By Morgan Tessler
I never thought I’d get a tattoo. I just didn’t think it was my style, I didn’t like how permanent something like that could be. But I decided if something meant so much to me – I’d get it on my 19th birthday.
I thought about the things in life that were important to me – family and friends took the top. The idea that is now on my body came to me quickly.
My mom always says the phrase “pick your tribe”, which to us means that you pick the people you want in your life. Those special people are selected as your tribe and that’s simply how that goes. I wanted to memorialize it with another meaning – so I translated tribe into Hebrew, symbolizing my faith. I wanted it to be small and on my rib, somewhere hidden most of the time. I told my parents and got their approval – so it was decided.
On my birthday, I sat in the car with my parents and my roommate – where I was given a pep talk. I walked into the tattoo parlor with my roommate and showed the guy my idea, signed off on some paperwork, and waited for probably not even 3 minutes before I was introduced to my tattoo artist, Cory. He reassured me I would be fine, put the stencil on, and I laid down on my side.
So the real question, do tattoos hurt? I’d say… Yes. It hurts but it’s not unbearable. It’s just uncomfortable at some points. Cory told me that the spot I chose was painful, but I knew that’s where I wanted it so I was willing to bear with the pain. It took about 10 minutes, and lots of squeezing my roommate’s hand, and it was over.
I almost squealed when I saw it in the mirror. It looked awesome, just how I wanted it to look. It means so much to me.
If you’re indecisive about a tattoo, I’d say don’t do it simply because of the permanence. If it means something to you and you’re scared of the pain – do it, because the pain was so worth the lifelong symbol I have on my body.
If you’re in the Westchester Area, go see Cory (@coryhaberman on insta) at Addicted to Ink! He was awesome and made me feel so comfortable.