Love them or hate them they are increasingly popular with naturists and textiles. What do you think about them? Could it be argued that as they decorate the body that they are another form of clothing?

Interesting question. Living in what is the most tattooed nation on the planet, if you are tattooed you are in the majority. Because of the Maori, NZ has a cultural history of being tattooed. Most people dont have the full body tattoos but people have some. The might just be decoration or making some form of statement. 

To give you some idea of the level of tattooing. I'm tattooed,  as is Sue, 3 of our 5 children have tattoos as does Sue's mother (although she didn't get hers until her husband died - he didnt think woman should be tattooed). Thinking of the office more than 50% on NZers in the immediate area have visible tattoos (there may be others with non-visible tattoos). However the level of tattoos amongst foreigners is lower. I suspect more stigma in their home countries.

Do I think it could be classed as another form of clothing. It's certainly expression but I dont think clothing. Clothing hides and removes the ability to feel and connect with your surroundings.  Tattoos are actually below the skin. Connection with your environment is still 100% possible with tattoos. So my opinion they are not another form of clothing.

Thanks for that very interested post. When I went to NZ 30 years ago I don't really remember noticing anyone tattooed - when did the popularity rise? It has certainly become a lot more popular in the UK in the past 20 years. I worked for Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street in London about 25 years ago and they had a no visible tattoo policy in employment, that was certainly out the window 5 years later. 

Being tattooed is not something I have ever considered but I think naturist clubs who are against tattoos are being shortsighted and need to rethink their policies. They are already catering to a minority by choosing naturism! 

I arrived in NZ some 34 years ago. Back then I would have said it was still mainly in the maori and pacific island cultures. In the late 1980's the polynesian culture started to become more integrated into mainstream NZ society. With more and more races increasing their presence in NZ, it started to be viewed less as a little england and more homogeniously. Accordingly people have started to pick up various aspects of different cultures and incorporate them into what may be determined a "nz culture". So to answer your question Steve, it probably started to be really noticeable in non-polynesians some 20 years ago. Incidence in older pakehas is still low and it's still to some degree frowned on by that social group.

I find the growth of trends fascinating, and sometimes how quickly they can catch on. Genital shaving was very much in a minority two or three decades back, and piercing other than ears. It would be fascinating to understand fully where these trends start and why they catch on. Men having perms in the 70s, men shaving their heads now when they start thinning. There has definitely been a rise in beards in the past 10 years. I remember about 15/20 years ago a lot of older women in the area I lived suddenly started having their belly buttons pierced and started wearing crop tops to prove it.  

I remember when I left London their were trends among certain parts of society say young black men or young gay men and within a couple of years they had travelled to other parts of the UK but were taken up by everyone.

Another aspect of trends which I find interesting is how they do get taken on by people who were originally against them. People who may have said they don't like tattoos on the youngsters say 15 years ago have now got tattoos of their own.

It is a fascinating aspect of humanity.