I have tattoos. This seems to be an ongoing theme in my life. Not the act of getting them, but the conversations that are about them. My tattoos are a bigger conversation starter than I am. I've always known that not everyone will appreciate my tattoos or even understand them, but that isn't the point of a tattoo in my eyes. I got both of my tats for me. I did research on where to go, where to place them on my body, and most importantly the care and the commitment one must have when deciding to get ink.

People are often shocked that I even have tattoos. I look like "such a nice girl." But why I ask, does a tattoo make me anything other than that, a nice girl? My tattoos aren't vulgar, hateful or disrespectful. So why all the hype? Because people still have this stigma that if you have a tattoo you are hard and ride a motorcycle and eat babies. Well, I don't do those things. I'm an average twenty-something girl who is expressing herself through ink. And no, I do not have a "tramp stamp" or a "band" around my arm. My tattoos are tasteful and easily hidden.

So the conversations are always centered on two things; what are my tattoos of and why did I get them in the first place. I'm not sure why people expect me to justify my actions. I don't ask them why they are eating Doritos when Fritos are clearly better. I just think it is hilarious that people demand for you to take off your clothes and show them your ink then to explain yourself as if you were a three year old that used crayons on the walls again. So I guess the moral of this rant is that people should be respectful to the tattooed community. We don't ask you what you personal questions like what your favorite sexual position is, so please, respect our privacy.

*The picture below is not my tattoo.