TATS

They started about 2000 years before Christ with the Egyptians and Nubians and have continued to be a form of body art ever since. They are called tattoos and what is it about them that either makes people love them or hate them? I know so many people that have tattoos and they don’t really bother me. In fact I thought about getting one for a while myself. I think they are very intriguing, especially if there is a story or meaning behind the ink, or maybe if you drew the design or created the idea yourself. I feel that it is one more way to express a thought or opinion, but some people might go a little overboard. My brother has a couple of them and some people look at them as being tacky or unattractive, but they don’t know the meaning or the story, or the reason he got them in the first place. Some people just have something that means so much to them that they want the world to know about it, but it also draws a little bit of attention, which may be the reason some people get them. Whether it is for a relative or friend that died, or a celebration of life, or just to be unique, people are entitled to it. And it was their money, so why should we care?!

In some cultures, the tattoos are a sign of rank are age and they let others know who to show respect and who needs to respect them. In ancient times, slaves and criminals were marked to show that they had lesser value, or that they had done something wrong and the community needed to beware of that person. Others were marked as a right of passage into adult hood or to tell a story of the hardships that person had to face in their lifetime. In some cultures, throughout a person’s life, they get certain tattoos on their body that tells their life story and what they have had to deal with. By the end of their life, their body may be completely covered with pictures that tell their stories and the trails or periods of happiness they went through.

Even though I don’t personally have any tattoos, I hope that people think about the story behind the picture before they judge the person for having it. Most of the time, I feel like a person probably had a reason to modify their skin, unless they just decided one night that it would be cool to have it. In which case, I would suggest a little more thought because even though the ink can be removed with a laser, the procedure is pretty permanent! But if you can come up with a cool design that you decide you could live with for the rest of your life, more power to you!