I got my first tattoo for my eighteenth birthday. It's a dream catcher on my back. I got it there so it could be easily covered up by a shirt. I got my second for another birthday. It's a yin and yang sign on my left ankle. I could not cover that up as easier unless I wore longer socks (which I tend to wear mid-calves for lacrosse so it was hidden then). My most recent tattoo is a beach with a sunset theme on my right calf. It's bigger and more exposed than my others. I started becoming less concern on the location and whether it could be hidden if need be. I have three tattoos and I certainly plan on getting more.

Upon getting my first tattoo, I had friends who were excited that I tried the tattoo scene and thought my first one looked great. I then started getting questioned by others who were not so approving: "Why would you do that to yourself?" "What if it looks bad in ten years?" "What if you can't get a job because of it?" "What if you regret them?"

Countless questions that went along with the disapproval of me getting a tattoo.

The tattoo scene is growing each and every day. More millennials are getting tattoos. Most people I know have a tattoo or plan on getting a tattoo in the future. They are becoming more accepting, but yet still so rejected at the same time.

My tattoos do not define who I am. They hold meaning for me though. My dream catcher is my own personal dream catcher to take everywhere with me to get rid of the "negativity" in my life or more so escape the times where it felt like a bad dream. My yin and yang is for my uncle who has since passed. He was an important figure in my life and he had a similar tattoo on his ankle. I also enjoy the concept that goes along with the yin and yang. My sunset scene is for my love of the beach and for it being my happy place.

But it doesn't matter what they mean. They are something that I wanted. No one should ever feel justified to explain to someone why they got a certain tattoo.

My tattoos don't make me a "hooligan." I'm not a bad person because I have tattoos. If they are the sole reason as to why I don't receive a job at a company, it wasn't for me. There are plenty of places that would ignore that fact. If my tattoos look bad in ten years, so what? That's for me to figure that out when the time comes. Right now, they are wonderful and I don't regret getting them. I won't regret them in the future because they are part of my growing up. I liked them at one point. It's an aspect in my life that shouldn't be the concern of others.

I am expressing myself in my own way as is everyone else who have a tattoo. Should we not be allowed to express ourselves? We live in a generation where people have tattoos. No one will fully accept them, but in years to come, when more people get their first tattoo and others continue their collection, tattoos will keep taking that step forward towards acceptance.

Once I got my first tattoo, I knew I would get more. I love having tattoos, but they do not define me. I'm still me with or without the tattoos. Nothing has changed except for a little more color on my body. They are part of the fun of growing up. I absolutely cannot wait for the day I receive my fourth tattoo!