Never Judge!

A truth realized in this gallery of 11 people we cast — from 60s to 20s — whose stunning tattoos tell stories of unexpected sweetness, determined moxie — and love.

Twenty-nine percent of Americans — or nearly 1 in 3 adults — have at least one tattoo, according to a Harris Poll. Gone are the days when a tattoo was just about rebellion. Now, as UCLA professor Joseph Pierre points out, they can be “windows to the psyche.”

We chose to bathe these ageless subjects in light, diffusing what could have been “fierce” images that might put people off. This choice opened up their richness, their human-ness — and their moving stories did the rest.

Created/produced for AARP’s Disrupt Aging.

Photography: Scott Pasfield