Tattoos

I've been asked why I don't have a tattoo if I like them so much, and I usually tell people it's because I intend to get incredibly fat one day, or incredibly muscular, and that would just ruin the tattoo. The real reason is that if you're going to do something, I think you need to go all out for it. If I did get a tattoo, it would run across my shoulder, arm, and back, and it would look something like the pic I sketched out below (from behind, left shoulder to mid-center spine). I guess I've got enough sense to realize that what sounds like a good idea now might not seem so spectacular when I'm ninety (though do heavily tattooed people even make it to ninety? Try naming one.)

Aesthetically, I think there are two reasons to get tattoos - to accentuate what already looks good, or to cover up flaws.

Unfortunately, there's what looks good, then there's what looks good on you. When a tattoo conforms to the curves of the skin, when its contours match the part it's placed on, then I think a tattoo has really made an addition to your body. When no attention is paid to the person-as-a-canvas, so to speak, I think tattoos tend to fail aesthetically.