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Wake Forest | Style

My Tattoo Experience

Taylor Knupp Student Contributor, Wake Forest University
Wake Forest Contributor Student Contributor, Wake Forest University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wake Forest chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent years screenshotting pictures of tattoos. I’ve always wanted a tiny, tasteful tattoo, but I’ve never been able to commit. The permanency scares me! Besides, the pressure of finding something that would be meaningful forever seemed like a large task. But if the COVID-19 lockdown taught me anything, it’s that there may be no tomorrow (literally). Tattoo shops could close again any day. So, I decided to suck it up and finally get my tiny tattoo. 

My friend, Andrea, and I researched tattoo shops in Winston-Salem, eventually deciding on one called Deja Vu in the Hanes Mall. I’d already gotten my ears pierced there, so I knew that they were clean and made me feel safe. Due to COVID-19 procedures, they wouldn’t allow Andrea and me to go into the store at the same time. I knew that if Andrea went first, I’d probably back out (she’s much braver than I am and already had a tattoo), so I went in first. I had decided on a tiny Saturn on my rib cage, which had no meaning behind it other than the fact that I thought it looked cool. It took about five minutes and barely hurt at all! I’ve always been told that the rib cage is the most painful place to get a tattoo, and even my artist told me that it would hurt a lot, but perhaps the anticipated pain actually lessened it for me. 

All in all, I don’t regret my tattoo in the slightest. It’s so small and hidden that I often forget it’s there! But I can style certain shirts to show it off, and I love that. If you are considering getting a tattoo, I would say go for it! The five minutes of pain and $50 are worth it for something that will bring you happiness. Sometimes we all need something to change up our look, and maybe a tiny tattoo is also the right move for you!

Taylor Knupp

Wake Forest '21

Taylor is a senior from Harrisburg, PA studying Business and Enterprise Management. She is the outgoing Editor-In-Chief of Her Campus at WFU. Taylor plans to move to New York City after graduation to work as a Business Analyst at Verizon.
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