To be willing to have a symbol, image, or words permanently marked on your body takes a lot of commitment. And although many people may be against this form of beauty, I am endlessly intrigued by the amount of thought and love that people have for their tattoos. I put out a request on the Freshman Facebook Page asking for picture(s) and meaning(s) behind individuals' tattoos. These are their responses and stories to the beautiful parts that they have added to themselves.

Gerber daisies are my mom's favorite flower. I have two siblings (symbolizing the three flowers) and my mom had a miscarriage (symbolized by the unbloomed flower). I also have the wave tattoo. I've always been a huge ocean/water lover. I also vibe with waves as in them having highs and lows and coming going. I've always struggled to feel alive and so I feel like I relate to the tides. - Caroline Swolsky




I got this tattoo on my ribs from a note that my grandpa wrote me back in 2009. He passed away this pass April, and I got it done the day of his calling hours. It was a slightly impulsive decision, but he was like my father. So having this piece of him always with me is really comforting. - Jorden Brown



This is my first tattoo so I wanted it to symbolize who I am and what I've experienced as a person. As a person I've dealt with loss and felt the pain it can bring, but I also know that death is inevitable, it is necessary for life. So for my tattoo I wanted something bittersweet, something dark yet holding something beautiful. Death comes bearing gifts in my tattoo. I feel that it symbolizes the power I hold over my own life and the delicateness of it all at the same time. There is nothing that make you feel more invincible than walking around with death on your left thigh. - Shelly Lisle

For my first tattoo, I got it in honor of my grandparents who have been deaf for the majority of their lives. This hand shape is “I Love You” in ASL and for as long as I can remember, I have always touched I love you’s with my grandparents; the baby hand signifies mine and the adult hand is theirs. For my second tattoo, I got this in honor of my mother and two sisters. The tree signifies a family tree and the bow on it is purple (my mom’s favorite color) to represent her tying us together. My sisters and I, our first name initials spell SKY. The colors in the sky on my tattoo are our birthstone colors; red, blue, and purple. - Yazzie Agyekum



I got a tattoo with my mom before I left for college. I wanted something meaningful, so we recorded each other's voices and printed the sound for the tattoo artist! Underneath is written in each other's handwriting what our tattoos say. It was something so meaningful because my mom and I are super close and leaving her for school was really hard! - Jylian Herring



My tattoo says "you'll be blessed" by Elton John. She sang this to me everyday when she was pregnant with me and even when I was a baby. We've now been to two Elton John concerts together and we have plans to go to more. It's also written in her hand writing which makes it even more connected to her. - Anonymous



My first tattoo (picture on right) is something my mom used to tell me when I was in an abusive relationship and the footprint is my daughter's who I had my freshman year of high school and gave up for adoption. - Emma Barlow



I got my tattoo for my little yorkie who I had for thirteen years. She was born on Christmas and she was the best present I ever got. She passed away in March a month after I got the tattoo. She was my best friend and she will be forever missed. Love you Merry. - Baylee Nicole Hauger



An arrow struggles and gets pulled back, and then launched into new, healthy beginnings. A lotus flower grows in dirty, nasty mud, to bloom into a beautiful flower. My tattoo gives me strength. Thanks to my father who put me through hell and back, for the inspiration for this tattoo. (I grew up as a Daddy's girl). My brother got cancer when I was seven, and ever since then, it has been hell with him. He struggles with a drug addiction that destroyed our family. He's now in prison and continues to try and build our relationship back up, despite all the stuff he put me through, I strive off of the bad. I'm very hardworking person and now I'm going to be a successful woman. -Taylah Rufener



I got the Chinese symbol first. I'm adopted from China and the symbol is my Chinese name that I was given by the orphanage. It means "fortunate lotus". I got the Hebrew this summer along with the addition of the dates to the symbol. The Hebrew says "family". Judaism is a big part of who I am but I wouldn't be Jewish if I was never adopted by my family. The dates are my adoption dates written in my mom and dad's handwriting which I got tattooed on me 6-14-17 so I think that's also kind of cool. -Juliette Welcher



