I'm Old

Once-taboo, tattoos now fit in

It's no surprise to find a tattoo on a Gypsy Joker motorcycle gang member, a grungy rock star, or a wayward sailor stumbling back on board his ship after some much-needed R and R in Bangkok.

But a tattoo on an accountant? An attorney? A college co-ed? You bet.

Folks with so-called "square" jobs are hiding a naughty little secret under that freshly pressed business suit.

Tattoo artists in the Butte area say they are seeing more professionals and "regular" people getting inked.
Jason Green, tattoo artist and owner of Body Grafix, welcomes the extra business.

I'm showing my age again but I can't see this. I have never seen the idea of a tattoo as a good thing and don't completely understand the draw of it.

Part of this might come from some words of wisdom I remember my Grandma giving me before I went off to the Navy. She pulled me aside, looked me square in the eyes and said, "Your body is a temple, I don't want to see any drawings on it when you come home. I will get you if I do." I had no plans on getting a tattoo while I was in the Navy, and never did while I was in, but the words stuck with me.

In the long run I am probably going to have to get used to the idea though. My oldest daughter thinks they are cool and plans on one day getting a tattoo. I've told her my thoughts on the issue and informed her that until she i has moved out of the house, it isn't going to happen. She has taken this stricture with good graces but I am betting as soon as she leaves the home she will be getting a tattoo, along with a tongue piercing. Why people want to do this to their body is beyond me. I see nothing "cool" or "neat" about it. All I see is a waste of perfectly good looking flesh.

Giving birth was easier than having a tattoo. Nicole Appleton