I can get the appeal of a tattoo when you are young. There is something rebellious about a tattoo don?t you think? The fact that some people dislike them, that they mark you apart somehow. Getting one when you?re older though - it just seems a bit try hard to me. As with any overt fashion statement born from a desire to be cool / rebellious there is something implicitly adolescent and incoherent in the message ? ?look at me, I don?t care what you think... but do look at me?. That?s forgivable in the young, but a bit sad when you?re a 40 year old. Sure, a middle aged man with green hair and a goatee could be a really fun and interesting character, but I bet it?s more likely that they?re just a bit of a dick. Having said this however, there is something in the argument that the old perceptions of tattoos are out of date. They?ve become so ubiquitous as to be barely remarkable, certainly no longer very dangerous or rebellious. Personally I think this may be the worst thing about them for me. They?ve lost any power they may have once claimed. Tattoos are ?trendy?, merely another adjunct to the ultimately vacuous world of fashion. Just more ?stuff? that?s been coopted into the mainstream, sanitised and repackaged for a mass market (with Robbie Williams and David Beckham as sponsors). The fact that people have already been discussing it?s monetary value, how this may be what gives (or takes away) from it?s meaning, says a lot. Consumerism :(