An unpopular opinion: I hate tattoos and I couldn't imagine ever getting one.

The people with tattoos will be the first to stand up and defend their tats, so this ISN'T a bash towards people who have tattoos. It's simply why I could never commit to one.

The major underlying issue is that I'm not passionate about anything enough to get something dedicated to it on my skin for me to look at for the rest of my life. If someone means so much to me, I'll get them a Hallmark card or something. If something, like an object, is really cool, I'll just buy a lot of it or set it on a nicer shelf.

The tattoos I respect the most are the ones fully thought out and that have important meaning behind them. This includes the loss of a loved one or a military tribute or something. Yet, for myself, I've had family in the military and have lost several people in my life, but I still don't have any urge to write something on my body about it.

Another reason is that I am way too scared of needles to sit in discomfort for hours in a chair and be stabbed repeatedly in the same spot until it's unbearable. I passed out after getting my ears pierced in middle school, and once those closed up (because it gave me the willies just thinking about an object in my skin) it took me until my freshman year of college to get them pierced again.

I think the reason my instinct is against tattoos is that I grew up getting in trouble for drawing on my arm or leg with a sharpie or pen. Mom hated it, so I formed the opinion in my mind that my skin should remain blank and not "a canvas" for filling.

So yes, tattoos are permanent. Everyone knows it, you know it going into an appointment. But how do you know how it'll affect your future? No one knows what path life will happen to drag you down, and what if an opportunity arises in a time of need, but you can't seize it because of a tattoo showing on the wrong part of your body?

This is a whole other controversy with people thinking it shouldn't matter how you express yourself if it's through ink on your skin, and how that shouldn't affect your employment.

But some workplaces are always going to have certain standards. It just seems risky to limit yourself before you know you're even limiting yourself.

People with tattoos also act like it's a kind of drug getting a tattoo. I see all over the place things like, "Ugh, I LOVE my new ink!!! Can't wait for my next one!" or "Omg it's been so long since my last tat... I need another one ASAP!!!!!"

I don't get it. What an expensive hobby to have. Pick up sketching or painting maybe. Why do you have to etch your body? And why does it have to be so often? Relax. You're always going to have your skin.

I'm not trying to convince anyone that their tattoos are a mistake because I know lots of people are proud of their ink. I'm just someone who couldn't fathom that sort of commitment to a piece of "art" on their body. I'd rather spend my money and commit my time to the needier parts of my life.