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< I have been interested in tattoos since I was a child. I began collecting them when I turned 18. The artistic quality of tattooing has come so far in the past decade alone, but it still manages to hold onto its roots and history too. (i.e. People still getting Mokos) I think that I will be spending some time getting some of my older tattoos covered up with some of the quality work that is available out there today! --Femmi Nist

< Ralph from Germany 32 y/o

< My Monroe Piercing. It's also called a beauty mark. --Sandi

I have five tattoos and eight peircings. I have a lizard, star, celtic star and moon, and the name "Koko", and the Static-X symbol for tattoos. For peircings I have my ears double peirced, my nose, my tongue, my navel and my eye-brow. I think peircings and tattoos is my way of dealing with emotional pain. Plus, all my tattoos stand for something important in my life. They are a good way of showing who are without saying a word. --azreal1018

I got my first tattoo three years ago. It is a tribal arm band on my right arm. Unfortunatly, I picked the design off of a wall. Sure enough, I saw the very same design on someone else. I needed to make it different, so I had some color shading done and then added the design to my left arm with a different color. I am interested in having a Samoan style tattoo around my thigh. I am a pretty big guy and I like the "strength" that these stand for. Does anyone know anybody in the Seattle area that could do the art work for me? --Travis, age 29

I have a normal everyday tongue piercing, and plan on getting my ears done in a couple of weeks. If I didn't have to work, I would pierce my labret, my nose, and lots of other stuff. But, I like my tongue ring, and just did it to be a stupid kid. I will eventually get a tattoo on my shoulder within the near future. --sexygib69

I PIERCED MY NOSE IN 1968 MY REASONS WERE VARIED AND MANY BUT MOST IMPORTANT SYMBOLIC OF MY FRIENDSHIP WITH LAURA, ANOTHER NEW YORKER, AND MY INDEPENDENCE FROM MY FAMILY. MY FIRST TATTOO IN 1993 WAS A LOVE TATTOO, TWO DOLPHINS LEAPING IN THE PACIFIC. WE ARE STILL PARTYING IN THE PACIFIC. I DON'T CARE WHAT OTHERS THINK OF MY BODY ART ,THEY ARE MY PERSONAL STATEMENTS AND SACRED TO ME. --JAHFUEGA

Body piercing and tattoos are a form of self expression. It is a way of decorating your personal temple, of worshiping the beauty that is you. I think that it is also a little bit about the rights of passage; every culutre on the planet has a rights of passage. I have a tongue ring, I had my belly button pierced, and I have a verticle clit hood piercing. I plan on getting an Industrial piercing. I also have my ears pierced. --prittygrrl

I have 17 ear piercings, a nose piercing, a tongue piercing, a navel piercing, and a tattoo. My tattoo is a purple sun-sign with a spiral in the center. This, to me, represents both a power I hope to mainifest (Power from Within), and partially, my Ethnic heritage (part native American)...my piercings have helped me define myself as an individual, and re-claim my body from society. I grew up detesting my body, and was told at every turn that it wasn't good enough. My piercings give me back the control. They help me acknowledge my individuality and view myself as a sexual being, worthy of the same feelings and experiences as the rest of the world. They have become a part of me. In fact, I am an Anthropology Major, and am going to be doing an honors project next year on this topic. I have already completed a preliminary paper on it (25 pgs), which i plan on continuing in the coming year. --lara

Hi, I just wanted to share my story. I have major tattoos. It started out about ten years ago, when I was in a terrible car accident, that left me whith a lot of scar tissue after about 6 major surgeries from liver lasteration. I went on for years feeling very depressed, because I've never seen a scar that was as bad as mine. During my freshmen year in college, I heard this advertisment on the radio seeking attactive females. Well a lot of people always told me that I'd make a good model, but because of the scarring I never tried to. However, I did find a new line of work, I started stripping, and after a couple of years I got the whole area with tattoos. I'm still working on them though. But, it helped a lot; there is still scar tissue there, but it has been disguised pretty well, compared to before. --angela580

First of all, I have seven tattos and each one has a very specific reason it's there. I have my two brothers names on the small of my back each about two inches big but they are black with a blue left drop highlight. I am very close to my brothers and this was the greatest respect I could show them and this means I will always be close to them because they are on my back. The rest of them are stars I have all diffrent colors. Stars are very signifigant in my life I am spritual that way but just with stars. --lucy13star

Hi my name is Drew. My belly button is pierced, I have a blue crescent moon on my right big toe, a cross on my calf, a bunch of flowers on my hip (below and to the left of my naval), a butterfly under my belly button, 3 angels holding a cross on the backside of my hip, and another with angels holding a banner. I kinda got a little crazy!!!