I got my tattoo about a week before I graduated high school. On the outside, people will see a huge design on my rib cage of palm trees, a flower, and weird letters. That's not what it is to me. To me, it is a reminder of how important family is and how important it is to always be living an adventure. The palm trees and flower mean family because I have never been on a vacation to a beach or anywhere down south when I wasn't with family. "Hoike-ia" means adventure and how family is the biggest reason for making me into adventure loving person I am today. - Kaitlyn



This tattoo is about a saying I have with my grandparents. My grandfather used to work with someone who had an Italian neighbor that would go out every morning and stand on his front porch with his arms out and yell, "good morning sun!" Now, whenever I see my grandparents we always say that to each other in a silly matter. -Molly Kennedy



My boyfriend and I got matching tattoos before going long distance. We just celebrated our five year anniversary. We were brainstorming for a long time and decided on quotes from the musical “Hamilton”. We wanted it to mean a lot to us, but we also didn't want it to be too cheesy. So we did it in each other’s handwriting. We got them in the same spot (our left chest). Mine says “Every action is an act of creation” in his handwriting and his says “Passionately smashing every expectation” in my handwriting. We have a part of each other every where we go, and even though we are five hours apart, we are still close at heart. We both get a lot of compliments on it, and the story usually makes people happy. I love it! - Maddie Kramer



My tattoo is dedicated to my dad after he passed. He was in a coma before he passes and the last thing I said was that I love him with all my heart. It also includes the date he passed. - Kelsey Fogel



The first tattoo I got was the rose with "love you always". The rose was my grandma's favorite flower and four years after she died we opened a time capsule from kindergarten and there was a letter from her so it's in her handwriting. The second I got is a diamond. My three best friends have the heart, club, and spade. My third tattoo says "you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." The quote is from Winnie the Pooh and my brother and sister have the other two parts of the quote. - Meghan Reiter



The reason I got my tattoo may sound cliché, but I got it because I suffer from depression and often when it feels overwhelming I go outside because nature is calming to me. So when I decided I wanted tattoo(s), I decided that I wanted to turn my body into a garden of flowers out of love. The first flower that I got tattooed is a peony which is known as the flower of riches and honor, but also embodies prosperity. -Talia Potter



This was my first tattoo. A lot of people ask what it is because it is kind of peculiar. It means a lot to me though. It is the symbol of the summer camp that I worked at for three summers; YMCA Camp Tippecanoe. It was the start of me figuring out what I want to do with my career. So when I left, knowing that it would be my last summer there, I got this to always remind me of the place I love. - Mikenna Donze




My father passed away when I was twelve, so I got "always" tattooed in his handwriting. It was from a card he wrote me from Valentine's Day one year that said: "I will always be there for you". - Sam Muslovski



I have a tattoo of a grapevine on my right arm that I got when I was eighteen. When I was younger, my grandparents had their own grapevine in their backyard and made their own wine from it. I used to help pick grapes with my grandmother and I have many fond memories of running through the vine with my sister and neighbors. My entire family enjoys wine, my own mother has completely decked out our entire house with grape decorations. My grandmother, unfortunately, passed away from lung cancer a few years ago and I got a grapevine in her memory. When people say tattoos are distasteful it does hurt my feelings, especially when you put so much thought into what you're putting on your body forever. My own parents are not fond of tattoos but they did appreciate the meaning behind it. Every day I think about extending the grapevine even further up my arm, so I will probably eventually do that. - Krista Calai




Alis volat propriis is Latin for “she flies with her own wings”. I got this because during high school I didn’t know who I was but I eventually found who I am and this quote symbolizes me doing what I want and being as free as I wish and loving myself. - Danielle Metcalf



The C stands for my last name and my mother's maiden name. The left branch is for my dad's side and the right branch is for my mom's side (women are always right) the two branches are connected to symbolize unity. The three stars represent my three siblings. -Issac Culbert



Last Thursday, I was about to head home to see my family and my cat because he had been sick. However, when my mom pulled up to get me, she informed me that they had put him down three hours earlier. He was about thirteen years old and made a huge impact on my life, so it has been hard knowing that he's gone. On Saturday, my sister and I ended up going to get tattoos, I had always wanted one with cat ears or something related to them. But the cat ears seemed really important and will be for both my future and current cats. I actually drew designs for about an hour and ended up loving this one. - Maisy McClellan



