Tattoo popularity increases in high school students

Juliana Kehoe/Felisha Smith
Staff Writers

Tattoos are becoming more popular among, according to Teen Vogue, teens like the “seemingly girl-next-door type” rather than the stereotypical biker gangs, rebels and war veterans.

While some teens get tattoos just to say they have one, several students, including senior Kate Gilbert and junior LaJuan Moye, have gotten tattoos with an important meaning behind them.

 “I got my tattoo for my friend who passed away recently. I thought about it for five months before I got it, and I won’t ever regret it,” said Gilbert.

 “My tattoo is for the day I gave my life to Christ. I will never regret it because it has such a religious and important meaning to it,” said Moye.

Depending on the size, colors, and where one goes to get the tattoo done, tattoos may take from as little as 10 minutes to a few hours to be applied and can cost anywhere from $45 to $600 or more, but most teens look at the short-term gain rather than the long-term cost. Trends are temporary and change often, but tattoos do not. It is  possible that people will regret getting tattoos because of the effects tattoos can have on their lives.

Officer Eric Weimer said he doesn’t believe in tattoos because “they’re permanent [and I don’t believe in them] especially in high school, when you don’t know what you’re going to like when you’re 30.”

It is more difficult to get a job where the employees are meant to appear professional if they have visible tattoos. Getting rid of tattoos can take up to a year, is painful, costs between $125-$200 per visit, and takes between five and 10 visits before one starts to see results, and there isn’t a 100 percent guarantee that even after all of the removal treatment is done, that the tattoo will be completely gone.

Sophomore Jake Walker said, “I definitely think tattoos should be symbolic. There are certain points in our life that should be remembered, and tattoos are a good way of doing that.”

 However sophomore Lee Hyde disagreed, “I think tattoos should be outlawed, ink is for paper, not skin.”