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ugh barbie. Im afraid I would have to run down the street yelling "It's plaaaaastic!!!!" if i met such a person. Alright I wouldnt, though I would be sorely tempted.

I used to have 2 sets of ear piercings. 2nd one was done unevenly so I let just let it grow back the way it was. then I just stopped caring about having pierced ears altogether.

I really hate it when a woman jumps through hoops just to be acceptable socially. I love nothing more than a woman that wears no make-up at all. The natural body is by far more attractive but the person inside that body is by far the most important part.

Tattoos I find disgusting with only one exception to that rule. As long as someone getting the tattoo is using it as a symbol. For example, someone ruins their life through drugs and/or alcohol. They clean themselves up. They get a tattoo as a means to remind themselves that it is not worth going back down that path. I have actually met someone like that. Frivolous tattoos bother me. Ones with meaning are fine by me.

As far as modifying your own body to look younger; why in the nine hells would you want to do that. One's age is a symbol. A way to remind others that you have more experience than they do in many things. Age is a badge of honor.

You know that 99% of people say that there tattoo has meaning. And sure, to them it does. It's more a matter of "Why etch it into your skin? What, are you going to forget it, otherwise? And why tattooing? Is branding too painful, or not trendy enough?
I don't think it should be a matter of "Why that image?" as "Why that medium?"

See that's my point. If you want a symbol, for something that's deeply personal, the healing involved in scarification should be deeply personal, then why not grab a tourniquet, a pen knife, and heat some metal on stove top? For the record, within he confines of the ToS, I'm not saying "Do this." I'm just asking why someone doesn't do it, though I think I know.
It's not really about pain, transformation, the meaning or the experience, at least not if it doesn't come along with ornamentation. It's just something that's relatively low-pain and superficial, something where people can see it. In those cases, it doesn't matter if it has meaning to you. You've turned it into something cheap and shallow by portraying it this way.
That's how I see it.

For me, it's a way of keeping something close. "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd is a deeply personal song for myself and my dad. It's the symbolism. By getting something etched into your skin, it shows that it's not "for now" - it's "forever". It's something that an individual is so sure will stay important to them that they are willing to display it on their skin - permanently.

Personally, I'd say it's because you have more creative license with ink - colours, textures, shading. In my opinion if I want something on me for life, I at least want it to look how I want it, rather than be a scar like branding is.

I don't have pierced anything, no tattoos, and I just recently put highlights in my hair for the first time in my life just for giggles. I'm cool with most smaller less intrusive piercings (ears, nose stud type deals) but the lips, the cheeks, chin, eyebrows, the tongue can be a bit overwhelming.

Tattoos are a personal choice, I know in order for me to get one it would have to be because I'm marking a major change or event in my life.

I don't understand why people get botox or feel the need to completely reconstruct themselves. I can understand when people get reconstructive surgery because of birth defects or accidents.