I was somewhat stunned the other day when I discovered that at least seven tattoo parlors now do business in the immediate vicinity of Live Oak. One is in nearby Jasper, while the remaining six are located in Lake City and Valdosta. Seven!

It seems like a lot when you consider our area’s relatively small population…until you take into account the number of Americans who now sport tattoos. The best estimate is that one out of every eight Americans has at least one. That’s about 40-million people!

A tattooless, old coot like me finds this fascinating. After all, I grew up in a time when my Aunt Julia would not allow my Uncle Ray to come to the dinner table without wearing a long-sleeved shirt…even on the hottest of August days. She called the tattoo of the naked girl on his right forearm, “an indiscretion of a misspent youth.” To her chagrin, he called it “his souvenir of one hell of a night when he was in the Merchant Marine.” I suspect both statements were correct.

Well, things have certainly changed. Not only are tattoos common today, but they are almost as likely to be found on gals as guys. As a result, the tattoo industry has gotten huge, with annual revenues now believed to total more than $2.3 billion. In fact, the industry has gotten so big, trade shows are found everywhere. Here in Florida, tattoo artists and enthusiasts are expected to show up in large numbers for a three-day “expo” in Orlando starting May 20.  

I suspect the film industry and its’ stars are primarily responsible for today’s love affair with the tattoo. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time a Hollywood movie actor set off a fad. In 1934, Clark Gable appeared bare chested in “It Happened One Night” and men’s undershirt sales reportedly plummeted nationwide as a result. Of course, one can always buy another undershirt. Getting rid of a tattoo is an entirely different matter, involving a costly and time-consuming laser medical procedure. And even after you’ve completed it, you may have a scar.

Why most people get tattoos remains a mystery to me. I mean, I can understand a guy—proud of his military service—having an Army Ranger tattoo on his arm. But it is beyond me why a young lady would want to have her fanny tattooed with a butterfly or a frog.

And the mainstreaming of tattoos appears to have also prompted significant growth in other forms of skin art, with the most common being body piercings. So what’s on the horizon? Well according to news reports, the coming fads may well include such things as having your ears surgically pointed, so you resemble Star Trek’s Spock, tongue splitting (which hurts me to even think about) and forehead “horn” implants. In fact, I’ve seen photos where folks have already done such things.  

I suspect a thousand years from now—assuming human beings are still here in 3011—the anthropologists are going to look at us with disbelief. Of course, that disbelief may not be directed at those of us whom we consider odd today because of what they do with their bodies. It might be focused instead on the REST OF US…with future generations questioning why anyone in their right mind would go through life with nothing more than what Nature gave them.

We are a strange species, aren’t we?

Jim Holmes lives in Live Oak.