tatoos what is the point?

There are three things that the younger generation does that the older generation does not like or understand. Tattoos, piercing and random collard hair. Each generation looks at these things differently. A form of self-injury, or a narcissistic expression says the older generation, the younger sees these are a fashion statement and expression of individuality.
These thoughts come out of a conversation I had with my aunt who asked the question “why would you do that to your body?” after seeing an advertisement for a TV show about people’s tattoo. So why do people tattoo themselves is it just a form of self-injury and rebellion or could it be something more?
Tattoos are seen as a form of rebellion. But others see it as a form of expression and for remembrance. At one time tattoos were symbols for status. Warriors would tattoo themselves if they were victorious in battle
Whether it is to remember and important event or experiences as actor Orlando bloom, he has a tattoo of the Elvin number nine to remember his experience being a part of the LOTR epic. Or to commemorate becoming a special group of friends such as the Bangoer Sisters did as a sign of allegiance two each other. Or a tattoo to day can be for a person who had an impact on someone. One of my best friends sports a tattoo that she got because of her friend who died tragically on his senior trip
Thou at the moment I do not have a tattoo I want one. (I am just a little chicken) I have not yet perfected the design but I know the basis of what I want. It is full of symbolism. A butterfly which symbolizes second life, or second birth, and Elvin eight the number of new beginnings, and finally Christian fish which is an important symbol of the God who I love dearly.
As an author I use tattoos in many different ways. For one character she has a tattoo for every significant event in her life. Symbols that remind her who she is and were she has come from starting with one on her shoulder of to overlapping orbs she was given on the night of her birth, showing the reason why she was cursed and left to die when she was only hours old. Another character has a tattoo of a compass on the small of her back. This tattoo is a symbol of her position as the leader and guide of her people. A their character has a series of black letters and numbers tattooed on his chest, a type of identification number that is a remnant of a time when his people were the genetically engineered army of the earth’s government. The fourth is a group of characters that each has a tattoo that expresses their loyalty to one an other.
So maybe tattoos are what you make them. Perhaps they are symbols, which mean different things to the person who had the tattoo. And maybe before we write them off as a rebel or a self-injury then we need to find the reason for the decorating of their body.