From an Inkedblog reader:

“I love your site. I’m pretty obsessed with tattoos. I only have one, but I look at photos of them for hours, contemplating what next.

I know neotribal style was a huge trend in the 90s — when I got mine. In a real typical place, my lower back. And now we have the backlash, beause SO many people got them unthinkingly. The part of me that is still attached to trendiness is the part that goes — cover it! People think it’s lame! But here’s the thing.

I picked the tribal design I did because it is meaningful to me. So, to me, it transcends the superficiality of the trend. The design resembles an angel with unfurling, swirling wings. Though abstract, when I tell people how to look at it they see it too. I didn’t WANT to get a realistic tattoo of an angel. I was afraid I would tire of the image; and I personally prefer bold, black tattoos with a strong abstract design element. I wanted something flowing and symbolic, whose meaning could change over time. The concept of having an angel “watching my back” is very personal to me — so personal that I am glad that if a stranger asks me what my tattoo means, I can just say, “Nothing, it’s just a design I liked.” Because it’s none of their business. And while tattoos can be fashion and beauty statements, they are also spiritual and represent a rite of passage in the wearer’s life.

So — just because there are lots of dudes out there who get tribal armbands for no real reason, and chicks who just slap a tribal over their ass because it’s “sexy”…don’t assume that’s true of all of us!