a little bit of this, a little bit of that

I was saying tonight how it’s difficult to explain my tattoos to people in a simple phrase—all of them possess in-depth explanations that often are too personal to share generally. Of course, there is the risk that one will think you to have a stupid tattoo, but explaining my own personal struggles and difficulties is not appropriate conversation for an acquaintance or a stranger.

Then this breached into the discussion of whether not it should be acceptable for someone to touch or ask about your tattoos. On the one hand, if it is visible, one could argue that the person intended for it to be seen and must deal with the consequences. On the other, no one “asks” for anything based on how they dress or how they wear their makeup (ex, the girl-in-short-skirt rape position). I tend to believe people should not be able to assume they can touch someone’s skin or ask them about the meaning, but I will be as nice as possible if and when someone asks me about my tattoos. It’s just that assuming that someone should explain their personal form of expression to you seems a little, I don’t know, weird.