I had various piercings and I have friends who have tattoos. I think everyone has a right to express themselves as individuals. As a psychology student, I would like to ask all you painted peolpe- do you get a tattoo in attempts to improve or like your body more? Do you think your perception of your body changes (in a positive way) after being tattooed? Thanks for your time! -- funkyphin

Hi, I'm in college now and I got my first tattoo on my back when I turned 18. I lived with a strict mother and I guess that all my life I looked for outlets to express myself and I think that was just another way to let some more of myself out. I wanted to do something that stood for me and that no one could take away from me or change. --Frumpyface

Hi my name is Chad. I have six piercings in my ears, in which I have 5 gauge bore tusks, through my tongue I have a 4 gauge barbell, through my nipples I have 10 gauges, and my penis has a 5 gauge through it. To me peirceings are a way to express myself and also to show the artistic side of my life. I plan on getting my labret done soon. I also have three tattoos, one of a tribal orca which stands for my family because we will never be separated. I also have a tattoo of a tribal eagle which watches over me every where I go and a tribal cross which goes all the way down my spine and at the bottom says Phillipians 1-3. All of my tattos have meaning to them and I designed every one of them and have no regrets what so ever of any of my pieces. Yes, they say tattooing can become contagious, but only get what you can look at and say it was worth every minute of it.

2 months ago I got both my nipples pierced with 12ga "what we call horseshoes cuz that's what they look like." Anyway, the why is it's a way of rebellion, being a individual, that way you're not just like everyone else, it's a meaning of self-control , because getting your nipples pierced hurts, but you can control that pain, also it's very sexual with the women. Also I had my tongue pierced with a 10ga stud, but due to my medical profession I had to take it out. I miss it. --docbsc69

I've stretched my ears to 1 1/4" over a 5 year period. I'm not really sure why I ever started the process, but as it progressed, a side of me i never knew existed started to emerge. A more spiritual side, a force within me that seemed to harken back to a time and place I've never seen nor understood. That's why "body modification" of today seems less a trend and more of a natural progression (or should i say regression) to our true selves. It's who we are and where we came from. Every culture on our planet has some type of decorative practice, from things as "mild" as cosmetics and elaborate hair styles, to the more extreme (for lack of a better word) such as tattoos and piercing. --ganeshadas

When I was in the sixth grade, I had my earlobes gun-pierced once each. When I was in about 8th grade i pierced my bellybutton with the help of a safety pin and a lot of ice, then in about 9th grade, i gave myself a second hole above the existing ones with the same technique. By this time i was bored with the bellybutton hole and had let it close up. In 10th grade i got both ears gun-pierced near the crest of my ear at the top (cartilege). My second year in college I had my bellybutton professionally done, but due to infection and a poorly researched choice in piercing shops, i had to remove the ring. Just before and around this time i had three different tattoos inked on various parts of my body. One is a ladybug (a symbol of feminity and masculinity inorexibly intertwined), one is a tribal butterfly, and the other is the chinese character for butterfly. In my fourth year of college I had my conch pierced (inside the rim of the ear, about halfway between traditional cartilege piercings and lobe piercings) and about three weeks ago I went ahead and had my tongue pierced, after much debate over seeming like i was just "jumping the bandwagon". I do not regret and of these modifications, nor do I plan to stop until I'm fully sated. --Guppy

I got my ears pierced for my 9th birthday, becuase my Mom was getting hers done, and because I wanted to too. I got my left ear double pierced when I was 16, because I thought it looked cool. I got holes 3 and 4 in the cartelidge in my left ear just about a year later. My boyfriend got me a giftcertificate to a piercing place in NY for my 19th birthday. I used it to get both my nipples pierced. I love them! Now that my nipples are done, so am I. I don't have any tattoos and don't want any. Late. --axis6_1999

For the past 5 years I have been piercing and tattooing my body. It has made me open my eyes and learn to see beauty in everything. I feel that your body is a canvas to be painted and adorned as you like. You must reflect your inner self on the outside. I think that it is beautiful if someone can deviate from the normal cookie cutter apperance and create a new look. --p1xest1x

For the person who said that they're unique because they DIDN't have any tattoos, you're wrong. I salute everyone's right to do what they please w/their bodies, but we are the ones that are unique. Tattoos aren't about "doing it because everyone else is" it's doing it for yourself. I'm a 21 year old female. Went to college and got my degree, now I'm married with a 2 year old. She is absolutely fascinated with my 3 tattoos & my tongue ring. And I'm proud to show them off. They were things that I did for myself, and they each have a special meaning & story behind them. I'm teaching her now not to judge people. And you know what they say "tattooed people don't care if you're not tattooed, it's those people that aren't that care that we are" (something like that). So I say live for the moment. --vasher

Getting tattoos and piercings is a not only a wonderful experience, but also a statement of individuality and expression. I had my ears pierced when I was little, then my second set at 12, my third set this year, upper ear piercing at 17, and my daith piercing at 19, my nose piercing at 17, and my nipple at 19. I got my first tattoo of a japanese symbol meaning soul on my ankle when I was 16, my second one of a dove on my back when I was 18, and my last one of six small baby footprints running from my shoulder down between my breasts, when I was 19. I love them all and expect to get more soon. I am also doing a body art experience project and would love people to e-mail me with their stories. --Kyla

i have wanted a tattoo for as long as i can remember. my dad has a butterfly on his arm and i was fascinated with it. i got my first tat when i was 16, me and my best friend got matching dragons on our hips, mine green and hers blue. i got my belly button peirced a week after my 18th birthday and a month and a half later i got a butterfly, kinda like my dad's, on my lower back. i want to do more peircings and tattoos because they are addictive, even though they hurt like hell when you get them done, but i dont know what else to get without going over the edge and risk looking inappropriate for my lifestyle. --brat1446

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