"you're so pretty but your tattoos ruin it"

That's a quote right out of a good friends mouth about me and my ink. That same quote has been echoing in my mind for a week now and it's driving me crazy.Honestly, that hurt me. I thought that now, in 2009, the majority of people have come to accept tattoos as a form of experession, I guess not. However, this quote didn't come out of a strangers mouth .. it came out of the mouth of one of my best friends, but I beg to differ.

Why do some people find it so offensive when people take pride in using tattoos as a form of expression, an art? It's those same people that see a tattoo on my body and make comments like, "you're going to regret that when you're older," or "you're ruining your body". I do not have any tattoos that are considered offensive, and I will never understand what the big deal is. That's like me walking up to somebody and saying, "wow, I really don't like your hair color" or "man, that jacket really sucks," it's rude and uncalled for.

It's 2009 and the 9-5'ers that find my form of expression too much to handle need a reality check. Yes, I know it's permanent, and I think it's beautiful. I am beautiful.