By Jenna Mackevich | Staff Writer –
Sometimes when you see a tattoo, you have to wonder if the person has a good understanding of the word permanent.
The New York Times recently answered a question from a woman in Lexington, Massachusetts about how to stop her daughter from getting a tattoo. The mother and her husband are paying for their 18-year old daughter’s college tuition and did not want her to get a tattoo. The daughter was determined to get a tattoo because she claims she is an adult. Some people around the Salve Regina campus were recently asked to give their opinion about tattoos.
Tattoos often hold a deep meaning in people’s lives. This is the case for sophomore Brittany Melanson. Her only tattoo is dedicated for her teacher who taught her about the kind of person she wanted to become and the life she wanted to lead. Her tattoo means a great deal to her because the teacher has passed away. The tattoo is the quote “However dark the sun will rise.”
Melanson’s tattoo is located on her foot, and although she will have to get it redone a few times because it has already begun fading, she has no regrets about getting it. She also says that she would definitely let her children get tattoos, but only once they seriously think about it and realize that a tattoo is permanent.
Her parents were also supportive of her tattoo in the end. Her mother accepted it right away, but her father needed some persuading that it meant something to Melanson because he is “old-fashioned.” As for the advice she’d give to others thinking about getting a tattoo, Melanson said to “go to a trusted place because I’ve seen a lot of bad tattoos.”
Julia Casberg, a sophomore studying Secondary Education English, would probably appreciate Melanson’s tattoo but would certainly not get one of her own. Casberg doesn’t mind other people having tattoos, but says that she won’t be getting one herself.
She can appreciate small tattoos that mean something to the person. However, Casberg doesn’t understand why someone would want a tattoo that is large or lacks a real meaning. Casberg says she would “feel weird inking her skin”. She says that she has ideas for a meaningful tattoo, but just can’t picture going through with it.
Casberg says that her parents have similar views about tattoos. Casberg’s mother is fine with other people having tattoos, but her father says that having tattoos is unprofessional. Casberg thinks that her parents would be upset if she decided one day to get a tattoo.
At the same time, Casberg says that she isn’t against the idea of her future children getting a tattoo. She does have some requirements before they get it done though. The tattoo has to mean something to them and the child has to 18. She knows she can’t stop them because “it’s your body, you can do what you want,” but she’d like them to have put some thought into it first.
Emily Diomandes, an area coordinator for some of the dorms on the Salve campus, is a perfect example of someone who has meaning behind her tattoos and doesn’t regret them in the least. She has four tattoos that all have individual meanings and stories behind them. Although she got her first tattoo, a lotus flower on her back symbolizing a new beginning, at 18, she still made sure that it was a decision she thought seriously about.
One of her tattoos is dedicated to her father who recently passed away. The tattoo is a small bird on her inner upper arm. Her father loved birds, and even though Diomandes dislikes birds, she hopes that he is a bird flying around somewhere now because she knows how happy that would make him.
Diomandes has some advice for people looking to get a tattoo. “I would 100% advise no names of significant others, that’s a curse,” she said, “and no naked people, those never translate well into the real world when you are looking for a career!” She also advises people to never get a “basement tattoo” and to always go to a clean professional.
