Judge not.

This may end up as a bit of a rant. I'm tired, grumpy, and was on the receiving end of some abuse today regarding my tattoos.

As the weather was suddenly very much nicer today than it has been for some time (thank you, Spring), I wasn't rugged up in jeans and a hoodie.
People I see daily on the street see the hoodie and facial piercings, and generally have a low impression of me. Despite these people also daily seeing my son, and his behaviour, which is constantly commented on by randoms in a very positive way.

Today, I wore a dress while doing the school run. The other mothers are aware of my body modification, but haven't had to see it during the colder months. Suddenly, being confronted by my heavily tattooed arms and legs, the hatred for me has deepened.

It's apparently completely inappropriate for me to have such modification done, much less as a mother, and even less exposing their children to such "vile things". It says that I care more about "fitting in with the young hoodlums than growing up and actually being a respectable mother".
Say what you want about my tattoos - I do not care if you don't like them. But NEVER tell me that I am a bad mother because of my tattoos.

I started getting my tattoos to cover up scarring on my body over the years. A lot of the scars I have carry incredibly painful memories. Am I a lesser person for trying to remove these memories the only way that I could? And from there it evolved - I felt more comfortable in my own skin, which I had never felt in more than 20 years on the earth. Each tattoo holds deep significant meaning. They tell my story better than I ever could with words.
Having colourful skin, and some metal in my face and ears does not impact on my ability to be a good mother. Yes, there are SOME terrible mothers who have terrible tattoos and piercings. But there are substantially more tattooed mums than is realised. Our kids grow up to be very thoughtful, and not at all judgmental. Our kids accept diversity. I'm pretty sure that is an important quality to have? Am I wrong in thinking that?
Our kids develop a love for art and literature.

So. When you look at the left image... Would you have expected that I'd be so modified?
Or, if looking at the right image, would you expect nothing but a delinquent?

I'm going to finish this rant now, before I alienate people.