Historically, people with tattoos have gotten a lot of criticism for marking their skin permanently. It used to be this weird, taboo thing to have and enjoy tattoos. Often, if you had tattoos it meant that you would have a hard time getting a job and wouldn’t be taken seriously, branding those with ink as outsiders.
Fortunately, there has been a substantial shift in American culture in recent years that has pushed tattoos into the mainstream. While some still criticize the choice of others to decorate their bodies with art, many have come to accept tattoos as normal.
Here’s the thing about tattoos. Yes, they are permanent. Yes, they are painful to get. However, tattoos often stand for something much bigger than just ink on skin.
Previously, tattoos might have been a form of protest and allowed people to rebel against the social norms of a community. While people may still get tattooed for these reasons, today, they are less a part of a subculture and more a part of everyday life for many. Tattoos are pieces of mobile artwork, symbols of life and culture.
With the social acceptance of tattoos becoming more widespread, many flock to tattoo parlors with the desire to get something meaningful or to get something they just like the look of and want on their body.
I’ve found that getting tattoos is oddly therapeutic. I got my very first tattoo during a difficult time in my life and was grieving a loved one, and getting it done felt almost like closure. Now, whenever I look at it, I’m reminded of what it took to get through that time and all of the happy memories I had with that person.
Every tattoo I’ve gotten since then has had a similar effect. Each is unique in its own right but has an equally important meaning to me and represents a different part of my life thus far. They feel like they’ve always been a part of my body, visible only to me, but are now revealed to the outside world.
When I look at each of my tattoos, it’s like being taken back in time to the moment I had the idea for the tattoo or the time around getting it done. It’s the tiniest moments of escapism that make them so special to me and while I’ll continue to get more.
Like a polaroid or stamp on your passport, tattoos can signify an important time in your life – a time of change, a time of growth, an important moment that gave you pause. Or, alternatively, they can be an image or phrase you loved so much you just had to have it with you at all times.
Whatever the reason for your ink, chances are that it has the power to remind you of some good times and forgotten memories. Decorate yourself however you choose, and revel in the feelings they conjure when you see them.