Everywhere I go, especially since entering college, it feels like I’ve seen tons of people with tattoos. I've seen some large, some small. Some are super bright and colorful, while others are dark and bold. Some have a extremely deep and personal meaning behind them, while others are unique and take time to fully to understand them. Every time I’ve seen someone tatted, it makes me want one so bad. I feel like they are a way to express yourself without saying a single word. It's a way to feel confident about who you are, and a chance to tell people how you feel on the inside, but on the outside.Though I really want a tattoo so bad, I'm still not a 100% confident in getting one yet. Actually, there are three major reasons why I haven't gotten one yet. Here are the reasons why:
1. Job Opportunities
Over this past summer, I was able to get a job at a well known Chicago fast food restaurant. At orientation for my job, one of the trainers mentioned that if I were to get a tattoo, it was either not to be seen at all, or if it was visible, you must cover it up completely. I was really disappointed upon hearing this. I mean, knowing that I would have to cover up what I want to express isn't the best feeling in the world. It feels kind of old school for companies to have a stigma about tattoos. Honestly, knowing that the corporate world still has a negative outlook on it, doesn’t really make me feel confident. I wouldn’t want my boss or coworkers to give me an unfair bias, all because I have a tattoo on me. But at the end of the day, as a student paying for college, its probably isn't the smartest move for me to get one at this moment. If tattoos are going to limit me in getting a job, it wouldn't be the best financial move for me, since I got college bills to pay after all.
2. Addiction
Getting one tattoo should be seen as memorable experience, but getting one after another would seem to take away the exciting experience of it. I have many friends who say they’re only getting one tattoo. But after they get it, they always get another one, and another, and another. I know some people find getting multiple tattoos very exciting, and I agree with that statement. But, I only agree with that if the tattoos are well thought out and has lots of meaning to you. Just getting tattoos because you thought, “Oh that looks cool, I should get that tatted on me!” isn’t really that meaningful. Just getting tattoos rapidly without thinking isn’t what I want to happening to me. Not to mention how much getting multiple tattoos would cost. I really want one, but knowing that I could be paying so much money because I'm addicted to it, isn't the best confidence booster. I know it should be fun getting one, but having the risk to get addicted to it isn't a risk I want to take just yet.
3. Old Age
Tattoos look amazing on people my age. The amount of detail and colors that stand out is truly incredible. It's looks like a complete work of art on someone's body. But as the years go on, people grow older and older, as well as tattoos. When people reach senior citizen status, their skin tend to sag, making their tattoos look horrible. All that detail and color become unrecognizable, and just becomes unattractive. I know that getting a tattoo would look so good at this current moment, but once I get older, I don't want to be that one senior citizen that people look at and say,"What's that on his arm?" Along with it looking bad when I get older, what happens if what I like in my college years isn’t what I like in my older years. People’s interests changes as they grow older, so if get a tattoo of something I really enjoy now, I might not still enjoy it when I’m older. I know I could get it removed if I don’t like it anymore, but do I really want to? Tattoo removal is very expensive and very pain, so I don’t think I want to put myself, or my wallet, through that pain.
Tattoos are such an amazing gateway to express yourself and I really would love to get one, but it's just not in the cards right now. I feel that there are just more negatives than positives at the moment, and it's just isn't worth the risk at this very moment. Don't get me wrong, my mind could change at any moment, but for now, living life without tattoos might be the smart way to go.
