The tattoo taboo has faded away
Melody Hemsing’s ink and quill tattoo on her right arm. She loves what it means to her, as she is a passionate writer and this is a way for her to show it to the world. (Melody Hemsing)
November 12, 2019
Many people believe that the usual route for getting a tattoo is to wait until they’re out of school and on their own, but this doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. 8% of people getting tattoos are actually high school students! Even other high school students can be shocked at times because of the age their fellow students are getting inked.
One sophomore on campus, Tyler Tovar, was asked about his recent tattoo. He talked about his classmates’ reactions to his tattoo, “Everyone liked it, but didn’t think it was real until a month later, when it was still there.” His tattoo is a set of music notes on his right wrist.
A picture sent by Tyler Tovar’s of his music note tattoo. He chose this because he is in the school band and loves music.
Tattoos are commonly seen as a “risky” form of expression, one may think it would be a big deal to see a high schooler walking the halls with one of these. Another student who wishes to remain anonymous explained that most people didn’t see it as much of a shock.
He talked about how he didn’t get any big reactions, “Not really anything because it’s just a tattoo.” His tattoo is a Quetzalcoatl tattoo in the shape of the Ouroboros in Aztec style with Majora’s Mask in the center on his right shoulder.
One concern parents have shown about the common judgements about tattoos fading away is that they fear these kids will grow up to regret their inkings. However, students doubt this will happen. Melody Hemsing spoke of the meaning of her tattoo: “Well, my tattoo is very obviously a writer tattoo and I love it a lot. It shows who I am on the inside, on the outside.”
Melody’s tattoo is an art piece of a writing quill drawing a curvy line along her right wrist. Most people understood this, and other than the comments from people saying she may have a harder time finding a job, no one gave any negative feedback.
None of these students received negative feedback for their tattoos, and the meanings behind them were thought-out as well before deciding to get them. On this campus, as long as they aren’t profane or offensive, tattoos aren’t a problem anymore, they have fallen into another form of expression with the students of today. Students are free to show their stripes, so it’s okay to wear a t-shirt.
