I got my first tattoo when I was in my late 20's in an attempt to get over a broken heart. Getting something etched into my skin was a big deal, it was expensive (mostly because I was chronically poor) and so I put a lot of thought into my designs. There are personal stories about all of mine, except for the one on my leg. That I saw in a magazine and thought it would be a good 30th birthday present for myself.
There are many different reasons to get any sort of body modification-body mods have been around for as long as people started living together-stretching earlobes, tattoos, scars, brands, and so on. Sometimes they are done as something symbolic, rite of passage, battle prowess, or sometimes they represent that cultures ideal of beauty. You know, they just look cool.
Body mods serve two purposes; they are there for the bearer as some sort of testament and they are there (usually) to bear witness to others. Most often, they demonstrate one's ownership of their own body. I think that is why they are so popular among people on the verge of independence. Natasha ponced asked me when she would be old enough to get a tattoo. I told her that she could do it "when she figured out how to get one."
I saw someone with "4%" tattooed on her neck. I asked her what it was and she said, "Because 4% will never snitch." I really wanted to ask her more, but I kind of did not want to pry. Does that mean a lot where you are from (Statesboro, GA, I presume)? How serious a commitment is that? Is your dislike of authority so great that you would let a vile, murdering pedophile get free because it was a badge of personal honor not to snitch? Would you risk losing your children rather than divulging information about a crime, even if you were not involved, did not gain anything from it, or hated the perpetrators?
Also, where did she get her data?
Of course, these are all voluntary body mods. I remember seeing men and women with concentration camp tattoos on their arms.
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