by Naiya Patel-Kapka, Editor-in-Chief
College is a time when young adults figure out their personalities, come into their own, and, quite often, develop a personal style. People experiment with their appearances: changing their hair, trying out different piercings, and getting new tattoos. Especially at Oberlin, tattoos are everywhere—almost everyone I know has at least one, whether it's a tiny stick and poke or a large statement piece. I have eight, ranging from small to large, and often find myself talking to other people about their tattoos. Through quick text Q&As with my friends, I asked whether they have a favorite, and why, in order to find common themes within a medium that is so varied.
Of all my correspondents, Eila had the most tattoos, 21 in total. “My favorite is the red-tailed hawk above my knee,” she said. “My sister said that she would reincarnate as this bird because it reminds her of home.” The ties to family and friends seem to be a big reason why people love certain tattoos, especially birds. Out of his five, Pilot considers a favorite to be the large eagle across his shoulder. “Eagle is my middle name, and I love the flight imagery it evokes in tandem with my first name. I also love the freedom that’s associated with the symbol of the eagle (but not in an I love USA way!),” he explains. “But the truth is, I got this tattoo for the man who I inherited my middle name from: my grandfather. His premature balding earned him the nickname of bald eagle, and it stuck long enough to pass down to his grandson.”
Friendship can also give tattoos their sentimental value. Of Maud’s two tattoos, her favorite is a stick and poke from high school. “I think I like the stick and poke the most because it is very subtle, but holds memories of friendship and fun times in teenage-hood,” she tells me. The high school stick and poke is a common sight—one of my friends has the same heart on her ankle as I do, and there are many people with small safety pin designs. As far as I can tell, people look fondly upon stick and pokes because they represent our introductions into experimenting with appearance and the fun of teenage rebellion. But sometimes first tattoos age poorly. Emma S. has five (including a gorgeous NYC Parks logo), but when asked about her favorite, she could only choose a least favorite—a stick and poke from high school, which she paid for. She noted that “it’s aged pretty poorly, and I think it was ultimately a hasty decision I made when I was in a bad place.”
Eren, who has two tattoos, said that “the girl on my arm is my favorite because she feels like my best friend.” Lucy B. says one of her favorites is the design along her ankle and shin, while her other favorite is the fork on her arm, because it was her first tattoo. “It has a whole family story along with it, and was really what got me hooked into wanting so many tattoos,” she says. “Also, it was done by this girl I was in love with in high school.” In this way, the fork tattoo brings together the sentiments echoed by Eila, Pilot, and Maud—the design represents her love for her family, while the act of getting it done created a tangible memory of teenage-hood.
My last interviewee was Viv, who did not specify the amount of tattoos she has, but began talking about the Del Taco logo tattooed on her foot. “I got it when I was 14 from my friend Rei,” she said. “We had all the tattoo stuff but didn’t know what to draw, and he had this Del Taco water bottle on his table, and was like ‘how funny would it be if we just did the logo’ and I was like ‘I’m down.’ I love it. It’s my favorite of all my tattoos and it reminds me to always follow my instincts.” Viv’s story reminds me of a few of my own tats, and is a good reminder that appearance can be fun, playful.
Overall, people’s favorites are usually designs tied to family and friends, or a funny thing they did in the spur of the moment. In most cases these are tattoos tied to fond memories, and by representing that memory on their body visually, it becomes a tangible piece of their identity. My main takeaway from this interview process is that I should really pick up my tattoo gun and start practicing again, so that I can give my friends and I permanent memories of our senior year.
