Tattoos can help liven your body image
I was nine years old when I started talking about the designs I would one day mark my body with. Now, ten years later, I have two tattoos and I couldn’t be happier about it.
I catch quite a bit of ridicule about my tattoos for multiple reasons. My first tattoo, on my right arm, is a sun with my fraternity letters in the middle.
People tell me, “Oh that’s stupid. You’ll regret getting your frat letters one day.”
Quite the contrary! I will always remember the experience of getting my first tattoo in Park City, Utah, with my mom watching. What makes it even more special to me is the fact that she designed it for me.
My second tattoo for my dad–the letter “F” in calligraphy form, for my last name, with a worm in the middle wearing a sombrero.
The first thing people say is, “A tequila worm! Were you drunk? Does it mean you love tequila?”
The answer is yes, I do enjoy tequila from time to time, but it doesn’t represent tequila. The worm symbolizes my dad, for his nickname “Will Worm,” which was given to him by his father. My dad and I have the same tattoo on our right legs, right where people can see that we are best friends. I find comfort in showing everyone around me how much I love my parents through tattooing.
People always say that they would never get a tattoo because they don’t have anything they would want to be on their body forever. Personally, I find that quite boring! How can you not have ANYTHING you want to display forever?
Think about when you buy a new shirt or pair of flashy shoes. You instantly want to show your new clothes off to everyone because they somehow define you.
But how many times have you seen someone go and buy a white T-shirt with nothing on it and run around showing it to everyone?
They might as well be yelling, “Hey guess what! I am afraid to get a shirt with something that expresses who I am so I decided to get this white shirt and be boring!”
This is how I feel about tattooing. People’s snide remarks about my tattoos don’t really offend me, they just make me think that those people are afraid to open up and let the world see who they are.
Other people are afraid that once they’re older they will be looked down upon because of their tattoos. Who cares?! The tattoo is yours, not theirs! Express yourself! Life is too short to be boring.
According to myhealthsense.com, in 2001 an average of 18 percent of college students had tattoos. That’s not many, but tattoos are becoming more popular and socially acceptable.
One day a CEO of a company will stick his hand out to shake yours and it will be covered in tattoos. Tattoos express a person’s life, feelings, trials, and tribulations. They can be a memorial for lost friends and family or of an event that forever shaped their life.
My right arm is the symbol of the sun because my mom is my light. She has guided me through more tough times than I can count. The fraternity letters are for me and my friends. My right leg is something that I gave to my dad–my own flesh and blood for everything he has done to be the man he is.
I plan on getting another tattoo this summer. The tattoo will be a rocky mountain scene to pay tribute to the mountains and the beauty I find in them.
Tattooing is my artistic expression for the world to see. If you see me around campus or town, you are welcome to ask to see my tattoos. I’m not embarrassed, I embrace them.
So, I challenge you, why don’t you express yourself and liven up your body?
Contact Campus Press staff writer Philip Fisher at philip.fisher@colorado.edu
