Why Put a Bumper Sticker on a Ferrari?
Published: Saturday, January 28, 2012
Updated: Monday, November 5, 2012 20:11
 "Photo: Spectrum file photo")
Spectrum file photo
Do you want a tattoo and/or have one already?
DISCLOSURE: THIS LINK WAS POSTED AT 4 p.m. ON 02/02/12
I get it. It's the 21st century. You're cool, you're rebellious, you're cutting edge, you have a point to prove, and you're a woman. Awesome.
Ladies, I know you're at least at the legal age of making your own decisions, but before you decide to get a tattoo, allow me to let you in on a little secret. A secret you may have not fully realized yet thus far in your life. What you must understand is, as women, we are – naturally – beautiful creatures.
Seriously, though. Your body literally has the ability to turn heads. Guys drool over us. We hold some serious power in our hands, because – as corny as this sounds – we hold the world's beauty.
But something girls seem to forget nowadays, or maybe have not been taught, is that women hold the world's class and elegance in their hands, as well. So what's more attractive than a girl with a nice body? I'll tell you what: a girl with class. Looks may not last, but class does. And so do tattoos.
An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body. She appreciates it. She flaunts it. She's not happy with it? She goes to the gym. She dresses it up in lavish, fun, trendy clothes, enjoying trips to the mall with her girlfriends. She accentuates her legs with high heels. She gets her nails done. She enjoys the finer things in life, all with the body she was blessed with.
But marking it up with ink? That's just not necessary.
I'm not here to say a girl should walk around flaunting her body like it's her job – that's just degrading. Instead of getting a tattoo, a more productive use of your time would be improving and appreciating the body you have been given, not permanently engraving it.
Can you get meaning out of a tattoo? Arguably. If you want to insert ink into your skin as a symbol for something greater than yourself, then maybe you are proving a point to yourself or the rest of the world.
But at the end of the day, are you really a happier person? Has this tattoo, for instance, caused you to learn something new about yourself? Has it challenged you? Has it led you to self-growth? Nothing comes out of getting a tattoo. You get a tattoo, and that's it. You do something productive, though, and you see results. That's a genuine, satisfying change in life. Not ink.
Invest your time, money, and effort into a gym membership, or yoga classes, or new clothes, or experimenting with different hairstyles if you're craving something new with your body, not a tattoo.
I promise, it will be a much more rewarding experience, and you won't find yourself in a rut when your future grandkids ask you what's up with the angel wings on your upper back as you're in the middle of giving them a life lesson on the importance of values and morals.
God knows the last thing this world needs is another generation of kids questioning their basic values and morals.
Email: lisa.khoury@ubspectrum.com
167 comments
Davycoolguy
I truly enjoyed your article. These people have been manipulated by Hollywood. I think it is sad that so many do not get it . Many are not getting the proper guidance from their schools or their parents. I have read many blogs where people are shocked that they can not get a certain job because of visible tattoos. These INDIVIDUALISTS, can not accept the fact that the hirer has his individuality as well and profits are more important for the high end financial company then the dime a dozen applicant with the tattoos. Women are loved for being feminine and tattoos take that away.
Anonymous
I have two full sleeves, a large chest piece, a half back piece, and lots of stuff in between... I'm also a college professor. With all my tattoos, I've still got enough class left over to not reduce other women to their physical appearance.
ThinkOutsideTheFox
The girl is right . Tats are just plain ugly and make otherwise beautiful women look trashy. Even when the artwork is actually good, which is quite rare, the tats still makes a lady look trashy. Why anyone would pay to have their skin defaced is not something intelligent people can understand. The is no logic to it. Monkey see, monkey do. The people attacking her are just fools trying to defend the mistake they have made.
