It is commonplace in society to be judged for having a tattoo on your body. No matter the placement or what it depicts, you will always find someone with opinions against it. Many people wonder why anyone would want something on their body that will never come off. I finally sat down with myself and ignored the stigma, realizing why I wanted something permanent in the first place.
In society, you are always being sent messages about what you should and shouldn't be doing with your outward appearance. From your shoes to how you cut your hair, there is always some sort of negative connotation to it. This message you receive about tattoos can be either extremely helpful or harmful. But the stigma still exists in our progressive society — why?
I have heard every excuse in the book for why I shouldn't be getting permanent ink on my body. "What would your mother think?" Well, it is my own body and I'm an adult, so I don't think she has much to say in that department.
"You are going to find it difficult to get a job." I can agree that tattoo placement completely matters, but why would I want to work at a job where I can't display my personal style? As an artist, I feel as if ink is a reflection of someone's personality or struggles in life. Not to mention, I don't understand the connection between a tattoo and work ethic, but to each their own.
Another argument I have come across is "make sure it has meaning," but why does it need to have meaning? I mean, if someone wants a chicken inked on their foot, or any number of objects, such as flowers or milk cartons, what does it matter to anyone else?
If it is someone else's body, it doesn't have to have meaning to you — all that matters is the meaning to the person with the ink itself. A personal favorite of mine is "you are going to regret it in the future." Even if I do regret it in the future, that is my own problem to deal with.
In reality, I am a grown woman and I can make decisions that affect me for the rest of my life like any other adult. Permanent or not, I still love the idea of having a personal story on my body to keep and tell people about for years.
To finish this out, I think the absolute worst argument I have come across is "why do you want to modify your body? Do you not think it is pure the way it is?" In all honesty, unless you have a religious obligation to not modify your appearance, this argument has a lot of holes in it.
If we are going to talk about keeping your body pure, everyone is pretty guilty of violating that in one way or another, whether by dying your hair, not working out, or not eating right — the list could go on forever. So, back to the main point, if we are all out here violating this body purity rule I wasn't keyed in on, then that is just the pot calling the kettle black.
In the end, it shouldn't matter to anyone what others do with their own bodies. If you want to live your life a certain way so be it; life is all about the experience, so live it how you can.
