The Cavalier Daily
Serving the University Community Since 1890

Tattoo you

You don’t have to think of something “meaningful enough”

Every morning on my way to class I pass by Acme Tattoo and Piercing on the Corner, and almost every morning, that little voice in the back of my head tells me to go in and get one. It doesn’t seem to matter what time of day, who I’m with or if I’m in the middle of a conversation — something in my subconscious tells me I should go in and get inked.

Of course, in a matter of seconds, the rational side of me weighs in with a thousand reasons not to — it will get wrinkly as I get older, my mother will probably have a heart attack and I can’t think of anything meaningful enough to warrant getting it permanently tattooed on my body.

This last reason never sits quite right with me, though. Sure, there exists a canon of stereotypically bad tattoos, like “mom” in a heart, a dreamcatcher or a butterfly. But recently it seems even designs I deem far more benign, like a music note behind an ear or that infinity sign on a wrist, have been condemned for being unoriginal or meaningless.

Back in the summer, I sat next to a stranger at a birthday dinner for a mutual friend in New York. We were trying to find some common ground on which we could continue our conversation, seeing as we had exhausted preliminary introductions in the first 15 minutes. When she reached out to take a sip from her water glass, I noticed the collection of delicate black markings on her hands: single dots just below the nail on each of her fingers, a geometric diamond on the flesh between pointer and thumb, the outline of three waves across the bottom of her wrist.

I loved the way you couldn’t see all three of them at once, but they all seemed to fit together. I couldn’t imagine it on my own skin. When I complimented her on them, she told me thank you, and that none of them had any particular significance to her.

I was visibly taken aback, and she felt the need to clarify. Just because the dots didn’t each represent a relative or the image of the diamond didn’t call to mind a meaningful quote doesn’t mean looking at them didn’t make her happy. They’re pretty and decorative, and she appreciated the simplicity.

It was a strange concept to me at first. Most of the people in my life with tattoos had agonized over what to get and how they would explain it to those who questioned them about it. My sister thought for months about which of our grandfather’s sayings she would write on her skin in his memory. A friend of mine with an arrow tattooed on her middle finger — and a poignant, genuine meaning behind it — worried people would belittle its significance and mock its “trendiness.”

As a result of all the turmoil I had witnessed over these decisions, I found this girl’s detachment particularly refreshing. Too many people focus on tattoos’ permanent natures rather than how personal they are. The art on her hands was solely for her, and by identifying their meaninglessness herself, she left no room for anyone else to criticize them.

Whether a design is chosen for a specific purpose or was just something that caught your eye while scrolling through Pinterest, it is something you choose. If I ever allow that little voice in my head to steer me into Acme Tattoo, I’ll definitely take ownership of my choice.

Kristin’s column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.murtha@cavalierdaily.com.

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