Photo by Amanda MacLaren
reception from their relatives as well, which makes having a tattoo much easier. “My mom took me to get my first one so she’s obviously okay with me having them,” Joseph Currin, a 20-yearold sophomore at Mars Hill College, NC says. “She even wants to get a matching one with me.” Not all families have such open minds, however. When some college students get tattoos, they are met with disappointment or scorn from their family members. “When I got my tattoo, my mom told me that I had desecrated my own body,” says Alyssa Griffith, a 21-year-old senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, says. “She said that I was damaged and that she was disappointed in me, but we just don’t talk about it now.” Griffith has received criticism not only from her own family, but also from the families of her friends. “Sometimes I do feel judged,” Griffith says. “Like when I was wearing a bikini at the lake, my friend’s mom definitely eyed my tattoo in a disapproving manner.” Despite judgments passed by individuals, most college students simply ignore negative opinions in favor of having body art. Stephanie Curtis is a junior at Meredith College. She has a grand total of 11 tattoos, the first two of which she received on her 18th birthday. “I think of tattoos like I think of a scar from falling when you were a little kid,” Curtis says. “This scar, although ruining your otherwise ‘perfect’ skin, comes with a story. What is wrong with putting a mark on your skin that isn’t just the consequence of being klutzy, but the product of a conscious decision to add inked style into your body?” Many college students don’t see a problem with getting a tattoo, especially if it has personal significance to them. The reason could be religious, decorative or even in memory of a loved one who has passed. No matter the reason, most college students who have tattoos agree that having body art is a way that they express themselves and their feelings. “I think tattoos are a wonderful
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I have a three-legged, purple, leopard print elephant on my back,” Curtis says. “If that doesn’t fully describe my regrets, I don’t know what could.
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form of self expression,” Currin says. “I’d tell anyone that really wants one to consider why you’re getting it and what it really means to you.” Currin stresses that it is important for anyone considering a tattoo to realize the ramifications of getting inked. Specifically, to make sure it’s something that they will want to have on their skin forever. “Don’t go into a shop and look at the work of others and pick something from there,” Currin says. “That shows no originality and you’re going to be stuck with it for the rest of your life, so get something that means something to you and that you won’t regret.” Regret can play a big part in having a tattoo. Although Curtis loves her tattoos, she admits she has some that are poorly done, and others that she is unhappy about. “I have a three-legged, purple, leopard print elephant on my back,” Curtis says. “If that doesn’t fully describe my regrets, I don’t know what could.” Another major consideration before jumping into a tattoo artist’s chair is thinking about just where the tattoo is going to be on your body. Although tattoos are definitely becoming less stigmatized in the general population, certain employers might still frown upon continued on next page U the Magazine | August-September 2010
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