It’s no secret tattoos have undergone a profound cultural transformation in the last few decades. Where they used to be broadly reserved for heavily clothed places and were associated with a rebellious few, tattoos are now popular in the mainstream. The common advice from mothers everywhere which recommends tattoos should be kept off forearms, calves, necks or other visible spots is being broken everywhere, from the workplace to U.S. Congress.
Pew Research Center found in 2023 that 32% of Americans now have tattoos, and 69% of those with tattoos reported they got it to remember or honor somebody or something. Formerly statements of condemnation to the status quo, tattoos are being repurposed as symbols of meaning to represent family members, to immortalize experiences, to self-express or simply to display the work of an artist on one’s body.
Eastern students reflect these trends, as tattoos are rising in popularity across campus. So why do Eastern students get tattoos, and what do they represent?
James Wright is a sophomore student who doubles as a tattoo artist. As an artist, he says there are two major reasons why people get tattoos from him. The first is to honor someone or something, through names, dates or symbols. The second is a form of individual self-expression. “Some people view their body as a canvas, so tattoos are art on that canvas,” Wright said.
For Wright personally, he views his nine tattoos as a form of self-expression that he uses to communicate parts of himself to the world. “For me tattoos are kind of like clothing where it says something about you before you open your mouth. So, when someone walks by me, what [message] do I want to be sent?” Tattoos can be conversation starters, as people inquire about the deeper meaning behind a certain tattoo.
While some tattoos might be solely aesthetically pleasing for some people, Wright walks the line between pure art and pure meaning. The most meaningful tattoo to him is on his ribs, and the half-finished style is inspired by an artist in Berlin he discovered on social media. The ink portrays six bleeding heart flowers, representing Wright’s family of six, in a broken vase.
“Bleeding hearts are my favorite flower. I grew up with it in my front yard; my mom had them planted there. To me, bleeding hearts look like a heart split open with something dripping out of the middle. And that’s really symbolic to me of the paradox of love and pain. My sister died when I was in seventh grade. She was 23, and one of the big themes in my life has been you can’t love without accepting pain. I couldn’t even really grieve her because I didn’t want to accept the reality of the hurt. If I wanted to really want to love her well and accept her death, I have to accept the pain that that comes with it.” Wright said.
The broken vase has symbolism of its own. One thing Wright mentions is how his “mom has this quote on a picture frame. ‘Although like branches of a tree we go in different directions, our roots remain as one.’ And I like the idea that these flowers go in different directions, but as a family, we still remain in this vase. The vase is cracked, and it’s broken because we’re not perfect, but we’re still together”.
While some people get tattoos to represent something, others might get tattoos simply because they appreciate an artists style, which is the case for many of Wright’s clients. He has an aesthetically pleasing style he describes as “Cyber Sigilism.” Through his social media platforms on Instagram and TikTok, Wright has attracted an audience, some of whom have driven as far as six hours to permanently get his art on their body.
Jaden Ricketts is a junior social work and sociology student who has four large tattoos on his left arm. For him, tattoos are about representing a part of yourself as much as acting as important reminders for yourself. “I want things that kind of define me, things that I can use to push me further. Kind of like motivation, like daily mantras.”
One of his tattoos is four Chinese characters which mean love, wisdom, joy and strength, acting as a reminder of values which create the best version of himself. “I think these are four things in life that everybody needs.”
Another tattoo Ricketts has is derived from a tattoo of one character in his favorite anime, Full Metal Alchemist. Ricketts identifies with some of the struggles the character faces in the show. “For me, it symbolized his struggle and how it resembled mine. It shows consistent perseverance, consistent effort across the board; never giving up, never. Anytime you fall on your face, you get back up,” Ricketts said.
One of the first things you will notice about Ricketts is a large tattoo on his forearm which says, “Never Leave My Brother.” Ricketts has two brothers, and this is a personal tattoo which indicates those family ties. “We’ve all been through a lot together. [This tattoo] is just to show that no matter what I always got their back, and I believe they always got mine.”
The way Gen Z uses tattoos as forms of symbolism or self-expression is a trend that may not go away quickly. For one thing, those tattoos will stay forever. But as people increasingly struggle to connect with one another, meaningful tattoos may be the greatest conversation starter dreamed up. Try asking someone, “Why did you get this tattoo?” and you may hear a little bit about what makes someone who they are.
