My junior high students and I were discussing tattoos the week before spring break. I told them what the process of removing a tattoo is like. (My sister had hers removed 3 years ago.) They asked me why she had it removed. I said because it had her cheating ex-husband's name on it. “Well, don't be so stupid as to put someone's name on then.” was their response.

But that wasn't really why she got the tattoo taken off. She'd already had the tattoo recolored or something to take his name out of it. It wasn't readable.

My boys and I were discussing this today. People have certain expectations. High society women don't have tattoos. While my sister is NOT high society, she is definitely upper class. They don't have tattoos either. That's really why she got it taken off. What is okay for a sixteen year old daughter of an upper middle class executive is not okay for an upper middle class executive herself. It's also not okay for the wife of the CEO. That's why my sister got her tattoo removed.

Found a study on Reuters about tattoos and the people that have them and how society in general acts around those with tattoos. I do have one question though, do you think that the casually dressed guy with a tattoo was helped for longer because people thought he needed more help? Did they maybe not believe his “forgot my glasses” story and think it was a cover for “I can't read”? What do you think?