I'm interested in the percentile of people with body art or modification and the spread over the types of art/modification.

Hopefully I've listed enough possibilities (I had to limit it to 10 choices max.). I may eventually put up more specific polls depending on the response to this one.

Lilith

I have multiple tattoos from an fellow art school alumnus and i used to have nipple piercings. Unfortunately they were a hassle and eventually healed themselves out. I seem to notice fewer people with visible tattoos these days, but a recent survey indicates that 27% of college undergrads are tattooed. I forget how many were pierced but it was in the double digits.

- AX

While tattooing may be a lot more prevalent and accepted among our generation, the older generation isn't necessarily that accepting of it, or the corporate environment. I need just look at my parents reaction to my single bodypiercing and their comments/threats about getting a tattoo etc. My mother would probably be more easygoing about it, my dad is pretty stubborn about that kind of thing. He thinks piercings are mutilation etc. However, I don't live at home anymore and am not answerable to them either, so I can finally do what I want.

I have a tattoo planned... the image needs completion, which I plan on asking the original artist of the illustration to do that for me (for a commission) or the tattoo artist I have in mind. Placement won't be in a visible spot, mainly as there is to a degree a stigma still attached, especially in the workplace, and secondly due to the fact that I want it fairly large (possibly 8-10 inches tall)... and the back makes a much better canvas for that. I know the tattoo artist I want, now I just need the substantial sum to pay for the endeavour. But I'm willing to put the money down for excellent quality work from someone who really is a tattoo ARTIST, not just someone who puts ink on.

I also have some more piercings planned as well, limited currently by funds as well. The wishlist is long enough for now

I think I've heard about the college mod stats. I'm guessing most popular tattoo amongs women is a butterfly and generally small, guys something tribal.... piercings would be eyebrows and tongues for guys and navels and tongues for women. A lot of tattooed college kids I've seen have small tattoos, about 1-2 inches, mainly flash.

Any pics of your ink?

Lilith

I have a tattoo of a butterfly with fiery wings on my left upper thigh. It's only 2 1/2 inches. I 've had it for 2 years and 3 months and it still looks as good as it did when I first got it-no fading. My parents didn't find out about it until I went clothes shopping with my mom several months later. I was trying on swimsuits.
She wasn't happy with me at all. She got over it. "At least it isn't something vulgar" is what she said.

I have plans to get another tattoo but it has to be something that defines me and I'm still trying to find someone who can draw that. I will put it on my lower back and it will be 6 to 8 inches.

I'm 21 now and my parents don't like what I do but they don't get all bent out of shape about it like they used to.

I don't have any piercings and don't plan to get any because
I'm trying to get a job in a bakery and they don't allow their workers to wear any type of jewelry while in the bakery.



lizbeth

Ah, another opportunity to flaunt my vanity

Here'sa few though not all of them by any account.

- AX

That's 4 as far as I can tell. Nice upper-back piece.

I love the cats... cute names


Lilith

Thanks. My ex wanted to name them Gogol and Pushkin but i haven't read either one. It's a good thing i chose city names 'cos they were so young when i named them i thought they were both boys :O

- AX

uh-oh... did you find out the hard way?

I didn't know anyone was posting in this thread. So here goes: Both ears pierced, one in my right, four in my left, and the right side of my nose pierced. I pierced my nose almost ten times in various places before I finally decided to let it heal thoroughly. Pierced the center of my nose twice and my eyebrows twice, but I never had anything good to leave in the holes permanently so they all healed. No more piercings planned. Hey Lilith! Just do it yourself, doesn't cost a thing!

Never had a tattoo and don't want one! Ick!

What pray tell do you use to pierce yourself with?


Lilith

Thankfully, no. The vet told me when i took them in to get fixed. :b

By the way, Blood Rose, did you ever get that calligraph tattooed on the small of your back?

- AX

@BambooSplinter: Get each and every cat fixed and vaccinated! We haven't vaccinated our cats and have had a hell of a time with Feline Upper Resperatory Infection (cat cold). Since late last summer one cat gets it, gets well, another gets it, gets well, and on, and on, and on. Blah! Would've been cheaper to just get them vaccinated in the first place. We have a soft spot for strays, but not much money!

@Lilith: I always just used a regular sewing pin. Then shove an earring in, a little alcohol, and leave it alone for a couple months. Just make damn sure you get the hole straight or you'll have to let it heal and do it again. That really sucks when your dealing with your nose (all the nerves, makes you cry when you hit one, which you will).

I would never let anyone other than an utter professional touch my body to modify it, including myself. For several reasons:

They've been trained... in various aspects including anatomy, placement, hygiene, sterility, technique and instruments/materials.

There are far too many crappy artists out there, both tattoo and piercing that don't know what they're doing. To illustrate how wrong this can go... I know someone's cousin who died due to contracting hepatitus from an infected tattoo needle while getting a small tattoo done somewhere (at a studio, not some scratcher's livingroom). She left behind a 6 week old baby girl at the time.

I've also seen a lot of bad tattoos, both crappy design and crappy execution. If your tattoo artist can't draw for shit on paper, what makes you think he can do any better on your skin?

As for the things that can go wrong with piercing... anyone that ever wants to pierce anything on you with an ear piercing gun. Run. Run fast and run far as those things are completely unhygenic... no matter what antibacterial spray they say they cleanse it with. If you chose to pierce anything with a gun, don't do anything other than lobes. Using those guns to do cartilage piercings can smash the cartilage. Read over on The Body Modification Ezine what that can do.

I'll not even get into how bad sewing pins/needles are... they're low quality metal and can eventually give you problems with healing due to the low grade metals in them. Building up an intolerance to metals like nickel is one of the things that might happen by using low grade metals as jewelry and piercing equipment.

I'm not getting any work done by someone who's not extensively trained in the field and autoclaves professional equipment. Saving a buck is not worth it if you weigh the potential health risks. I don't have a lot of body modifications due to the fact that I insist on high quality and that comes at a price I can't always afford, but I'll wait until I can.

Lilith

Not only that, i've become a firm believer in keeping cats indoors and away from other cats at all times, no exceptions. I know it sounds unnatural and repressive, at least i used to think so. But after dealing with fleas, worms, cat fights, more fleas, more worms, and finally losing two cats to idiot drivers, i think it's the only proper thing to do if you really care about your kitties.

Besides, the cat population has risen alongside the human population and ground nesting birds are close to being endangered species as a result.

And if you hate the smell of catbox you can toilet train your cats if you start them young enough (who says dogs are smarter? )

- AX

Actually, no. I've really wanted to get it done, but can't seem to get the guts/time/money all lined up and ready to go. Maybe when I get back to California this time...
The reason I don't get a tattoo out here where I go to college is because I can't really find a place to do it that's not a biker depot... if I walk into a place full of jarheads and and ask to get a tattoo in Arabic, I'm not sure what the response will be.