“So, what does it really mean?”
A common question that people with tattoos are often subjected to by friends or acquaintances. Although the wording of the question is generally similar, people have different tones when they inquire about ink. I can classify these people in three broad categories based off of personal experience; the inquirer, the enthusiast, and the doubter.
The inquirer is someone who is neither fanatic nor pessimistic about ink but he/she is genuinely curious about what the tattoo means. They do not vocalize their opinions about your personal choice of design and they will usually accept whatever answer they receive with a polite nod and a smile.
The enthusiast is someone who is always thrilled about ink. They are usually people who are on their way to their first needle and they love to hear about tattoo ideas. The enthusiast will always start the conversation with compliments and eventually work their way to the bomb of a question. So the good thing about enthusiasts is that they make you feel a little comfortable talking about your tattoo before they drop the bomb.
Then there is the doubter. This person is extremely skeptical with their raised eye brows and their condescending tone. They often say things like like, “I like tattoos that are meaningful.” They often forget that not everybody wants a meaningful tattoo. They often forget the beautiful irony behind the meaning of no meaning. You can get away from this person if you are lucky but the worst case scenario is the worst: bomb after bomb in the form of follow up questons.
“Wait, what?”
“But why?”
“Why this color?”
“Why this placing?”
And they have quite a few opinions as well.
“It’s too small/big”
“The positioning is just about right/wrong.”
“I don’t get it.”
And suddenly the conversation becomes an interview and I am trying to explain my entire life to them. Panic-stricken, I am mentally calculating what parts of my story I can share with this acquaintance in the given situation. So, here is the thing that nobody tells “doubters” about tattoos: it can be personal.
The reasoning behind why an individual would like to permanently ink themselves with a specific tattoo is as unique as the individual themselves, the experiences that he/she may have had, and the moment of time that they got it. Hence, it is kind of silly to expect that they will be able to explain their tattoo to you when you surprise them with this question in front of five other random people and in a room with loud music. In fact, it is kind of silly to expect that you will understand the meaning behind their tattoo in any case.
My tattoos have significance to me, just as the next person with a tattoo, and it always will always make sense to me in every way but it shouldn’t have to make sense to anybody else. Stop trying to derive meaning from somebody’s else’s tattoos because you do not know what circumstances lead to them getting it or what it represents to them. I will always try to tell the meaning of my tattoo in the best way I can if anybody asks but I can not explain my life story to you in five minutes with a room full of people so quit questioning me about it again and again if you are not satisfied with my answer. Most people expect a tear jerking story when they ask “So, what does it really mean?” I am sorry that my answer at that moment does not meet the standards that you have set for my tattoo and I am sorry I don’t have my life story at the tip of my tongue.
