Word of advice. What ever you decide to get, do not ever get one with a SO name. Only family. Cause when that SO is gone, you'll be trying to decide what tat to get to cover it up. And as far as age.....I'm 66 and still getting tats.

Age is irrelevant. The older you are, the more the chance that they are meaningful pieces.
Tattoo people are just people with tattoos.
My first tattoo is my son’s name at the location he got his one tattoo.
I like black. I’ve got some color, but most are, and will be, black.
Fuck people. There are a lot of shitty tats out there, though.
All of my tattoos are memorial.
No. I’m working on my body as I age, they’ll probably just look better over time.

Your age does not matter. Your first tattoo should be of your spirit animal. It should be black and white. It should be in a place that is covered up completely be the type of clothes you ordinarily wear. It should not be any bigger than your first. AND it should not be in the small of your back or contain any kind of Looney tunes or WB character.

I've tattooed people getting their first one in their 70s but they aren't for everyone, maybe it's not for you. Some people want meaning in their art some just like the art for itself, the reasons people do will vary almost as much as the people do. Having meaning like you are talking about is really a modern thing.

Dude! I'm not going to answer all your questions, but will touch on some:

First, I'm turning 57 next month. I've had tats less than 5 years. I think your age, and what other people think don't mean shit, TBH. This is about YOU. Tattoos are like wine, subjective. I agree with you about skulls and some of the crap people put on themselves, but if that's what they like, that's what they like. Power to 'em.

As for your personal choice of tat(s), totally up to you. Whatever is meaningful to you is all that matters. Location is also up to you. Some areas are much more painful than others, and that might be a factor. Also, ease of viewing (for you) may be something to consider. I have two large, elaborate tats; one on each upper-arm/shoulder. They are both meaningful to me (Groot on my right and a custom Tiki tat on my left).

So you do you, man.

I'm pushing 60, and at this moment in time I have 15 tattoos. The first one I got in my early 40's. None of them are small, however with a little work I can cover all of them if needed. The main thing to remember is that a tattoo is with you forever, so make sure it's something you want. Yes, you can get it covered over and yes, you can have it laser removed but they both cost money.

What is good for a first, or last tattoo is that it's something that speaks to you. My first tattoo was a shooting star. I love shooting stars so it was a perfect choice for me. My second tattoo was of a sleeping wizard on the man in the moon. I had been thinking of this tattoo for years, and one day my husband came home with a drawing that a co-worker did. It was perfect. None of my tattoos are flash (the pictures you see on the walls of tattoo shops); there were all drawn by my artist from either pictures I had or ideas.

Another thing I would HIGHLY recommend is to visit several shops before you make a decision on where to go. I visited three shops in Houston, Texas and was treated badly (they acted like I was trying to relive my youth and basically ignored me). I went into a shop in Porter, Texas and was not only warmly welcomed, they talked to me about what I was looking for in a tattoo and matched me up with an artist that had a similar vision.

Lastly, you need to look at the shop's portfolios. These show the tattoos that their artist have done in the past, and will give you an idea if they are a good fit. They are usually in the waiting room, but if they aren't ask for them. If they don't have any I would walk out. You want to have an idea if their artist will work for you.