Is my prick showing?

I never cease to be amazed at people. Look what the new trend is in having patterns pricked onto your skin.

Teenagers have already popularized tattoos with their favorite sports team names, and even the occasional Nike swoosh. Enterprising companies, of course, have taken notice. Dunkin' Donuts has paid students to wear temporary tattoos of its logo on their heads, for an estimated $50 to $100. Reebok tried the same thing at the Boston Marathon, paying 100 runners to wear temporary tattoos. Caught up in the spirit of things, another 1,000 participants wore them for free.

Not that stupid? Please!

The next stop, of course, was permanent tattoos. And sure enough, there are now at least two people who have "GoldenPalace .com" imprinted on their foreheads in thick, black letters. Forevermore. One is a Canadian with the nickname "The Human Pincushion." Not a big stretch there. But the other is a single mom in her 30s from Bountiful, Utah, who went ahead with the skin billboard -- even after the tattoo artist spent seven hours trying to talk her out of it -- for $10,000.

I think we're on the brink of a full-fledged fad here. It won't be long before people are baring more "skinvertisement" than skin.

Skeptical? Let me see if I can anticipate your arguments.

1. People aren't that hard up for money.

To which I say: Please.

2. People aren't that stupid.

To which I say: Please!

The thing about tattoos is that people rarely have just one. When you've already collected the rose, the Celtic cross, the Chinese symbol for "chaos," the barbed wire ankle wrap and "Ricky rocks my world," why not throw in a "United Economy Plus" if it means a little mad money for you?

There are plenty of brand names that teens would wear for free, too: Abercrombie & Fitch, iPod, Coca-Cola Blak. Something like "7-Eleven Introduces the P'EatZZa Sandwich: $3.69 While Supplies Last" might be a tougher sell, but if it'll pay the car insurance, why not?

The old guard will be outraged that today's youth is cynical, selling out, and spelling "Budweiser" wrong. Celebrities will step up and sport tattoos advertising their upcoming movie releases ("Snakes on a Plane 2: Hisssstory Repeats Itself").

Tattoos will finally have a little shock value again.