Breakfast Babble: ED’s own little space on the interwebs where we gather to discuss ideas and get pumped up for the day. We judge things too. Sometimes. Always. Whatever, call it catharsis and join in people.
Do you have tattoos? Are you planning on getting one? Have you been sitting on a design for months just plucking up the courage to go get one?
It doesn’t matter whether you choose to love your tattoo, regret it, flaunt it, hide it, or fear it, this article is for you.
If you go up to any tattooed person and ask them which question is most frequently directed towards them, they will most probably answer with “Why did you decide to get this particular tattoo? What is the ‘meaning’ behind it?”
I find it weird that a tattoo is perceived as something that should have significance and depth and relevance attached to it. If tomorrow I decided to get a tattoo of a pair of sunglasses on my arm because I felt like it, I would probably offend certain people. Because somehow, the only way anyone can justify “marring yourself” is for you to have had “a good reason” to do it.
And I find that incredibly stupid.
Because why should you let a scratch on your body be held up to scrutiny by others?
Why can’t I get a tattoo of an apple simply because the shape of an apple is aesthetically pleasing to me?
Also Read: Society Says “Youngsters Need To Grow Up”; But It’s Parents Who Need To Grow Up First
Unfortunately, I used to be one of those people who wasted hours of their lives thinking and re-thinking my decision to get a tattoo because I was worried about the “after”. I was worried I wouldn’t like it; that ten years down the line it would stop being “meaningful” for me and then I would regret getting it.
And that’s exactly the kind of people who I am here to address. I’m here today, on this beautiful Sunday morning, asking you to stop taking everything in life so seriously. Not each and every one of your actions need to have a “meaning” attached to it.
If you crave ice cream at 2 AM, and you get a bowl of it and eat it, how is craving a tattoo and going out and getting one any different? I might just get a tattoo of a bowl of ice cream the next time, just to prove a point.
In the infamous words of Ed Sheeran, bearer of a beautiful tattoo of the Heinz ketchup logo,
Honestly, if it makes you happy, get a tattoo. Don’t waste time worrying about what people might think.
And even if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way you wanted it to, it’s fine! Mine didn’t; doesn’t mean I regret it. I love it all the more because of it. Because the fact that I spent months choosing the perfect design that was minimalistic and classy and vibrant all at the same time but, which fell a bit short of the result I was hoping for, defines me and my life more than I’d care to admit.
My tattoo is literally a part of me and it defines who I am perfectly albeit, in a way, I didn’t expect it to.
Because ultimately, that’s what life is. It’s random and chaotic. The things you want, you will never get but somehow you will always get the things you need. So there’s no point in allowing something so trivial to take up much space in your mind and your life.
Break free of the shackles that society has trained you to embrace and as clichéd and cheesy as it sounds, live your life.
Image Credits: Google Images
Nithyaerys,
We’ve talked about this so much. Thank you for turning our conversation into this article ! I’m definitely back on the Tattoo train