Hezah, 26

Yesterday I got my fifth tattoo, and in conjunction with seeing my family around the holidays, it made me think about tattoos and twenty somethings. It was the least nonchalant I have been about getting a permanent marking my skin. I kept forgetting I even had an appointment, treating it as though it were another errand to run. I think my cavalier attitude is attributed to the fact that I was very certain about this particular branding of my body, and also…this wasn’t my first rodeo.

I had always admired and been intrigued by the body art world, and knew that I would be a part of it someday. My first tattoo landed on my forearm when I was twenty-two years old. A college graduate, this was a well thought out endeavor. I spoke extensively with both my parents and friends, both tattooed and unmarked. My mother suggested that I wait until they had patented an ink that would eventually fade. It was a very “mom” comment, but I told her that the permanence is something that appeals to me; it’s a sense of commitment. I like the idea that I could live with, and be happy to have, something with me for my whole life. But, that’s just me. I don’t think they are for everyone, and I certainly don’t advocate tattoos for the regretful, the fickle, or the indecisive.

Since my first, I have gotten four more, and I understand when people say that tattoos can be addicting. It’s partly the rush and pleasure from the pain. But, I think there is something else to it. Whether you have one tiny dot or a whole sleeve you are labeled as tattooed. Once you have one, what’s one…or two…or three more? If you’re going to be compartmentalized within society, why not just go for it?

My parent’s first reaction (I have visible tattoos) was that I was never going to find a real job looking this way. Here’s the thing, I would never want to work in an environment that discriminated, or wouldn’t tolerate tattooed employees. Thankfully, I don’t happen to work in an industry where tattoos, funky hair, and quirky fashion sense matter. However, I am finding that I’m not an island. There are so many twenty somethings with very visible tattoos popping up, and we’re all getting hired (despite economic shittiness) by REAL companies and bestowed REAL salaries.

Today, young college graduates with big kid jobs are branding themselves with unique art as a form of expression, just as youth have been for years with clothing, hair styles, and taste in music. It’s just becoming increasingly more acceptable to express yourselves with body art as technology grows and young startups are populating major industries. There are no jobs for us in the present economy, so we’re making our own companies with our own rules that follow the mantra, “your appearance does not affect your job performance.”

Aside from it being more socially acceptable, why are all of us twenty somethings really getting tattoos…

Well, we’re all special little snowflakes with creative minds that have been fostered from Mommy and Me to AP classes. We have such a burning need to stand out and be different because as we delve deeper into adulthood we start to realize, we’re all kind of them same. We struggle to salvage whatever individuality is left. God forbid any of us become, ordinary.

Perhaps the commitment to a lifetime of a particular word, phrase, or imagery is alluring in your twenties because it’s such a tumultuous time full of exploration and self-realization. Your life changes on a dime and you’re in a perpetual state of evolution, so sometimes it’s nice to say you know one thing is for certain; you’ll have this forever.

That said, tattoos used to have a completely different connotation and meaning. They used to represent tradition and represented unwavering universal symbolism. It was never the issue that every sailor had the same tattoo because they all carried the same meaning. With that said, tattoos used to also bear a very seedy, dirty connotation that was very present in our parents’ generation. My mother explained that while she enjoyed the meaning and imagery of my tattoos, it was hard for her to get past the fact that she was raised to think of tattooed women in a certain negative light. Understandable.

Whenever I am at a family function, such as this past Thanksgiving, I am always forced to defend my lifestyle choices. I don’t mind really because I know that an older generation is just trying to understand this growing trend that seems unnecessary. Perhaps it’s because they are older, and have a suitcase full of regret, and are just trying to shield us from making the same mistakes. I get that. But, to me it’s just skin; and if a majority of the parents I know are any indication…vanity gets lost in parenthood and responsibility. I know that perhaps at some point in my like I might look at my tattoos and the meaning won’t be the same, but it’s a nice reminder of a specific time in my life and a way to never really lose those very special moments of your twenties you’ll never get back.