Looking at me in a mere glance, or actually even staring, you probably would never guess that I have two tattoos. Each one is on one side of my ribs. I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday- I didn't go get one just to say I have a tattoo. It wasn't a dainty little butterfly, but rather, "sisters" in Italian, sorelles. It's significance is that my older sister has the exact same one and the two "L's" in the word are the awareness ribbons of Lupus and Diabetes. My sister has Lupus and I'm diabetic.
My second one, parallel to the first, is the Roman numerals V XIV XV. This tattoo is another matching one with my boyfriend and father of our child. The numerals represent our daughters birthday.
Tattoos have a bad reputation but I think if they are done well, for a good reason with a significant meaning they are beautiful pieces of art.
I know everyone doesn't agree with tattoos and they are entitled to their opinion.
But speaking as someone with tattoos here at ten things I with you would stop saying to me:
1. You are going to regret getting tattoos. I promise you, I really am not going to regret them. I got them for a reason and the only thing I regret is telling you I have them
2. Did it hurt? Now I understand everyone's pain tolerance is different but I literally just think to myself when I get asked this, "Nope. Because having between seven to 11 needles jabbing you in the side at a ridiculously fast speed feels amazeballs."
3. You're going to be 80 one day with tattoos. If I'm lucky enough to live to 80 years old then yes, yes I will. I will be the coolest (great) grandmother at that point in time, too. I will also be able to look at the tattoos I got 60 years before and think about how much fun I had when I was younger and smile because I did what I wanted to do without fear.
4. You're a girl with tattoos? That's kind of trashy. Anddddd your opinion is now irrelevant. Don't judge me based on the fact I have tattoos because truth be told, IDGAF.
5. Employers are going to see you differently. This one really makes me fired up. Now, I understand some people have tattoos that are in plain view and while the work force does see people differently with tattoos, there are also methods of hiding the fact you have said tattoos. As for me, my tattoos are on my ribs. My ribs. I'm sorry but I don't think my employer will be seeing me without a shirt.
6. Anyone getting mad at me because I got one. Things you can/ have to do at the age of 18: Go to college and pick a major that decides what your lifetime career is going to be. Go to war. Vote for political candidates that make major decisions for our country. Get a tattoo. But wait.. people think you are too young to make such a forever decision on your body and well, I call bullshit. Don't tell me I am old enough to put my life on the line for our country, I can vote for someone I probably know nothing about and that I have to pick a forever career but I can't put something on my body that I want!
7. Why would you ruin your beautiful body? Because you said it... it's my beautiful body and I wanted to. Plus my tattoos make me feel sexy.
8. How much was it? Now this doesn't bother me too much but at the end of the day money is a touchy subject to a lot of people. My recent one was the shop minimum of $50, my boyfriend's was $100 and we tipped the guy $60. Now that $210 is a lot of money and probably could've been used on something "important" but to us, the tattoos we got were important. We had an experience together, we got even closer, and we are more connected than ever with the matching tattoos we have because our daughter will be something we will always have in common.
9. How many do you have? I guess I don't understand why it matters. Does the amount I have change your opinion about me?
10. What do your parents say? I was waiting to get my second one and my phone rings. It's my dad. He asked me what I was doing and I said about to get another tattoo. He asked me of what, and I told him. He proceeded to tell me have fun and send him a picture of it after. My parents don't care because they know I wouldn't do something to that extent without thinking it through first and because they know it is my body, not theirs.
