A little culture help, please

OK, I crossed culture lines and went to an upscale, very hip Martini Bar yesterday. Actually, I'm renting the establishment to throw a swank cocktail party for my youngest daughter, who is graduating from Oregon Health & Sciences University Medical School 6/3, and starting her medical practice there (as an Intern, then Resident Doctor, in OHSU's Trauma-Level ER on 6/15). So, if you get shot, knifed or run over on the west side of the city, she might very well be the first one asking you if it hurts. Heh-heh, EMT joke from the old days.

At the upscale, very hip Martini Bar (in the upscale, very hip Pearl District of Portland), the hip patrons (and the publicans as well) all sport various forms of piercings of the face and wherever else, and tattoos.

Lots of tattoos. It's "Portland Ink" down there in the former industrial district.

The gal who took our drink orders on the sidewalk had most of her entire upper body tattooed. The Pink Gin I had was delicious, and so was the look of her chest.

So, here's the question, and it crosses cultural lines:

Is it OK to stare at a lady's tattooed chest long enough to appreciate the form and the art of the intricate tattoos thereon?

Of course, your blogger has mastered the deceptive male head-turn maneuver, wherein my head turns so as to appear to be breaking the gaze, but the nystagmus of my eyes still tracks the object of interest, giving the appearance that I'm NOT staring at those womanly attributes. The VariLux darkening eyeglasses make this maneuver almost foolproof out of doors.

I don't think I should have to use the head-turn maneuver though. I think that if a lady has a bountiful AND artfully-decorated bosom, I should be able to openly hold my gaze on it. Especially if she's a publican in a rather revealing peasant blouse.

Here's my rationale. It is, of course, improper to stare at a lady's chest, per se (the chest itself). However, isn't it also impolite NOT to appreciate art that someone has gone to considerable time, money and pain to be able to display? I say the appreciation factor outweighs the older custom of politeness.

What say you?

Comments

[DirtCrashr]

Pictures are required to verify the quality of the form, art, and intricate tattoo'd waitress. Also pictures of the tattoos.

[Grumpy Old Ham]

What DirtCrashr said.

Also, this dilemma brings to mind a saying one of my long-ago bosses used to use:

"Do whatever your career can stand, son..."

[Gary Anthony]

I've heard many lasses state that 'If you've got it, flaunt it". If they didn't want you to look, they wouldn't display it. Oh, and they are always appreciative of admiring glances, regardless of what their words or body language might suggest otherwise.

[Gerry N.]

Tattoos and piercings with the exception of small, tasteful earrings on a woman turn my stomach. There is something foul about a person writing all over themselves. They have every right to do it and I have every right to dislike it. About ten years ago a young man I worked with, normal enough in appearance and demeanor, decided to get his tongue pierced and a silver colored barbell inserted into the wound. After a day or two he began complaining about the pain and difficulty swallowing. His breath was horrible, too. He had me look at his tongue. It was swollen, the bottom was oozing pus and the area around the barbell was black and shiny. I suggested he see a doctor. He waited a few more days to allow it to heal. It didn't. He lost over half his tongue, a quantity of the tissue under it and his lower incisors. Yup, hell of a fine idea. I will not allow anyone with massive tatoos showing to serve me food and have walked out of restaurants where the staff were heavily tattooed and pierced. Their choice influenced mine.

[Will]

Unfortunately, most of the tattoos I see on females around here are of the gang style. Nothing attractive about it, in looks or placement. The mentality of it is puzzling, although I suspect it just means she is owned by somebody, or wants to be. Stupid. The ones with all the piercings don't seem to have much (visible) tattoo work, but I find most of that metal work unattractive, boring, and childish looking.
As far as artistic tattoos, I figure if you are going to be wearing permanent artwork, you had better be willing to pay as much as you would for something hanging in a real art gallery. It's not like you can take it down off the wall if viewers don't like it. Too much of what I have seen over the years is on the level of a bad dogs on velvet painting.

EDITOR'S NOTE: "bad dogs on velvet painting"...OUCH! Man, THAT one skewered the counterculture to the BONE!

[Inbred Redneck]

I assume you guys know why so many guys want their girls/women to have the butterfly tattoo above the buttcrack? When said female is bent over the back of the couch/hood of the car/wherever and grabbed by the hips, any repeated impact to the posterior results in making the wings move, and the guy can describe the flight of the butterfly to the object of his affection and how this reminds him of her beauty...... or so I've heard.

[Ride Fast]

Any breast tatts require a piece of paper placed over the tatt and a rubbing with a soft pencil to transfer the image to the paper for later evaluation. Careful study before proceeding can take several minutes. I recommend making a backup rubbing, just in case.

[Aaron Neal]

"Art" is meant to be appreciated.

"Body Art" should be no different.

There's always the issue of whether it is appreciable, but in many cases, the canvas is more attractive than the paint.

[Merle]

She's obviously looking for attention, with THAT much on display!!!

Merle

[TheGunGeek]

I had a woman once ask me if I was staring at her chest. I said "Yes I am."

and then followed it with "If you didn't want people to stare at your chest you shouldn't wear a shirt with writing on the front. How do you expect me to read it if I don't look at it?"

She walked away with a harumph.