Very cool topic. Kausandra's essay brings important meaning to people who have wondered about tattoos but have never taken the steps to understand the emotion and culture behind them. I appreciate her sharing her inside knowledge.
At midnight on my 18th birthday, I was sitting in a chair while a tattoo gun poised above the back of my neck. As the clock moved from 11:59 to 12:00, the needle hummed to life, vibrating against my skin. Coated in ink, it set to work permanently marking me. It was as if my body were parchment, and the ink came from a quill rather than a needle. My cousin, a year and six days older than me, stood next to me as I gripped her hand, smiling: she was almost laughing at how much of a baby I was. I was so afraid it was going to hurt, and the anticipation set my nerves afire. The tattoo was going to say “STISTIES” in an English-style font atop a triquetra: it’s a Pagan symbol that means eternity or infinity (Fig. 2). Our translation was “sisters forever” and it was our mark, our bond. My cousin already had hers so we could pass the time while we awaited the zero hour. Hers was like mine, and in the same position. We were cousins, not sisters, but we grew up together and acted like siblings. This tattoo told of our sisterhood, even if no one else understood what it meant. It was the first story etched onto my flesh. We all have our own stories to tell, our own lives and experiences. Symbolism and words combine to tell a tale of tragedy, survival, victory, or loss. For better and for worse, my life is written on me in a language that only I understand. However, within this language, there are three types of tattoos or stories: memorials, moments, and meaning. Because I value stories so highly, tattoos are how I tell mine.
To read Kasaundra's complete Classification Essay, please click here: Tattoos
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