Teachers of students share their experiences with tattoos, along with some advice
Iris Hernandez
Despite ESD’s dress code that dictates issues such as facial hair and skirt length, there is nothing written about tattoos.
“I got my tattoo over spring break in Santa Fe. I had been planning on getting it for a while so a vacation sounded like a good idea,” senior Elise Bostian said. “My tattoo is matching with my dad. He has it in my handwriting and I have it in his. It says “walk in love,” which was the theme for one of my weeks of camp at Camp Capers, an Episcopal camp I went to every year growing up. ”
Some students that want a tattoo but are underage have found a workaround. Stick and poke tattoos are usually done at home and carry a risk of infection and, for some, could end up not looking the way they expected.
“I know a lot of tattoo artists personally that spend a lot of time covering up sticks and pokes because people get them in high school and immediately regret them,” English teacher Hannah Bowick, who is in her 30s and has gotten five tattoos since the age of 18, said. “I don’t think [they] are worth the time and the risk. A stick and poke to me honestly feels like the pansy way out.”
However, these students feel it is a way for them to express themselves and their creativity. They also don’t last as long, as people often don’t push into the skin far enough. Junior Annalise Shultz* has two, both done free hand and with as much sterilization as possible for an at-home procedure.
“I’m glad I decided to tattoo myself, and in the worst-case scenario, I would have gotten a professional to touch it up when I’m older,” Schultz said. “I think tattoos are a great way to show your personality and style even when fashion and trends are always changing.”
Nearly 98.9 million people in America have tattoos, and 23 percent experience regret, according to Astanza Lazer.com. For teens thinking about getting tattoos, Bowick says it is extremely important to research beforehand.
“If anyone is interested in getting a tattoo and they are on the fence, and they don’t know, they should talk to someone who’s gotten tattoos or somebody who has been through the experience,” Bowick said. “It’s painful, and it’s expensive, and it is very permanent. It is very different than a piercing in that you can take a piercing out, and the hole will close, usually. And you can pretend you never got it.”
The tattoo removal process is long, painful and expensive. Americans spend nearly $1.6 billion on removing ink each year, according to New Look Laser College. Bowick had a tattoo on her chest that no longer fit her, so she looked into removal, but after researching, she decided on a cover-up.
“The removal process is costly, and it’s very painful,” Bowick said. “It ends up leading to a lot of really permanent scarring that isn’t cute. It’s not like a scar from an injury or a surgery. It’s almost like a burn scar.”
Many people with tattoos find that it is important to think about what is being put on their skin before getting tattooed. Some just want a tattoo to have a tattoo and don’t truly comprehend that it will be on their skin forever.
“I don’t think tattoos, necessarily, have to be super meaningful,” Bowick said. “In fact, I think the risk [of regret] vanishes if your tattoo isn’t very meaningful.”
I see tattoos more as a collection. Like any other person who collects rocks or coins. My artwork is very different because it is my opportunity to expand on the things that worries me as a human being.
Juan Negroni
Before getting tattooed, Bowick sat down and deeply thought about the things she values and thinks are lasting. After her first tattoo, Bowick has ensured that her tattoos are symbolic but outwardly ambiguous. She has multiple flowers from the Bible and one for her husband’s birth month.
“I think it is dangerous to get names, words [and] blatant symbols,” Bowick said. “At the end of the day, I can divorce meaning from certain tattoos on my skin if ever the meaning does change for me, unlike the symbol I originally had tattooed on my chest.”
Since tattoos aren’t regulated, teachers are able to show off their ink with pride. Upper school Studio Art teacher Juan Negroni has about 13 tattoos and got his first one at 21.
“I cover them for interviews or things like that,” Negroni said. “In the past 15 years, they have become a common thing. So, people with tattoos don’t get targeted as they used to back in the day.”
Negroni has always been interested in tattoos. He used to sneak out of art class to hang around tattoo shops and draw tattoos for them. He would get offers from artists to pay him for the drawings, but he always declined.
“My dad got [a tattoo] when he was in the army,” Negroni said. “He was really young. So I guess that the fact that I was exposed to it since I was born made it really normal. It became a curiosity that grew with me. My dad was an amazing father; he was honest and hard worker with a great sense of ethics. So I was sure that all the myths about tattoos and people with tattoos were just myths.” Teachers are able to show off their ink with pride. Art teacher Juan Negroni has about 13 tattoos and got his first one at 21.
“I cover them for interviews or things like that,” Negroni said. “In the past 15 years, they have become a common thing. So, people with tattoos don’t get targeted as they used to back in the day.”
Negroni has always been interested in tattoos. He used to sneak out of art class to hang around tattoo shops and draw tattoos for them. He would get offers from artists to pay him for the drawings, but he always declined.
“My dad got [a tattoo] when he was in the army,” Negroni said. “He was really young. So I guess that the fact that I was exposed to it since I was born made it really normal. It became a curiosity that grew with me. My dad was an amazing father; he was honest and hard worker with a great sense of ethics. So I was sure that all the myths about tattoos and people with tattoos were just myths.”
The History of Tattoos
Humans have been tattooing for thousands of years, the earliest dating back to nearly 5,000 BCE. From the beginning, tattoos have been directly related to one’s identity and sense of self. During tribal times tattoos were symbols of status, tribe identity and even marital status. Tattoos were incredibly common outside of Europe, as the practices that did exist were run underground. When colonization and the slave trade began, tattooed people were more likely to be captured, which was very destructive as they were often leaders of their community. This created a ‘tattooed savage’ stereotype that was only reinforced by individuals with many tattoos entering into circuses and freak shows, often creating false narratives that they were forcibly tattooed by marginalized groups. Even today, some see tattoos in a negative light, especially with older generations.
In the 1930s when social security numbers had just been created, people began getting them tattooed, finding the nine-digit number too difficult to memorize. But, the tattoo craze didn’t occur until the 1970s. During this time, there was an influx of common people getting tattoos due to the rebellious and free nature that the ’70s cultivated. Only a decade before, people shied away out of fear of hepatitis, a fear that got tattoos banned from New York City until 1997, according to Time.com. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, the rock scene grew, making tattoos increasingly popular as many wanted to match with their favorite celebrities. People in the ’90s and early 2000s really embraced tattoos, making back, neck and arm bands a common occurrence. The 2010s, as many can remember, were all about trends. Inner lip and finger tattoos were very popular.