Commentary
Caila Fautenberry

I swear once a day I see a post on Facebook about somebody getting a tattoo. It seems like in my generation, getting a tat- too is just something people do on their 18th birthday to appear cool.

You turn 18, you get a tattoo. And not just any tattoo, but a generic one. I prob- ably know upwards of five girls with small heart tattoos. No meaning to it, just a little black heart somewhere on their body that they got because ‘it looked cute.’

What’s the point of that? If you are go- ing to permanently bring something on

yourself, it should represent something. It should be original. Most importantly, it should be well thought out.

I know a girl who got a tattoo down her arm of a geisha with the Hawaiian Is- lands in the background with tribal print all around it. This shocked me because she is neither Japanese nor Hawaiian. She was white. I, along with everyone else who knew her, wondered what the point of the tattoo was. Turns out she got the tattoo be- cause she liked the look of geishas, and she always liked Hawaii.

But is that really a sound reason to put it on your arm for the rest of your life? I like kittens (who doesn’t?) But I would never get a tattoo of a cat somewhere on me for everyone to see for eternity.

I know that it is everyone’s prerogative to do whatever they want to their bodies. But when teenagers get these random, pointless, and sometimes inappropriate tattoos on them, they can’t be expected to be looked greatly upon in society.

Another immature tattoo story, this girl I know, Shyla, decided to get “F*** you pal” on the inside of her fingers, one word per finger. How does she intend to get a job with that? She may think she looks cool now, I get that. But is looking cool for a few years really worth the job rejections and not to mention all of the people who will never take you seriously as an adult?

I sure don’t think so. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 17 percent of people with a tat- too want it removed.

Teenagers should stop and think like an adult before they go and get inked. Most teens’ sole purpose of getting a tattoo is either to look hard and rebellious, or to prove their adulthood.

Getting a tattoo with no deep meaning or originality to it is hardly an adult thing to do.