In general, I find tattoos a huge turn-off.
There are at least three perceptions -- right or wrong -- I have of tattoos that make them a turn-off for me.
1. I consider them masculine, not feminine.
When I was a kid, the only tattoos I ever saw were on men. They were mostly in the same dark green color.
The first tattoo I ever saw close up was on my barber, who was an ex-sailor. He had a huge green anchor with a ship's name on his upper arm, which was quite hairy and thick.
So, tattoos from an early age were something I considered masculine and unattractive.
2. They're often meaningless.
I don't get "tribal" symbols on suburban mall rats who don't have a clue what the symbol means or even what "tribe" the symbol comes from.
Or a word in an Asian alphabet on someone that isn't Asian and can't read that language.
I keep imagining that the guy at the tattoo parlor tells them their new markings mean "I love the Earth" in Mandarin, and then they find out it means "I humped my grandmother's wooden leg" in Korean.
On the other hand, a star to commemorate a USO tour or a lost relative's name is a meaningful tribute. I do get that.
3. My one major problem with tattoos that keeps "body art" on the "can tolerate but don't like" side of the ledger -- to this day I have yet to see any "body art" I would consider great art.
What I've seen is mostly cartoonish stuff that would be fine on a car, surfboard or Indie CD label. But to cover up God's most beautiful creation, a woman's body, permanently with those scribblings, still bothers me.
However, some of the world's most attractive women, and most of my favorite young actresses, models, singers, etc., now have tattoos. So, I'm coming around a bit.