Anonymous
I planned my tattoo for years before I went to get it. It is not the most unique tattoo, but it has a unique meaning to me and my love of poetry. Any future tattoos I get will be tastefully placed, professionally done, and thoroughly planned - just as this one was. The only person that has ever insulted it was someone I knew was a truly ugly and insecure person inside. I am not an ugly person by societal standards, inside or out. In fact, I am considered to be quite attractive. I do not wear alternative clothing or dye my hair neon colors. I did not drop out of high school or get terrible grades in college. I do not have a criminal record. My dreams in the past were to help troubled children in inner-city schools as an educator. If I lack 'class' because of this, I am quite proud of it.
Anonymous
Tattoos are quick-fix permanent markers of a small soul that desperatly wants to be something more.
The easiest way to make a change in your life is to change your outer appearance, but a scary haircut or a crazy haircolor can do that too, and it will not stick with you for life...
If you randomly selected 100 persons with a tattoo and 100 persons without, and you measured their social class, IQ, EQ and general happiness, it would ofcourse be no significant differences between the groups.
...or would it ?
The easiest way to make a change in your life is to change your outer appearance, but a scary haircut or a crazy haircolor can do that too, and it will not stick with you for life...
If you randomly selected 100 persons with a tattoo and 100 persons without, and you measured their social class, IQ, EQ and general happiness, it would ofcourse be no significant differences between the groups.
...or would it ?
Anonymous
Why put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari???? Seriously, should the type of car matter? If you drive a Ford its OK?
Why put a label on a person with ink? Shame on you, you sexist limited, opinionated wall flower!
Never mind the gym membership, since in your opinion it is classy to judge people you lnow nothing about....Here's an opinion for you.... why don't you get a hair brush, a facial and some contacts? There's nothing lower class than a know it all with blinders on
Why put a label on a person with ink? Shame on you, you sexist limited, opinionated wall flower!
Never mind the gym membership, since in your opinion it is classy to judge people you lnow nothing about....Here's an opinion for you.... why don't you get a hair brush, a facial and some contacts? There's nothing lower class than a know it all with blinders on
Anonymous
Lisa,
Do you know the difference between people with tattoo's and people without? People with them don't care if you don't have any.
You are a very opinionated and offensive little girl who clearly lacks the ability to live without judgement or understand diversity. In what culture is arrogance and judgement parelleled with class?
Why should body adorenment be viewed as a rebellious act or closed mindedly thought of as something one might do against society's standards? How about broadening your horizons and think beyond the way you personally see the world. Gender has no place when addressing a topic like this. What happened to equality? Why can't a person have a respectable job, a gym membership, nice things and a tattoo???? Sadly, it is limited thinking that suggests there is only one type of person. That gets a tattoo.
My grandfather is a decorated war hero with tattoos that tell not only his story but the story of his fallen comrades. Based on your opinion my grandfather, the decorated hero, has no class..... Good to know
Do you know the difference between people with tattoo's and people without? People with them don't care if you don't have any.
You are a very opinionated and offensive little girl who clearly lacks the ability to live without judgement or understand diversity. In what culture is arrogance and judgement parelleled with class?
Why should body adorenment be viewed as a rebellious act or closed mindedly thought of as something one might do against society's standards? How about broadening your horizons and think beyond the way you personally see the world. Gender has no place when addressing a topic like this. What happened to equality? Why can't a person have a respectable job, a gym membership, nice things and a tattoo???? Sadly, it is limited thinking that suggests there is only one type of person. That gets a tattoo.
My grandfather is a decorated war hero with tattoos that tell not only his story but the story of his fallen comrades. Based on your opinion my grandfather, the decorated hero, has no class..... Good to know
Anonymous
Lisa,
Do you know the difference between people with tattoo's and people without? People with them don't care if you don't have any.
You are a very opinionated and offensive little girl who clearly lacks the ability to live without judgement or understand diversity. In what culture is arrogance and judgement parelleled with class?
Why should body adorenment be viewed as a rebellious act or closed mindedly thought of as something one might do against society's standards? How about broadening your horizons and think beyond the way you personally see the world. Gender has no place when addressing a topic like this. What happened to equality? Why can't a person have a respectable job, a gym membership, nice things and a tattoo???? Sadly, it is limited thinking that suggests there is only one type of person. That gets a tattoo.
