Picture this scenario: You take your kid to the park to have them run around and play. Naturally, they find a playmate and proceed to have a good time. You find yourself talking to the child’s mom. The conversation goes great and the kids have a good enough time that you arrange a play date for them next week while you both chat again over coffee. That’s when you notice the mom’s tattoo and you catch yourself feeling surprised by it. They don’t seem like a person that would have that tattoo. Then you ask yourself, “Wait, why did I think that?”
A scientific study published in the Journal of Research in Personality found that while people have consistent opinions and impressions about a person’s personality based on their tattoos, they’re incorrect more often than not. Many people still associate tattoos with rebellion, anti-social behavior, free-spiritedness, and being less conscientious when they could just be a responsible fellow parent that you met in the park. That parent-park scenario was hypothetical, but relatable. Heck, based on a 2023 Pew Research Poll, there’s a one out of three chance that you were a tattooed person being psychoanalyzed.
@laurenisthename I had to 😅😂 #momtrend #greenscreen #momhumor #momjoke #funnymom #sarcasticmom #coolmom #tattooedmom #parentjoke #parenthumor #tattooedparents #tattoojoke #fyp #momtok #tattedmamas
Since 32% of Americans have at least one tattoo, with the lion’s share being under 50 years old and 38% of them being women, one would think that tattoos have become so commonplace in society that preconceived notions about a person based on their body art have become immaterial. However, the people surveyed in the study still stereotyped a person’s personality based on a tattoo’s size, colors, “wackiness,” and design (flowers versus a skull, for example).
Throughout most of human history, tattoos have been used as indication of a person’s status rather than just for aesthetics. Depending on culture, a tattoo could signify a person’s rank, status within a tribe, or societal class. They could indicate an allegiance to a particular religious sect, an arm of a military force, or a gang such as the Japanese Yakuza or the Vice Lords in the U.S., among others . There are some ancient cultures that used tattoos as a means to ward off evil spirits or as a primitive form of providing pain relief in various points in the body like acupuncture. Based on the study, however, this traditional notion regarding tattoos as an official affiliation or strict stance of belief or status has become less apparent.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Today, in the majority of the current day western world, among the most cited reasons people get a tattoo is to honor a memory whether it was of a struggle they conquered, a beloved time in their life, a family member, or a deceased pet. There are still people that get tattoos to represent their religious faith, belief in a cause, or as a mark of affiliation such as being an Olympic participant or in the cast of Lord of the Rings. But more and more modern tattoo lovers get them as a form of artistic expression, to just use their body as a canvas. A person could have a tattoo that expresses their Christian faith on one part of their body while another part has a tattoo of Spongebob Squarepants. The varieties of tattoos and the reasons behind them are innumerable.
@calligraphiti91 “The Masterpiece” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ➖ I grew up watching Spongebob & I designed this tattoo based off one of my favorite episodes from season 7! Where squidward teaches spongebob a thing or two about art 😁 ➖Done at Villain Arts Chicago #tattoo #spongebob #skinart #masterpiece #spongebobtattoo #doodlebob #starrynight
Even though tattoos have become more favorable than before, there are still a number of people getting their tattoos removed, too. Some people get a tattoo removed for professional reasons, a change in belief, or that they just don’t want it anymore. The reasons for removals are equally as innumerable as the reasons to get a tattoo. But a good chunk of people try to get a regrettable tattoo altered into something else by a tattoo artist rather than just getting a tattoo flat-out removed.
As tattooed people become more and more commonplace, and the ability to alter or remove regrettable or controversial tattoos becomes more accessible and achievable, it’s likely the stigma and prejudgment of tattooed individuals will become even less commonplace. For now though, if you don’t have a tattoo, you may want to withhold your initial beliefs about a person based on the ink they have on their body. You could be distancing yourself from a quality person to know.
Stoic statueCanva
A family makes heart shapes with their hands at sunset
Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
- YouTubewww.youtube.com