Tattoos: A Great Importance

Do you enjoy art? I don’t only mean the art you see on the walls of a gallery, the music that comes from a car speaker, or even the books we hold in our hands. I’m speaking of the one that is often hidden, even as paintings are shown in the light.

If you ask a group of people what they think art is, you’ll receive a variety of different answers, but there is one common similarity. It expresses something that can’t be said in a common sentence, or possibly even in words. It shows who you are as a person and where you have come from. It can mean something much deeper.

Muck like tattoos. I’m sure you have heard one common phrase, either from a parent or society in general. Tattoos are not professional. That might not sound so bad until you think of the repercussions. If you can’t show them at work, how will people ever truly accept them? Although some people already do, there are still many who don’t.

The people of the past understood this much better than us. There used to be a meaning for every permanent mark placed on their skin. It was a part of who they were. The same idea still applies today, even though many workplaces feel different. I believe that most tattoos should be celebrated and shared. It is difficult in society today.

If it has meaning then it shouldn’t be shoved into the dark. The world wouldn’t be like it is now if people hid away their work and their stories. Having people be able to be their true selves, without having to worry about judgment, would only make it even better.

Even since the 1900s, there has been a change in the thinking about tattoos. Tattoos would often be hidden under clothes if it wasn’t religious or loving one’s country. Even now, only a few are accepted. A military tattoo would be more “respectable” at work than a patch of flowers. What makes flowers less accepted when they could have much more meaning than we know?

Even a simple cartoon tattoo could mean much more than you think. It could be a reminder of that person’s childhood. You’ll never know because you went to the extreme first. So before you judge anyone for their choice of art, think about what it could mean. If you could relate, you might have also gotten a new friend. Like music can bring us together, so can tattoos.

Though, only if you are brave enough to try. Even with America changing and giving people more chances to be them, we still haven’t gotten past this one idea. I once argued with my family about a tattoo at a workplace and finally asked them what was wrong with it. The answer was a surprising “that’s how the world is.”

It doesn’t have to be. As gen z, who will be a big part of the future of America, it’s our responsibility to make it the best it can be for the ones who come after us. Specifically, a world where people can be who they are without prejudice or judgment. No one should have to hide themselves to fit the status quo. Tattoos also aren’t as bad as people give them credit for. They are only a way for people to share who they are with others and that is never a bad thing if it doesn’t hurt anybody.