Self-Expression – Voices 24

You’re putting a piece of art onto your body. There’s so much thought and care that goes into it from the artist and I think it’s really beautiful.

I feel like I can express myself through tattoos because they show people who I am. Many of my tattoos have cultural relevance to me.

I have a few that celebrate my South Indian heritage. I have the word ‘pandu’ on my arm, which means fruit in the Telugu language. It’s a term of endearment used by my grandmother.

I also have a traditional Indian dancer tattooed on my calf. I also have a tattoo of violets, which is a symbol used by lesbian and bisexual women.

There’s this perception that tattoos need to be meaningful to be worthwhile. I think it’s important to put thought into what you want permanently on your body.

However, I think it’s silly and kind of judgmental for people to act like tattoos absolutely need to have a deep meaning. Sometimes you just think something is pretty, that’s totally fine.

Some of my tattoos are purely aesthetic. I have a bouquet of flowers tattooed on my arm.

I like flowers, and I think they’re pretty. That’s all there is to it.

Tattoos that do have meaning help me convey something about myself. Even tattoos without meaning help me show off my style. They all have a different story behind them.

When I was younger, I got my first tattoo on an impulse and immediately regretted it. I got it covered up, and now I’ve grown to love it. I feel like I could never really hate any of my tattoos because they are all a part of me.

Tattoos are also a good conversation starter. You can meet new people when they ask about your tattoos.

If they have tattoos too, it can be something for the two of you to talk about that you have in common. I think that’s pretty cool.