Eva Ludwig
There are countless forms of art: one can paint, sculpt a statue, write a song or even put art on one’s body through piercing or tattoos. At Aragon, students embrace body art for a variety of personal reasons.
“Most of my piercings I got because I liked how they look,” said senior Miller Elliot. “They’re not super permanent, so if I like their look, I can [get behind the idea of putting] it on my body. For my tattoo, I knew what I wanted to get for years beforehand. I got my lucky number, which is 13 [tattooed] in Roman numerals on my side.”
As a way to express himself, senior Kade McKenzie’s choice to get a piercing took much consideration.
“For a long time I thought I wanted a piercing, [but] I just didn’t know what I wanted to get,” McKenzie said. “They actually depend on facial structure, and some piercings match people better [than others] … I really wanted one in my ear and I thought [the rook] was super cool. For the eyebrow piercing, I just felt a connection.”
However, junior Jack McNeely had a less-planned process in getting piercings and a tattoo, involving a friend’s assistance.
“I have a tattoo on my left, inside of my ankle, and it’s a stick and poke,” McNeely said. “It’s a title of a CD on an album from a band I like … I was looking for an opportunity for change in my life, something that made me unique [and] more for me. You don’t really have a lot of control about your body, so it was cool to have something that [made me think] ‘I did that, and it makes me look awesome.’”
Despite the unplanned nature of his tattoo, McNeely wouldn’t change his choice.
“I don’t regret any of them,” McNeely said. “I feel for a lot of people, they would have regretted the tattoo, because now I’m not as into the band as I was [at the time]. But for me, it feels like a memento of that time in my life. Years come and go and you just forget them so quickly. I don’t remember much of my childhood, but because of that memento on my body, I will always remember at least a little bit of freshman year and those friends that I had … and just who I was as a person. It’ll always remind me of how I’ve changed as a human being.”
The art of tattooing has also expanded to many students.
“I’m an artist and for this last Christmas, my dad got me a tattoo gun because he thought it’d be an interesting idea for me to improve on art in different ways,” said junior Danny Renal. “He has a lot of tattoos, so he’s interested in it. I [thought], ‘I should try it out, see how it works,’ because it could also be a job [for me] … I watched Ink Master [and] I [thought] ‘wow, it’s really cool how you could create this image on someone’s body.’ I’ve always been interested in forms of art that aren’t just painting.”
However, there are many unique challenges that tattoo artists face.
“[I’ve told people] ‘when it’s legal for both of us, I can give you a tattoo,’” Renal said. “You make one wrong mistake and the customer is not going to be happy, and you’re going to feel really bad because it’s permanent. If you ever watch a video of someone tattooing, they’re not stressed because [they’ve been doing] it for a long time, but there’s a lot of mental stability you need to have to compose yourself.”
Not only can giving tattoos be a stressful process for the tattooer, but many feel concerned about the possibility of social consequences of getting a tattoo or piercing.
“People may see me in a different light because of [my piercings], not that I’ve ever been necessarily a menacing individual, but the piercing doesn’t make me seem the most approachable,” McKenzie said. “I have worried about [finding] work with a facial piercing, but I quickly realized as time moves on people are becoming more and more accepting of expression and just having one piercing isn’t too crazy.”
Aside from social consequences, stereotypes surrounding piercings and tattoos remain problematic.
“In recent years, [the piercing based stereotyping] has gone down. It’s more of a fashion trend now, rather than an indicator of sexuality,” McNeely said. “For tattoos, there’s definitely still a huge stigma. [People often say] for job interviews ‘don’t show that you have a tattoo,’ or ‘don’t show tattoos around little kids.’ Those are very big stereotypes that are pushed and they seem very bogus to me.”
In addition, religion can play a role in one’s decision to get body art.
“My dad’s side isn’t religious at all and my dad has a lot of tattoos on his body,” Renal said. “But my mom’s side is very religious, especially my grandma and grandpa; they do not like tattoos. Even when I brought up to my family I got a tattoo gun, they were all very shocked. I believe it has something to do with having your body cleansed and a tattoo is not cleansing. Also, a lot of people think some tattoos look satanic which isn’t good for a Catholic family. It’s your body, and unless it’s harming you … it should be okay if you really want one, but you just have to know it’s permanent and that it’s a very serious matter.”
Although many factors play a role in one’s decision to body-art, piercings require consent under 18 years old and tattoos are illegal under 18.
“I don’t really like the restrictions,” McKenzie said. “I understand why they’re there, but I know if my dad didn’t consent, I would have just got it from a sketchy, non-professional person. People who want piercings, most of the time, will get them. [For] people who [aren’t in] high school [yet], I understand a restriction there. But once you start to be able to make decisions for yourself, in high school [as] a teenager, you should be able to get a piercing without consent.”
However, other students agree with the legal restrictions.
“It’s a pretty fair limit because while you’re living under your parents’ household, you should probably do what they want you to do,” Elliot said. “You’re only 18. You can do whatever you want from that point on, but you should also really consider if you want this on your body for the rest of your life.”
Ultimately, making the right decision in getting body art depends on each student’s unique perspectives.
“It’s hard to know whether a tattoo or a piercing is going to be something you like in the long run,” McNeely said. “I’m one of those people that has such a specific mindset to life, and it’s ‘the next day isn’t guaranteed, so why not take a risk? Why not make that choice?’ I may end up hating this tattoo in a couple years, but I may not survive a couple years, so while I like it now, might as well do it.”
