Reader: Dare to be tattoo free

By Michael Roberts Thu., Aug. 30 2012 at 10:27 AM

Our post about Olympic rings tattoos, inspired by hometown hero Missy Franklin's hip tat, inspired debate about the various places on their body Olympians mark themselves.

But one reader thinks such ink is unnecessary.

Nicole Mills writes:

Ahh... the tattoo uniform strikes again. How about being an original and not getting a tattoo at all? Ink free, think free, and lovin' it!

For more memorable takes, visit our Comment of the Day archive.

Tags:

Missy Franklin, Olympic rings, tattoos

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eCurmudgeon

1 Like

If I were younger and looking for a career path, tattoo removal and piercing repair is likely to remain extremely lucrative for quite some time...

michael.roberts moderator editortopcommenter

@eCurmudgeon You've got a point, eCurmudgeon -- like the one on the end of a needle. Thanks for the post.

brianafrederick

@eCurmudgeon Doubt it - as a generation we're seeing our wages become exponentially less significant and poverty more of a common place. Sure we might have the money to GET the tattoos (though bartering and trade is huge in the industry) but the cost of removal is about 4 -5 times more than what you paid for it. So is the pain, allegedly. Nobody has that kind of money to take off a janky clover you got in someone's basement on St Patrick's day. Tattoo removal offices are actually struggling right now because of it. Many of them offer sweet deals right now IF that's the path you think you need to take.

The real problem is these Tattoo Shows on tv that put a strange light on a proud and historical subgenre of society. If you don't want the tattoo, don't get it. Hell - I've got a strippers lip print from Tucson on my shoulder and don't ever plan on doing anything with it, sans getting more around it. The girlfriend loves it too. Your skin is a storybook and the respect for the ink and needle needs to be more of a norm in mine and the coming generations - though much like everything else, reality TV has ruined it. I don't and never will ever feel sorry for people who regret tattoos. Fuck yeah Missy!!

RobertChase topcommenter

1 Like

Denver's tattoo industry must be running out of willing flesh to ink, at least on the scale necessary to support legions of tattoo artists.

DonkeyHotay topcommenter

@RobertChase ... the hilarious reality is that some wanting tattoo studios have now jumped into the booming Tattoo Removal Industry!

RobertChase topcommenter

@DonkeyHotay Sure -- why not promote both businesses simultaneously? A significant fraction of the tattooed will become potential customers for the business of removing tattoos. There is a bit of a clash between the offerings of the artists and the stiff price schedule for the professional services of the clinicians who deface the artworks, but as long as one doesn't try to run both enterprises out of the same building, the logic of vertical integration commends the move.

DonkeyHotay topcommenter

What nerds and geeks who get tattoos in an attempt to be "cool" or "hip" fail to comprehend is that they're still the same nerds and geeks ... now with bad ink as a lifetime reminder of their nerdish geekdom.