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Opinions
about Tattooing
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Photo:
Thomas Peters
A frog tattoo on a boy's arm.
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In
my country, young people like tattoos very much.
They have butterflies, flowers and hearts tattooed
on parts of their bodies. Also, they choose very
interesting zones to build marks of their youth.
Almost all of them are trying to get our attention
by doing it. It is just human. I'm self confident
enough to get one, but what is stopping me is my
fear. I'm sure it hurts. And worse, it is
irreversible. To me, it could be a kind of art. If
I were not weak, I would have a beautiful small
star on the back of my neck. I don't have anything
against tattoos. I don't worry about what people
are going to say about that. If my daughter wanted
to get one, I would help her. The best thing in our
lives is experience. When are we going to do crazy
things? Just in youth when we have time and courage
to change our minds
Angela
Teixeira from Brazil
Young
people like to exhibit tattoos for different
reasons, I guess. The main reasons may be to get
attention and not be out of fashion or to show that
they have opinions, that they are different and
confident. They might want to show they are
courageous because the process of getting that
desired tattoo is painful. However, they are young,
and when time passes, probably they will regret
having done that. Many people who don't have
tattoos have negative opinions about them. So, for
those who wear tattoos, the chances are that they
will be barred from some places, especially from
jobs. By the way, it depends on how big it is
because if it is small, nobody will notice.
Returning to talk about regrets, the problem will
become bigger. Since a tattoo is a permanent thing,
removing it might be very difficult or even
impossible.
Nelma
Toledo Mendonca from Brazil
These
days, tattooing has become a kind of fad. In Korea,
there are not many people who have tattoos on their
bodies. Koreans have traditional thoughts about
their bodies. In former days, our ancestors didn't
even get their hair and nails cut. Doing something
to their bodies which were inherited from their
parents was disobedient. For this reason, tattooing
is not popular in my country. Most people who have
tattoos are regarded negatively. In the U.S. I have
seen many people with tattoos. At first, I felt
disgusted. Now, I feel it's okay. Maybe I'm
accustomed to them now, but if somebody suggested I
get a tattoo, I'd reject his suggestion because I'm
afraid of health risks of infection and I'm a
little conservative. Sometimes, I think about
sticker tattoos. My cousin uses them. Well, I don't
think it is beautiful. However, whenever I've
wanted to change my mood, I've thought about using
a sticker tattoo. I'm against putting real tattoos
on the body.
Seung-Hye
Lee from Korea
In my country, it used to be said that tattoos make
women more beautiful. Therefore, over the last
decade, tattoos became the most famous fad among
women in Iraq. Often girls, before their wedding
eve, went to get their hands and faces covered with
tattoos. But recently this custom stopped. Nowadays
they prefer to use temporary tattoos instead on
permanent ones. They use henna designs which last
about three weeks. They believe that this kind of
tattoo looks more beautiful and they can change the
design at any time.
Sadiq
Hasoon from Iraq
The
first time I heard that tattoos were from China, I
thought it was a shame. Actually, I don't like them
very much, but I don't have anything against people
having them. When you enter the army in Taiwan, the
military doctors check everyone's body. They send
the people who have tattoos to the tough bases or
departments, so you can probably guess how my
society view people with tattoos. Nowadays, lots of
young girls and women like to have tattoos on their
forearms. They put flower-like icons or chain icons
around their arms for decoration. After all, they
don't have to go to the army!
Kung-Yi
Chen (Fred) from Taiwan
I
think tattoos are very personal. I know a lot of
people who really like them and think that they are
a piece of art, or a symbol that has a great
meaning. They just identify with that particular
design. Sometimes it can be religious, or they need
to have one to become a member of a group like
gangs, for instance. These people are proud of them
and nobody will make them change their
minds.
On
the other hand, there is a big percentage of people
who just hate tattoos and feel very disgusted by
them. They think that they are very bad and relate
them with lower class, uneducated or criminal
people. Some people who got tattoos in the past
feel that they made a mistake and have experienced
rejection by society. They try to have them
removed. Sometimes that can be unsuccessful because
of time or because the type of ink the "artist"
used can be very hard to remove. Anyway, I don't
like tattoos even though I have seen very beautiful
ones. I am not attracted to them, and I hope my
kids won't get any...I would die!
Martha
Leverett from Colombia
Nowadays,
tattooing is very popular among teenagers. I think
it is a kind of fad or fashion. I have a friend who
has a tattoo on his forearm. He told me he likes
this drawing; that's why he decided to get a
tattoo. Most parents in my country don't allow
their sons or daughters to get a tattoo because
they believe that tattooing is some kind of unusual
fashion that only bad people have. if we think
about the future, no company wants to recruit
people who have tattoos on their bodies.
Piboon
Choklerdpatana from Thailand
Personally
I think not everyone can have a tattoo, and the
person who can get one can't have all the styles.
What I mean is the physical complexion has a lot to
do with it. A tiny person would look bad with a big
tattoo, and a girl doesn't look better with a chic
tattoo on her arm. I only know some people with
tattoos, and they were sailors who got tattoos on
their bodies of eagles, girls, names of ships,
roses, girlfriend's names and holy images because
it was a way to remember them or to distinguish
themselves as sailors. Now, I think tattooing is a
new fad in society. Teenagers want something that
proves they do not agree with society's rules. They
want something different. What I think is that they
should think twice before having something tattooed
on their bodies. They could be barred from places
or jobs because of that, especially because people
still think of people with tattoos as criminals and
lower-class members of society. If parents want to
discourage their kids from getting tattoos, they
have to show their kids how dangerous it could be.
Chances are, with a good education and most
important good communication between parents and
children, this will never happen. I personally like
how some girls look with a tattoo on their arms,
especially the one that is like a chain, or some
small tattoo on their ankles. I think this is a
kind of fad that is likely to pass, but not vanish.
Although not all people would like to have one,
there will always be someone who will want to have
a tattoo.
Jose
Guillermo Davila from Mexico
I
don't like tattoos and body piercing. In my
country, body piercing is done by popular singers
and artists who like different and exceptional
things. I think tattooing for young people should
be banned because they are still growing right now,
and tattoos can affect their health and skin. Many
countries, including the U.S.A., urge that underage
youngsters not be allowed to get piercings and
tattoos. Young people can't get them without
parental consent. People feel differently about
tattooing and piercing. I my opinion, a really
beautiful picture drawn on the skin doesn't look
good. I'm not ignoring youth's new life style, but
I'd prohibit my children from getting tattoos and
abnormal piercings such as eyebrows, nose, tongue
and navel piercings. Also, something which I'm
worried about is that criminal groups like
gangsters usually have tattoos. Some gangs indicate
they are a member of a group by getting a
special-shaped tattoo, so youth might be apt to
join bad circles.
Seung-Hye
Lee (Clare) from
Korea
In
my country, a long time ago, low-class men used to
sport tattoos on their arms. I've never thought
about it, but now I realize how ridiculous these
tattoos were because they could be a Christ, the
Virgen of Guadalupe, a nude woman, or a rose. Can
you imagine that? Today, tattoos are a fashion, and
a lot of teenagers want to have one or more. In
fact, I've seen some girls with ankle designs or
tattoos on their mid-rifts. Also, there are
actresses who wear tattoos, some of them in places
of the body not visible. I don't like tattoos,
maybe because in my mind, I still have the idea
that tattoos are for low-class men.
Graciela
Flores Alvarez from Mexico
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