Marks that last

There was a time when tattoos were associated chiefly with merchant mariners, but only those below the rank of officer. Now there’s hardly a town without a tattoo parlour.

Moving from sub-culture to pop culture, tattoos are becoming ubiquitous among the young and probably compulsory for celebrities wanting to either display a normally hidden zone of their fascinating spiritual universe or to just have something new for their next record or film promotion.

Symbols from ancient Eastern religions and cults are popular, as are a few choice words in foreign languages.

They can, of course, go wrong. There are health risks – allergic reactions and skin infections – and translation hazards, as Ariana Grande has discovered.

The hand tattoo promoting in Japanese her ‘7 Rings’ song translates as ‘a small charcoal grill’.

That wouldn’t be noticed in her home state, Florida, and, anyway, it’s another peg for yet another photo shoot.

The lesson for those of us who do not live on Planet Celeb is that tattoos, like dogs, are not just for Christmas.