I remember a case of some man who after being told by a chinese pedestrian, noticed his arm chinese tattoo said "Naftaline pills" XD Omg I laughed and felt sorry for the man at the same time 8'D

PS: I would like to tattoo myself one day. Tattoo, my own designs.

I personally love getting inked but only in a very professional environment of course. I have 3 tattoos (1 on each arm and 1 on lower back) that were done by amazing artists. And each one is highly symbolic in representing my spirituality, growth and life experiences. Basically, my tattoos tell the story of my life. And I have never received anything but compliments on them. So when a custom design is tastefully done by a professional artist, tattoos can be a beautiful thing.

And yes, it is an ART. Body piercings? I have 8 of them and trust that I have received nothing but compliments on them as well. Again, if these things are done in moderation, as stated in previous posts, it truly is no different than one who wears makeup or lots of accessories. Tattoos and piercings, in my opinion, are merely enhancements to an already beautiful you. You just have to choose which ones look best on you or suit your lifestyle. That is all. :)

Personally I have no problem with either piercing or tattoos. I majorly want a tattoo on my back. I already have around 8 piercings. They're a way of expressing myself without going thoughly over the top. but everyone is different.
Alot of the time I think its got something to do with how you've been brought up.
Nature vs nurture. hmm. xD

I think Tattoos are one way of keeping a memory/thought or even a feeling for something alive.

I have four, and all have a really special meaning to me and my life. They help me remember and realise just how lucky I am to be where I am in my life. And how I got there.

Honestly, I find tattoos wonderful, and not painful at all. My last one took over 4 hours and I slept throught most of it. ><, The tattoo artis said that it was the first time a person in his 20 years of work that did so.

Originally Posted by Volucria

On Japanese/Chinese characters: I mainly dislike them on people who have no clue of the meaning(s) of those characters. My boyfriend's cousin is half Chinese and he's told me of some hilarious tattoos he has seen.

Many people don't know that one character in Chinese can have a set of VERY different meanings. :XD

My thoughts exactly. How do you know that you're not getting some sort of horrible obscenity tattooed on your ankle if you don't speak the language? xDD

Well this is a highly personal opinion.
Some people like them, and some people just don't.
Again, you should really check out the backgrounds on tattoos or piercings before pointing any fingers.

@ OP, as others have said, you didn't really give us much to debate. You just ranted on and on about your opinion, not leaving us much to debate or anything.

And I do have to say that you are sorely mistaken if you think that tattoos are just the "latest trend", people have been getting tattoos for thousands of years, in fact, the origin of tattoos most likely lies back in Prehistory.

Nor are tattoos dirty, although they can be done dirty environments, but that's why each studio has to be checked out by the Health Department and display their clean bill of health certificates, etc, etc. Autoclaving is a must if they don't use fresh needles in sealed packages that come autoclaved from the company they buy from. Some studios even use both.

As for your actual opinion part, one of my favourite sayings is: "To each, their own".
If you don't like them, fine. Don't get one.
But if you feel the need to talk down to me or anyone else who has a tattoo because we're inked, then be prepared to be talked down to right back.
Rudeness begets rudeness.

I recently got my ears pierced for the first time, both done in my cartilage and I quite like them, though the right one is setting a little off. They don't really show much because of my hairstyle, but I don't find them dirty or anything, and they're small so its not really going to ruin my life if I have them in a public setting.

Tattoos and piercings are a lot more accepted these days, although apparently not in your case. My older sister wants to get a tree on her back. She's an upstanding citizen and I don't see anything wrong with it. It's just another way of expressing yourself. Maybe you shouldn't live in the US if you feel that way.

I waited until I was 40 for my first tattoo. I'm probably considered moderately tattooed now compared to most in the area I live in (for some, I'm pretty wildly, overly tattooed!). I gave a lot of thought behind each one and plan on getting more once my new baby is old enough to walk and I'm not carrying him around so much. My daughter thinks they're interesting, but has no interest in modifications (she's 10) at this point in her life.

The thing is, these are permanent. If one considers any form of body modification, the reality of how people react to them (like, can you find a job with the ones that are difficult to hide?) must be taken into account. My lobes are also stretched (2ga/6mm) and I wear hanging styles if I'm just out and about, but wear something more modest (usually dark wooden plugs) when I need to look more serious. Right now, I'm home with the baby, so I can look as outrageous as I want to. Once I go back to the workforce, I'll have to go back to longer sleeves, no skirts and button-down shirts.

