No one can truly understand the experience of getting tattoos because each one is so personal, even the stupid ones people get without fully thinking through. I got my first tattoo at 18, and that’s only because that was the deal with my parents.
When I was 13, I knew what I wanted to get my first tattoo because the symbol meant so much to me. My mom and step-dad gave both my brother and I got celtic knot medallions when we both left elementary school. I wore mine all the time and was in love with it. I knew I wanted it with me forever, so I begged for it to be my first tattoo one day. My mom agreed, even then, that for my high school graduation—if I still wanted it—she would pay for it. We ended up going to get it on Mother’s Day in 2014. It was such a special experience to do that with her because she also got her celtic knot tattooed on her forearm.
People only look at others covered in tattoos and think ill of them, as if only non-respectable people have them, and I despise that thought because tattoos should be celebrated not covered. Every person I have met with a couple of tattoos has told me that the tattoo has been meaningful to them, and they have a story that they want to keep for a lifetime. I have the love sign language symbol tattooed on my arm that represents my church's camp that I am very involved in, as well as representing my friend Lauren who took her life in February. She had this symbol tattooed there as well, and I will always remember her and how many people she changed with her smiling face. I’ve also met people who have gotten them because they were "badass," but still, if that’s their reasoning, who are we to judge? Tattoos are a way for a person to express themselves, and it may not be relevant 50 years from now, but when we look at it years later we’ll look back at why it was so important and the experience In the process of getting it.
My second tattoo is the one I’m told I will definitely regret, but I know I won’t. I have five arrows going down my side for One Direction, remembering them as a huge part of my teen years. They were and are still a constant happiness in my life and have impacted who I am with their music and personalities. I’ve met some of my best friends through our mutual love of them, and I know that they will always be in my life. When a member left last year, I knew I needed to have a way to remember the five guys that changed my life, and it was the perfect way to do that. I know many of you are rolling your eyes at me, but again, it doesn’t matter. I know I will look at my tattoo even as a grandma and smile, knowing I am who I am because of that memory tattooed down my side.
Tattoos are art, just like anything painted on a canvas. They express who we are and almost always tell a story. I still love looking down at my tattoos and knowing I’ll have more experiences I’ll want to keep with me forever. I don’t need anyone’s approval to want to remember important things that happened in my life, and if you have a problem with my choice of tattoos, then it’s a good thing that it’s not your body, huh?
