As I pulled into the parking space at the gym I was mildly
irritated by the bumper sticker on the car in front of me. It was a blue Bush – Cheney bumper sticker (circa year 2000). Giving the owner of this vehicle the benefit
of the doubt, I thought, maybe it just won’t come off. It’s a “carttoo” – a permanent reminder of a
temporary feeling, as Jimmy Buffett described in his song of that title. At least that “carttoo” was valid for 8
years. The Romney/Ryan “carttoo” I saw recently represented a ship that had
long sailed (and eventually sunk.) I’d use some duct tape to cover that one up
if it would not come off! In the spirit
of bipartisanship, I would also suggest that all Obama “carttoos” be removed by
2016 as well.
There is no doubt that the profusion and acceptability of
“body art”, (including piercing), has been steadily increasing over the
years. In our celebrity driven society,
we only to have look as far as our sports figures and rock star role models to
see how “ink” has been embraced. Arms,
legs, backs, chests and shoulders are now seen as canvases for increasingly intricate artistic designs.
“She was no Marine
back from the Philippines
She was their pride and joy, their incarnation.
Her parents viewed the chief
With shock and disbelief
Looking for some other explanation……
It's a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.”
Jimmy Buffett
Remember when the only people who had tattoos were your
grizzled old uncle who had been in the Navy who proudly sported an anchor on
his forearm, black leather clad bikers
or prison inmates, showing their gang
affiliations?
At the gym, I contemplated the proliferation of “body art”
as it was on full display. Three young
dudes attached to iPhones and ear buds next to me all had colorful calf tattoos
that looked like they might have been replicas of the ceiling at the Sistine
Chapel. Then there were a number of young women with “roses on shoulders and kittens with whiskers”, (sung to the tune
of My Favorite Things) and the obligatory “tramp stamps”. (Sorry, though I was at the “Judgement Free
Zone,” that’s the moniker that has become part of our modern lexicon.) Despite
the new innovations in laser tattoo removal, tattoos are permanent reminders in
everlasting Technicolor.
It may seem that Americans can be separated into the “haves” (tattoos) and the “havenots” (tattoos) but age, gender and
economics don’t seem to figure in the equation. Like many things these days, parents only have so much influence
or control over their children’s wardrobe or their dermatological
presentation. I recently heard a father
of a 19-year-old girl say, “ I tried everything to convince my daughter not to
get a tattoo. I even offered her $500
if she would forgo the ink.” Nice try, Dad.
Instead of her being $500 richer, she was out $500 bucks and sporting a
fresh, new colorful leg design.
Many of us tolerant and evolved types accept body art as
“Live and Let Life” (as I saw on one
tattoo fail.) However, unless you are Mike Tyson, the neck, head and
face seem to be the final frontier of
socially acceptable permanent designs.
Call me old fashioned, but I have yet to see a neck tattoo that I would call
“tasteful” no matter how artistic it was.
A tasteful neck tattoo might be considered an oxymoron. Here's one I like:
One word of caution before getting that tattoo: Be sure to check spelling and grammar.
I “belive” they
were going for “Believe”.
“My mom is my angle”
(90 degrees of separation?)
Why fight it, I might as well jump on the “ink bandwagon”
and get a tattoo. After all,
“you only live ones!” Oops, let me rephrase that; ”
you only life once.”
Steve E. Reno
