> a lot of people have been conned into getting them without earning them. thats the thing tattoos were only "earned" in small pacific island cultures for the most part. sailors would be tattooed to insure that they didn't leave port and try and escape their ships that they were legally enslaved to. same with criminals being tattooed so they could be easily identified to insure that they didn't leave their assigned ghetto/prison. the custom carried on in the navies of different nations after the turn of the 20th century. they were never "earned" out right and were only considered a shame up until the mid to late 20th century.
United States