Tattoos have become mainstream in America, so common that even people who are averse to getting one themselves may not require the same of a potential mate. After all, tattoos can be conspicuous as well as discreet. A small tattoo on an ankle should not disqualify a person who otherwise meets all your requirements, should it?
It’s apparently still a deal-breaker for many Indians, if a social media post by Jasveer Singh, CEO of Knot Dating, is any indication. “Running a matrimony platform means some requirement is always coming up,” he wrote. “Height, salary, color, education, profession, all of this is very common. But today, I heard a new one.”
The “new one” came through feedback from a premium member: “The guy was very, very clear — ‘I don’t want to get married to any girl who has a tattoo,’” Singh wrote. “I was just thinking, how do you even filter out the tattoo part? You cannot create another filter and start asking everyone, ‘Do you have a tattoo or not?’ And he was very clear. He doesn’t want to marry anyone who has a tattoo. I have heard all kinds of requirements, but this one was new for me.”
Some commenters were surprised that it was a “new one” for Singh. “Very reasonable request,” one wrote. “Surprised you did not get it till date.”
Considering how common tattoos are, perhaps the filtering question shouldn’t be ‘Do you have a tattoo or not?’ Perhaps it should be: How many tattoos do you have? (a) Zero; (b) Fewer than three; (c) Fewer than 10; (d) I’ve lost count.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge. [Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]