Ever since I was in middle school, I knew I wanted a tattoo. The size and design have always differed, ranging from a small minimalist tattoo on the nape of my neck to a collection of wildflowers and geometric patterns that would reside on the entirety of my right arm. Tattoos, for me anyway, always meant something. They meant cataloging who I was, what I was interested in, and what I believed in at a given time. When I first announced that I wanted a tattoo, my parents brushed it off and basically said that if I wanted a respectable job, I shouldnāt get a tattoo. Of course, since I was a teenager, I ignored them.
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I started looking more and more at prospective tattoo ideas by perusing Tumblr and Pinterest for inspiration. Along the way, I came across multiple how-to guides for things like concealing your tattoos in the workplace and around less understanding family members. I started to wonder why people felt the need to hide what was the equivalent of art. Thereās not as much stigma as there was a couple of decades ago, but a sense of distrust and distaste still lingers.
One of the main arguments that I hear against tattoos is that theyāre associated with gangs and violence. In the twentieth century, tattoo artists and their art barely had any credibility. They went underground, and the only people who wanted tattoos were those who were normally seen as people who went against social norms like juvenile delinquents, bikers, and gang members. However, thereās a long history of tattoos where they didnāt equate to seemingly violent or criminal people. Even now, more and more ānormalā folks are getting inked. Tattoos donāt necessarily mean that someone is engaging in criminal activities or that theyāre being needlessly rebellious. That would be like saying that because I like anime, Iām inevitably going to go bungee jumping.
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Another thing that I hear is that itāll make it hard for me to get a job. Admittedly, some more high paying jobs can frown upon having tattoos. But, Iām also not planning on getting a face tattoo of a dragon or anything like that. And, to be frank, I donāt think that a lot of people are thinking of doing that either. Also, not a lot of professional settings are going to care if I have a few tattoos. It will not reduce my chances of getting that promotion or that spot in the company of my dreams if I have a sunflower in bloom on my back or a constellation on my thigh. Frankly, my dear, no one gives a damn.
I already have the plans drawn up for my first tattoo: itāll be a lock that has the words āsafe and secureā written in Mandarin and it will be surrounded by lotus flowers. I want it on my right shoulder so that I can always see it and touch it when I need to remind myself that Iāll be fine. Itāll remind me of the happy memories that I gained while I was in China and all of the lovely people I met and the places I visited. I want people to see it not as a means of rebellion, but as a piece of art that has just taken residence on my body.
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In short, I know that negative connotations about tattoos arenāt going to go away overnight. It took years to build up that stigma and itāll take years to tear it down, but I think that people can change. My mom, who was originally against me having a tattoo, got one recently. Itās an e.e.cummings poem that goes down the length of her spine and it has three hearts woven in the words. One for each of her three daughters. They can mean something to you. Or they can mean nothing at all. Itās totally fine to get something just because you think itās pretty or you think itāll make you look better. We do this with a bunch of other things, like with clothes or certain grooming preferences, so why canāt we do it with tattoos? The continued stigma against tattoos just doesnāt make a whole lot of sense anymore.
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