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I have no problem, with a small, discreet tattoo. Even a moderate one on a guy’s arm or leg is okay with me, depending on the content.

In my line of work (healthcare) I came to know many older men, and often had the opportunity to speak at length with them over the course of several hours, and it was clear most of them were indifferent to their tattoos, but there were a significant number who regretted them.

I am an amateur historian, and the tattoos were something that helped me initiate conversation, particularly about their military service (since on many guys of that generation, that is what they were)

The women I treated in their forties and up did not have tattoos back then, and the few who did, appeared to greatly regret them. I had many cases where as soon as the tattoo was visible, they would simply apologize in advance or try to explain them. I felt bad for them, a youthful indiscretion that would never go away, and they were quite self-conscious about them.

I presume that is not the case with many women now, but after seeing how tattoos aged on men’s skin, I cannot imagine in that what we see today on the skin of these young women is going to look at all attractive in 20-30 years.

Personally, I can’t fathom it. My wife’s nephew is a homosexual, and he has come to a few family functions wearing the big wooden circles in the ears and such, which is disgusting to me, but worst of all are the metal posts sticking straight down out of each nostril.

They look for all the world like snot concentrators. Eating turkey while sitting across the table from him was an exercise in my ability to focus on my food.

But, as my wife says, piercings and such will go away when you remove them. The tattoos don’t.