> What has also struck me about this modern fashion (which goes along with that for self-mutilation by piercing) is that it is almost free of any kind of critic

> What has also struck me about this modern fashion (which goes along with that for self-mutilation by piercing) is that it is almost free of any kind of criticism: on the contrary, there is an almost obsequious acceptance of it, as if to say that you found it aesthetically hideous and deeply savage were to declare yourself an Enemy of the People. ... Trends with little to no mainstream opposition are fascinating. I'm thinking of things like smoking, disco, the real estate bubble, the dot com bubble, and hairbands. Suddenly, everywhere you look it's been normalized. Given enough time, they're all repudiated - strongly and viscerally. I wonder if the tattoo will join their ranks.