Every tattoo has a story. Maybe the story is about how you got Kim K's face tattooed on your face at 2 a.m. after playing a Keeping Up With The Kardashians drinking game. Maybe you lost someone near and dear to you, or lost apart of yourself that you want to commemorate. Maybe you just thought that narwhals are cute, so you wanted one on your shoulder. No matter what it is, it has a story. So, I asked people about the story behind their ink.
1. Two Roses
"Rose is both mine and my mom's middle name, so I have two roses on my shoulder that represent her and I. I also have a semi colon on my wrist that I did from the semi colon project. Then finally, I have an inverted triangle on my hip that was going to be a unicursal hexagram (a reference to one of my favorite books), but I couldn't finish it. Triangles are my favorite shapes though, so I love it." - Ash
2. "Fearless"
"I got it after a long period of serious anxiety. I had panic attacks all the time and I couldn't drive or be in large crowds. It was a long four-ish months of having my parents drive me everywhere and getting food to-go because I couldn't sit in a restaurant. It wasn't until I went to a Sadie Robertson event at my church with 10,000 people and heard her speak about her experiences with fear that I finally overcame my anxiety through lots of prayer and it was 100% a movement of God. Since then, the Lord has really changed my heart and the way I think and I still am fearful at times but when I look at the tattoo I remember how far the lord has brought me and it keeps me going." - Whitley
3. Palm Tree
"It's (the palm tree) on my right ankle and I got it right before I moved up to Starkville in May. I wanted to get this tattoo because I was born and raised in the heart of central Florida and I was moving 600+ miles away from everyone and everything I knew and loved. It represents always keeping a little piece of Florida with me at all times, to never forget where I came from." - Sierra
4. "It is Well"
"I have 'It is Well' on my wrist. Growing up it was one of my favorite hymn songs and was something that helped me get through anything. Then December 18, 2017 one of my best friends in high school passed away in a car wreck. At a memorial we had at the high school for her they had a person sing 'It is Well'. After hearing that, I knew that was what I wanted my tattoo to be because it had always meant a lot to me, but that made it mean so much more!" - Allie
5. Forget Me Not
"I wanted my tattoo to be a reminder of all the rough times I've gotten through, but I wanted it to be happy and pretty. Not going to lie, I scrolled through Pinterest for a while for some ideas and found a picture of a very small forget me not on a girl's collar bone. This reminded me of the show 'Little Bear' where Little Bear gives his mom a forget me not flower and tells her to remember to always smile. I was sold on getting a forget me not. My tattoo artist designed one that was more detailed than the picture I showed him and he suggested a better, more inconspicuous place to put it. My tattoo reminds me of all that I've been through and also reminds me to keep smiling." - Myself
6. Bible Verse
"I got Psalm 91:2 because it hit home and got me through lots." - Jamie
7. Sea Turtle
"I have a turtle for my mom because when I was younger, we went hiking and she fell over a fallen tree and fell on her back and she could roll over so she looked like a turtle stuck on it's back. So I got a turtle for her." - Karlie