If you have tattoos, even if it’s just a small one, you’ve probably heard the question, “What Are They Going To Look Like When You’re Old?” or “What Are Your Grandchildren Going To Think Of You?” Well some grandchildren might just love their grandparent’s tattoos. These questions always irk me just a bit. For starters, it’s not a stranger’s business what you’ll look like when you’re older. And it’s also not their business how you interact with your grandchildren. It seems that kids who know people who are heavily tattooed seem less affected by people with a lot of tattoos. They don’t really bat an eye because it’s normal for them to see their parents, grandparents, or parent’s friends with tattoos. As Lars Fredrickson said in the movie ‘The Other F Word’, “And hopefully I will instill in my son that you respect people on their merit, not on the way that they look.” These 25 seniors are proving to everyone that you can be a member of AARP and still rock tattoos!
1.
“Tattoos have a power and magic all their own. They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul.” – Michelle Delio
2.
“My body is a journal in a way. It’s like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist.” – Johnny Depp
3.
“Tattoos are one of the few things you take to the grave. Having tattoos does not make you a delinquent or a thug… it’s art! Art is about self-expression and creativity. Some people hang their art, we wear ours.” – Unknown
4.
“And what is it, thought I, after all! It’s only his outside; a man can be honest in any sort of skin.” Herman Melville, Moby Dick
5.
“The tattoo is the mark of the soul. It can act as a window we can see in or it can be our shield to protect us from those who can’t see past the surface.” – Unknown
6.
“Don’t judge people with tattoos. They might be the nicest person that you’ll ever meet.” – Unknown
7.
“Believe it or not, some of us have piercings and tattoos and dye our hair because we think it looks pretty, not for any deep sociological reason.” – Alex Bell
8.
“Ink to paper is thoughtful. Ink to flesh, hardcore. If Shakespeare were a tattooist, we’d appreciate body art more.” – Terri Guillemets
9.
“Your body is a temple, but how long can you live in the same house before you redecorate?” – Unknown
10.
“It makes me laugh when people tell me I’m going to regret my tattoos when I’m older. Yeah, when my health is deteriorating, and I struggle to get around, I’m sure the first thought I’ll have is ‘Damn, I wish I didn’t have tattoos that remind me of the good days.’ Yeah, right.” – Unknown
11.
“Tattoos are like stories – they’re symbolic of the important moments in your life. Sitting down, talking about where you got each tattoo and what it symbolizes, is really beautiful.” – Pamela Anderson
12.
“Not everybody who has a tattoo is a bad person or doesn’t take care of themselves. I have five of them.” – Melanie Rickard
13.
“Show me a man with a tattoo and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past.” – Jack London
14.
“Wear your heart on your skin in this life.” – Sylvia Plath
15.
“I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading, and you can read it on my arms, my legs, my shoulders, and my stomach.” – Kat Von D
16.
“If people are honest with themselves when they choose a tattoo, the art will represent them better than anything that will ever come out of their mouth. The things that are most important to me are represented in the art that covers my body.” – Troy Holloway
17.
“They keep track of time. Sometimes things happen and you feel that you need to mark them down.” – Scott O’Connor
18.
“Some of us can begin to heal the damage people have done to us by escaping the situation, but some of us need more than that. Tattoos make statements that need to be made. Or hide things that are no one’s business. Your scars are battle wounds, but you don’t see them that way. Yet.” – Tammara Webber
19.
“The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of people with tattoos.” – Unknown
20.
“The tattoo attracts and also repels precisely because it is different.” – Margo DeMello
21.
“A tattoo…. is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye. As a tattoo is grounded on living skin, so its essence emotes a poignancy unique to the mortal human condition.” – V.Vale & Andrea Juno
22.
“There is no ‘underground’ community, no dark den of drunken sailors initiating themselves into manhood via cheap, ill-conceived exercises in bodily perforation; it’s just a group of people who delight in using their bodies as billboards.” – Joanne McCurbrey
23.
” For someone who likes tattoos, the most precious thing is bare skin.” – Cher
24.
“Good tattoos aren’t cheap and cheap tattoos aren’t good.” – Unknown
25.
“Primitive tribes were certainly convinced that the spirit, having escaped from the body at death, retained a replica of its earthly tenement. They therefore used tattoo marks as a means of identification in the next world and a passport to future happiness.” – Ronald Scutt
These tattooed seniors are amazing, and they are definitely changing people’s minds one tattoo at a time. Like the age-old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. You may be surprised by what you find on the inside, rather than judging someone by the way they look.