"Look at that man over there with all those tattoos, he must have an awful life." I have heard those words, or something along those lines all my life.

Growing up I had a mom and dad who had tattoos, so it was normal to me. I never understood why some people frowned upon them. Some of the nicest people I have met in my life were covered in ink. To me, getting a tattoo is like dying your hair, piercing your ears, or changing your style. It's a form of expression.

People may get tattoos for all sorts of reasons, either they think they look cool or they have a meaning behind them. I personally would only put something on my body if it meant something to me, but I would never judge someone who got a tattoo, just because. You see parents who get their children's names on their body, how is that considered unprofessional?

For instance, my dad has my name tattooed on his body. He got this tattoo because when I was first born and the doctors didn't think I was going to make it. He got that tattoo in honor of me. Does that make him any less of a person? I don't believe so.

I hear a lot of talk on how people with tattoos will never be able to keep a good job, but that just isn't so. One of my favorite teachers in high school had a tattoo. A person should not be defined by their skin and what they put on it. No one should be treated differently or not have the same rights as another, just because they have a couple of tattoos.

Now that being said, I think there is a line. Obviously, if you are a grade school teacher you shouldn't have a tattoo of a naked woman showing. Whatever can be seen on your body should be appropriate in the work field you are in. I have had the opposite approach with my tattoo in my line of work. I have never had negative feedback, I have received many compliments. I think that people are becoming more and more tolerant of tattoos. I believe that people's views are changing for the better. We should be building people up, not tearing them down. In a world of such chaos, do we really need to worry about what someone put on their skin? What someone else puts on their body does not affect you in any way. You don't have to feel the pain they felt getting the tattoo and you don't have to live with it on your body and you don't have to look at it on a daily basis, so why make it a big deal?

I am a strong believer in expression and being yourself. I believe you should do what makes you happy because in the end everything you do should be for yourself and help you grow as a person. I believe tattoos are a form of art. It takes skill and precision to be able to become a tattoo artist. And it should not be looked down upon as a profession. Ink is expression and I express myself through ink.