“My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.”
― Johnny Depp
As a girl who is going to school to become a teacher, I keep expecting this question to be asked of me about my tattoos. One is on my wrist, a very visible spot to the world, and the other is on the back of my right shoulder. And I definitely plan on getting more tattoos. The only problem is that I'll have to find places to hide them, because tattoos are still widely being frowned upon, especially on people in certain professions.
Why is that though? People have been using tattooing for ages! Look at the Iceman, Otzi, as an example. He has tattoos and he's been aged back to 5,300 years ago. This shows that tattooing has been occurring for thousands of years! Some of the tattoos on Otzi are thought to be for his joint pain, but the one found on his chest in 2015 kind of twists that theory, unless it was used for chest pain. Back then it may have been used more as a sort of healing, or being able to take away pain, but they still used it and I'm sure the people with the tattoos were not frowned upon.
Even the Greeks and Romans have evidence in their texts of using some sort of tattooing. The Greeks probably learned it from the Persians, and they used it as a form of punishment. This is also, unfortunately, the source of where everyone's stereotyping of tattoos came from. Greeks called it a "stigmata" in their texts, leading to thoughts of it being a stigma and people wanting nothing at all to do with them.
But why are we looking at like that? Why are tattoos thought of as being so bad? Tattoos were once used as a form of healing, which some people do, only in a different way today. With tattooing today, you can get a portrait of a loved one, or something that they liked/loved to do. For me, my "Stitch" tattoo on my shoulder is because I love the Disney character and wanted it to be forever with me. It's me expressing my inner child to the world when they see it, me showing that I love to be fun and happy just like Stitch ends up being.
I remember reading a story about a man who was criticized for his tattoos. He said hello to a little girl who came up to him, and the girl's mother grabbed her and said that they didn't talk to bikers. This man was no biker, he was just a heftier guy with a beard and tattoos. How in the world did the mother even conclude that the man was a biker? She just assumed he was.
But kids are also obviously opening up to the thought of their teachers having tattoos. Many kids honestly don't care. They can put whatever they want on their bodies as long as I was able to get the education I was attending their class for. Sure, you were distracted by them at first, but after being around them a while and getting used to them, you barely ever noticed them.
Some of the teachers with tattoos even end up being some of the best people. The author of the article "Tattoos in the Academic Setting: A Student's View" describes how his English teacher had a tattoo sleeve and taught the first day of class to the lyrics of a Jay-Z song. Many of the teacher's tattoos were quotes from literature or of popular people, and he actually incorporated some of the quotes into his teaching. Now how cool is that?
I know not everyone will be like that English teacher and have tattoos that they can necessarily put into their lessons, but one of the things that it will help do is break down the barrier between student and teacher. If a teacher is able to connect with their students via a tattoo, maybe because of the story behind the tat or even just the tat itself, then let it happen.
I've been asked before why I've gotten the tattoo on my wrist, and I'm very honest and open about it. I got it with my family and it shows how each of us have gone through something bad but decided to continue living instead of ending it when we had the chance. It's important to me, and I feel that maybe someday I'll be able to use it to help someone who is at a point in their life when they feel they no longer are needed.
But here are some questions for you to consider... What is your opinion on tattoos and why do you think like that? Is it because of what society or your family have taught you to believe? Or is it your own personal thoughts on them?
