Many reasons to get a tattoo

To the editor:Paula Kempe commented in her recent letter that tattoos on women "cheapen and strip them of their femininity" and cause men to appear "vulgar and ugly." I strongly disagree.

Kempe said tattoos got their start many years ago by men of hard character. She is incorrect. The history of the art of tattooing both men and women can be traced back as far as 5,000 years. Worldwide, tattoos have different meanings, including marital status, religious significance and to ward off evil spirits. In the United States, American Indians tattooed as a symbol of high community status or of being a great warrior. People today get tattooed for a multitude of reasons, including artistic expression and memorializing loved ones.

Kempe has stereotyped tattooed people as being dirty and hard-core. If she could get past her negativity, she would see that there are more professional people getting tattooed today than any other socio-economic group.

Kempe cited fashion models as being a group we should respect due to their nontattooed bodies. Is there not a worldwide problem with fashion models and their weight? Her suggestion that we salute them is laughable.

Kempe is right in one respect. It is costly to remove tattoos. But her letter is only her opinion. It does not make her right.

SUSAN O'KELLY, Cape Girardeau