Every person in my immediate family has tattoos. My dad has two large pieces dedicated to his service in the military. Both are big enough to cover the biceps on his arms. My mom has two, as well, one of which she randomly chose from the wall of predetermined designs at whatever tattoo parlor was allowing high schoolers to get inked at the time. My sister takes the cake, though; she has seven pieces of art scattered across the upper half of her body. The largest of the seven, an orange octopus wrapped around her shoulder, was her first.
I recently got a tattoo myself, as a present for my 19th birthday. I have thought a lot about permanent ink in the past three years. It is beautiful and representative and symbolic and intriguing and selfish in the best way. It is also very permanent and is part of a painful, sometimes risky, process.
As a growing part of American culture, the tattoo industry is an interesting world to delve into. According to The Week Magazine, 15,000 tattoo parlors exist in the United States today. Within those businesses are permanent ink artists who tattoo for $80 to $100 per hour, on average. When we multiply that amount by the number of hours that people spend getting inked, the annual revenue of America’s tattoo industry amounts to about $2.3 billion, The Week reports.
So who is spending all of this money getting permanent artwork on their skin? Statistics reported by the National Post show that 23% of all Americans have at least one tattoo. The Week breaks that down further, stating that 23% of American women and 19% of American men have tattoos. The Week also reports that 36% of people in the “college-age” demographic—18-to-25-year-olds—have a tattoo. That statistic means that if you were to randomly choose five students at Quinnipiac, there is a really good chance that at least one of them has been inked. This is fairly promising, if you’re into people who are tat-tat-tatted up.
The general consensus in American society is that tattoos may—or may not—be considered taboo. The Week reports that 50%, exactly half, of American people believe tattoos are rebellious. But just because you do something that is “rebellious” doesn’t necessarily mean you are a proponent of the sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll movement. And just because you aren’t a “rebel” doesn’t mean that you can’t think for yourself or stand on your own two feet.
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter what others have to say about your having or not having tattoos. Getting inked is an inherently personal decision; as your body is your temple, you are free to decorate it however you wish. That being said, here are some quick words of wisdom from a young woman who waited a while to get a tattoo after the idea originally presented itself:
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Get something meaningful. Make sure that what you decide to place on your body is important to your beliefs, values, and what you stand for as a person. If you get a tattoo, do it for you.
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Consider consistency in your life. (Disclaimer: as much as you’d like to hope and wish, your significant other may not always be there.) It is important that your tattoo represents you as a person rather than symbolizing a phase you went through during a quarter-life crisis. Be 100% on board with the idea, and make sure it is something you want to stick with you. Because—surprise!—it will.
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Put it where you want it, but be mindful of the future. This includes what you would like to pursue as a career and/or whether or not you would like it visible on your wedding day. Also consider the areas of your body that may become the least attractive as you age. How is that tattoo going to look a little bit wrinkled?
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Write down why you want it. Putting the concept into words can help you figure out whether you are truly committed to the artwork. If you can’t stop writing about your ideas, the list of reasons seems to grow as you write it, and you feel confident in your decision once the list is complete, then there is a really good chance that this is the right decision for you. If after writing, however, you are still iffy about a few things, DO NOT PASS GO.
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Do your research. Look at various tattoo parlors. Visit them. Meet the artists, and choose one. Make sure that he or she works in a sanitary, sterile area with new needles and ink for each and every client. Get comfortable with him or her, and build a sense of trust between the two of you.
Whether you express yourself through music, poetry, dancing, volunteer work, dying your hair, studying fashion, or getting tattooed, do things that make you happy and showcase the person that you have become. Be proud of yourself and the natural beauty of your body, whether it is covered in murals or as pure as the day you were born. We should respect one another’s interpretations of what it means to love our bodies. The answer is different for everyone, and sometimes the answer is a tattoo.
Send us snaps of your new ink to @hercampusqu on Instagram!
Want more from Melissa? Check out her blog here.