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Tattoos, Piercings Lose Favor in Russia

Russians are now more opposed to plastic surgery, tattoos and body piercings than they were eight years ago, a poll published Thursday revealed.

The percentage of Russians who view plastic surgery "negatively or very negatively" jumped from 45 to 68 percent between 2006 and 2014, according to the Levada Center, the independent research center in Moscow that conducted the poll. Russia ranked 23rd in the world in terms of turning to plastic surgery in 2012, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Russians have also become more inimical to tattoos and piercings, albeit in a smaller measure than their skyrocketing dislike of plastic surgery. Since 2006, the percentage of Russians who view tattoos negatively has increased from 73 to 78 percent, while the percent of those who frown upon piercings has increased 5 percent, from 76 to 82 percent.

The survey, which was conducted in early August among 1,600 people in 46 Russian regions and had a 3.4 percent margin of error, also revealed that six percent of Russians have tattoos, and a mere one percent of the population have body piercings.

In comparison, one in five American adults has at least one tattoo, according to Harris, an American market research firm.

See also:

Russia Bans 'Nazi Kitten'

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