Charlottesville High School is no stranger to the arts. In fact, some students and teachers chose to go above and beyond and put the art on their body. Tattoos are basically scars with pigments underneath the skin to give them color, usually black. People get tattoos when they want to honor or remember something for the rest of their lives, or to add beauty to their appearance. A tattoo can range anywhere from your mom’s name on your ankle to a map of The ille across your back. According to the smithsonian tattoo history website, tattooing has been around more than 5000 years, with the earliest dated tattoo bearing individual having been discovered on the italian-austrian border in 1991. People today get sleeves of tattoos, up and down their arms, across their chest or back, even on their ankles. Tattoo removal is possible, but it’s far more expensive and painful then getting the tattoo originally.
Another member of the C.H.S. community, Jakell Barrett, a senior, has multiple tattoos up and down each of his arms. To him, tattoos are very meaningful. JaKell’s advice to anyone who wants to get a tattoo is “Just don’t get anything stupid, think before you get something permanently on your body. When someone asks you about your tattoo, you want to be able to say something captivating and meaningful.” JaKell’s tattoos consist of song lyrics by Tupac and Biggie, Praying hands with handcuffs on them, and his grandfather’s signature, all of which are very meaningful to him.

Destiny Grady, a junior, also has an array of tattoos. Destiny’s tattoos include a Yin Yang sign, a D for her best friends name, her Zodiac sign, a music note, and a butterfly. Like JaKell, Destiny’s advice on tattoos is to really think before you make a decision that big, tattoos are forever, so don’t spend forever in regret.

One C.H.S. teacher, Mrs. Park, got her tattoo in New York City, to cover up another Tattoo that she got when she was younger. Her tattoo is supposed to be a lotus flower, and it’s on the middle of her upper back.

Mrs. Smith, an English teacher here at C.H.S. just got her tattoo from a friend, and hers is just a simple reminder that change in life is positive. Her tattoo is a mandala, which is a symbolic circle that “represents wholesomeness and balance, among other things.” It is on her upper back like Mrs. Park’s. Mrs. Smith’s only advice to others thinking about tattoos is, like JaKell and Destiny’s, to “make your tattoo personal”, and to make sure you research where you’re getting your tattoo, to make sure the studio is clean and follows current health regulations. And of course to spend a lot of time thinking about your tattoo, because it will be with you for life.
So why really get a tattoo? The truth is there isn’t really a good or bad reason, it’s just up to you, whether you want to commemorate something or someone in your life, or just a permanent reminder of something meaningful to you, just make sure your tattoo isn’t stupid, and has meaning to you. So before getting a tattoo, remember to think, would you want this on you when you’re 80?