Personal Narrative: My First Tattoos

Three days without telling a soul of what happened, went to school the next day, and had an appointment with my therapist. I hid it all as if it never happened and I would go on as any other day would. I was ashamed of myself and fearful of the disappointment to follow my actions, but it was too large of a burden to hold on my own so yet again I broke down. I thereafter encountered the need for three different counselors: one for medication, my original one, and one for PTSD. This was my rock bottom, which I thought I would never be able to reach the top of the hole I seemed to dig for

The book I read to better understand and gain sympathy for returning citizens is Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion (ISBN 978-1439153154) by Father Gregory Boyle, S.J. $14 can afford this 240-page autobiography about a Jesuit priest serving one of the most troubled neighborhoods in the most unique way.

In the essay by Leslie Jamison, “Mark My Words, Maybe” She communicates to her audience about getting this tattoo to represent a new era for her after an emotional breakup. The tattoo being “homo sum: humani nil a me alienum puto” or in English translation, “I am human: nothing human is alien to me.” Jamison talks about how she felt as deserving as any other for the pain that she has felt during the relationship. As the essay reads on, Jamison deals with the conflict of interest from others based on the meaning of her tattoo. She also goes about her thought process for finding the true meaning of her tattoo.

Everyone is deserving of compassion and kinship so they can realize they are wholly acceptable. In the book Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle, gang members don't feel wholly acceptable because they haven't experienced compassion and kinship. Father Boyle provides compassion by giving them jobs. Gang members are deserving of compassion and kinship so they can break the cycle of shame and realize they are wholly acceptable.

Gregory Boyle begins chapter eight: “Success with a few questions that seem so simplistic at first glance. What is success and what is failure? What is good and what is bad? Setback or progress?” (Boyle 167). Taking a few moments to process these questions, one realizes that the question is quite complex and difficult. Success has such a subjective definition that it can only be defined by the one who answers the question of “what is success to you?” and has no universal definition. Specifically with gang members, success in the context of their lives is about personal growth and less about tangible results. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will

My senior project was over the History of Tattooing, I chose this as my topic because Tattoos really interest me with all the different styles and meanings behind them. Some things I already knew about Tattooing is a lot of tribes used tattoos to symbolize things, but I didn’t know what.

My Tattoo is a symbol of my modern life. It represents not only my personality but my life and my passions. Every image represents me, Every colour represents me and every little bit of detail represents me, my perfectionist needs and my life. The colours are just a little hint to that. Most importantly my shaka (hand) is a way of showing my surfer/skater personality, The people are my family. Although it is unspecicefied who is who my dad is the person furthest away from the others because he lives in Australia. The hand also has a NZ flag on it due to our surfy way. The quote, Is from Tupac: If you can make it through the night there’s a brighter day.Tupac Who was a inspirational and controversal rapper whose music I personally like. The

Tattoos and piercings can be seen on many teens. There are several reasons why teenagers get them. Andres Martin explains these reasons in his article, “On Teenagers and Tattoos”. He provides information on how these teens fall under peer-pressured or ad influence towards a group affiliation. I believe that tattoos are acceptable because they help strengthen self-identity, help kids fit in with their friends, and reinforce memories.

While tribal tattooing has a history as far back as tattooing itself, these types of images have gained a huge increase in general popularity, beginning in the early 1990s. Traditional tribal tattooing was (and is) done for many reasons. Some of the most common reasons for tribal tattoos include rites of passage, social status, or even simple family identification. Some tribes also believe tattoos hold magical or spiritual significance. Of course, there are also instances where tribe members get tattooed simply for aesthetic reasons. Some of the most well-known variations of tribal tattoos come from tribes from Borneo, the Polynesian Islands, the Maori, Native Americans, and Celtic tribes. Tattoos of Chinese and Japanese characters have also become very commonplace among Westerners.

First, Many people choose to get a tattoo to commemorate a loved one who has passed or celebrate a special event in their lives. "Tattoos are a wonderful way to keep the memory alive of that special person". When getting a tattoo, people should take the reason into consideration and decide whether it is something they want for a lifetime. Tattoos are very personal and should be treated as such.

Tattoos have been around throughout our history, from Egyptian times to the present day. Many people may say they know the history of tattoos, and where they originate from, but do they really? Does one know that there were reasons that some people had tattoos? There may be people who know the actual history of tattoos and body art and why one would decide to get one; however there are people who do not. To be able to understand the idea of tattoos, one should educate themselves to the history of tattoos. Although tattoos have been considered taboo and a stereotype, history reveals that this particular form of body art has been used for self expression, status and

Body modifications, with the focus of tattoos, have existed in our society for centuries and the way in which it is perceived has changed somewhat over the years, yet certain dishonors still remain our modern day. Like most body modifications, tattoos are an often misunderstood form of body modification. Despite the stigmas, tattoos have become a unique object of desire to endless diverse groups of people. But are the popular assumptions of tattoos out of sync with the true meaning behind them? Further explanation and exploration of the history will reveal the social and cultural practices of tattooing and the causal connection between the mind and the tattooed body, in addition to providing answers as to why tattoos stimulate uneasiness

In the past, tattoos were commonly thought of as trashy or bad. One would often relate them to bikers, rock and heavy metal stars, pirates, or gangsters. That has considerably changed over the years. According to Swan, "In 2003 approximately 40 million Americans reported to have at least one tattoo." Today's culture is still fascinated with tattooing. In the 1990s, tattoos were the sixth fastest growing retail behind the Internet, paging services, computer and cell phone services. 28% of adult’s ages 30-39 were tattooed and that number rose to 36 percent in the 25-29 age group. 31% of the gay, lesbian and bisexual population, regardless of age, was inked as well. Tattoos are significant because they

The rising popularity of tattoos and body piercing is more than just the latest fashion craze. This type of body art has been a part of this world for thousands of years. Tattoos and piercings have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment (Smithsonian.com). In the later years (1940 – 2000) tattoos and piercings were more common among teenagers and young adults, but now, people of all ages are expressing themselves through body art. To try and understand this rise in the desire to permanently mark ones self, we must first determine the origin and history of tattoos and piercings.

Tattoos are becoming a popular phenomenon that is seen everywhere. Today’s youth are getting permanent tattoos to be cool and trendy, but are not considering the long-term effects. Teenagers should be aware of all that body modification may include, it is not just a pretty picture. Adolescences must consider the dangers and conscientious result of attaining diseases, being underage, and having a permanent mark on their body.