Tattoos, piercings and body modifications: why?

[Omie]

Having a tattoo means you're hip.

That's not why everybody gets a tattoo, though. Those that get a tattoo to be trendy are pretty stupid as they're most likely to regret it later.

I have a tattoo, a small black stylised running rabbit on my fore-arm. I got it because I wanted a piece of art that was also a part of me, I suppose. My sister drew the original design for me, which makes it more personal as well. In another small way, it was like a rite of passage... I was twenty-five and wanted something different and permanent for myself. It's a fairly superficial change to my person, but a visible one and one I had done deliberately.

I would eventually like to add to it, not to be 'more tattooed' but just to finish it off decoratively as by itself its very basic.

I think other people who get lots and lots of tattooes simply view their skin as a canvas. They like the look of tattooes and the designs they choose so they put them on themselves as decoration and a statement of their identity (even if the statement is simply 'I like tattoos!'). You don't like the look of them... others do, and are willing to endure the sting just to get the look they like.