My grandfather is a decorated war hero with tattoos that tell not only his story but the story of his fallen comrades. Based on your opinion my grandfather, the decorated hero, has no class..... Good to know
Do you know the difference between people with tattoo's and people without? People with them don't care if you don't have any.
You are a very opinionated and offensive little girl who clearly lacks the ability to live without judgement or understand diversity. In what culture is arrogance and judgement parelleled with class?
Why should body adorenment be viewed as a rebellious act or closed mindedly thought of as something one might do against society's standards? How about broadening your horizons and think beyond the way you personally see the world. Gender has no place when addressing a topic like this. What happened to equality? Why can't a person have a respectable job, a gym membership, nice things and a tattoo???? Sadly, it is limited thinking that suggests there is only one type of person. That gets a tattoo.
My grandfather is a decorated war hero with tattoos that tell not only his story but the story of his fallen comrades. Based on your opinion my grandfather, the decorated hero, has no class..... Good to know
Anonymous
I think this is stupid. Why don't you write an article about how you should embrace who you are and love yourself? This just sounds like an an angry, judge mental article that fuels the hate that is already too common anyway. If you don't like tattoos than don't get tattoos.You ask why put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari? BECAUSE I LIKE BUMPER STICKERS! Why don't you tell people to accept their bodies and embrace themselves instead of trying to put everyone in one category? Women are beautiful, so are men. Humans are beautiful. All of us, and if we all loved ourselves and loved others for being themselves maybe we would live in a better world. Tell people that weight isn't everything and help someone who is anorexic. Tell someone that we all matter and give them a reason to not self harm. Tell someone that being healthy is worth the struggle so they can help fight their addiction. Don't tell people that how they express themselves is wrong. Shame on you.
Anonymous
"I agree with Lisa Khoury ... if you want to make a statement, wear a T-Shirt. If you are going to get a tattoo, make sure it is something really, REALLY permanent ... like "I Belong to Jesus Christ" or something like that."This is going to be a shocker to this anonymous poser. Faith isn't permanent. 10 years ago I would have said I belonged to Jesus. Today I say I belong to no one. What a stupid comment. There are many cultures in which tattoos are given to girls entering womanhood, such as the Ainu people of Japan. Are they somehow less moral and classy because they use ink as a beauty standard? And ask yourself this: Why would you want to mar your face with make up? Why would you want to mar your fingers with polish? Buying clothes and dressing your hair up is as productive as ink. With the exception of clothes, all of those things are ruining your looks. Many Muslims do not wear make up because they see it as tarnishing their natural beauty. Some do not even allow for their photo to be taken because it isn't seen as modest. The most offensive thing about your article is how it's riddled with sexism. Women are not cars, we are not property, we are not our bodies. While one may say this is merely an opinion piece, it is perpetuating offensive stereotypes that are used to justify hate and violence toward women. It degrades us by treating us as objects that must remain pure. While I will never get one myself, there are plenty of inked ladies who exude class. There are also plenty without tattoos, such as the author of this article, that have no class. God knows the last thing this world needs is another generation of kids who unquestionably accept the bigoted morals and values of their parents.Ps. Some men out there do look gorgeous.
Anonymous
...I would also like to add that lack of spell check while typing on my iPad makes me look like a fool, and auto-correct was no help. Doh!
I meant to type *imagery*
I meant to type *imagery*
Anonymous
I'm really late to this column, but would like to post. As a senior consultant for a national consultaning firm, working closely with, and training military intelligence soldiers, also holding multiple degrees, I consider myself in a bracket of folks that I would consider "classy." My husband is preparing to take over an accounting firm, and I suppose it's worth adding that my father is a literal rocket scientist working in the imagry intelligence community (imagine telling that to your friends). So I didn't fall into class, I was born there. I got my first tattoo 14 years ago, and have since gotten 3 more, one on my forearm. It must be considered that there was a time in history when tattoos were not considered "classy," but times have been, and are continuing to change. It is our challenge to keep up with change and realize that even in the professional world, or the corporate world, change happens and the once popular opinion becomes outdated.
