With many seniors turning 18, they are legally able to get tattoos regardless of parental approval. Teenagers getting tattoos is often met with backlash, due to its permanent nature at an age deemed impulsive. In spite of this many students continue to get them, whether to aid in expressing their sense of identity or just for the sake of having a cool design.
Senior Jaime Gomez first got his tattoo three years ago in Mexico. His tattoo is a symbol from the anime Berserk on his forearm.
“I was very nervous about it, I picked that one because I liked it a lot,” Gomez said. “It just pinched a little, and then it started getting sore on my forearm. And then once that happened, [it didn’t] really hurt that much.”
The symbol represents sacrifice, for Gomez it was less about the meaning of the design and more about the look, he plans to get more in the future. After getting it, his family and friends had mixed emotions about the tattoo.
“My dad was not very happy with it, because I didn’t tell them,” Gomez said. “But my mom was okay. She was the one that said ‘Yes.’Some think it’s cool, some people were like ‘It’s just stupid to get a tattoo.’”
Senior Reagan Austen got her first tattoo in April, the design is located on the upper part of her left arm, and is two dragonflies with dots surrounding them.
“It’s for my mom, her favorite insect is a dragonfly,” Austen said. “I wanted to get that kind of representing us two. I’m very happy with it. I like how simple it is, and I like how it kind of fits with my vibe a little bit.”
Austen has been looking at getting a tattoo for over two years, she was able to find the tattoo design online and plans on getting more in the future.
“I found it on Pinterest, I know that could be controversial,” Austen said. “I’ve always wanted tattoos. I think they’re cool. I think they’re a way of self expression, so I’ve always been for them. I have many ideas for the future.”
Austen got the tattoo at ‘Ink Empire’ in East Austin, she didn’t have to book an appointment and ended up paying $53 in total.
“I went with my best friend Arianna, she also got a tat of an orchid on her back, and we were very nervous, I almost passed out right before I got it, because I was extremely nervous,” Austen said. “But as we got in, I kind of realized I’d be fine, a lot of people have tattoos, so I knew the pain wasn’t gonna be that bad. I’d say it would be a four out of 10 on the pain scale, it was a good environment. I recommend going there if you want a tattoo.”
Austen doubts she will ever regret getting the tattoo, she likes the placement and design and isn’t worried about it impeding on future career opportunities.
“I don’t think I’ll regret this one, maybe the only thing I’ll regret is, since it is fine line it might fade or smudge a little bit,” Austen said. “I like that I can see it, and I like that other people can see it. This is very easy to cover up, and I don’t think I’d end up at a job that doesn’t let me be tatted.”
Senior Zain Saleh got his tattoo after turning 18 four months ago. The design on his lower arm is Arabic calligraphy that translates to ‘For your mind.’
“I really wanted something that ties me to my culture a little bit more, because I’ve always wanted to have a deeper connection with it, and I wanted something that would be personal to me,” Saleh said.”I’m always pretty like—anxiety filled. So this is kind of something like a reminder. It means ‘don’t hang up over stuff.’”
Saleh has wanted a tattoo since a young age, but is on the fence about getting more in the future.
“I kind of wanted one for a really long time, I remember when my parents got their tattoos, I think I was maybe 13 when they got their tattoo, ” Saleh said. “It’s an infinity symbol with an arrow that goes through there, there’s hearts, and their initials, S and H. I think it’s really nice, and it kind of made me realize I don’t want to tattoo something that doesn’t mean anything.”
After searching online Saleh got the tattoo at ‘Austin Tattoo Company’ on North Lamar, and had a very positive experience.
“It was a lady that was downtown, [she posted on her Instagram] doing elvish from Lord of the Rings for this lady, and I wanted to find somebody that can do Arabic calligraphy, because this is very difficult to do even for Middle Eastern people,” Saleh said. “So I was like she might be able to do it. So I sent her [the design]. She’s like, ‘Yeah, I can try it out and see if you like it.’ And then we got there, she did the whole stencil and everything. And it turned out really good.”
Saleh purposely chose a visible placement so he could be reminded of its message, upon getting the tattoo he has received a lot of support from his friends and the majority of his family.
“My friends like it, my mom and my dad really like it too, especially my dad,” Saleh said. “ He thinks that the tattoo artist did a really good job. My extended family doesn’t like it very much. They’re not very in touch with their culture. They don’t like to tell people that they’re from the Middle East and stuff like that, which I get. But I don’t really care that much. I like telling people I’m from the Middle East, not a lot of people are.”
