There are lots of tattoed peole in Berlin. I think my mum worried very much that I would not manage to get away without one when I moved here, but I don't have a tattoo and I don't want one. Deep down I can relate to Laura's dream about the horror of not being able to wash it off... And yes I've seen lots that look great, but very few that in my opinion are going to stand the test of time. I think your examples look very "fashionable" btw, so I think it will definitely be possible to date them in the future. I have also seen tattoos which made me think people were desperate to fulfill the image they thought they needed to portray - and that just made me sad. So, in my opinion - proceed carefully. And if you decide to get one, do your research and be prepared to spend the money necessary for a good result.

Tattoos are incredibly common in Australia. I work at a uni, so I am 100% used to them all of the time - I really only notice if I see a face tattoo, which I don't see on students but do occasionally see on the Gold Coast or Noosa.
That said, I'm never tempted. I can't imagine anything I'd want to keep on my body for the rest of my life. But each to their own - do whatever makes you happy.

I like to think about what tattoo I'd get, but it's not my religion. And I have a vague notion I'm not permitted for medical reasons (professional patient here). My tattooed work children even tell me no as well, because I'm a medical disaster, lol.

My work children are interesting. I'd say tattoos are fashionable because of them. Because they are so young, I debated with myself if they meant to signal they were a bunch of trouble. I was sorta right and sorta wrong for wondering. Their kind of trouble is now advertised at bus stops. So..so long as no one drops their crack on the floor like this one guy did...I mean, can't help a person with that one.

Tattoo removal businesses are enjoying huge growth in revenue. Just saying.

http://www.marketwatch.com/sto.....2014-07-15

I'm sort of surprised at all these comments against tattoos, they seem quite mainstream to me and I'm in conservative West Michigan. My 23 year old daughter has three and I recently got one in memory of my sister who passed away. I like it, it just seems like permanent jewelry, but mine is very small on my wrist and can be hidden quite easily. I am a CPA so maybe this is my rebellion against the "boring accountant" stereotype.

I want to add that my son is in the 26-40 demographic, too. He does not have any tattoos. I think all of his friends have tattoos. I asked him once about this and he said it was so common that he didn't want to go along with the crowd.

So, bottom line: Are tattoos fashionable? Yes.
Are they immune to changes in fashion? No. Just like any other style, they can become dated. Only you can't take them off (at least, not without a lot of pain and expense).
Is it worth it? That highly depends on your motivation, on where you live, and on the tattoo itself.

I'm agreeing with RobinF -- I'm quite surprised at all the negative comments. Tattoos really are a lot like jewellery you can't take off. But many people do actually wear jewellery that they never take off -- like my mum, she never took off her wedding ring in almost 50 years. Like a tattoo, that ring became a part of her physical self.

Everyone I've ever met with tattoos seem to regret it later so I'd say no. And I wonder out loud because I can't even seem to settle on one style of tee shirt - is it fashionable to wear the same item over and over for the rest of your life?

I have negative comments about crop flares, and those aren't a permanent body modification! It doesn't mean I would judge a person's character (unless they got tattooed with incorrect Japanese characters, lol). It's an aesthetic thing.

I live in Tattoo Mecca. I mean you see full sleeves everywhere, and full-body tattoos. I'm thinking that that degree of inking might be a trend, but who knows. Anyway I have seen some beautiful tattoo art, but the vast majority of it--meh. Obviously people are allowed to do whatever they want with their own bodies. And I'm allowed to not think the results look great. Without giving them my unsolicited opinion, of course.

I think many love them when they are younger and believe they are cool, but I have never known a late middle age/older person who still loves them when the ink fades, collagen disappears, skin sags and they look awful. I have only heard regret. Each to their own but I'm glad my family and I are tattoo-less. Come to think of it I only have a few friends who have them from their youth, and they hate them now. In a few decades time, I predict the majority will feel the same way about theirs. I'd discourage you from doing anything so permanent, as our tastes change so much over the years and tattoos don't remain looking the same.

I also heard a lot of people who had to hide their tattoos at their jobs. So if you really want one, consider a small one that is easy to cover up.

It is not my look. I found a lot of the big ones scary to look at. I am sorry that I am not more open minded. I generally am.

I have one tattoo on the inside of my right ankle. It is my college alma mater's mascot. When I was 5, I told my parents that I would graduate from my alma mater and celebrate with a tattoo. At 20, I graduated but it took another 6 years until I found the right artist to bring it to life. I got my "ink" done at a great shop in Dallas, TX with my then boyfriend - now husband holding my hand.

Most days I forget that my tattoo is there, but when I do see it, I smile at all the memories it evokes.

So I say all that to say this, if you want a tattoo go for it - just be sure it is something that will make you smile years from now.