Anonymous
Time was that having a tattoo marked you as a member of the proletariat, and I think it still does. There are a substantial number of people out there have tattoos that they may have come to regret. As Lisa Khoury said in her original article "Class lasts forever ... and so do tattoos". That's the big thing about tattoos: that are forever. My sister has one on her lower back, and I know she regrets it. It does not represent who she is today.I agree with Lisa Khoury ... if you want to make a statement, wear a T-Shirt. If you are going to get a tattoo, make sure it is something really, REALLY permanent ... like "I Belong to Jesus Christ" or something like that.
Anonymous
I would never waste my money on a tattoo, but at the same time i really don't care if that's what others choose to spend their money on. Walking around a mall in heels doesn't make you classy, it makes you a thirteen year old girl. Your ideas are very juvenile and you should not be so judgmental of others. just because you don't want a tattoo for your own reasons doesn't mean others necessarily feel the same. the only time i see a problem with a tattoo is if your children are starving and you can't make rent but you spend your paycheck on a tattoo- that's classless
Anonymous
No one will hire you if you have tats, eh? Tell that to a director and group vice president at my company.
Anonymous
I have a tattoo and it was put on my body for me alone. My body is my own and it is the one thing that is all mine. If I decide to share my body with another it is my decision, the same as if I wish to dress up or down that is also my decision. I am happy with the way I look,with or without my tattoo. If someone sees it and don't like it they don't have to look at it because it was put on me for me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, that was yours this is mine. If you feel you have to dress a certain way for people to take notice of you, then you have no self respect. Rely on your inner beauty and personality and do things for yourself , instead of a false advertisement.
Anonymous
I think the article makes a good point. Tatoos are defacing and most of the time they are trashy. It stops you from being hired, attracts the wrong types and it turns ugly on you as you age. One other thing, did you know that when people are run through admittance into prison, that nearly all (99.9%) of convicted criminals have tattoos? Now you could say that this STAT has no meaning. When you really think about it, it does.
Anonymous
I have seen very few tatoos that actually look good and tastefull. Usually, they are the culturally significant tatoos that you see in South East Asia and The Pacific Islands. Everything else seems like a shit streak on an otherwise clean pair of white underwear. In my opinion, her is nothing more beautiful than unmarked skin.
Anonymous
really!!! this article is ridiculous!!!! this quote "But at the end of the day, are you really a happier person? " i have 4 tattoos and all have serious meaning to me and i am a happier person so this quote "Can you get meaning out of a tattoo?". is complete rubbish...for tattoos tattoo represent family...and all my tattoos symbolize that....for instance i have a swallow tattood on my shoulder and my sister has the same thing.....but in different colours....do u know what that means and symbolizes to me...how we are so close....and our hearts are connected but the different cololurs symbolize how different we are as individulas......i also have a tattoo of a poem that had RIP nan and grandad on it.....to me that is closure ....a way for me to move on . and now that i have, i am happy. PLus not to mention the body is viewd differently by many people....i myself see it as a blank canvas......and what is better than decorating it with stunning works of art....because that is what tattoos are ...body art....and if we shouldnt "not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body." then we shouldnt symply cut out hair ,as that is removing part of ourselves....or add false nails to our body....because u are not embracing what your body truly is.
Anonymous
What a ridiculous article. Seriously.
I could just as easily ask "why put a beautiful painting on the wall of a mansion".
"An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body." There is so much wrong with this that I can't really be bothered to go into it. It's self evident how dumb this is.
I could just as easily ask "why put a beautiful painting on the wall of a mansion".
"An elegant woman does not vandalize the temple she has been blessed with as her body." There is so much wrong with this that I can't really be bothered to go into it. It's self evident how dumb this is.
is a member of the 
