I was sometimes tempted to get a little tattoo in some inconspicuous place, back when the newspapers were full of stories about people getting fired for having even a very small tattoo visible while in the workplace.
Truth be told, I had this flashback to a day when I was interviewing for a job and the guy was talking about the culture of the workplace, meanwhile on his desk was this six-inch-tall plaque that proclaimed Jesus Is Lord. Most of the rest of the staff including my friend who had recommended me to his boss were Jewish, and the company was an importer in NYC's garment district, so I'm staring at this plaque and wondering if he thinks I won't fit in -- like he figures he doesn't?!?-- or I won't fit in because I don't "look" Jewish?, or wtf.
I asked my friend about that later, and he said oh yeah, we don't pay that any mind, he just feels outnumbered. Yet the guy didn't seem inclined to hire someone he was assuming wasn't Jewish either, go figure. Somehow the combo of the guy's Jesus is Lord advertisement and his apparent preference to remain the only Christian on board was extremely offputting to me. I'd call that interview more of a sparring match and the outcome a draw. He didn't seem to want me very much, although he suggested I think about it and phone if I'd like to return for the tech interview, and I totally didn't want to report to him for my work.
Anyway it occurred to me years later that a tattoo of a Buddha would have been a lot of fun if I'd decided to go back for a second interview...
When toying with the idea of actually getting a tattoo, I told myself ok , just go online and buy a sheet of temporary tattoos and try them out, and if after that, still enticed by the idea of an actual tattoo, then go for it.
But then I was too lazy to bother. I kinda liked the idea that the kind of small tattoo I envisioned -- a butterfly, a hummingbird, a wildflower etc,-- would be a little bit of dress-up that one doesn't have to remember to put on in the morning, like a watch and earrings. Maybe I'll sport one this summer. Not a real one, just the press-on kind.