DEAR ABBY: When I was 13, I worked in a beauty supply store. All of the wonderful women who worked there had tattoos. None had been in prison. During college, I worked in a Beverly Hills skin-care salon. I saw lots of naked bodies -- rich, famous and otherwise. You wouldn't believe how many had little hidden tattoos. Not just rock stars and actors. Some were producers, writers, accountants, civil engineers, etc.
My favorite "tattooism": The difference between people with tattoos and people without is people who have them don't care if you don't have one. -- THREE TATTOOS SO FAR
DEAR THREE TATTOOS: I am aware that people in many professions sport tattoos, including doctors, nurses, lawyers and college professors. For many, their tattoos have a deeply personal meaning. A reader from Berkeley informed me that in some cultures, the meaning can be spiritual or religious as well.
However, I would caution those who are contemplating permanent body art to think twice about it -- because tattoos are harder to get rid of than they are to get.