To Ink or Not To Ink?

Matty Wingler, Staff Writer

Are you a student in the classes of Mrs. Spurgeon, Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Shippee, Mrs. Wagner, Miss Emery, Mr. Wilson, or Mr. Boggs? Did you know they are inked? Rumors have run wild for years that an unnamed science teacher hides his art under professional suits. However, this rumor has not been verified! Over the past couple of weeks I have been researching tattoos all around our school. Students and Staff completed a survey where I was surprised by how many teachers and which students have these tattoos. Survey Results:

Do you have a tattoo?

No 78.7%

YES 21.3%

If you had the opportunity, would you get a tattoo?

YES 53.1%

NO 18.6%

MAYBE 28.3%

If you would get a tattoo, where would you want it?

Somewhere hidden where only you could see 14%

Somewhere obvious where all could see 8.9%

Somewhere that has the option of being seen if you chose to show it 77.1%

What would you be willing to pay for a professional tattoo?

Under $50- 15.1%

$50-$100- 42.6%

Over $100- 42.2%

I even had the pleasure to photograph them. The tattoos were wonderful and beautiful and all of them had a story behind it. Senior Haley Weaver shared the story of her tattoo.

Do you have a tattoo? (If yes, tell us what it is, where it is, and why you got it!)
Yes, I have a tattoo of flowers blooming out of a hand and it is on my upper right arm. I got my tattoo because I am very geared towards the arts and I wanted to express myself using art, and this just so happened to be permanent, and I am very happy with it.

What are your feelings on tattoos?
My feelings on tattoos are very positive. I believe that if someone wants to change their appearance or place artwork on their bodies to express their feelings, they should be able to.

Do you think people under the age of 18 should be allowed to have them?
My opinion regarding tattooing age is cloudy. Yes, I believe that everyone should be able to get a tattoo if they wish to, but if those under the age of eighteen were able to get tattoos without parental consent, they would neglect the privilege and carelessly place things on their bodies which they would later regret. I am not saying this goes for everyone, as my guardian signed for my tattoo when I was seventeen, but as a whole, I believe the age is okay where it is.

Do you believe that getting tattoos is unChristian?
I am personally not religious, but I am familiar with Christianity and its beliefs. If you are someone who says “oh my God” when you see something shocking on the news, you are sinning. If you drink alcohol, you are sinning. If you have sex before marriage, you guessed it, you are sinning. If having a few glasses of wine (when I am of age) puts me in the same category as a mass murderer, then I will be getting a lot of tattoo compliments in Hell.

Do you think people get judged more for having tattoos, please explain your feelings on this.
I believe people do get judged for having tattoos, and I think it is very absurd. From my experience, those who judge me are the same people who claim to be some type of higher being than me simply because they have different beliefs. Note that I said different, not better. Just because Christianity is most popular in this country, does not mean it is any better or worse than another. Having tattoos is an expression of feelings and I think they are beautiful. If someone else does not think they’re beautiful, that’s okay, nobody is forcing them to get a tattoo. Also, nobody is judging them for not having any.

If there were two equally qualified people looking for a job and one had tattoos, do you think that would matter?
No, I do not think having tattoos should affect any job opportunity. I believe people should be chosen for jobs based on their abilities and talent, not their personal preference for their own bodies.

Doing this interview with Haley brought a whole different view of tattoos for me. I have a tattoo and I got it for personal reasons. It never really occurred to me that they’re art, or that people who love art might get tattoos just because they’re art.

Thinking about this has caused me to wonder what other reasons people would get tattoos, and it’s so funny because the list is endless.

I believe that tattoos are a wonderful thing. You are allowed to have your own. No one is stopping you, so that should mean you shouldn’t stop other people from having a different opinion. I am glad I got to do this interview and all this research on tattoos, just for the fact that it has taught me that people have different opinions on things and that’s okay. Thank you to those who shared pictures and stories with The Owl.

You do what makes you happy.