Article written by Valeria Lasso.
If you saw my last article, you would have seen that I mentioned the Tattoo Convention as an event happening this month for the Visual Arts section. I decided to include it because in my personal opinion, tattoos are a form of art – most of the time. I’ll admit there are some tattoos that are just plain out terrible, and I would never consider them to be art, but eight out of ten times that I see someone with a tattoo I usually think it’s rather cool.
When I was growing up, I’d get in trouble for drawing on my skin or for writing something down on the palm of my hand with pen or marker. My folks used to tell me that the people with writing on their bodies were the criminals in jail. Back then, I couldn’t make sense of it. Clearly, I wasn’t a convict and my little pen marks didn’t say anything about who I was as a person, but I’d still wash off anything I might have written on my hand or arm before sitting for dinner with my family.
I can understand that some people might view tattoos as something used by the lower classes – and that sometimes includes criminals – but the truth is that tattoos have a very, very long history and it’s very different with each culture. So many countries have had tattoos as part of their history. For some, tattoos were barbaric and used on slaves and prisoners, but in others, they showed rank and skills. In some cultures, tattoos were meant to make the owner even more beautiful. So why do so many people see it as a bad thing?
I happened to grow up in a society where tattoos were taboo not only because of their history but because of religion. According to the Catholic religion – the religion I was raised around – tattoos are wrong because apparently, your body is a temple and it doesn’t belong to you. It is the body you were given by God so you can walk this earth and you should not do anything to harm it purposely. But then again, baby girls get their ears pierced and that’s fine. I’m sorry but last time I checked, piercing your ear is a way of harming your body. Oh, and let’s not forget circumcisions, now that’s mutilation right there. Why is the church not shaming this? People have tried to give me excuses for this, but it all seems so ridiculous to me. How are some forms of harming your body okay, but others are not (Is it just coincidence that it’s usually not okay when you are the one making the decision)?
All things considered, I still don’t think tattoos are bad at all. Does that make me a rebel? I don’t care if it does. Tattoos are a way for people to express themselves. They can tell a person’s story. Show their battles and the way they got over them. They can be reminders and even teachings. But, my favourite part, is that their meaning is completely subjective. It can be as simple as a number, but that number can mean so much to the owner and so little to a random viewer.
Tattoos can also have no meaning at all. Some people get tattoos just because they think it looks cool, or because they think it’s beautiful. There doesn’t need to be a deep, meaningful story behind every tattoo, and that is okay. A tattoo can be like an accessory, although it’s kind of a bit more permanent than a ring or a necklace. The only catch with tattoos is that you sort of need to be sure of what you’re getting. This is why I would never, ever recommend for anyone to get the name of their boyfriend/girlfriend tattooed. Wanna put in your mom’s name? Go ahead, she’s always gonna be your mom. Or your kids’ names? Sure! But for God’s sake, don’t test your luck by permanently putting on your skin the name of a maybe-temporary person.
Another thing you should not test your luck on is the artists. Anyone can grab a tattoo gun and press it to someone else’s skin and attempt to draw something, but not anyone can do a good job at doing a tattoo. This is why you should always do a little research before getting your tattoo, find an artist that you’ll trust to do a good job, and book an appointment. This might end up making the tattoo even more expensive but considering that it’s something that you’re gonna have on your body for the REST OF YOUR LIFE, it’s probably okay to spend a little extra on making sure it’s awesome.
Also, can we acknowledge that we just referred to the people that make the tattoos as artists? What do artists do? Oh, that’s right, they make art! Therefore, I don’t think there is much more arguing for us to do. Tattoos are art. They take time and skills to make. They can be beautiful and meaningful. They can scream out emotions and start conversations. They can be a rebellious or even loving act. Art, nonetheless.
There might have been a time where tattoos were frowned upon, but like all things, that concept is changing. Times change and so do people. One in every five adults has a tattoo. That’s at least twenty percent of the people out there that have a tattoo. I very much doubt all of them are criminals or low-lives. If anything, I’d be willing to bet money on more than half of that twenty percent being nice and normal humans with just as much credibility and intelligence as someone without any tattoos.
Society turned their back on tattoos because they were ‘bad’ because they would stop them from getting jobs and from succeeding as professionals. But soon enough it’ll be the people with open minds – and maybe some tattoos of their own – that are going to be doing the hiring. Soon enough, there will be no more discrimination for the people that decide to have art on their bodies.
I strongly believe that your body is a blank canvas. Every mark, every scar, every freckle or mole, every piercing – and, yes, every tattoo – shows your story and how you came to be the person you are today. Sometimes you don’t have a say in what happens to your canvas, but other times you do. But at the end of the day, it is still yours and you should be allowed to do to it whatever you please.
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