There are many different kinds of tattoos. I’m not talking about the different colors or shapes or sizes of a particular tattoo or where said tattoo is placed on your body. I’m talking about why someone would get one in the first place. And the perceptions of tattoos in our modern world are changing every day. There are the spur of the moment tattoos, the months-in-advance-planning tattoos, the fretted-over-and-worried-about-what-others-might-think tattoos, and the regretted tattoos. Each one of these different kinds of tattoos needs further explanation.
The spur of the moment tattoos are fun and spontaneous. These may occur on one drunken night, or a dull and boring afternoon. These tattoos reflect the mindset you were in when you got it. Each time you look at it, you’ll be reminded of who you were in the past, even if it was only who you were for one night. And we should never forget who we were and where we’ve come from. However, this may overlap with the regretted tattoos, since on one drunken night, you may get the name of your girlfriend or boyfriend written across your heart. And if they don’t make that same commitment, even jokingly in passing conversation, I would advise against it, because that may mean they don’t think it will last.
There’s the months in advance planning tattoos. Some people draw a design on a cocktail napkin at the bar and ask friends, family, and complete strangers what they think. This tattoo overlaps with the fretted-over-and-worried-about-what-others-might-think tattoo, especially when you start asking complete strangers their opinions. Some people they ask are supportive, and some not so much, but regardless of what anyone says, it’s their decision. And if their mind doesn’t change throughout the next couple of months, perhaps it’s time to finally get it.
Addressing the arguments against getting a tattoo, I totally understand. So just don’t get one. Whether it’s a religious belief or a personal belief that tattoos are a defilement of bodies, or if you’ve just been poked and prodded too many times with needles your entire life, they’re all valid arguments. But I would ask those same people who call it a “gross defilement of perfect bodies,” just out of curiosity, how many of them have their ears pierced? Or date a woman who has her ears pierced? For most women I know, it wasn’t a choice; their mothers pierced their ears when they were babies. And this is simply a more socially accepted “defilement” of bodies. Perhaps tattoos that define who you are will someday be more of a social norm.
How people look at tattoos is constantly changing. Some employers ask their employees to keep their tattoos covered up while at work. But many more employers nowadays are accepting them and possibly even getting one themselves. There are still conservative people who look down on people with tattoos. But some employers are also loosening up the restrictions on their dress code regarding how much of a tattoo can be showing, depending on the clientele they are dealing with.
Some people don’t even know I have tattoos. My own tattoos are on my back because, as Pumba says, “You got to put your behind in your past.” Whenever I glance in the mirror, I remember how I viewed the world when I was younger. I remember the mindset I was in when I got them. And most importantly I remember how far I’ve come since then.
Whether it’s a stupid spontaneous night out with friends, or something thought about for months, a tattoo reminds us of where we’ve been. It reminds us of what was happening in our lives at that point in our lives and perhaps reminds us of how far we’ve come since then. What I always like to tell people when asked the question, “Why did you get your tattoos?” I reply with, “I really wanted to give the worms ink poisoning after I die.”
