My tattoos mean something to me. I am not going to say they have a lot of sentimental meaning to me, because some of them don’t. Nevertheless, my tattoos are on my body, and I am very pleased to have them. I got my first two tattoos in the summer after my senior year. One of them is a tally mark behind my ear, and the other is a semicolon on my wrist. I had spent a lot of time thinking about the placement of them, and if I really wanted to commit to this; these would be on my body forever. I figured that they wouldn’t be noticeable so if I didn’t like them, I would be able to move past them. I ended up loving them and was ended up upset that I couldn’t always see them.
My tally marks are a matching tattoo with my cousin who lives in Peru, this one does have sentimental meaning. He was able to get this tattooed much sooner than me. I was sixteen and could unfortunately not legally get tattooed in Lima. After I left, my cousin showed me his tattoo, and from that moment I needed a tattoo to match him. Being so far away from my cousin, it’s difficult to communicate consistently. This tattoo gives me a sense of feeling closer to my cousin. Something so simple brings me a lot of security and comfort, and I know that we both understand that this is something special we decided to get together.
My second tattoo that I got later that year, was probably the most impulsive decision I had made, and probably ever made. I woke up one day while at home over winter break, and I grabbed a pen from my bedside table and scribbled stars onto my wrist and upper thigh. This fleeting idea for a tattoo came to me in high school, and I never really thought I would do it. Nevertheless, I took a picture of the doodles and made it my mission to get these tattooed by the end of the day.
These stars were going to take up a huge amount of space on my skin; this was a big jump from the previous two I had gotten that were hidden. I was anxious to commit to this, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I went to the parlor later that night and got them done.
Getting these stars tattooed on my body shifted my perspective on tattoos completely, in the best way possible. Right away, I was a little confused when it finally set in that these would be on my body, it was interesting adjusting to seeing them all the time. It was winter though, so they would heal with time, and I didn’t see them very often. When spring came and I could start wearing short sleeves, I was elated. I looked at my body and I was so excited to see these doodles on my arm, it was like a piece of jewelry that wouldn’t go out of style.
I learned to look at my body with these stars, and it made me appreciate my body for what it was. I felt decorated all the time, and it gave me a unique sense of individuality and security with my decision to get them tattooed- I loved them and I kind of listened to my gut feelings saying that it was okay to get these. My stars are such an easy expression of my personality, and I love the fact that they are mine, it really led me to feel prideful about v my chosen decorations. To this day, I am not tired of looking at them and I love them and am just as content as the day I got them.
It was through my tattoos that I got to know myself better because of my chosen outward self-expression. I believe that tattoos can bring someone an opportunity to appreciate art in a new way, so much so that they would like to display it and have it with them all the time. If the piece of art or this symbol they are choosing on their body does not hurt anyone, I don’t see why anyone would have a problem with tattoos on other people’s bodies. The reputation that tattoos get is something I think is unfair, It is simple to concentrate on the state of your own body and keep judgments to yourself. It is easy to be respectful of others. I believe tattoos can bring a lot of comfort and security to someone’s personal life through art and I think that’s beautiful.