Having tattoos doesn’t make me any less of a woman

Ever since I was younger I knew that the second I turned 18 I was going to get a tattoo. I’m 10 months in to my 19th year and already have three tattoos (plus three homemade ones – sorry mom).

Whenever someone sees my tattoos, I always get asked the same exact question: “Don’t you think you’ll regret those when you’re old and saggy?” To that I always reply with a sharp no. If I was going to regret it, I wouldn’t have gotten it done in the first place.

A close second is “Aren’t you worried about getting a serious job with those?” I wish I could say no, but that would be a complete lie. For some reason, tattoos on women are associated with impulsiveness and lack of seriousness in the work field. I know personally, I am 10 times more motivated than some others that I know and if my employers want to judge me before even meeting me based upon what’s on my body, I do not want to work for them anyways.

I decided I wanted my first tattoo when I was away from home living in Utah. I had spent three of my high school years away from home by myself to try and work on some issues I was struggling with. For me, I need reminders of where I have been and what I have gone through to keep myself from moving backwards again.

I have tattoos as a daily reminder of how far I have come. While I was away, I really grew attached to zen buddhism and mindfulness and all my tattoos have meaning stemming from those concepts. Just as someone would wear a rosary around their neck to remind them of their faith, I have tattoos to remind me of mine and to help keep me grounded.

To all the people who judge me for having tattoos, you have absolutely no right. Do you really have nothing better to do than worry about what I put on my body. These tattoos are not harming you in any way, they have absolutely nothing to do with you so just stop. You don’t know why I got these, everything you think about me is just an assumption based upon your own biases. Next time you try and judge me, look in the mirror and make sure you’re perfect in every way.

I don’t judge you for the things you do to help you cope with life, its time you stop judging me for what I do. You don’t have to like it, but thats fine. It’s not your body, it’s mine and I’m entitled to do whatever I want without it free of judgment.

I don’t give a fuck if you’re offended.