Why I Won't Allow My Daughters to Get Tattoos

Tattoos are in right now.  That's an understatement.  What used to be a thing for sailors, gang members, and inmates is now mainstream.  According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 32 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo.  That number is up from 21 percent in 2012, and only 16 percent in 2006.  

While I don't like tattoos, I don't believe that they are sinful.  Leviticus 19:28 is the only verse that speaks against tattoos.  However, the verse before it says that you can't cut your sideburns or the edges of your beard.  Why don't we follow these rules anymore?  Because Christ's death fulfilled the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament.  While we are still responsible to keep the moral law (e.g. the Ten Commandments), the ceremonial laws are no longer binding (Eph 2:15; Col 2:16-17). 

Still, I'm not a fan of tattoos.  I don't like the way they look, and I think it is foolish to put a permanent marker on your skin that can never be undone.  I also think that what looks "sexy" and "cool" on a twenty year-old will look awful when you become a 65 year-old grandparent.  So, I don't think tattoos look good on anyone.  However, tattoos look especially unattractive on women.  I have four daughters, and as long as they are living under my roof, I will not allow them to get a tattoo.

Here are four reasons why I won't allow my daughters to get tatted up.  

First, I don't want my daughters to ruin their natural beauty.  God made them beautiful, and I want their beauty to shine.  One of the most beautiful things about a woman is her skin, but tattoos cover and tarnish the skin.  They make the skin look dirty.  There's a reason you never see a bumper sticker on a Lamborghini.  So I tell my daughters, if you want to maximize your beauty, avoid tattoos.

Second, I value my daughters' chastity.  I want them to look chaste to attract the right kind of man and to glorify God.  But tattoos give the impression of sexual promiscuity.  They make a woman look like she's been around the block; she's easy; she doesn't value purity.  So I tell my daughters, if you don't want to look like a skank, avoid tattoos.

Third, I am raising my daughters to be submissive.  I want them to have a healthy marriage, and that means they need to have a gentle and quiet spirit; they need to submit to and support their husbands.  But tattoos shout rebellion.  They ooze defiance.  They make a woman look like she's going to do what she wants to do, no matter what anybody says.  So I tell my daughters, if you don't want to scare the good men away, avoid tattoos.

Fourth, I am raising my daughters to embrace their femininity.  I have taught them that men and women are very different, and it is a wonderful thing to be a woman.  Feminine women attract masculine and strong men.  Masculine women attract weak and passive men.  Tattoos make a woman look masculine and tough, rather than feminine and soft.  So I tell my daughters, if you want to look feminine, and to attract a masculine and strong man, avoid tattoos.  

I know.  Tattoos are trendy right now.  Everyone is getting them.  But I tell my daughters that the thing about trends is that they eventually go out of style.  The bad thing about tattoos is that when they go out of style, you'll be stuck with yours.