Tattoos are an artistic and sexy expression that has lately become a mega trend in all sectors of society. Tattoos are a form of permanent body modification to shock, to delight and to excite.

Tattooing has been practiced for centuries and is strongly embedded in many cultural roots.

Traditionally, tattoos served as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decoration of bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, and as marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts.

Tattoos once reserved to the underworld, religious cults, secret societies and symbolic allusion secretly telling of a personal status, beliefs and event/s, have lent themselves to enhance the ‘bad boy’ and ‘wild girl’ image.

In the endeavor to portray sexy and wild inhibitions have tats somehow lost their appeal? Or are they sexual lures, so sexy that everyone succumbs to their powerful innuendo.

Much like any fad, tattoo designs trends are ever changing; starting with tribal armbands, then Chinese characters, then the Southern Cross and currently the infinity symbol is in.

Tattoos have been popularized by TV shows like LA Ink which made tattoos really acceptable, people are getting tattoos for no special reason, just the desire to follow the masses. People are not afraid to express themselves through their appearance and tattoos are the most popular form of self-expression.

Getting tattoos removed is expensive and if you are going ahead and being inked without giving it too much thought and allowing yourself to be a victim of a fad then the essence of it being sexy or perceived to be sexy seems to lose the intent.

Tattoos can be sexy when they’re in right the place, are kept to a minimal and are meaningful. There’s that element of surprise and intrigue that adds to an individual’s character as a tat is revealed spelling the clear veil of significance.

From a female perspective the element of fear, raw masculine roughness, a scruff masculine sexual prowess can be highly sexy and sexually luring. The right kinds of tattoo can emphasis men’s true masculinity at times.

From a male perspective the element of female sexuality at its rawness, a depiction of the ‘Amazon Woman’; strong and not sexually afraid to take what she wants even if by force. Men subconsciously conjure images of being succumbed to female domination and aggression and sexuality at its primal.

Are tattoos sexy or skanky? Would you be more inclined to sleep with a man or a woman because they have tattoos?

W.A’s local bad boy, hunky Eagles star Ben Cousins, has once again set tongues wagging and hearts fluttering.

The sexy footballer has had yet another run in with the law and has been arrested with police searching his car in Northbridge. A known ladies man, it’s alleged that the half naked Benny Boy was with not one, but two women at the time of the car raid.

But as they say, any publicity is good publicity!  Pictures taken from the scene show Ben being paraded shirtless and handcuffed into the back of a police car. Sporting his new “such is life” tattoo, which has been emblazed across his rippling stomach since his return from a drug rehab stint in the States, Cousins was looking quite the mess, however, as rough as Benny was looking during today’s drama, you can bet the farm women across Australia will be swooning over tonight’s news footage.

So what is it about “bad boys” like Ben that makes them so irresistible to some women? Is it the tattoos, the total disregard for the law or the tough, rough and gruff exterior? Well go ask some of our hippest chicks in the redhotpie.com.au forums, you can bet the concersation about Benny’s latest dramas will be burning for days!