In today’s society, it is not uncommon to see individuals on a daily basis with tattoos. As society becomes more accepting of them, there are some who still see this art as wrong and even offensive. Being a woman with tattoos myself, I have personally heard opinions and comments on why I shouldn’t get tattoos and how I will regret them in the long run. Here are 5 questions that people need to stop asking people with tattoos.
1) You know it’s not going to look the same when you get older right?
No, I am not that oblivious to the fact that people’s bodies change as they grow old. Your skin may get wrinkly, you may gain or lose weight, and you might even sag in places that you didn’t know could sag. Who cares?! People don't necessarily choose to get tattoos because of the way that they look. People get them because of the story and meaning that goes behind them.
2) Aren’t you gonna regret those when they show in your wedding dress?
If I ever thought that I was going to regret getting tattoos, I wouldn’t have gotten them in the first place. In all honesty, I will probably get a wedding dress that shows one of them off that means the most to me. When you’re getting married, you are doing it for you and your significant other; no part on your body should change how you feel in your wedding dress.
3) Have you gotten sick of having those yet?
Is this even a real question? If I thought I wasn’t gonna like it years down the road I probably would have thought a little bit harder about getting them. I will never get sick of having tattoos because at that time that you got them, there was some reason or story as to why. Yes, I might wonder why I chose to get it in the place that I did, or may wish I did something a little bit differently with it, but getting sick of having them? Never.
4) Is there even a meaning behind those?
This is probably the funniest one, if anything, to me. Just because you get a tattoo, does not mean there has to be some elaborate meaning behind each one. For example, someone could get a tattoo of a daisy because they think it is beautiful; just because it doesn’t have a story behind it does not mean it is a bad tattoo. It could also be extremely meaningful, like if a daisy represented one's grandmother who had recently passed. Asking such a question can almost be offensive to the person that you are asking it to.
5) Don’t you think that tattoos are a little trashy?
Do you ever think that you should probably think before you speak? People get tattoos because of memorable and beautiful things. They can represent a loved one that has passed, a family tradition, or even a battle that they have overcome. If anything, tattoos are a representation of growth and progress in one’s life; the furthest thing from being trashy.
Before you go out and ask someone one of these questions just because you see that they have tattoos, think about how it feels to be judged or labeled for something that you are both proud of and that has meaning in your life. Because chances are, that is exactly what you are doing to that person.
