Whether your tattoo is discreetly hidden below the belt or proudly displayed on your forearm, I bet you have a story behind your body art. Sometimes these stories are long and complicated, and sometimes they’re invented after the fact to justify impulsive ink. In any case, your tattoos tell a story about the canvas they’re printed on.
While all tattoos may not start out this way, they all become intensely personal if only because they become a part of your appearance. Like a visible scar or a ring you never remove, tattoos are something others will ask you about and judge you on for the rest of your life. Even if the tattoo is a common phrase or popular symbol, others will still want to know why such art warranted being permanently stamped on your skin. Some are more involved than others, but all tattoos are inspired by one reason or another: love, loss, alcohol, an addiction to body ink, a need to fit in, pride…
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2011.
