Tattoos becoming more accepted for every occasion

The Roughrider Ink & Iron Expo at Scheels Arena this weekend continues with people of all ages taking this opportunity to get tattooed up.

The Valley New team explains how the ink scene has changed.

Some say it's the buzzing sound or how it makes them feel.

It doesn't matter how small or large that tattoo may be because once you're inked you're hooked.

"It was just something I rather enjoy. I've always been a fan of the art and style of it," says Branden Koch who has numerous tattoos.

There's no standard for who or why a person gets one but all tattoo lovers can agree on one thing.

"Wear it out there for the world to see. It tells a story, starts a conversation and I think it brings people closer together," says the Jade Presents National Director of Events Courtney Ficek.

Some do it for beauty reasons like to make the task of putting on makeup easier or to erase the scars of a painful yesterday battling breast cancer to help bring on a brighter tomorrow.

"The meaning of a lotus where it grows out of the mud and muck and it will just be beautiful. I just wanted something to represent that I'm cancer free," says Stacy Zuern.

More and more people are joining this club as the stigma of tattoos in the work place looks to be a thing of the past.

"People would just get quiet. Everybody in a line like 'Oh my god! There's a horrible person here. We better watch our backs' but now it's like everybody has tattoos,"

(courtney) "maybe in the future it's gonna be kind of weird if you don't have one," says tattoo artist Mandie Swart.

No matter what the reason, it's not always black and white living in this sea of color.