coin, they are an identification of yourself...there have been Missing Persons found, Murders solved, and bodies identified due to a tatoo. And if you research further you might learn that they have been part of many cultures history.

Hope you choose one that makes you smile.

Well maybe for you..you may not like them and it's cool! But for some people they don't just think of it as just getting anything. For me though I take tattoos very serious. I really like tattoos and I plan on getting all of mine to have a personal meaning/story behind it because I know I wll have it forever. People often underestimate the meaning of the word FOREVER. I don't that is why even if it takes me 10 yrs or 25 to come up with something else I will as long as it's close to perfect and it satisfies me....I say this because MANY people also do the mistake of tattooing something they or their friends think is "Cool" big big mistake.

It's a form a self expression and makes people happy. Why do you buy souvenirs or take picture when you are on vacation? Because you like to be reminded of that wonderful time. It's a reminder of someone, something, or an event in a person's life or just something they like. The bigger reason is why do you care so much and why are you wasting the time trying to figure other people out? As the quote goes, "Life's a journey, not a destination." Many of us, myself included, like to have permanent souvenirs of our life's journey.

First off, what give you the right to think that bodies with tattoos are not beautiful??

Tattoos are a form of art and self-expression. Just because you don't approve of them, doesn't mean that other people shouldn't have them.

Don't be so judgmental of others simply based on appearances.

To each his own. You might not think tats are beautiful, but i prefer my body with them than without. You have no right to judge.

People do use branding irons. Others use a kind of soldering iron looking think to get branded. It is faster, but not as colorful......

If you don't like to look at people with ink, then don't look at them.

Nobody judges you by the clothes you wear, or the way you wear your hair. How would you like it if I told you everyday of the week that I hate what you're wearing and you shouldn't have ever have bought that outift?

I don't understand why people like you need to throw out your troll opinions just to start a flame war. This is supposed to be a community, not for people like you to start a big drama session.

Now please, go back to your N'Sync albums and your Tiger Beat Magazines. The big kids are talking now.

Branding is a type of body modification also..

if you dont already understand the beauty and apeal of tattoos as a form of art im not going to waste my time explaining it to you but simply say each to their own...

I don't believe they are branding themselves.

Many people get tattoos to honor someone who has died. or it is something that they strongly believe in or it is a portrait of someone or something it could be anything..

Tattoos are pieces of artwork. To you it may not be beautiful but to others it is. You may like to place your artwork on you walls while others would rather have they be part of their body.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. What you think is beautiful may be ugly to someone else & vice versa. Don't judge people because they have tattoos.

That's your opinion.

Other people (myself included, even though I don't have any) find it a form of expression. It's art, and it usually means something special to a person when they get it on their body. For example, a lot of people have pictures or dates of a dead relative as if to keep their memory alive and never forget about them. It can be very beautiful if you open your mind to it and make the tattoo you get special to you.