NAHS students convey their individuality through tattoos

By Shayla Jones & Jessie Madden

What some teens view as a short-lived rebellion becomes an everlasting statement on their skin. Walking into a tattoo parlor, most teenagers would not be thinking of how well they will like the tattoo they choose a few years down the road. That tattoo that was thought to be the coolest thing in high school might not transfer over to adulthood.

“Never get a tattoo that doesn’t mean something, they are permanent,” senior Cierra Hunt said.

According to Pew Research Center, “Statistics show that 36% of U.S. adults age 18-25 have at least one tattoo.”

In the corporate world a lot of men and women are discriminated based on their previous decisions to permanently mark their bodies. According to the New York Times many bosses think red ink on the skin means a “gang color.” Despite the fact that so many people can’t get jobs because of tattoos, there are some alternatives jobs out there that still hire people sporting ink.

“I have two very visible tattoos on my wrists and I had no problem getting a job,” senior Nacy Gamble said. “I work at Kroger.”

In today’s society tattoos are becoming more accepted. According to NBC News “With everyone from soccer moms to MIT computer science graduates sporting tattoos, preconceptions about tattooed individuals are no longer valid.”

“Tattoos don’t downgrade a person, they make them unique,” senior Josue Munoz said.

In the classrooms of NAHS there are a variety of students with tattoos. NAHS is a place of diversity that allows students to express themselves many different ways, one of which is tattoos. Tattoos are becoming more mainstream and accepted as a form of expression in today’s society.

Answers to Tattoo who? featured in our print article

1. C, 2. D, 3. A, 4. E, and 5. B