I don't have any ink, but I LOVE the look of well-done sleeve tattoos, especially the more baroque/floral or geometric ones. Aesthetically I'm sometimes a little less into the small one-off tattoo, or collection of small tattoos, just because they look more like stickers or stamps to me, unless the placement and line art really melds with the body part they are inked on or they are unusual and clever.

I feel like I just missed the age group where tattoos became completely culturally normalized around me, and that people my age and older who have them have often had one toe in an indy subculture all their life -- musicians, artists, dancers and yoga devotees for example. My experience has been that these folks don't necessarily leave their subcultures and their friend groups as they age, so I haven't seen any regrets -- just expansion or re-inking of fading tattoos, but don't really know.

I would definitely get the most skilled artist you can though, since even bringing your own imagery doesn't guarantee a good result that I've seen, a lot can get lost or distorted in translation.

Hi everyone. Most of the time I lurk and don't post, but I have strong feelings about this one.

I love tattoos and have several, including a nearly quarter sleeve on my shoulder. My husband has a few, as do many of our friends. I'm an academic librarian, and while it's an open-minded profession, my tattoos can be covered easily by most work attire if the need arises.

One way to think about tattoos done in the past is as a timeline of your life. You can look at each one and remember what you were passionate about at the time you got it. That way it's not necessary to regret them, because they represent the path you've taken (like wrinkles in a way).

Finally, my opinion about having tattoos in Japan. I lived there for a year (pre-tattoos) but am by no means an expert, so I welcome hearing what others say. However, while tattoos are still somewhat taboo for Japanese people (as Angie said), I get the impression that it's not such a big deal for westerners in Japan to have them. My husband had one when we lived there in 2009. It didn't show in his work attire, but he went to plenty of public baths and it never caused any problems.

I realize this didn't answer your question about tattoos being "fashionable"...But I think they are so highly personal that whether or not your choice is fashionable takes a backseat to your feelings about it.

Tattoos are pretty and interesting. They are both normalized and not. Rather like marijuana. Not that the one means the other, of course. There's a strong tribalism still that they go along with, depending on how they're done. I know for example, to be real hipster artisan bread baker I should have a tattoo, lol. It's supposed to be an indication of a certain toughness. It's like showing your baker's badges (burn scars). Bread bakers do heavy lifting and are out at night. You always want one on your medieval town vigilante force.

I guess I would fall into one of the subcultures Rabbit astutely talks about.

I work in finance but am a pint swigging rocker in my own time

Just wished to add that I have friends in their late 50's who are adding to or touching up their existing tattoos. Often they have a small amount of laser removal before having the skin re-tattooed.

It is funny how common and yet polarising tattoos remain.

Mochi -- gosh, I didn't mean to suggest that everybody has to like tattoos. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and the perception of beauty is highly subjective. And it's true, tattoos are more of a commitment than cropped flares! But I also don't think an old, faded tattoo is necessarily a really big deal. In my case it's not. I don't like or dislike it -- it's just a part of my life story. I like TylerAnne's comparison with life timeline/wrinkles. (I might feel differently if I'd got it on my neck, or if it was a tattoo of a flower fairy or a badly-rendered image of Chewbacca's face or something. Or if it was what I thought was my name in Chinese, but in fact was some euphemism for "horse's rear end"). Lol

How about this approach: If it gives a person enormous pleasure when they are young, and is sufficiently carefully chosen that it will not be a colossal source of embarrassment when they are old, then it's worth it.

But again -- I really was surprised by all the negative comments -- especially the stories about people regretting tattoos, mainly because I know so darned many people in my age group or older who have them and almost no one who has expressed regret. Some of us have had tattoos for a really long time, too. Maybe regret depends what kind of tattoo you got. Deb, perhaps the people you know who regret their tattoos made a particularly foolish choice in their youth.

One group of people who seem especially delighted with tattoos? The women in my mum's age group (now 70s), who got tattoos in their 50s and 60s. They almost always seem to have chosen small tasteful ones, and had an "I've-always-wanted-to-do-this-but-wasn't-brave-enough-until-now" attitude about it. I found it charming.

Aziraphale, it wasn't your comment but since you are equally surprised I guess it applies! Anyway no worries, I'm just expressing overall taste but not directed at any individual tattoos, lol.

I have 1 tattoo. I got it right after advanced training in the Army with a group of peers. Is a simple rose. That was almost 25 years ago. I saw it as a sense of accomplishment and completion of our shared journey. The color has faded. It almost looks like a birthmark now. As I look at it I remember what was a life time ago. I love body are. I'll never have another one but I don't decorated my body with tattoos. I don't regret the one I have and I applauded people who are able to get multiples. It still means nonconformist to me. Espically if you have one on your face like Mike Tyson.

Ex banker, over 60, old person here an I have never regretted my tattoos. To me that is like regretting your children. You love them for what they are and when you had them. Just sayin'.

