Ink with Expressions

Why is it more common now days for teens to have the need for tattoos. For some it is a religious thing, for others it's symbolic, and for me its for a deep meaning or an accomplishment in life. May be it's the need to be what we see on the media. For us teens today, I believe we want to be like our favorite rap artist, athlete, or celebrity. Whether its Lil Wayne, Lebron James, or Captain Jack Sparrow. From what i see, i think it's more of a symbolic thing. Being from a strong Polynesian community it is quit common for someone to have a tattoo. Whether it's a symbol of a tribe, family emblem, or for someone who has past away. Alot of my friends have either their family symbols or signs of luck or whatever. However, maybe us teens want to be what's out there in the world and what is on the media. Everyone wants to have the feeling that they are important and having a tattoo will seperate themselves from others. Making like they're important but really don't truly understand why they got it or if there is any meaning to it. But all in all I think the biggest reason why us teens want tattoos so badly is that we want to be unique and different in our own ways. Teens see this as body art and want to express themselves the way they are. From a personal experience, I lived in Hawaii and in California, and got to meet alot of different and unique people. From what I've learned, if a person has a passion or a strong liking towards something, one may get a tattoo. My friend Malique Banks, who is a fantastic drawer actually tattooed some of his favorite drawings on himself as accomplishments he has made. This, to me shows his unique ability and its something different. Another reason why i believe teens want tattoos are because the way they feel, such as a time in life where they are sad like at a funeral, or a time of happiness where someone is born. Tattoos in several ways may be positive and negative, certain people may look at this art as defaming rather than expression but this is just one way I believe teens express themselves.