Getting Tattoos… and Removing Tattoos

Hip Hop artist Pharrell seems to regret inking himself. What’s there to say? He changed his mind. It happens. He’ll be getting an expensive and painful procedure that involves applying new skin over his old body art.

“It’s going to be pricey, but worth it,” he says. “I got fire on my arms! I’m a grown man!”  -Vogue, July 1, 2008

Almost half of all Americans under age 30 have tattoos right now, and 40 percent of adults age 26 to 40 have one (CBNNews.com, October 7, 2007) … the question is… do they regret it later?

According to the same CBN article, 17 percent of people regret their tattoos. That’s almost 1 in 5.

Johnny Depp is a famous case of this. After breaking up with girlfriend Winona Ryder, he realized that his “Winona” tattoo was probably rather silly. So rather than becoming a die-hard Winona Judd fan, he had the tattoo altered to read “Wino.” 

Nice.

Although some people in the church try to point to Biblical reasons for not getting inked… I think stories like Johnny Depp’s and Pharrell’s speak louder to this generation than any stats when considering getting inked (especially if you read the details of Pharrell’s procedure. Ugh! Shudder.).

 

About Jonathan McKee

president of The Source for Youth Ministry, is the author of numerous books including the brand new Candid Confessions of an Imperfect Parent, Ministry By Teenagers, Connect: Real Relationships in a World of Isolation, and the award winning book Do They Run When They See You Coming? He speaks and trains at camps, conferences, and events across North America, and provides free resources for youth workers internationally on his website, TheSource4YM.com.
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One Response to Getting Tattoos… and Removing Tattoos

  1. awesome stuff JMack…my wife tripped hard reading about johnny depp the wino. inking has had its trendy moments, and i do think students don’t respect people who do it to be trendy or relevant. on the other hand…have you ever seen memento?

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