This image was lost some time after publication.

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more useful analysis to be applied to the subject of tattoos' increasingly mainstream popularity, the Times points out that not only are lots of non-punky, non-prisony people getting inked, they're getting tattoos on the neck and hands. This is despite the fact that such visible markings may very well rule out ever working in certain jobs, especially as courts never agree that it's discriminatory for employers to forbid tattoos and other body modifications.

These days even models are getting away with non-hidden tattoos, like androgynous Dane Freja Beja, who has "Float" inscribed in cursive on her neck and tattooed rings on her fingers (which, her agent Ivan Bart says, hasn't hurt her earning power). Nor has the fact that she's the only gay model in the current crop who are ubiquitous: nearly as significant a sign of attitudes becoming more progressive.

Tattoos Gain Even More Visibility [NYT]