Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.
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Just because I was reminded by the comment in the main thread, do pierced septums, tongues, and gauges give anyone the major ick? Nose studs? Fine. Belly button piercings? A little wierd but fine. Any non-face tattoo? Fine. But hoooooly crap does anything more than a tiny septum piercing make me uncomfortable. Not just like, “oh that’s weird” but almost I find it physically repulsive that larger ones I find it hard to even look. Ear gauges also, anything bigger than a button. Tongue piercings in any size. Is this just a human “looks like that would hurt” reaction, or is there some other component maybe? Curious if others feel the same but are more/less vocal about it, or if it’s just a personal issue.
I was raised as conservative Christian (how conservative? Useless question, too relative) but in liberal Oregon, if relevant, so at least it’s not purely a lack of exposure thing.
I hate piercings past one in each ear (for females) and any sort of tattoo unless it's some branding you intentionally got with your unit/ship because you experienced hell in some faraway jungle/rice paddy/desert.
I used to wonder, as a boy, what would be the thing that separated me, finally, from youth--what would finally be the issue(s) that made me have old man opinions. For my dad I remember he was disgusted that anyone of my generation and peer group would have the depravity to smoke marijuana. That seemed to me pretty regressive back when I was a teenager (though I didn't drink or smoke anything until over 21.)
I think I accepted homosexuality as just one of those things early on (though I am often confused by activist's insistence both that homosexuality is biological but also that to explore the biology of it is fascist and evil.) I hit a wall at transvestism but there was a time when my doubts were mainstream. Then transgender became (seemingly) a massive movement and any doubts about its authenticity or normalcy was shunned as -phobic and evil. What I had always considered normal became marginalized as "cis." People online started replying "Ok boomer" to me, though I am of GenX. Dennis Rodman back in the day seemed edgy and bizarre, but then you knew he had his demons and felt he was on the edge anyway. But then he was fawned on by Madonna (still barely relevant then) and everyone sort of just accepted his appearance. What had been transgressive became pop cool. Years later on screen you saw Lisbeth Salander sitting in the chair, warned that her new tattoo would hurt, and she just shrugs. But the subtext (emotionally damaged individual) was there. Then, tattoos eventually everywhere--not on the ripped, or lithe, or edgy attractive Swedish girl, but on the obese, on the calves of a guy in a print t-shirt and cargo pants at the 7-11--very quickly began to chafe. Piercings in the nose of otherwise attractive girls (or who would be attractive assuming they washed their hair and maybe did something more to prepare their appearance than a 12 year old boy) immediately revolted me.
In Japan, tattoos are still rare-ish (though a guy on my morning commute appears to have full leg tats, and because he's middle aged I assume he's involved heavily in the Yakuza.) But you do see them in the young who've opted out of traditional jobs. And in nightlife workers (bartenders, DJs, low-tier girl's bar girls) you also see weird piercings. But like everything in Japan these are the uniforms of their milieu. Like the artist wearing a beret or the new mom cutting her hair short or the salaryman and his suit. There's an order to it.
I can't see the order in the US (and thus it's harder for me to steelman). It's still too much my own culture.
I am reminded of this recent comment by @Sloot in he which he wondered (possibly ironically) whether eventually having no tattoos will become the edgy choice.
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