WHAT A SHELF LIFE!

I Googled the word "aging" yesterday and this photo popped up again. I wonder about this poor woman, who she is and how she must feel about having her face splashed all over creation..... and with an expiration date stamped across her brow no less.

According to popular belief she's too feeble minded to know how to turn on a computer much less surf the net so she could be blissfully unaware of the exploitation..... but I wonder....

Photos like this speak volumes about where ageism is in this country. How about alive, well and free to dwell in cyberspace ..... but an expiration date? Really?

Maybe using a bar code like they do on cottage cheese wouldn't be so offensive, or what about stamping it on a less obvious body part like the bottom of the foot or something..... but right across the forehead? Really?

To be fair, I think if we're going to openly tag people for identity purposes we should do it the American way and include everyone. But instead of using dates we could use adjectives, in which case this ladies forehead would just read "OLD". Then stupid or rude people could be just as easily picked out of a crowd.

Think about it.... fat people, short people, obnoxious people, sweet people, rich people, terrorist people......... the possibilities are endless. What's more, depending on the size of ones forehead, multiple words could even be used, like degenerate gambler, closet homosexual, cancer victim... let's face it (no pun intended) this could be big.... real big!

Since tattoos are all the rage right now this could catch on like wildfire and for once my timing would be impeccable. This is very exciting. I would love to hear your take on the idea, a little collaboration is always healthy and of course credit will be given where credit is due, what say you?

ANOTHER BAD FAD! DO YOU TATOO?

I'm asking because I'm hugely curious as to why you tattoo if indeed you do. Aside from all obvious reasons like tribal identification, doing hard prison time, and serving in the military, today's culture doesn't really seem to have good reason for "tatting up".

To my mind (as feeble as it is), tattooing your body is one of those things that seem like a good idea when you're young and firm and pretty and plump. Much like styling your hair high enough to hide razor blades in it, or even dieing your hair purple. It's a fad. You're young. You can get away with it and not cause too much harm to yourself or others.

Unfortunately though, you can't get rid of the tattoo like you can hair dye, and long about the time you're into your mid to late 40's, or as I like to call it, "the cocktail hours of life", the tatted skin of yester-year may begin to show the inevitable signs of drying up a little, and certain body parts actually begin to move south. The swagger you once wore with your inky badge of honor begins to wane, and you're starting to see phisical signs that life has kicked you in the ass a few times. By then, you may be compelled to actually hide your tattoos unless your just heading to WalMart to pick up a few things. Take a cringe at this......

I say each to his own, go for it, let it be and do yo thang! But the next time you sit down to get needled, keep these images in the back of your mind.

Tattoos on old body parts is NOT pretty, people. I would venture that even Angelina Jolee will come to regret her "body-art" one day and realize that her body was already a work of art before she started getting stamped.

Who knows what the next craze will be. I'm thinking branding irons would make a nice statement. What do you think?