Youth
Young, bold and rebellious is how some people feel when getting their tattoos at 18. It almost seems like a rite of passage for some people, as within England many of us could admit to having drank before turning 18, but they are yet to get a tattoo. So, people rush to get something they will have on them permanently. Despite this most people we spoke to did not regret their first tattoo because it stated a habit that they can enjoy for a lifetime.
Cams first tattoo was on his hands which he said ‘he thought it had meaning’ but now doesn't like them. This could be due to himself now creating work for a living and he now has an appreciation for tattoos as an artform.
Kam had a brilliant tattoo story for her first tattoo which coincided with her first girls’ holiday to Portugal. Now, we were hesitant too, but Kam lucked out by walking into an award-winning studio. Watch to find out more.
Kath’s sister got a tattoo when she was younger and so she grew up in a household where her getting a tattoo wasn’t that big a deal. She also told us she spent time with a lot of people in her friendship groups had tattoos and so it almost seemed natural for her to then get them when she was 21. Kath discusses her first tattoo below.
Two of our contributors – Carys and Ruby - seemed to go through a similar rite of passage when they came to university. Both of them were tattooed by a friend in their student accommodation using the stick and poke method. We would like to make you aware that this is risky and you should be tattooed by a professional in a sterile environment. Carys’ story is below:
George had a similar experience to the girls as he was also away from home and decided to get a tattoo. All three were expressing a freedom to decorate their body in a way that they would not have previously. However, George openly admits his was in aid of teenage rebellion.
Brandon spoke about growing up, being surrounded by tattoos and his dad hanging out with biker gangs and how he was mesmerised by them. The interview is further below.
Some people have been inspired by memories in their childhood, such as Kam who got strawberries on her shin due to reminiscence of her grandmother’s strawberry patch in Poland.
If you believe in nurture rather than nature then you could apply this theory to people who have gone out and got tattoos. For example, several of our contributors were bullied within their childhood leading them to hang out with people who had tattoos or were protected by people with tattoos. William spoke about how people who stopped bullies beating him up often tattoos and because of that he idealised tattoos to an extent. By getting tattoos he has now felt more confident.