According to the Pew Research Center, almost 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 40 have a tattoo. And, far from just the riffraff, some of the world's most desirable celebrities, such as David Beckham and Megan Fox, have inked enough characters on their skin to start a small newsletter. Nevertheless, most people still refrain from marking their bodies in this manner, and visible tattoos continue to be frowned upon in many professional settings.

Are tattoos on their way to becoming acceptable everywhere, or will they always be somewhat stigmatized? A lot of that depends on how wise contemporary society believes getting a tattoo is. After the jump, we weigh the pros and cons of taking the ink plunge.