I'm not a fan of tattoos, mostly because I've never seen many that appeal to me. The little, delicate ones that are easily covered seem to fall into the "meh", "why bother" category for me, while the full on, cover-the-skin designs often look odd to me when a person's clothing covers parts of the design, or jarring when the design is juxtaposed next to "regular" clothing.

The only body tattoos I've thought attractive were some I've seen at the gym or on the beach; in that context, tattoos seem more aesthetically pleasing and interesting to my eye because of all that bare skin. I've also been fascinated by people I've met with facial tattoos, especially when the person explains the cultural significance.

I agree, though, with Deb and Elisabeth that none of my tattooed friends--most of whom are in the "senior" category--appear to REGRET their tattoos. Some do mention they might not do it again if they could turn back time, but even those individuals seem to regard their tattoos as just another aspect of their history. Sort of similar to the feelings I have about some of my old boyfriends...

Not a fan of tatoos that look like barbed wire, but love many others that I see. If I ever get one, it will be in a location where the skin doesn't usually sag, like my ankle, or the top of my foot (wonder if that's a sensitive spot?)

Meh. I have two tattoos, and I do wish I had not had them. I tell my daughter (because it is true) that the most "alternative" thing a person can do is to not have ANY piercings or ink. That is far more rare and unusual than having ink and piercings. No criticism from me for those with tattoos or multiple piercings, as I have them, too. I don't wear jewelry in anything except the first ear piercings I have, but my piercings (including body piercings) never close, so I could wear jewelry in any or all of them tomorrow if I wanted to (I don't).

It's a personal choice, but as other posters have mentioned, many places of work still frown on having tattoos that show. The negative bias may not be right, and it may not even be legal, but it does exist - and proving discrimination is awfully hard in the best of cases and next to impossible in the case of tattoos or piercings. It seems a lot more exciting before you have one to plan and get one. After it is done, the newness wears off pretty quickly and whether you like it or not it is permanent.

I've heard that the top of the foot is the most painful spot to get tattooed. Because it's all bone.

Eta from my experience and where I live, NOT having a tattoo is a much more radical act. They are totally mainstream here.

The only thing I can share about tattoos is that I have a friend whose sister is an obstetrician, and she sees a lot of tattoos that were done on women's midsections. As we get older, that part of the body tends to accumulate fat, and so what used to be a cute little fish or something gets all stretched out and doesn't look very cute anymore! So if you are considering getting a tattoo, do think about what will happen to the shape of the body part as you age, and how that will affect the shape of the tattoo.

As to fashion, I think that a tattoo can be fashionable, but the problem I run into is that it is forever. So it's a permanent part of your style. I see that others have talked about temporary tattoos, so I would maybe try a temp one first.

Jean Paul Gautier does some beautiful tulle tattoo tops - which whilst expensive are much cheaper than a real tattoo sleeve (or major body part). Personally I do not have tattoos, but I have admired them on others.

I adore tattoos and at least 80% of my back (maybe more) is covered. But when I am in a work setting, you do not see them at all. Easy for me to do, since it is all on my back. I know tattoos are growing in popularity, but in my work place showing them off is still a no-no.

I am actually surprised by how many here who have them. I don't think anyone I interact on a daily basis has them. Certainly no one at work. Never seen them on any of the parents at my son's school either. What does that say about me? That I work in too conservative a place?

Oh my goodness, catseye. I don't think there is a more tattoed and body pierced city than Seattle. Most people I come into contact with daily are tattooed. All ages, personas, body types, ethnicities. EVERYONE. Like Nancy, ironically, NOT being tattooed where I live is alternative.

Lisa, I hope to see your tattooed back one day.

I don't know anyone who has regretted their tattoos either.

TylerAnne, thanks for chiming in about Japan. It makes sense that the culture is more forgiving of Westerners having tattoos. When I speak to my hip and fashionable Japanese friend from Tokyo though, she still thinks it's a bad idea to get a tattoo when you live in Japan and are Japanese.

Jules, I have always loved your body art, especially since I know how much meaning those symbols have to your gracious and sensitive soul.

Deb, I love this and totally agree: "I have never regretted my tattoos. To me that is like regretting your children. You love them for what they are and when you had them. Just sayin'."

I actually tend to explain body art to people as having a potential psychological benefit in terms of body autonomy/positivity (for young women, especially). So many of us come out of adolescence feeling at war with our bodies, or completely detached from physical existence in one way or another. Body art, just like fashion or make-up, can be a way of embracing yourself and recognizing your own strength/beauty. I see it as a physical manifestation of self-respect and self-confidence. I'm not saying that's how it is for everyone, but it certainly was for me. I feel the same way about my surgical (and other) scars, tbh. My tattoos are, in essence, intentional scars over which I had aesthetic control.

One other thought: As a culture, we've lost a lot of our traditional rites of passage for young adults, and I think within my generation a lot of people lay claim to tattoos and piercings as self-defined rites of passage.