Victoria Harkless
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Tattoos have always been a massive part of my life.
My mom and father have tattoos that predate me and my twin. The majority of the tattoos my mom had when I was little had meaning, she had my older sister’s name on her leg, then her first tattoo that was Yoda holding a sunflower (which is her favorite flower) and then my twin and my name on her feet. When I was little, I always wanted a tattoo and I finally got my childhood dream for Christmas at the age of fifteen.
The certain stigma around tattoos is that people who have them are criminals or are just all around bad people. Growing up I have dealt with the stigma people associate with tattoos at first seeing it with my mom and now dealing with it first hand. I am here to tell you that the stigma is unnecessary. For reference all of my tattoos are in spots that are regularly visible. The first time I noticed someone looking at me differently was when I was at a store wearing a regular T-shirt, shortly after I got the tattoo dedicated to my mother on the inside of my arm. I was helping my mother at the grocery store when I could feel judgmental eyes on the fresh tattoo. The woman watched us as we shopped in the section but it did not bother me at all until I figured out why. The woman prematurely judged me and my mother based on the fact we chose to have things permanently etched into our skin.
I cannot speak for the general population, but speaking for my family our tattoos have meaning, especially ones that are easily visible. My mom is working on a sleeve that has a clock in it reading the time my grandfather died, as well as our premented names and a cross on her back to memorialize my grandparents. My oldest sister, Porsha, has a half sleeve of family tattoos ranging from a shared one on her wrist with my mom, to our last name going down the back of her arm. She also has a shark dedicated to our tattoo artist uncle, and then on her back she has a large cross on her back from our grandfather. My twin has wings on her neck for our deceased grandfather and one on her chest for my grandma who is still alive and well. I have two turtles dedicated to the same grandfather and the aforementioned handwriting on my inner arm. My family believes if that makes us bad by some peoples standards, so be it. We do not change for other people.
I am not going to try to say I am a perfect person but I do not consider myself bad, and I am certainly not a criminal. Tattoos are more accepted in society and are growing in popularity. It is not just a simple way to rebel anymore. It is a way to show creative and personal growth and more people should realize that.
Image Credit: Benjamin Lehman
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