My tattoo includes the Roman numerals for 1966, which are my parents' birth year. I'm an out of state student so it's nice to always have a reminder of them whenever I look down at my wrist. It's super simple but I love it! - Brooke Balzano



My tattoo is actually a small quote from a letter that my mom wrote to me for my senior retreat. It says "live your dreams". It's important to me because I was raised in a strict Asian American family and it seemed like my two choices in careers were either medical or business. I tried both, but I didn't like it. Given that I got my tattoo on my nineteenth birthday, but because those words mean a lot to me. They stick with me and gave me the courage to tell my parents what I really wanted to do and that I am going to pursue it whether they support me or not. Luckily, I have my mother's support, but I'm still trying to bring my dad to accept it. It is fine if he doesn't, as long as I'm happy and content with where I'm going in life. The placement also has meaning. It lays underneath my collarbone on the left side of my body. This is because the heart tilts more to the left. - Michelle Reyes





My latest tattoo, the sun, is a stick and poke done at a party. It represents warmth and light to me. Nothing makes me happier than being in the sun and my grandpa always told me that I was his ray of sunshine. The butterfly on my foot is for my Mama. Ever since I was little she's loved butterflies and she's always loved butterflies and she's always told me that when she passes away she wants to come back as a butterfly. Half of it is made out of flowers because I love flowers. Therefore, half represents my grandma and half represents me, so she is always apart of me and I'll always be apart of her. The sunflower on my back is because sunflowers are my favorite flowers. The quote on my arm says "be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire". To me, it means that I shouldn't be afraid of what's coming. I also shouldn't be afraid to do things that excite me, regardless of other people's opinions because this is my life and no one else's opinions really matter since it is not their happiness, not their choice, and not their life. The underboss one was the first tattoo that I've ever gotten. I got it because my grandma planted two flowers for my brother and I when we were little. She planted a rose bush for me and some lilies for my brother. I got this for my grandma as well. - Breanna Owens

Yes, I am a Star Wars nerd; however, I like all that the Jedi stand for and represent. As a spiritual person, the force can either be just or a metaphor for God. It means "one with the force" in the Star Wars language Aurebesh. So I also see it as "one with God". - Bryan Richards

My mom and I got matching tattoos in which every aspect has a meaning. The tattoo itself makes me think of my mother and daughter. I think of my mom because I know that she has a matching one and we are forever on each other's skin. The ladybug also represents my mom, as she loves ladybugs. The daisy is for me, as I like daisies. I have another set of daisies on my hip but they have no real meaning. I think of my daughter because the whole design was inspired by one of my favorite onesies. We both thought it was cute that one of her onesies had both daisies and ladybugs on it and knew immediately that that's what I wanted to get. The "La Lu La" is something me and my siblings said as kids. It means "I love you". - Emma Rondeau

So for my first tattoo, I got the words "Feeling Sad" with the symbols for back, pause, play, shuffle, and forward. Yes, the word is misspelled with an m not an n. Feelimg Sad is a playlist that I made in middle school when I was dealing with depression. I would listen to the playlist for hours alone in my room or late sleepless nights. It would bring me comfort and peace. It got me through panic attacks and days when I couldn't make the effort to get out of bed. It got me through bouts of self harming, through days when I couldn't keep going, and through nights that wouldn't end. There are dozens of genres, hundreds of artists, and thousands of songs on this playlist and more are being added to this day. The m is there because I misspelled it due to tears that I made that night and it's been there ever since. The hopeful side of the story is this, because there is a happy ending. I got this tattoo in an area in which I used to self harm (I am clean). This playlist is also what chose my major. It showed me that my calling was music production and brought me to Ohio University, where I have met people and have been apart of things that I wouldn't want to change for the world! This tattoo is a reminder that no matter how bad the situation is, there will be a happy ending and one day you will be able look back and see it. Because of my tattoo, I have a constant reminder that the sadness ends and that no matter what I'm feeling, I can press play and keep going. Back: never look back, don't dwell on the past. Pause: stop and take a breath. Play: keep playing the good moments. Forward: always keep moving forward. Shuffle: don't sit still, don't get stuck in one place. -Kylie Witters