Paint Me, Cover Me with Art

I wonder whether body decorations like tattoos and ear rings are intended to accentuate or to disguise. If I were to get an ear ring, would it be an ornament or a distraction? Will it draw attention to a part of me or divert attention away from something I want to hide? I suppose the reasons vary from person to person. My question is not a generic one. And it’s not a question of physical decoration or distraction; it’s as much a matter of whether a person’s efforts at physical decoration attempt to underscore an asset or divert attention away from a flaw that, otherwise, might be all too visible. Are body art and its kin simply acceptable ways to shelter emotional fragility from the blows of indifference? Or are they physical expressions of bravado? I like ear rings and tattoos; I just don’t know what they are and whether I like what they do.