My older sister got a septum piercing just after she turned 18, over 5 years ago. Since then I have wanted to get my own septum piercing. Just a few months after my 18th birthday, my friend and I went to a local tattoo shop and I got my own septum piercing.
I was so excited to get mine and honestly, it was such a great decision because I love it so much.
Source: Pierce Me Up
What I wasn’t excited about was the reaction from friends and family. While I did receive compliments from many of my loved ones, there were others that really didn’t like it.
Many relatives (mostly the older ones) told me that they hate it, one even went so far as to tell me it makes my face ugly. In spite of all this, I still think I’m beautiful and love my septum piercing.
Piercings and tattoos are a form of self-expression and a beautiful art form.
Nevertheless, there is so much stigma and negative opinions about tattoos and piercings. Whenever I brought up the idea of getting a tattoo or a piercing, it was always followed by someone saying “you won’t be able to get a job,” “make sure you get it in a place you can cover up,” or “but you’re such a good girl!”
These phrases line up with the idea that a person with tattoos or piercings is a criminal or an otherwise bad person. Which is not true.
I currently work at a school as a student teacher in a second-grade classroom, as well as at a community center mentoring high school students. Neither job has a problem with my piercing. The community center even encouraged it, as they encourage all means of self-expression. Many of the staff have various piercings and tattoos of their own.
People often choose to get a tattoo that has some personal meaning: lyrics from their favorite artist or song, a connection to a loved one, a reminder of something important. People choose to get a piercing either because they like the aesthetic of it or because of religious reasons.
None of these reasons for getting tattoos or piercings signify a connection to criminal or bad behavior.
Photo source: Breast Cancer Care
The woman above got a tattoo after receiving a mastectomy due to breast cancer. It helped Liz reclaim her body and feel beautiful again.
Tattoos and piercings are also considered an illegitimate form of art. You would never tell Botticelli his work is unprofessional. You would never tell Michelangelo to cover up the Sistine Chapel. Tattoo artists are just as much as an artist as any of these famous painters and sculptors. Nevertheless, they aren’t taken seriously.
Artists like Arlo DiCristina and Stephanie Brown are amazing artists. It is evident the amount of skill and talent it takes to produce their works.
Tattoo artists spend years developing their skill. They produce beautiful pieces of artwork that people carry around with them every day. In a way, this makes their art more meaningful than traditional forms of art. People, like Liz, have their lives changed completely because of their tattoos.
We need to give tattoo artists the credit and recognition they deserve. With the increasing amount of people getting tattoos and piercings the public opinion needs to change. We shouldn’t limit someone’s freedom of expression because it isn’t the traditional form of self-expression.
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