Old School Ship
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Name: Lauren
Age: 24
Date: 2/24/08

Describe the tattoo which you are most proud of (ex. color, shape, style, etc.):

It's an Old School style skooner. I love Old School. I wanted a Sailor Jerry style boat, but the artist didn't want to copy another person's style. He just whipped this together on a spare sheet of paper and two hours later, it was done.

What does it signify?

I absolutely love sailboats! I went sailing three summers ago up at Pequot Lakes on a beautiful racing sailboat.


Why did you choose to tattoo?

I've decided to start a half sleeve on my left arm. The sailboat tattoo is all by itself right now, but I'm going to add a ton to it. I like how it's popping out, though. All of the other tattoos I have are hiding. I have some on my wrists, one on my ankle, and another one on my back. That one is an Old School heart with a banner. The banner has "Tilly" written on it. Tilly was my favorite cat. She lived 18 years, and I loved her very much.

How do you feel as a woman with a tattoos?

I love love my them! I love my tattoos and I want more! I think they show a lot of someone's character. My parents were kind of disappointed when I got my first one. I was eighteen and I kind of did it just to be different. My family is totally used to them now, even though no one else in my family has them.

I think that at first, I only got tattoos to be different. Now I get tattoos because I honestly love them. I don't really care what others think about them, but I do feel more confident about myself now that I have them. I worked at Little Tijuana's in Minneapolis for a while, and I got a lot more tips when I showed off my tattoos. I'm very proud of every one I have, but I love my sailboat the best.


Scottish Thistle
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Name: Nichole
Age: 26
Date: 2/23/08

Describe the tattoo which you are most proud of (ex. color, shape, style, etc.):

A Scottish thistle with a banner running across the bottom. There's a very special date printed on the banner, too.

What does it signify?

The thistle is my husband. He's incredibly Scottish, which makes me Scottish by marriage. He even wore a kilt to our wedding. He asked me if it would be okay, and I said "Of Course!!!" Then I told everyone about what a Scotty wedding I was going to have. The date on the banner is our wedding day.


Why did you choose to tattoo?

Because tattoos are very meaningful in my family. We are very much a tattoo family. My uncle is completely covered... like head to toe. Even my ultra conservative aunt got one! It's just totally normal for me. I wanted to remember my wedding, so I got a tattoo. No one in my family thought anything of it.

How do you feel as a woman with a tattoos?

I don't think it changes me as a person at all. I think that if you want to get a tattoo to change the way people look at you, then don't get one. My tattoo is special to me and reminds me of my husband. That's all I need.

It did make me feel pretty tough to get it, though. I just laughed the whole time. I thought the process tickled. After I got mine, my husband got his from the same artist. The tattoo guy said to my husband, "Okay, you better not make a sound cause your wife just took the whole thing laughing and smiling. You'll look like a sissy."


Pisces
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Name: Alisha
Age: 29
Date: 2/12/08

Describe the tattoo which you are most proud of (ex. color, shape, style, etc.):

A solid-black tattoo of my astrological sign, Pisces.

What does it signify?

I am most proud of my Pisces tattoo which resides on my left breast. It signifies all of the attributes of a Piscean, sensitivity, duality, and creativity. It is a symbol of my personality and is a constant reminder to remain balanced- which is symbolized with the two fish going in opposite directions or in my case two crescent moons pointing outward yet connected in the middle. I look at this symbol as one that is persistent throughout human history; yin and yang, good and bad, light and dark. The ultimate in human duality.


Why did you choose to tattoo?

I wanted a tattoo I would not regret in old age. Of course I could not guarantee this would be the case, but I will always be born on March 6th and thus will always be a person who resides in that place in the sky where Pisces lives.

How do you feel as a woman with a tattoos?

I remember when I got this tattoo; I was so proud. I went with my friend; we both got tattoos for my birthday. We actually got them in the same room at the same time. It was actually kind of cool. I went to work and one of my co-workers looked at it and said, Isn't it kind of trashy being on your boob?" Trashy, heavens no, but maybe it was. I quickly discounted the boy 'not yet a man' for his haphazard comments. As a woman I felt empowered with my tattoo laden breast. It is a symbol of my own duality nestled on my bosom as if my child in need of nurturing. I will forever nurture this aspect of my life, and so my tattoo sits in an appropriate location- a place that helps to define my womanhood.


Friends
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Name: Melissa
Age: 26
Date: 1/13/08

Describe the tattoo which you are most proud of (ex. color, shape, style, etc.):

It is the Chinese character for friend.

What does it signify?

It all started by turning 18, I wasn't one of those girls who broke the rules, in fact I never really went against the rules but in May of 2002 I was graduating high school in a few days. My best friends and I were eager at the prospect of finally getting out of high school and terrified of facing life without each other. We'd been friends since we were in early elementary school. We had each others back the whole way through middle school and high school. We were best friends, comrades, confidants, and everything else a best friend should be. But soon college and life would break us up so we decided to do something completely uncharacteristic of all of us, something that would bond us, and assure that we'd never forget how much our friendship did and would always mean to us, we got matching tattoos.

Why did you choose to tattoo?

For me the motive was doing something no one ever thought I'd do. I was tired of the mold I'd made myself in high school and this was my way of showing everyone they didn't know me as much as they thought.

I think I brought it up on a Tuesday in social class and we didn't really even think much more about it. We wanted to signify how important our friendship was and by Saturday we had the tattoos. It's a Chinese symbol for friend and we all have the tattoo in the same place our left ankle.
We didn't tell our parents,I suppose for one of us it was way to rebel against her ultra conservative parents, to make them see she was in fact an adult who could make her own choices. I suppose we all had other motives for the tattoo beyond the initial permanent symbol of our friendship.


How do you feel as a woman with a tattoos?

In the end I got the shock factor I was looking for from my classmates and when the back lash settled from the parents none of us regretted it. I wish I could say we were all friends and all as close as we used to be. That some how the tattoo really would be our symbol to stay friends for always, but life has other plans. But I don't regret getting the tattoo it still symbolizes a very important time in my life and reminds me of some great people, some great friends, and I wouldn't want to change anything about that.