Teens And Tattoos

Some call it the world's second oldest profession. But tattooing and piercings are as hot as ever, and not only for adults, but believe it or not, for kids, too. Tattoos and piercings are growing especially popular with teens across America. What happened is early adolescence, which is a time of raging hormones and peer pressure. Teens aren't quite adults and not little children anymore.

It seems like everyone has a tattoo and/or piercing these days. What used to be the property of sailors, outlaws, and biker gangs is now a popular body decoration for many people. And it's not just anchors, skulls, and battleships anymore -- from school emblems to Celtic designs to personalized symbols, people have found many ways to express themselves with their tattoos.

Body art has become so popular in the past few years that it's hard to walk down the street, go to the mall, or watch TV without seeing someone with a piercing or a tattoo. Whether it's ears, lips, nostrils, eyebrows, belly buttons, tongues, or even cheeks, you have probably seen piercings, maybe multiple piercings, on lots of people. Perhaps you think body piercings look cool and you've thought about getting one. They are everywhere, from sporting events, to sit-coms, to reality television, tattoos and piercings have made the mainstream. That's probably why more teens are signing up to make a statement and more parents are allowing it to happen.

Teens are also seeing tattoos and piercings everywhere. They are hot, they are addictive, and everyone has them, from rock stars, to athletes, to pop icons. More and more have tattoos and piercings and more and more are getting them. The teens want to be like the people they look up to and are supposed to be setting an example for them. Some might be for self-expression. Some might enjoy the pain you have to go through. Others might like it because it's cool and is the "in" thing. The teens