What's the first thing you think when you a person walking down the street covered in tattoos? He's probably dangerous, he wasn't raised right, she's probably a slut, or she probably does drugs. These stereotypes are just plain ridiculous and judgemental. Although when someone points out how these stereotypes are wrong, people then pursue the topic on how the bible says tattoos are wrong and sinful. I'll be honest with you, the bible does state that one should not mark themselves with tattoos in Leviticus 19:28, "You must not put tattoo marking upon yourselves." Furthermore, the bible also speaks on the judging of others in John 7:24, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
Majority of individuals who have tattoos on their body have a reason or story behind each tattoo. Whether it represents someone close to them or a milestone in their life. Instead of viewing a tattoo as "damage" to one's body, society should view it as a piece of art. The human body is a beautiful blank canvas that overtime collects scars, bruises, and other changes to represent an individual's life story, so why can't a tattoo be considered okay as it's just another way for someone to tell their story through the markings on their body?
As a person who has six tattoos, I really feel as though I am highly judged in two ways. The first way is by the first impressions people make of me. What I mean by that is how people automatically take a look at me and don't think that I possibly could have a tattoo, until I start to defend those who do. I can't explain the number of times a person has talked about how they don't like tattoo's because individuals who have them are "unintelligent." Then when I defend them and share that I indeed have tattoos myself, people just act shocked. This to me just shows how stereotypical the society is about people who do and do not have tattoos. Just because tattoos are associated with a "deviant lifestyle," doesn't meant that the correlation between the two is necessarily correct. The second way I am judged is simply when someone sees my tattoos. The most common question that a person I get is "what do your tattoos mean?". When someone asks me that question I instantly tell them the story behind each tattoo and I typically get a response like "oh, I guess I can see that." This is where the judgement of tattoos comes back in. When someone doesn't understand your tattoo, that shouldn't mean that it is wrong or it doesn't make sense, as people get tattoos to remind themselves of something that is close to them. Therefore, people should consider that maybe something they see as pointless or meaningless may actually be meaningful to the person who has it inked onto their body.
Ultimately, what I am trying to say is that when is the day going to come when people with tattoos aren't judged for the artwork on their bodies? When will society catch up and allow individuals who are "tatted" work in all career paths? Start the change today and make the move to understand those with tattoos and to treat those individuals with the same respect that you would like to receive.
