BBC Learnings · Section 9

Is having a tattoo a good idea

Now Sam, we're going to be talking about tattoos. Are you a fan? Of tattoos?

Level: B2 · 113 sentences

Transcript

  1. Now Sam, we're going to be talking about tattoos.
  2. Are you a fan? Of tattoos?
  3. Well, I don't have one,
  4. but they can be quite impressive works of art.
  5. Well, I'm not that keen on tattoos.
  6. I mean, who wants things drawn on their body?
  7. Sounds like you need some convincing, Rob.
  8. Maybe our discussion today will change your mind.
  9. Maybe. But as you're a fan of them,
  10. here's a question for you to answer.
  11. According to the Guinness World Records,
  12. the record for the most tattooed person
  13. in the world goes to Lucky Diamond Rich from New Zealand.
  14. Do you know how much of his body is covered by tattoos?
  15. Is it a 80%?
  16. be 90% or c 100%? What do you think, Sam?
  17. Well, it's got to be 100%
  18. if he is the most tattooed man, surely?
  19. Not necessarily, but we'll see if you're right
  20. at the end of the programme.
  21. Now let's talk more about tattoos.
  22. I know many people have them.
  23. Sometimes it's a picture of an animal, like a small gecko.
  24. Sometimes it's words like I love you
  25. or the name of a loved one.
  26. And then there are the huge designs
  27. spread across someone's back, chest or arm.
  28. like footballer David Beckham has? Well,
  29. he's no stranger to a tattoo parlour.
  30. A parlour is the name of the shop
  31. where a tattoo artist draws a tattoo
  32. on you with ink and a needle.
  33. Needles! Ouch! OK, so you need some convincing.
  34. So let's hear from Lucy Parfit, YouTuber and tattoo fan.
  35. Here she is speaking on the BBC's Smart Consumer podcast.
  36. I'm quite a creative person and ever since
  37. I first discovered tattoos I thought
  38. it was a really cool way of expressing yourself.
  39. I'm quite a visual person as well,
  40. so for me it really, like,
  41. just looked really cool and it made me
  42. think more about my own, like,
  43. personality and how I could express that in creative ways.
  44. Right, so Lucy describes herself as a creative person.
  45. When you're creative, You're imaginative and you
  46. like to experiment with new ideas.
  47. Yes, Rob. And tattoos are a good way
  48. to be creative – trying out different designs and colours.
  49. It's a good way to express yourself.
  50. Here, to express yourself means to show
  51. how you feel in a particular way.
  52. OK, so some people express themselves
  53. through singing or wearing particular clothing,
  54. but here she's expressing herself through the images on her skin.
  55. But what happens if you want to change what you want to express?
  56. Well, then it's time for a new tattoo!
  57. OK, well I know that the tattoo industry is big business now,
  58. which means it's popular and making lots of money.
  59. I've heard that one in five people now have a tattoo.
  60. Not you yet, Rob!
  61. But it has certainly become a trend in recent years
  62. and it's something tattoo artist Lee Clements has noticed.
  63. Also speaking on the BBC's Smart Consumer podcast,
  64. he explains why he thinks that is.
  65. The thing for me that has obviously changed massively
  66. over the last possibly 10 years
  67. is you see a lot of celebrities getting tattooed.
  68. With that comes the fact that you're going
  69. to get people who want to copy them
  70. or it becomes almost like a fashion thing.
  71. So you do see certain tattoos sort of becoming a trend
  72. and Yeah, so I guess it kind of dilutes
  73. that value a little bit, yeah.
  74. Ah, so it's celebrities – famous, well-known people from TV,
  75. film and fashion – that have possibly driven the trend.
  76. People want to copy them.
  77. Or it's what he says is a fashion thing.
  78. So you have a tattoo because it's fashionable,
  79. which means it's popular at a particular time.
  80. And one of the downsides?
  81. The negative things about just having one to be fashionable
  82. is it dilutes the individuality of having one.
  83. Dilute means to make something less strong or less valuable.
  84. Well, I'm not going to get one any time soon,
  85. except maybe a big six on my arm to remind me
  86. that we only have six minutes of this programme,
  87. so I'd better reveal the answer
  88. to the question I asked you earlier.
  89. According to Guinness World Records, the record
  90. for the most tattooed person in the world
  91. goes to Lucky Diamond Rich from New Zealand.
  92. Did you know how much of his body is covered by tattoos?
  93. And I said 100%.
  94. Ah, well done Sam, that is correct.
  95. Yay! He's held the certified record
  96. since 2006 of being 100% tattooed.
  97. This includes tattoos inside his eyelids, mouth and ears.
  98. Wow! I wonder who gets to see those!
  99. OK, well now it's time to recap
  100. the vocabulary we've discussed today, starting with a parlour.
  101. That's the name for a shop
  102. or room where certain businesses carry out their trade,
  103. such as a tattoo parlour, a massage
  104. parlour or an ice cream parlour.
  105. A creative person is someone who uses
  106. imagination and experiments with new ideas.
  107. And when you express yourself, it means you show
  108. outwardly how you feel and what you're thinking.
  109. If something is big business, it's an activity
  110. that is currently popular and making lots of money.
  111. And something that is fashionable is popular.
  112. And when something becomes popular, it can dilute its value or uniqueness
  113. so it becomes less strong or less valuable.