Just because you were asking and assuming that is was not a rhetorical question: Barbed wire means different things to different people, e.g. contempt for death, been in prison, I'm not an open book, unapproachable, not easy to understand, was or am still stationed near enemy lines, disrespect for rules and conventions, being tough maybe even kind of violent etc.pp. There's more to tats than meets the eye. Tattoos can reveal or hide the real person. As long as you keep paying attention to their tattoo and, for that matter, to them as a person, they'll be satisfied and their self-esteem will rise. You need to be curious enough to find out and use them as a conversation opener and, then again, they would tell you: stop asking about my tattoos. So what? You will always be outgunned and never be on a level playing field with those people. Not my business. I confess that I'm not curious at all and will just let them have their tattoos...
I have known several who sported the teardrop but one of them whom I questioned about it said it was the number of times he had gone to prison. Not jail but did prison time and yes, it was also gang related in his case. All that said, with some organizations such as the Japanese “mafia”, each tattoo is a part of the person’s history and if killing another human is a part of their history it too is recorded on their skin. The Samuri were also famous for tattoos as a record of accomplishments as a warrior.
There was some dude at the Royal Wedding who had a rather large tattoo on his neck. Apparently nobody even cared, but wife and I sure noticed it. Don't know who he was, but the tattoo was definitely there. Actually, I was looking for a tattoo on Harry's neck. Didn't have one. So disappointed.
He has the new batch on the side of his neck - solar system He's beginning to look like someone that's been in prison for many years
It is my impression--I believe I read it somewhere--that people who have a large number of elaborate tattoos have a poor self image, even if they have nothing to be ashamed about.
Not attractive at all.... Having so many...very distracting to me.But some people love looking like a comic book.
@Shirley Martin We have already hinted at the psychology behind it. Among many other things tats are said to kind of compensate for a lack of self-esteem and for a privation experience in earlier years. We will never know for sure but in his case it definitely looks as though he's been trying hard to give himself a tougher, more outright masculine image. At least over here David Beckham was being ridiculed as a male soccer player while still playing by many male fans of the sport because he appeared to be henpecked by "Posh Spice" (@Kitty Carmel, Victoria B.), and because of his endorsement of men's underwear and, generally, due to the metrosexual image which was ascribed to him and which he didn't seem to be fighting against strongly enough. He never was a role model for the majority of young soccer boys, his merchandise wouldn't sell. You'd get rolling eyes when his name was just mentioned. That may be - partly - why.
That sounds very plausible @Thomas Stearn , and you may well be right, but I wonder what reason now for his own teenage son to be having tattoos on his body....