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Teens weigh in on stigma surrounding tattoos
Tattoos, regardless of peers’ opinions, are an artistic right that each and every American possesses.
February 15, 2023
Teenagers, whether or not they like to admit it, make impulsive decisions all the time, from ditching class, to shoplifting, to drinking. Luckily for them, most of their bone-headed mistakes are only consequential in the short term. Tattoos, on the other hand, give young adults an opportunity to permanently change their body during their formative years.
There are 45 states in the U.S. with laws prohibiting minors from getting tattoos, including California. But in California, once you are 18, you can get a tattoo regardless of your guardians’ approval. For many students, this means they can make a permanent ink decision before they’ve voted in a presidential election.
On his 18th birthday, Senior Sam Aziza jumped at the opportunity to get a tattoo. With his parents’ approval, he tattooed a French saying on his quadriceps as a tribute to his late grandfather.
“My tattoo means to be grateful for what you have,” Aziza said. “My dad immigrated from France and his great-grandfather came from Africa to Italy and then to France. Basically, it means to be grateful for what your family did, and that a lot of people have it a lot worse than you do.”
Although Aziza’s tattoo is discreet, he — like many other young adults with tattoos — feels a need to hide it due to the social stigma surrounding tattoos.
“There are certain people who I’m reluctant to show [my tattoo to], like my childhood friends and certain parents,” Aziza said. “It makes me a little uncomfortable because people in older generations see it differently than I do. They see it as, ‘oh, they’re trying to be a rebel’ or ‘they’re trying to be a bad person.’ Or like, ‘you can’t get a job with a tattoo,’ and I see it completely differently.”
Junior Natalia Penaloza has a small tattoo on her back she got during a trip to Peru. Despite the fact that parental approval is required for minors to get tattoos in Peru, Penaloza got hers by herself.
“They don’t really ask,” Penaloza said, adding that her parents still don’t know about the tattoo.
“I wear baggy clothes all the time… they are easy to hide,” Penaloza said.
In recent years, tattoos have become more and more common in the U.S. Around 62% of millennial parents have at least one tattoo, according to online trend site YPulse, and general public opinion seems to be veering away from the conservative viewpoints of older generations.
Art of Video teacher Stephen Erle has worked at Burlingame for 30 years and seen the change in perspective first-hand.
“I think tattoos have gotten a little different. Over the years, they’re not as frowned upon. When I was a kid, people got tattoos and it was like…. you were a sailor or you were something bad,” Erle said.
But even as the stigma around tattoos evolves, the decision remains significant and, at times, dangerous. Many teens who want tattoos but are not of legal age choose to tattoo themselves, which can lead to skin infections.
Matt Decker, owner of Premium Tattoo in Oakland, has been a practicing tattoo artist since the 1990s. Over the years, Decker has tattooed several teenagers looking for ink.
It’s hard to get past a first impression sometimes, but by the same token, you shouldn’t be limited in your own artistic expression by someone else’s bigotry.
— .Stephen Erle
“As long as they’re 18, I don’t second guess it,” Decker said. “If they are underage, you don’t tattoo that. Not only is it illegal, but people should wait for things that they want. It’s a valuable lesson.”
With two children of his own, Decker empathizes with parents who push back against their children’s tattoos. At the same time, he respects his customers’ independent rights — as long as they are of age, of course.
“Parents are always going to think that what their kids do is weird and wrong, but, you know, that’s just how it goes,” Decker said “Letting go as your child gets old enough to make their own decisions is an incredibly hard thing to do as a parent.”
Tattoos, regardless of peers’ opinions, are an artistic right that each and every American possesses.
“It’s hard to get past a first impression sometimes, but by the same token, you shouldn’t be limited in your own artistic expression by someone else’s bigotry,” Erle said.
