Why do some "Old Farts" (I'm one) get big, colorful tattoos that they wouldn't have considered for.....

[nuxvomica]

13. I think tattoos are a bid for permanence in one's life

They used to be most common among sailors, convicts and carny folk, all people that lacked a permanent station in life. Nowadays, of course, this impulse is clouded by fashionability but I still think their popularity is somewhat driven by the chaotic nature of our society.