Tattoos had once been viewed by the world as the mark of outcasts, bikers, prisoners, and everything parents feared if their child had one. Now, tattoos are just everyday things and are as common as piercing your ears. It’s either you have a tattoo or you don’t and no one really cares unless you’re apply for certain jobs. Tattoos had always caught my interest since starting high school and I had decided back then that I were to get at least 1 tattoo. And now I’m in the process of finishing a whole thigh piece. The first tattoo I got was definitely a big change and impact on my life. I felt like it broke me out of my shell. I was always that sheltered, quiet, Asian girl that rarely spoke up in class. But after getting the tattoo, I strangely felt like it had given me a lot more courage. For those people that have their arms and legs and every inch of their body covered in tattoos, you hear them say “tattoos are “addicting” like it’s some sort of bad addiction. I believe they’re addicting because once you are able to get past the nervousness and pain of that first tattoo, you’d probably think that since you have one already, one more wouldn’t hurt unless the physical pain was too much to handle.
Many people that get tattoos want them to have a special meaning. Some people have tattoos of writings or portraits with meanings as deep as a lost relative or friend. Others might get the name of their boyfriend or girlfriend tattooed on them and that is not wise at all. Even though a married couple might think it’ll be okay since they’re married, as bad as it sounds, there’s a chance their relationship won’t last forever. You don’t want to be a victim of regretting a tattoo. As for my tattoos, there’s a deep meaning to everyone single one of them.
For example, my first tattoo I got a cluster of cherry blossoms on my back shoulder. There are four petals breaking out of the flowers and I consider those petals as my family members being there and having my back whenever I need. They’re the only ones I can count on if all fails. Next are the 3 music notes on the side of my wrist. The meaning I have for these is that I had once played both the piano and violin but since I didn’t stick to instruments, the tattoo reminds me of how I once was able to make music. Lastly is the big piece on the front and side of my thigh. They are two really big flowers, a peony and a lotus. The peony for the Chinese was thought of as a symbol of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity. As for the lotus flower, it symbolizes purity and perfection because it rises from the mud untainted and beautiful.
Aside from having an interest in tattoos as the work of arts that they are, I would like to find out why and what made tattoos more acceptable than it was 20 or 30 years ago. My boyfriend is a tattoo artist and I can see that most of the clients already has a tattoo or two and wants to keep filling the bare areas of their skin with these beautiful images and portraits. I see tattoos every single day and every single one of my roommates and friends has at least one. Aren’t these people who have full sleeves and hand tattoos afraid of what other people think of them when applying for a job or meeting their partners parents for the first time? You wouldn’t believe how many chefs and teachers have tattoos and what made that acceptable? And with the acceptance of tattoos being so high, is it easier to become an artist in this day and age verse 30 years ago? It’s not every day that you will have clients flying through your door to get a tattoo. Even with really traditional parents that had immigrated to America was able to accept the fact that I have tattoos on my body. I know they’re not proud of it but they have accepted it none the less.
