So around the time you are in college, many of you will already have your first tattoo. Many will be sneaky and do it behind their parent's back. Others may not remember how it got there. Regardless, tattoos have become this new obsession. It has become a common form of self expression, and as many claim it makes them unique. I know many people today that have at least one tattoo. They all claim that their tattoo has some sort of symbolic meaning behind them.
Recently a friend of mine decided to jump on the bandwagon and endure an hour pain for a few words on her wrist. It read "Mind Over Body," in Arabic. She wasn't Arabian, not even foreign, but it looked cool. When I asked her why she decided to get it, snapped, "It's unique, I like it, and it makes me more of an individual." While this seemed true, I couldn't help but feel her answer was a lie. Of course I believe she wanted her tattoo to be unique and I'm sure she loves it, but there was something that made me feel her tattoo was there because she desired to be a part of a larger group of people; to have something in common, make her feel like she belonged. Many people get tattoos and claim this makes them, "who they are today." Or that, "tattoos are their life," it makes them, "unique or special, no one else has this tattoo." They are truly an "individual." But are you truly being unique and novel by getting a tattoo that almost half of young adults have? Does that really make you stand out from a crowd? Do you really have something no one else does? Is this really a form of self expression to assert you are a unique individual, or is it a way to blend into the crowd without looking like tried to fit in?
You point out something very interesting.
ReplyDelete"is it a way to blend into the crowd without looking like tried to fit in?"
If this is true, having tattoos may hide something ugly. Even beyond aesthetic matters or for the coolness it holds, could it give a burst of self-esteem? Or maybe a silent maturity proof (which one would lack of)?
Since birth, we're all bound to uniqueness, I highly doubt one would really feel the need to enhance his/her individuality or making them special. If so, getting a tattoo probably won't solve the problem.
I also think that those who really benefit of self expression in the process of getting a tattoo are tattooers themselves. I can express myself at hanging paintings I like at home. But having people drawing on my walls where I want them to is not what I would call self expression. We all chose the clothes we're wearing without pretending we created them...
I think that the only purposes for tattoos are truly artistic!
A marking event, a memento or a cool drawing? Whatever it is doesn't matter as long as you feel good with it!
But for sure, tattoos won't change your personality, make you cooler, or change you in something special.