Tattoos have always fascinated me. The varying styles, colors, and expressions have drawn me into a world which my father said I can partake in - over his dead body. His vocal distaste of tattoos may have influenced the fact that I don't have a single one.

Growing up, he would tell me that only criminals and thugs have tattoos. I learned very quickly that this was not the case. This outdated ideology is slowly being phased out as more and more people accept tattoos. Unfortunately, outward appearances are something that will always be judged - it's human nature to observe and make quickly-processed decisions.

So what does your tattoo say about who you are? And maybe more importantly, does it have to say something about who you are?Those are questions that I asked friends who had gotten tattoos. My goal in asking these questions was to find out if tattoos serve as an extension of a person's identity.

My boyfriend's roommate, Max, has a Hungarian inspired quarter sleeve, a Tolkien quote on his forearm, and friends who marked him as "not the type to get tattoos." But what is this type? This question sparked my idea that maybe tattoos and personality are connected.

Though, Max said that he doesn't really think of it as part of his identity. He said he barely acknowledges them since he's had them for so long. My other friend, Arianna, agreed. Even though she regrets the tattoo she got when she was 18, she said she doesn't think about it very often.

But how often do we think about who we are? Identity is something so innate, that one doesn't need to think about it except during times of change. In my mind, a tattoo says a piece of your story without you ever having to open your mouth.

Perhaps that means that people who get tattoos are so comfortable with themselves that they can manifest a part of who they are in a piece of art. I think that's beautiful. They are also willing to invest the time, money, and thought needed to create such a piece.

But what happens when there is seemingly little to no artistic value in a tattoo? I'm talking about the trendy, hackneyed, and uninspired tattoos that are plastered from this side of tumblr to that side of Pinterest.

Is a person uncreative because they chose to get "Love" etched on their wrist or a tribal symbol wrapped around their bicep? Does it show a rash decision, a drunken night? Or does it mean nothing at all? Sometimes there aren't stories behind a tattoo. And that's frustrating to me because I want there to be meaning. But it's not my tattoo and its not my skin.

If I were to get a tattoo, it would necessitate a vast amount of energy, thought, and consultation. I would require perfection. I wouldn't be able to accept any flaws or mistakes permanently scarred on me. But that's just me. And that's one of the reasons why I haven't gotten a tattoo.

The more that I think about the intertwining of personality and tattoos, the more I think I'm getting it wrong. I've spent so much time thinking about who these people are, trying to put them in a box.

I'll admit that I've judged people on the types of tattoos they have, but I'm trying to be more open minded, understanding. Maybe that tattoo tells of an amazing adventure, or maybe it's an outgrown piece of their past. I've categorized these people as confident cool kids who seem to know the secrets to life. But in the end, they're only human.

The more I think about how I perceive other people, the more I learn about myself. And who I should be. And who I want to be. And that has shaped my identity more than anything else.