I have only spent a measly 19 years on this Earth, but in my time here I have noticed a lot about human nature and how we treat one another. There is one reoccurring theme I have seen regardless of where I am: people love to judge other people. Whether it be their clothing, their hair, their outlook on life, or just their lifestyle choices, you're always going to find the critics. They can be family members, close friends, or even complete strangers. It's exhausting dealing with constant backlash, but sometimes this is the price you have to pay to be happy with yourself. Of course, I'm not condoning this type of behavior, but some things can't be changed and you can't make everyone happy.

In the late winter of 2015, I got my first tattoo. Nothing too flashy, very simple. It says "Long Live Us" right across the left side of my chest. The font is custom to my tattoo, and I fell in love with it. However, the second I eagerly posted it on Facebook I began to receive questions such as, "Who is 'us'?" "What does this mean to you?" "What is the significance?" At first, I was more than happy to answer. (They're lyrics, for anyone curious.) But soon, it became exhausting. I began asking myself, "Do these people really care? Or are they just trying to find a reason to put me down?"

Second tattoo rolls around and it's much larger. It's a shark tooth on my ankle and it nearly wraps around my entire ankle. It's definitely a statement and again, I fell immediately in love (shout out to Matt at Chameleon Tattoo and Body Piercing). This one received a lot more negative than positive feedback. Many people, including family members, made it painfully obvious that they did not like my tattoo. I didn't care, nor do I care to this day, but it always made me wonder why they felt it so necessary to express how they felt about my body. After all, I paid for the tattoos, I scheduled the appointments – why was this such a big issue?

Three tattoos later and I still have these same questions coming at me. If anything, the questions become more incessant and unnecessary. For example; "Isn't this a waste of money?" "Why do you keep getting more?" and the most famous, "I just don't get why you're doing this."

I have mentally come to the point where I have accepted my tattoos as part of me and this is my message to those around me who have less than nice comments: please keep it to yourself. To put it quite simply, I don't really care what you think. Did you pay for it? Nope. Did you make the appointment? I doubt it. Were you my tattoo artist? God, I hope not. This is my body and I am in control of what I do with it.

I took to Facebook to ask some friends and family what others have told them about their tattoos and body modifications in general. I got a wide range of answers – the classic, "you'll regret that later in life;" the always charming, "that will look ugly on you;" the less talked about uninvited flirting; and overall inaccurate judgments. For anyone reading this who deals with this almost constantly, you aren't alone in what can seem like a one-sided battle. Don't let others opinions affect the way you feel about your art. After all, it's all yours! Celebrate it! Flaunt it in the sun (but not too much, prolonged sun exposure = bad time), show it off to the world, let everyone be uncomfortable with how much you love yourself.

And for those who feel the need to say anything about someone else's body, I have a few words of advice:

First, don't tell people what they're doing to their body will impact their future negatively. The future is so broad and vague, you have no way to even determine what will happen.

Secondly, someone's body modifications are not an invitation to flirt with them inappropriately. Does my tattoo say, "I want you to sexually objectify me"? No? Carry on then.

Thirdly, please stop getting upset when a tattoo has no meaning. Out of my five tattoos, only one of them as an actual meaning. Insane, right? I did something for myself because I enjoyed it! Crazy!

And finally, please keep your rude comments to yourself. This one is very self-explanatory, but for some reason, it needs to be reiterated. As the classic saying goes, "If you have nothing else to say, don't say anything at all," and it is still applicable to this very day.

Treat everyone how you want to be treated. Love yourselves, love those around you and try to be nice while you're at it.