Dianthus,
I think there is such range in what "having a tattoo" can mean that most people aren't really lumping a guy with a face tattoo and a mom with a small tattoo on her ankle together. He's still standing out as an individual and outside the norm. I do think that as tattoos became more accepted, we started seeing more and more people who wanted to make a statement with their tattoos going to more extremes, like necks and full sleeves, etc. Even though more people have some ink than not, most have it in a subtle, socially acceptable way.
I find the idea of wanting to stand out, but blend in with your pack interesting. I noticed it a couple of years ago looking at the street style pics from fashion week. There was a definite uniform going on with the young and stylish, so much so that it was almost comical when they stood in a group. Yet their outfits were clearly designed to set them apart from the masses. It's a weird dynamic, to me, of conforming to a small group so as to stand out in a larger group.
It comes down to the age old question of authenticity. Back in my day the word for it was "poser". If someone tries to throw on the uniform, but doesn't have the credibility to back it up...well, as they say, it all comes out in the wash. Some dude is only going to get by with red cons for about 5 seconds if he doesn't know his stuff. Then he's going to be derided for years for thinking the shoes were what gave him credibility.
Standing out has become a status symbol in tech because it says "I can look like this and still hold this important job because I'm so good they don't care what I look like. I'm not an illusion of competence, I'm competent." It's an interesting backlash.
