Artistic Expression

There is a lot of controversy that surrounds the idea of tattoos. Are they art or desecration? Are they taboo? Professional or unprofessional? These are a few of the many questions people ask about the topic. I will be discussing three different angles on the subject matter: tattoos in the workplace, tattoos in the military, and the controversy surrounding the idea of tattoos themselves.

Many people who have tattoos get them for personal and creative reasons. Although to many it does not seem that way, tattoos are a form of artistic expression, or at least they should be. There are the occasional "bad decisions" that are later regretted but in general tattoos are a way for people to express their views, opinions and ideologies to the world. Whether you have some small initials discretely placed or a mural going down your arm, it is still a form of art and expression of yourself. After all, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Although this topic is very subjective, controversy still surrounds the idea of tattoos. Why would someone get that? Why would you do that to your body? Doesn't it hurt? The idea that your body is your temple and you should not do anything to destroy it is subjective within itself. When interviewing George Mason student Jessica Macomber, who has three tattoos, she explained how each of her tattoos are a personal reflection of herself and those she cares about. She expresses herself through tattoos not for anyone else but for herself, regardless of how much pain she endures to get them. Each of them represents a member of her family so that she always has a piece of them with her. Macomber uses tattoos as a form of showing love and affection for the ones she cares about the most. Macomber and her sister, Amy, decided to get matching tattoos as their first tattoo, ironically in one of the most painful places on the body, the ribs. The premise of this was that even when they are away from one another they still have something from each other by their side, since their tattoos are on their sides. In the photo below, you can see Macomber has her sister's initials and vice versa.

So, tattoos can also be meaningful and not just a form of freedom of expression or because someone can get them. There isn't always a solid line between right and wrong or what should and shouldn't be allowed. Tattoos are becoming more prevalent in today's society which is why I chose to research this topic. Not everything is set in stone as society would like us to think. There is also a psychological element behind the act of getting tattoos, which more information is provided in the link below. Tattoos provide a sense of self comfort, increase self-esteem and how you perceive your image. There are many different reasons as to why people get tattoos, as discussed here, which is what makes them so unique.

Here are pictures of Macomber's two other tattoos. The left one represents her grandfather and the right one was for her grandmother, both who have passed.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/swim-in-denial/201310/if-tattoos-could-talk

Here is a video from YouTube of short clips of getting a tattoo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-n3_vhueMI