Women With Tattoos
I vividly remember the day I found out a good friend of mine thought tattoos were ugly. We were sitting at a restaurant in New York City, and I mentioned I wanted to turn the small flower on my back into something bigger, once I got the money. At first, my friend just nodded and tried to bring up another topic, but when I pressed him on why he wasn't interested, he admitted that he thought everyone who got a tattoo only did it for attention. Plus, he added, why would anyone want to permanently scar their own skin?
Our debate about the subject lasted long after dinner, and by the end of it neither of us had budged. In my opinion, since everyone gets tattoos for a different reason, it's complete baloney to say we all do it for attention, and anyway - it's our skin. We should be allowed to do whatever we want to it.
Tattoos have a long, storied history, and at one time were reserved for sailors and criminals. These days, however, everyone has a little something here or there. College students get them on spring break. Moms get them with their kids. No matter who you are, most likely, you know someone with a tattoo.
But that doesn't mean they're completely accepted. In fact, Jezebel recently published an article on the tattoo debate, focusing in on the stigma still reserved for women who get inked.
"Some have argued that, by wearing our choices on our skin, we are signaling our willingness to engage in a discussion of our bodies," the article explained, "that we are actively inviting commentary and judgment."
Much like my friend in the New York diner, a lot of people still consider tattooed women to be "trashy," and have this idea in their heads that the bigger the tattoo, the bigger the need for attention. Men have been getting tattooed for centuries, so who cares about that? It's chicks who are making a statement about their sexuality every time they get inked in a place that's obvious.
I vividly remember the day I found out a good friend of mine thought tattoos were ugly. We were sitting at a restaurant in New York City, and I mentioned I wanted to turn the small flower on my back into something bigger, once I got the money. At first, my friend just nodded and tried to bring up another topic, but when I pressed him on why he wasn't interested, he admitted that he thought everyone who got a tattoo only did it for attention. Plus, he added, why would anyone want to permanently scar their own skin?
Our debate about the subject lasted long after dinner, and by the end of it neither of us had budged. In my opinion, since everyone gets tattoos for a different reason, it's complete baloney to say we all do it for attention, and anyway - it's our skin. We should be allowed to do whatever we want to it.
Tattoos have a long, storied history, and at one time were reserved for sailors and criminals. These days, however, everyone has a little something here or there. College students get them on spring break. Moms get them with their kids. No matter who you are, most likely, you know someone with a tattoo.
But that doesn't mean they're completely accepted. In fact, Jezebel recently published an article on the tattoo debate, focusing in on the stigma still reserved for women who get inked.
"Some have argued that, by wearing our choices on our skin, we are signaling our willingness to engage in a discussion of our bodies," the article explained, "that we are actively inviting commentary and judgment."
Much like my friend in the New York diner, a lot of people still consider tattooed women to be "trashy," and have this idea in their heads that the bigger the tattoo, the bigger the need for attention. Men have been getting tattooed for centuries, so who cares about that? It's chicks who are making a statement about their sexuality every time they get inked in a place that's obvious.
