Back-to-school checklist: Whiter teeth & tattoos
Shopping for back-to-school “basics” used to mean T-shirts, jeans, socks and some notebooks. This year, parents added a few other things with one item that really stands out: tattoos.
About 45% of parents polled say that hair highlights, teeth whitening, even tattoos are among the items they will buy their kids to go back to school, according to a new American Express Spending & Saving Tracker survey.
The survey tracks parents’ school-related spending intentions.
Haircuts led the list of services that mom and dad are treating junior to before the first day of school. But they are also willing to indulge their kids with a few extras.
According to the report, 18% of parents intended to buy teeth whitening services.
And 9% of parents were willing to pay for tattoos for their kids. On average, parents were spending about $70 on tattoos and teeth whitening, versus $40 on average for their kid’s haircut.
Still, the survey found that teeth whitening and tattoos were lower down the list of grooming priorities.
“I think everyone found the teeth whitening and tattoo results very interesting,” said Mona Hamouly, a spokeswoman for American Express. “The idea was to poll parent consumers on a mix of mundane and some outlandish things that they would buy their kids. We didn’t expect tattoos to even rank in the list.”
One catch: Hamouly said the tattoo question in the survey didn’t specifically mention whether the tattoo would be temporary or permanent.
Regarding their total budget for school-related expenses, the survey showed that the average family of four will spend about $550 this year.
And 76% of parents said they would shop for items on sale or clearance as well as use coupons for additional savings.
Top purchases are T-shirts, jeans and shoes. One third of parents will also buy gadgets such as computers, cellphones, MP3 players and an iPad.
The online survey conducted in mid-July, polled more than 2,000 parents, including 500 households with children in grades K to 12
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The Teardrop Tattoo And Its Various Meanings
One of the most controversial parts of the tattoo world is that of the teardrop tattoo. This look is worn by a number of people, but is most commonly spoken about due to its connections with imprisonment. Even within the prison system, the teardrop tattoo has a number of meanings and if you have one, it is worth being careful about who you speak to because there can be confusion over what it means. Explaining it may work, but remember that if someone has been to prison they may well have been there for a reason and not be terribly impressed by your explanation.
Usually, at least outside the prison system, the teardrop tattoo is given to symbolise the loss of a person close to you. However, its prison meaning, and one that extends to the outside due to the presence of former prisoners in the community, will often be that the bearer has killed another person. More than one teardrop beneath your eye means more than one kill. Whether the teardrop is filled or not also affects its meaning. An empty tear can mean an unsuccessful attempted murder, or that a loved one has been murdered. A tear that is full at the bottom and empty at the top means that the death of a loved one has been avenged.
For such reasons as listed above, it is perhaps unwise to get a teardrop tattoo underneath one’s eye. Additionally, it is particularly unwise to get one in Australia, as this kind of tattoo is often forcibly given by other inmates to convicted child molesters.
