This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Last week at a barbecue, an acquaintance asked those present if we thought he should get his arm "sleeved."

Opinions varied. Three said yes, two said no, one (me) proffered indifference, and one queried, "What is that? Sleeved?"

"Sleeve" refers to the process of covering one's arm(s) in tattoos, thereby giving the appearance of wearing a permanent long-sleeve shirt. They can be quite beautiful, even artistic.

It's also permanent. Once it's done, changing the scenery is nearly impossible. Additionally, it's painful and expensive — anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 per appendage. So it makes sense to give it some thought.

Note: I'm not against tattoos. I got one myself. You want ink? Go get some. But you might want to ask yourself why.

When I was young and trying to keep up with the latest fad — and let's not kid ourselves about what some of this really is — my self-expression options were limited to hair, clothing and jewelry. Maybe even a pierced ear or something just as scandalous.

When the Old Man asked why I needed to wear bell-bottom pants or grow my hair long, the only reason I could give him was that it "looked cool." It was what was "in" at the time.

I expected him to protest more or even lay down the law, but he said the look made a certain amount of sense to a cop who had to drag uncooperative people to jail.

Me • "What are you talking about?"

Him • "Long hair is like a handle on luggage. Think about it."

That gave me something more to consider than just whether I was going to be "with it" or "look cool." I still grew my hair long. And he was right about the handle part, thank you very much, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The big question when it comes to permanently altering your body: Are you being honest as to the reason? Is this really you talking or a bunch of other people?

Another note: This is not an argument for or against whatever it is you want to do to yourself. Only why.

Most people will say because they like the look. That may be true, but this begs additional explanation.

If no one else was doing it, would it still seem like a good idea? If the answer is no, then you're probably going with a fad rather than being individually expressive.

More important, is it something you would have thought up on your own? One day you just decided, "Hey, I know. I'll put nine rings in my bottom lip so that I look like a catfish with a learning disorder."

I'm going to say that you wouldn't choose that way to make a statement about yourself. It takes a certain amount of external suggestion for humans to convince ourselves that the best way to individuality is by looking like everyone else.

Here's the thing about fads: They don't stick around long. Eventually, they fall out of style. When that day comes, it's handy to be able to take it off, plug it up or pretend it never happened.

Robert Kirby can be reached at rkirby@sltrib.com or facebook.com/stillnotpatbagley.