A few commenters on my past "Inked" posts asked if I would share pictures of my tattoos, so that's what I'll do here. Much like what Saranga said about her piercings, my tattoos were not about rebellion. The tattoos I have represent things that are very important to me, and I consider them very much a part of myself, for reasons beyond the obvious - that they are permanently marked on my skin.
Below is my first tattoo, which is Chinese for "peace" (I had it verified by several friends who spoke and wrote Chinese). I got this tattoo when I was eighteen years old and it's in the middle of my back, right between my shoulder blades. This tattoo was inspired by the famous picture of the man standing in front of the line of tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests in China in 1989. The idea of peaceful protest and making a statement, even in the face of what may appear to be overwhelming odds, has been important to me as I've grown into my political and feminist consciousness, and this tattoo was my way of summing that up.
I got my second tattoo on my left wrist when I was nineteen years old. It's the word "Tempo" in my own handwriting. The Tempo was the name of a local newspaper I was paid to write for during the summer after my first year at college, and was, in effect, the beginning of my journalism career. This was a very big deal to me, as it got me experience that is very important for any career. And this all happened when I was relatively young. It was an opportunity that meant so much to me that I felt compelled to have it memorialized in my skin.
I got my third tattoo, on my lower back, when I was twenty years old. I wanted a tattoo to represent my feminism, and decided to go with one that tied into the blogging I have done on Female Impersonator. The tattoo features a silhouette of a woman with the word "impersonate!" underneath it. I felt that this particular design (which I came up with on my own) most fit my own personal feminism and how I practice it - largely (but not exclusively) through writing.
So, there is my (current) tattoos and the stories that go along with them. If you would like to share the story of your own ink as a guest blogger, feel free to e-mail me.
Inked: One, two, three.
Posts
6 comments:
Oh wow, I love the feminist one! the other two are great as well, but I love the last one!
Thanks! To be honest, I think the feminist tattoo is my favorite. :)
Very cool tats !
They're awesome tatts. I love how much thought has gone into them. I have a few tattoos and some mean a huge amount to me and others well...don't.
My back piece was inspired by what I thought was a very powerful piece of music/cinema. My tattoos are kind of superficial (especially my back one) but I'm of the belief that not every tattoo has to mean something.
My tattoos suit my personality.
Boganette,
Although for me personally, I've had to have significant meaning behind my tattoos in order to commit to them, I agree - not every tattoo has to mean something significant. Sometimes, however, I think the spur-of-the-moment tattoo can say a lot about a person. :)
It's great that your tattoos suit your personality! That's the best kind to have!
I have 5 tattoos, some I like more than others. I have plans of altering a few of them, but more about that in a future post!
Post a Comment