I have a confession to make; Since gathering all this hot info from my Tattoos and Sex Survey and writing Part I and II of Erotic Ink, I can’t stop thinking about tattooed bodies.

I never discriminated between tattooed and plain skin in lovers. Indeed, I was an equal opportunity fucker. I only required a strong vocabulary and shared distaste for John Grisham novels. That’s it. I’m a card carrying ACLU member (seriously, I have the card) but I’ve fucked Republicans –– if only to help them work out masochistic tendencies by beating them silly to the cries of drill, baby, drill.

But, now I'm married to a big tattooed badass, my appreciation for inked skin has deepened. The physiques turning my head (only lookin, honey) these days are those emblazoned with skulls, dragons, and a Koi fish or two. The unadorned ain’t doin it for me. OK, I wouldn’t kick Adrien Brody outta bed, but in general, I’m finding that the more tattooed I get, the more I like to envision intertwined artwork on arms, legs, and all parts in between. Preferably writhing and sweaty.

And, ya know, I’m not alone.

In this installment of Erotic Ink, we discuss the mutual attraction of those with tattooed bodies (questions 4 & 5 of my Tattoo and Sex survey). We also get dirty with sexuality professor and sex vlogger Audacia Ray (author of Naked on the Internet) and find out why alt porn is becoming the big XXX money shot.

But first, the stats:

Do the tattoos of (potential) sexual partners play a role in whether you are attracted to them?

• Often 36.8%
• Sometimes 52.5%
• Never 10.7%

Here we’re talking about the aesthetic draw of someone with tattoos over someone who doesn’t have any.

Margaret Cho of The Cho Show weighed in on this question. "I am very attracted to tattooed people," says Margaret. "They are the most beautiful. I am always pawing heavily tattooed people, pulling off their clothes, wanting to see more ink, more flesh, wanting to hear the stories that are written on their skin."

Yes, Margaret is one horny bitch. But we love her.

Tracy of Florida answered “sometimes” qualifying that the tattoo had to enhance not detract from the body. She says, “If they're well done, well placed and add to someone's looks, then yes. By the same token, if they're poorly done or don't add to the overall aesthetics of the person, then they're a turn-off.”

For one guy from the Bronx, the tattoos were attractive because they spoke to a woman’s personality: “I find that I prefer girls that are tattooed. It kind of gives me some insight into them. Girls that are moderate to heavily tattooed seem more free spirited, and extremely sexy.”

The “tattooed woman as wild sex goddess” plays a big part in money making alt erotica. Like, um … Suicide Girls. To delve deeper into this, I talked to Audacia Ray, a wild tattooed sex goddess herself, and asked her what the deal was with increasing presence of really heavily tattooed porn stars and their mainstream appeal.

"Though people who challenge societal norms are punished for it in overt and subtle ways, mainstream culture fetishizes and eroticizes the act of being different, because being different is naughty," explains Audacia. "And being naughty is hot. So while there's a definite 'by tattooed people, for tattooed people' piece of the sex industry, I think the bigger picture is all about 'by tattooed people, for gawkers, wankers, and other conforming chicken shits.' Different is sexy, living on the edge is sexy –– and tattoos are definitely symbolic of that."

I love it when a fancy university professor uses the term “conforming chicken shits.” That said, Audacia qualifies that the “alt porn” label will never dominate the industry, despite its popularity.

"I think the meaning of working in the sex industry and having tattoos has changed a lot in the past ten years or so –– not just because of the advent of Suicide Girls and alt porn –– but also because there is a very definite high end part of the industry," says Audacia. "It used to be OK for sex workers to have tattoos because both sex workers and tattoos were considered to be 'trashy.' Now being a tattooed sex worker can mark you as trashy in a bad way. Lots of the high dollar, multiple hour escort agencies want their escorts to not have tattoos and body piercings. At the same time, there are very definite niches for people with body art...There's definitely room for lots of different kinds of expression, but I think that women without significant tattoo coverage will always get the top jobs. Porn consumers want their porn stars to be a little naughty (or a lot) but that girl next-door thing is so prevalent."

While my gut reaction was to lash out at the trash label for the heavily tattooed, I thought about my own “high snobiety” when it came to tattoos. Even my fifth survey question reflects this when I asked, not only about the presence of tattoos on potential lovers, but their design and subject matter:

Does the quality of a sexual partner's tattoo work affect your attraction to that person?

• Often 49.8%
• Sometimes 37.9%
• Never 12.3%

While Jason of Florida reprimanded me by saying, “A person is who they are, not what they wear on their skin,” it seems that the majority of y’all are just as shallow as I am.

But is it really being shallow? Because if one considers tattoos as expression, then what you put on your skin permanently could be a clear indication of your values and ideals. Most obviously, is it shallow to shun someone with racist or sexist tattoos?

On the other hand, what about the dude with the finger mustache tattoo? As Beck from Boston said, “I can't take someone seriously if they can't take the permanence of body art seriously. A horrible tattoo means they don't value their own skin, so why would they value mine?”

Barbi from Maryland added, “Tattoos can show a certain depth that a person may have. A truly creative, one of a kind, well thought out tattoo is going to be crazy sexy, a Yosemite Sam flash tattoo, not so much.”

And Melissa from Ontario related bad art to being a bad lover: “If the only effort a guy can muster in putting artwork on his body forever is a crappy Taz on his bicep, how much effort is he going to put forth in bed?”

Celina from California summed it all up: “Bad tattoos = I'd rather be single.”

On the other hand, good tattoos may help attract a lover as 40-year-old JD of New Jersey hints: “If I meet someone with artistic tattoos, I usually find that they have thoughts and interests similar to mine. We have more of a chance of having something in common.”

Although sometimes, you just never know what’s under someone’s clothes. Rachel from Australia says, "Some partners don't reveal their tattoos until they've got a certain amount of clothing off, and by then it's too late! Having tattoos leaves one more open to the judgment of others, definitely. I've certainly had the experience of taking someone's shirt off, only to find myself holding my tongue because the linework is shoddy. That's when you laugh it off inside thinking, "Christ, I'm a snob."

However, for 12% of respondents, the art doesn’t matter, just the marks on the skin.

One kinky guy from the Netherlands said, "I primarily like the concept of permanency and moving and stretching with the body in a sort of erotic sado-masochistic sense, and also the concept that a person has chosen to have tattoos. For both of these the quality is not that important (self-hand poked would do). However, if a tattoo is well placed (in the sense that it moves nicely with the body) or a very individual peace of artwork, that is certainly a plus!"

And so it seems I’m not alone in my tattoo attraction. Still, I never actually had an orgasm in a tattoo chair. But will get to those who have next Wednesday. For now, let me know what’s on your filthy mind below.

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Marisa DiMattia is co-founder and editor of the multimedia tattoo site and blog Needled.com. She thinks Belgian tattoo artists are sexy.

For more of Margaret Cho’s beautiful views on tattoos, check back here on September 22 for her SG column. Also check out my Needled.com video interview with her by clicking HERE.