I think a lot about tattoos whenever I go to concerts in Hawaii. On Saturday afternoon, I was cruising on the lawn at the Waikiki Shell for Kokua Fest, checking out the amazing, amusing and — occasionally — downright awful array of body art around me.

Names of loved ones, tribal art, hearts and stars, plumeria, koi, depictions of Jesus, kanji, variations of ohm, the Hawaiian Islands — you name it. It was like going to an art show where all the exhibits were “ink on flesh.”

I was 19 when I got my first tattoo. It’s a small item that I hand-drew, and which most people aren’t even aware that I have. And — I realize the irony of writing about this in this space — but personally I’m OK with keeping it that way. The tattoo was something that I did more for myself personally, not for anyone else, and I’m fine with not having it on display for the world to see.

It’s partially this reasoning, but also because I realize that there are still stigmas attached to individuals with tattoos — especially females — that I keep mine covered.

As the popularity of tattooing has grown, so have social ideas about tattoos changed. Fading is the notion that tattoos are things reserved only for prisoners or gang members. Tattooing enjoyed a resurgence in the late ’90s as more artists and celebrities were seen with “tatts” and shows like A&E’s “Inked” and TLC’s “Miami Ink” sprang up on TV.

According to a 2006 survey conducted by the American Academy of Dermatology, 36 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have at least one tattoo. The study also found that nearly one in four Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed. (link to the AP article about the survey) Today, tattooing has become so popular, especially among women, that I can think of only a handful of female friends who do not have one. Most of theirs are kanji or small, delicate decorations like flowers, often on the hip, waist or lower back.

If tattoos are so common, then why cover up?

For one, young people might accept their inked-up friends as the norm, but in many workplaces, tattoos are still taboo. At the restaurants I worked at in Hawaii and New York, men were required to cover sleeve tattoos and women placed Band-aids over any visible ink. Hotel workers and others in the service industry are also required to cover up. Many other professional workplaces have similar policies, and many employees in the ones that do not conceal their tattoos anyway as a matter of professionalism.

Women also face a social stigma associated with having a tattoo. Females with tattoos are unfortunately often perceived to be, well, a bit on the wild side. I’m sure there is a little of the same connotation for men, but for the nice girl who just wants a cute plumeria on her hip, it could be frustrating.

While an event like Kokua Fest might make you feel like NOT having a tatt makes you the oddball in the crowd, the culture on Bishop Street is a little different. Quarterlifers might embrace this explosion of body art, but remember: the Mid-lifer interviewing for an accounting position might not be so thrilled with that huge dragon covering your arm.

So, at least until ink-loving Quarterlifers overrun the working world, better bust out the Band-aids and concealer.

More tattoo-related sites:

US Food and Drug Administration: Information on tattoos, temporary tattoos and henna products
Nisha Ramachandran in US News and World Report: “Career Spotlight: Tattoos are showing up all over”
HanziSmatter.com: The site is “dedicated to the misuse of chinese characters in western culture” and goes through a lot of painful (but hilarious) mis-translations and wrong characters in kanji tattoos. Britney Spears is in there somewhere…

Like any growing social trend, tattooing has received its fair share of ridicule, including a skit on Saturday Night Live about a middle-aged mom with an embarrassing lower back tattoo (”Turlington’s Tattoo Remover“) and a tongue-in-cheek book, Mommy Has a Tattoo.

Photo: With some brave friends at a tattoo parlor in Shanghai. They did a beautiful job on a tattoo of a phoenix for my friend, who had spotted the image on a vase in the Shanghai Museum a few days before and brought the artists a digital photo of it.