BY JOANNA BEACH
Staff Reporter
Tattoos have become a growing trend for college students. In today’s world, tattoos can be a controversial topic among people, and many people have differing views. It seems as if our generation, in contrast to our parents’ generation, is more understanding of tattoos.
Tattoos mean a lot to junior Allie Amazan. She already has a couple of tattoos of her own, but two is not quite enough for her. “I need more,” she said.
Amazan believes that tattoos are “a way to always have an impressive work of art on your body.” She also believes that tattoos are more than just that.
You can learn a lot about a person from their tattoos. Since tattoos are permanent, many people put a lot of thought into what they want on their body.
“Tattoos tell a story. Each one can show a change in someone’s life,” said Amazan.
Many people agree with Amazan’s viewpoint on tattoos. Sophomore Jenna Brabazon does not have tattoos but does plan on getting some in the future. Similar to Amazan, Brabazon sees tattoos as more than just body art: they are a way to tell stories, a way of expressing ourselves.
“They can represent the things we are passionate about, the things we have overcome,” said Brabazon.
She also made a point to say that tattoos make each person unique, since each tattoo is special to that person in some way.
Sophomore Nick DiBernadino does not have any tattoos of his own and does not plan on getting any. While he does think that tattoos can be interesting and personal for each person, he has realized that he has changed over the past year, and he would not feel comfortable having something permanent on his body that he may regret later in life.
Amazan mentioned that tattoos are becoming more accepted in this society, and that the prejudices against them are dying out. Stereotypes about tattoos and those who have them have changed drastically over the years. In our parents’ generation, tattoos were seen as rebellious and unprofessional. In our generation, many people are getting tattoos and many others are growing to appreciate them.
“I started getting my tattoos in private places because I had a fear of not being hired in the future, but I quickly realized that when I got down to DC, if you can do your job, no one cares what you have on your body,” said Amazan.
In today’s world, it seems that the number of employers that are accepting of tattoos is rising. Brabazon says that people often think that having a tattoo can ruin your chances at getting a job. She does not agree.
“People often think that tattoos make us seem careless about our bodies, instead of recognizing them as beautiful and meaningful,” said Brabazon. “Tattoos don’t make you less intelligent. They are little vignettes of the things you’ve experienced in life.”
People are starting to realize that tattoos are not a gauge of intelligence, but of self-expression.
Even though DiBernadino neither has tattoos nor plans on getting any, he is still able to appreciate the tattoos of other people and the meanings behind them.
“I feel like it’s hard to stereotype tattoos as a whole because there are so many different kinds,” he said. “Since I know people with tattoos, it is much harder for me to generalize other people with them.”
According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, about 38 percent of people ages 18-29 have at least one tattoo.
