I am a millennia born in ‘93. I don’t have tattoos, and none of my close friends do. We all met at law school and are risk averse, neurotic biglaw types. That said, I work with plenty of tattooed attorneys.

I don’t think tattoos are trashy, but when I see a tattoo on a peer I find them an interesting data point that signals some combination of willingness to take risk, attention seeking and youthful rebellion. Among peers, I see few poorly executed tattoos, but many that are trite. I also have a lot of respect for tattoo artists (at least the good ones!) because tattooing seems to be one of the only viable ways to make money by producing art in one’s own style on a daily basis.

I'm a chef without a tattoo, 43. I am the only one I know, young, old and in between, that doesn't have one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they're trashy. I think they're stupid. Last year's meaningful tattoo is next year's overused cliche. Trends come and go. 20 years ago, a lower back tattoo was sexy. 20 years later, it's just a big blurry tramp stamp on a middle aged woman. Even the ones that look nice right now are going to blur over time. Some old tattoos look more like a skin condition than a picture.

THIS

But 'Keep on Truckin' really resonated with me back in the day...it felt timeless. I think the problem is that I got it as a tramp stamp- it would have been better on my arm...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of my friends have tattoos. I’m a millennial. Not sure where everyone is seeing these tatted up people.

I don’t see them in my social group but more at restaurants now. Even high end ones with actually hire someone with one on the wrist. The entire meal I’m half repulsed but what can I do. The people who sell you things. It’s definitely a socioeconomic thing in some ways. But it’s more prevalent.

Actually it is just a fashion thing. Everyone that works for me makes in the six figures and I have several employees with tattoos. One has a wrist tattoo AND a nose ring! I'm not cool enough to have a tattoo or piercing but I am not repulsed or even slightly put out by them.

What industry do you work in? Tattoos can’t be a fashion statement because they can’t truly be removed. Piercings yes depending on type. Also you just proved my socioeconomic point. Are these 6 figures working tables? 6 figures being just 100,000. And the management with no tattoos.

Nuclear security.

And I'll add... my tattooed, 6 figure making employees have degrees from fancy schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of my friends have tattoos. I’m a millennial. Not sure where everyone is seeing these tatted up people.

I don’t see them in my social group but more at restaurants now. Even high end ones with actually hire someone with one on the wrist. The entire meal I’m half repulsed but what can I do. The people who sell you things. It’s definitely a socioeconomic thing in some ways. But it’s more prevalent.

Actually it is just a fashion thing. Everyone that works for me makes in the six figures and I have several employees with tattoos. One has a wrist tattoo AND a nose ring! I'm not cool enough to have a tattoo or piercing but I am not repulsed or even slightly put out by them.

What industry do you work in? Tattoos can’t be a fashion statement because they can’t truly be removed. Piercings yes depending on type. Also you just proved my socioeconomic point. Are these 6 figures working tables? 6 figures being just 100,000. And the management with no tattoos.

Nuclear security.

Anonymous wrote:Millennial against tattoos here. 90+% of my UMC and above friends are also opposed. It seems like the youngest millennials and whatever the post-millennial generation is are cooler with tattoos. I don’t care how many influencers get little arrows and semicolons and bird silhouettes— I’ll always associate tattoos with trailer parks, former inmates, dropouts and sorority/fraternity brats who spend weekends blackout drunk.

Yep.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think they are more common, but it is class based. If you you look at higher educated, non-artsy type professions, you may not see a lot. More artsy type of professions might have a higher proportion of people with tatoos.

The number of people I know with tattoos in non visible areas that run in the 7 figure, big law crowd is so much higher than probably most would think. You don't see them. But when they hit the beach with their true friends you see them.

That’s the thing. Anyone who actually indulges this know to hide it and not wear one on their face or wrist. You can’t hide that. Anyone with a professional job UMC will not have this. It becomes a socioeconomic thing. Who on Martha’s Vineyard is full of tattoos. Oh yeah the waiters making “6 figures” that the PP mentioned. It’s like a marking for being a servant. Yes there are the occasional new money billionaires but that’s not common. Hollywood continues to debase society and young people by featuring people with face tattoos as normal. Nope. Still trashy and limiting.

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they're trashy. I think they're stupid. Last year's meaningful tattoo is next year's overused cliche. Trends come and go. 20 years ago, a lower back tattoo was sexy. 20 years later, it's just a big blurry tramp stamp on a middle aged woman. Even the ones that look nice right now are going to blur over time. Some old tattoos look more like a skin condition than a picture.

THIS

Millennial against tattoos here. 90+% of my UMC and above friends are also opposed. It seems like the youngest millennials and whatever the post-millennial generation is are cooler with tattoos. I don’t care how many influencers get little arrows and semicolons and bird silhouettes— I’ll always associate tattoos with trailer parks, former inmates, dropouts and sorority/fraternity brats who spend weekends blackout drunk.

Anonymous wrote:I do think they are more common, but it is class based. If you you look at higher educated, non-artsy type professions, you may not see a lot. More artsy type of professions might have a higher proportion of people with tatoos.

The number of people I know with tattoos in non visible areas that run in the 7 figure, big law crowd is so much higher than probably most would think. You don't see them. But when they hit the beach with their true friends you see them.

I do think they are more common, but it is class based. If you you look at higher educated, non-artsy type professions, you may not see a lot. More artsy type of professions might have a higher proportion of people with tatoos.

Anonymous wrote:At 43 I sometimes feel like I am the youngest person without a tattoo. There’s like this dividing line and Whoosh they became routine. Not judging it, more of an observation.

That's about the dividing line. My 44-year-old brother doesn't have any, my 42-year-old sister has several. It was a mid to late-90's thing that they became popular, and she was in college from 1995-1999. Those of us already out of school, with real jobs, seem to have missed the boat.

Millenials don't care. Only Boomers do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of my friends have tattoos. I’m a millennial. Not sure where everyone is seeing these tatted up people.

I don’t see them in my social group but more at restaurants now. Even high end ones with actually hire someone with one on the wrist. The entire meal I’m half repulsed but what can I do. The people who sell you things. It’s definitely a socioeconomic thing in some ways. But it’s more prevalent.

Actually it is just a fashion thing. Everyone that works for me makes in the six figures and I have several employees with tattoos. One has a wrist tattoo AND a nose ring! I'm not cool enough to have a tattoo or piercing but I am not repulsed or even slightly put out by them.

What industry do you work in? Tattoos can’t be a fashion statement because they can’t truly be removed. Piercings yes depending on type. Also you just proved my socioeconomic point. Are these 6 figures working tables? 6 figures being just 100,000. And the management with no tattoos.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of my friends have tattoos. I’m a millennial. Not sure where everyone is seeing these tatted up people.

I don’t see them in my social group but more at restaurants now. Even high end ones with actually hire someone with one on the wrist. The entire meal I’m half repulsed but what can I do. The people who sell you things. It’s definitely a socioeconomic thing in some ways. But it’s more prevalent.

Actually it is just a fashion thing. Everyone that works for me makes in the six figures and I have several employees with tattoos. One has a wrist tattoo AND a nose ring! I'm not cool enough to have a tattoo or piercing but I am not repulsed or even slightly put out by them.