The time has come. I am twenty-one years old and have never dyed my hair a crazy color, gotten a nose piercing, or gone on some crazy spring break trip with friends. I live a quieter lifestyle, which I mostly enjoy. But since I turned twenty-one, I feel the need to express myself a bit more and do something a little out of the ordinary for me. So, riding the wave of newfound adulthood, I have decided to get a tattoo.
The problem is mostly my indecisiveness. A look at my social media might tell you that I am ready to commit to a tattoo. I have at least three Pinterest boards dedicated to tattoo inspiration and am following more than a few tattoo artists on Instagram. However, so many options often lead to even more indecisiveness and the usual questions about what getting a tattoo will mean for my life.
Will I be seen as unprofessional? Will I hate it in the next five years? Will I have to hide it from my parents for the rest of my life? Do I even have the funds for a tattoo?
However, times are changing, parents are becoming more flexible, and I have purchased many more irresponsible things during my college career. At this point, the only thing really holding me back is myself.
I would be lying if I said it had nothing to do with me being a woman and always feeling the need to present my body in the best light possible. To get a tattoo is to deviate from what I have been taught is the socially acceptable way for my body to exist. And no matter how many hot people with cool tattoos I see, I think that fear will always be present.
But… doesn’t that make getting one all the more important?
I am trying to recontextualize my tattoo journey as me proudly taking ownership over my body and my life. No, I have not found an artist, placement, or even a design yet. But I want my twenty-one-year-old self to be braver than any version of myself before. If I want to go after what I want, a tattoo is a great place to start.