Ink and metal. Metal and ink.

I could be very biased, considering I grew up running around my grandpa's tattoo shop, but I don't understand the huge stereotype that is associated with tattoos and piercings. I do understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea. But what in hell is? Maybe it isn't that big of an issue. Maybe people should just let it be and ignore it like they do most things. I wont. I refuse to. 

I see my body as a canvas. A blank one. One that deserves to be covered in beautiful art. My body is plain. The only markings I have being that of bearing children. Stretch marks. They're beautiful, as well. They're purple and red. They line most of my body. Stretching from one spot to another, creating depth and meaning, showing love and adoration. I also have freckles. Mostly on my arms. Little brown dots that give my skin personality. But what if I want something more for my skin? What if I want to tell a story simply by showing someone my leg? What if I want to paint a picture of a completely different world, and hold onto it forever? People wear their hearts on their sleeve... Why can't I wear my dreams the same way? 

I have seen every type of person you can imagine in my grandpa's tattoo shop. School teachers, biker dudes, moms, dads, grandparents, sisters, brothers, lawyers, janitors, fast food workers, christians, satanists, teenagers. You name it, they've walked into the shop at some point. Looking for something. A tattoo or piercing does not define a person. That person defines the art. Looking at someone with a tattoo or piercing, or multiples of the two, and thinking "What is wrong with that person?" just makes you a disgusting human. It makes you just as judgmental as the person who asks why that white girl is with that black guy. Or the person who tells you you're going to hell for having premarital sex. Think what you want of this viewpoint, but I firmly believe what I'm saying.

Our bodies are temporary. Just a shell to hang out in until it's time to move on to bigger and better things. Depending on what you believe in.. but I believe that it's temporary. We need to take care of our bodies, sure, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy them, too. They are ours until they are the Earth's again. Just like our time in these bodies, the tattoos and piercings will slowly fade. They'll disappear. They'll be gone. The human body is an amazing and beautiful thing. Why not enhance that beauty? Let go of the judgment. Stop thinking about the bad. Really look at their artwork and think about it. That lilly could be for their grandmother who passed away, who's name just so happened to be Lilly. That banner with Hebrew script could be a quote from their favorite bible passage. That random symbol that you can't make any sense of... well that could be something their brother drew before going to fight in a war. Don't be so quick to judge a book by it's cover. 

TTFN

Dani