In a tattoo parlor in Colorado, senior Payton Earnhart sat beside her parents as she got her first tattoo at just 16 years old. To commemorate their family trip, the Earnharts decided to get matching tattoos.
“I have the three stars on my wrist [that represent] my family members. My mom, my dad, my sister and I all have matching ones,” Earnhart said. “[Getting tattoos] is just something special for us to do.”
Earnhart now has a total of three tattoos in various locations: the stars on her wrist, a horseshoe on her ankle in honor of her dog Lucky, and a sun and moon design on her hip. Although she loves the designs she has currently, she plans to wait for a while before getting another.
“I already have a high number for my age, so I’m not gonna be getting more tattoos anytime soon, but I expect to in the future. I think it’s such a great way to commemorate something that’s going on in your life,” Earnhart said. “[Tattoos] are a personal calendar of what was important to you at the time.”
Senior Sophia Giusti’s tattoo also has sentimental value for her. She received the tattoo on her 18th birthday after coordinating the design with her family members months prior.
“I have one tattoo. It says, in Portuguese, ‘tudo passa,’ which, in English, [roughly] translates to, ‘everything passes.’ I got it done in my grandpa’s handwriting with my brother’s heart [in his handwriting] next to it,” Giusti said.
Giusti’s tattoo, like Earnhart’s, has familial meaning. However, Giusti’s tattoo also represents her long-standing struggle with mental health and acts as a positive reminder in her day-to-day life.
“I had some severe mental health issues ever since eighth grade, and this phrase has always stuck with me throughout that. It’s been my kind of mantra. So I knew I wanted to get this tattoo for a while,” Giusti said.
Both Earnhart and Giusti view their tattoos as outlets of self-expression, and, despite being young when they got them, have no regrets.
“[Getting tattoos], in my opinion, is similar to getting your ears pierced. It’s a way you can make yourself more confident in your body or make yourself feel prettier. I think everyone’s entitled to their own self-expression, as long as it’s okay with your parents,” Earnhart said.
Tattoos, for Earnhart and Giusti, are individual decisions that should reflect personal values or commemorate important life moments. However, both agree that getting permanent body art, especially at a younger age, should require a significant amount of thought in advance.
“I know a lot of people who, when they turn 18, [getting tattoos can be a] spur-of-the-moment thing. And if that’s what you want, who am I to deny you that? But I just think that you need to be 100% sure of what you get,” Giusti said. “I don’t think people should get knocked down for getting tattoos when they’re young, but also at the same time, it’s something that’s going to be on your body forever. It’s not something you want to regret.”
Although getting tattoos in high school is a controversial topic, both Earnhart and Giusti believe that their age should not limit their ability to thoughtfully express themselves.
“I encourage everyone to do whatever makes them happy. If they don’t like tattoos, they don’t like tattoos, and if you don’t think you should get one before 18, then don’t do that for yourself, but don’t push that onto other people,” Earnhart said. “Everyone has the right to do what they want with their body.”
