Would it surprise you if I told you that I have a tattoo? How about two? What about five? Can you see spot any of my tattoos? The answer to this is no, unless I am wearing a bathing suit, none of my tattoos are visible. I asked my friend to look at these two pictures. The top picture is me and the bottom is of a random person and asked her to describe the pictures. "The top one is you. You look happy, enthusiastic, responsible, reliable, having fun and you look like a nice person. The person on the bottom is random. They have a lot of tattoos but he seems happy. He does not look responsible and wastes money on those ugly tattoos." My friend proved a point that society agrees with. People today look down upon those with tattoos because it is not professional or appealing. That is not at all what tattoos are about and what they mean to people.

Tattoos can have multiple meanings to people. Due to society I am frowned upon because I have black ink on my skin. Do you know why I got those tattoos? Do you know the meaning behind them? Unless you’re my close friend the answer to that is no. For me I have five tattoos. I have an infinity sign, an ampersand, a runes symbol, an arrow, and a quote that says "The sun loved the moon so much he died every night to let her breathe." As a girl my tattoos are seen as "basic" but not a lot of people know the meaning of these. The infinity sign reminds me that the sky is limitless and there is nothing I cannot do. My arrow reminds me that life keeps going forward so I should look forward and not in the past. My runes symbol means strength because my dad told me he was proud of how strong I am and have become. My ampersand is to remind me that there is always an and, that nothing bad lasts forever. The quote is about my parents and my relationship.

Why does my appearance compared to the other person’s appearance determine attitude or personality? Due to society, I have strategically placed my tattoos in placing that are not visible unless in a bathing suit. My tattoos are placed on both of my sides that way it will not interfere with my personal relationships, how society views me or restrict me from getting a professional career later on in life. I would love to place tattoos on my arms and legs but because of society, I have decided that I do not want to be looked at in that manner. I should do what makes me happy and not care what people think but I do not want to do something that will prevent me from getting my dream job or shine me in a light that is seen as unprofessional.

Some people do not mind having tattoos visible but it is proven that it can affect them from getting a job. Why is that? Why are people with tattoos are looked at as trashy and not suitable for a job? Shouldn’t we change this? Tattoos does not determine a person’s responsibility, respectability, or personality traits. Personality should be determined by how they behave and their actions. As part of the newer generation the social norms need to change. We as society need to be more accepting of tattoos and understanding. As our generation takes job positions of those in the older generation, it is our responsibility to create a new social norm and not let tattoos be taboo anymore. Tattoos do not determine someone’s ability nor skill level. We as society should start treating everything with respect and focusing on if that person is experienced enough and or qualified for the position, not based on what they look like anymore. It is the 21st century people, tattoos are normal. Let’s make tattoos the new social norm.