Don't know if my perspective is different because of my age or not, but I rarely find people who treat me differently than they would if I was NOT tattooed. Sometimes it helps being a tad obnoxious naturally!

oh dear. all i can say is it is completely personal. i am quite heavily tattooed and pierced according to some people. it does not affect peoples opinion of me in the slightest. it hasn't affected my job prospects. it hasn't even ran me into being a criminal... i did that before i even got my first modification!

personally, my tattoos tell my story. each represents a section of my life or a lesson i learned or something i wish to find follow or explore within my life. for me, it's all about expression and being and growing. it's art. i find it aesthetically pleasing and i feel a little more like myself when i add to my story. my piercings? i just think shiny is pretty... but you don't have too. it is each to their own and i wholly respect your dislike, and so i feel like my like of them should be likewise respected.

lastly, just because i like to be disagreeable, some of my favourite art is graffiti ^_^

I think that tattoos and piercings can be nice, if one doesn't overdo them. I saw this one woman from Brazil on TV once, she had over 500 piercings on her whole body. Now, THAT wasn't cute. But if you just pierce your ears in several places, or chin, or lip, that's okay. Same with tattoos.

I feel tattoos as a form of body modifiction is a personal choice.
I may not like your body modifications you have choosen to get. Some may get an "eweee" reaction from me, however it's not up to me what I like, it's your body.

Keep in mind this only holds for me.
I am the kind of person who generally does not like body piercing. I would feel wrong about the self harm issue. It would feel like wanting to injury myself. When I see a piercing the self injury issue does come to mind for me.Since I like the idea of plastic surgery, maybe I'm not being rational here.

I do find some tattoos very ugly, some beautiful. Besides the self injury issue, I wonder about changing your mind. I know I would. Some things I loved as a teenager I am not embarrassed about. How does one choose something they will enjoy for life and not change their mind about?.
I feel tattooing the name of a lower is usually a very bad idea. Especially if they break up and have to wear the name. Yes you can have lazer surgery, thing is it's so expensive it's only for the rich. What if you happen to be middle class?...Then you will have to wear the tattoo for life.

BTW folks there is removable ink nowadays which means tattoos are easier to have removed VIA laser surgery. It will still be very expensive, yet gives people more options when it comes to permanent tattoos. Still a rich person's option so better choose wisely.

I didn't get my tattos and piercings to be cute or 'kool' (cool), I got them because I wanted them as unlike you I believe they're beautiful. So what if they're more or less permanent? One shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, and no one should think they're highly enough to judge others for what they think is pretty.

Beautiful is in the eye of the beholder.

I got a tattoo because it is representative of my heritage (The english and German branches of my father's family), as well as my favorite flower (the same first flower that my boyfriend ever gave me), and a small crown (multiple meanings, as my mother's family is descended from the now-sort-of-defunct royal family from when South Korea was a monarchy; and since it's the crown from kingdom hearts, also ties in my love of video games.)
I don't know if I'll extend my tattoo into a full back piece, but I got it on my back in a place that is nearly always covered by a shirt because I got it for me. Not for anyone to be gawking at. Just for me.

Some people spend their entire lives collecting art and assorted nonsense that their offspring have to sort out once they've passed on... I look at my ink as artwork I get to take with me, or, something less my kids will have to contend with.

Culture does weigh in, as I've stated earlier, some jobs frown on anything considered abnormal for their business setting. Oddly enough, I've met people who told me that they'd seen me in town and remembered me because of the tattoos - favorably. For me, my tattoos represent where I'm at in my life/have been. I have a permanent reminder of my beliefs because they're spiritual images and that I've come a long way in accepting myself for who I am. I've found that my peers either don't care or gain a new perspective on people who have modifications.

I don't see any point in getting a piercing. I don't even have my ears pierced. For me, piercings fall into 2 categories: ones that kind of look good on some people but that i'd never do 'cuz i don't like piercings, and ones that are just downright gross. A lip ring, for instance, looks good on some people, while i'd never get one. Having a bar through one's lip, however, is just gross.
I do think it's stupid though that people have to take out their piercings for certain jobs, even if all they have is one nose piercing.

Tattoos are a different matter. I think they can be cool, but i'd only get one if i had a really clear idea of where on me i want to put it and what design to get.