Trendy?
perhaps...for those that ARE trendy.
Meaningful, indeed. Every bit of ink on my body is significant to me, and will be in 30 years, or 50 years, or 70 years(if I live that long,lol).
As far as society placing value on the externals, versus the internals, I deal with that on a daily basis, but guess what, I am the guy covered in tattoos that most would thing is a hoodlum, or ex con. BUT, you would not believe how many people don't care, because the know me, and who I am. If you surround yourself with people that are open minded and honest, and not trend monkeys, I find the quality of life is much better. And for those that DO judge, I don't need them in my life, mo one should judge. And for those that are curious and ask about my tatts(happens almost daily it seems) I make it a point to reflect who I am , tell them a bit about the story illustrated upon my skin, and it is normally very well received. The most curious people seem to be older, and I almost always hear, "I always wanted to get one".
My tattoos are, were, and will continue to be my choice. Unless you have ever gotten one, you will not understand. You will find most people get either 1 tatt, and love it forever, or get one, and it starts the "addiction".