The art of tattooing has been around for centuries. Tattooing has been practiced across the globe since at the Neolithic times. Both ancient art and archaeological finds show possible tattoo tools that suggest tattooing was practiced 50,000-10,000 years ago in Europe. The oldest discovery of tattooed human skin to date is found on the body of Otzi the Iceman, dating to between 3370 and 3100 B.C.
Fast forward to present day and the art of tattooing has made great strides. It is not only used for body art, but cosmetics as well. So many people have great talent and allow themselves to showcase their beautiful art on people everywhere. Tattoos have become a form of expression and creativity. Sadly, though, many people don’t believe tattoos are art and continue to judge people based off of them.
As a person with tattoos, I have gotten a lot of negative feedback from strangers ripping apart my art. The basic moral of this article is to discuss why judging people on their body art is wrong and how tattooed people should have the same opportunities as people without tattoos (mainly in the job market).
Many people believe people with tattoos are reckless losers who don’t care about their body… this is so far from the truth. It really aggravates me when people judge others based on how many tattoos they have. I have met so many wonderful, smart people who are covered in tattoos and when they tell me that they weren’t given a job or were called a horrible name based off their ink it makes me incredible sad. People with body art are the same as everyone else, except they have decided to shower their body with beautiful art. It doesn’t make them less educated or lesser of a person because they have tattoos.
I have loved tattoos ever since I was a young girl. So, naturally, once I turned 18 I got a ton of them. Within a year I had five tattoos, including a half sleeve on my right arm. That is a lot to get in one year and, let me tell you, it was very painful! Thank god my parents are so cool and laid back that they didn’t get mad at me once I got all my tattoos… well, my dad was a little freaked out that his baby girl had a half sleeve of skulls and roses on her right arm.
Now, all my tattoos have special meaning to me and are dedicated to people of my family, but stranger’s don’t seem to think about that factor and judge me. Last summer while working at my retail job I had numerous older woman come up to me and tell me things like, “You know you’d be so much prettier without those awful tattoos,” and “How do you expect to get a job or married with those tattoos?”
As a girl who was only 19 at the time, it really made me sad that people would just rip apart my art without even knowing the meaning. I’m a tough girl, though, and now whenever someone rips on my art I let them have it. You should never judge a person based on their tattoos or how many they have without knowing the meaning behind them.
So, when coming into contact with a person with many tattoos, know that they have those pieces of art for a reason and don’t attack them about it. Tattoos express creativity and emotion, and many people all over the world have them.
Many celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, David Beckham, and Rhianna have beautiful art and are icons in this world. Tattoos are beautiful and are wonderful pieces of art, so when you see a person covered in tattoos please don’t judge them on their body art.
