Are tattoos and piercings a sign of strength?

Some cultures really believe this to be true. I am not so sure. After all most of the people I know that have tattoos and piercings are kind of thugs. That is not tough but rather people who are scared of what they can really accomplish if they put their mind to it. I know that many cultures consider tattoos to be a sign of strength and I do not want to demean them. But I do not consider something of an outward display to be sign of real strength. Rather real strength is shown by acts that others will not perform. Can you perform drudgery work? Then you are really strong!