How do people react to your tattoos?

I was visiting home recently and told a relative I had a tattoo of a dinosaur on my back. Her first response was, “Oh, was it one of those things where you got it when you were really young and now you regret it?”

I was like damn! Wtf kind of rude is that?! She hadn’t even seen it yet, but my family is SUPER judgy about body modification.

I said, with a smile, “No, I got it a few years ago and I love it!” She turned so red! Then she started backpedaling, asked to see it, started finding things to compliment. I just kept smiling and being nice. I refrained from pointing out my husband’s tattoo of a man being chopped in half.

One time, a man saw my small star tattoo and said “That looks like an expensive scar,” and chuckled. Having visible tattoos sometimes feels like an invitation for lifestyle or artistic critiques.