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Tattoos are acceptable
By Kadence Cobb Opinion Contributor
Having always admired the art of tattoos, I used to believe that tattoos were strictly sentimental art pieces that have additional meaning. While that may be true for some individuals, it is not mandatory for those choosing to get work done. Tattoos are an art form of self-expression.
The art of tattooing has been around for thousands of years. The first documented tattoos were discovered on a mummy known as Ötzi the Iceman who lived over 5,000 years ago. The prehistoric iceman had lines across his knees, wrist, ankles and lower back. While tattoos were not extremely popular in this era, historians believe that he used tattooing in order to treat physical pain.
Although the purpose of tattoos has drastically changed since Ötzi was alive, the art has gained popularity in recent years. A survey conducted by the Statista Research Department in 2021 revealed that 17% of Americans had a tattoo. This number has increased significantly in recent years and continues to.
As the number of individuals with ink grows, it is important to note that tattoos should not have to hold additional meaning in order to be accepted by others. Tattoos can simply be a form of self-expression, a display of artwork and have become more accepted in the workplace.
Getting a tattoo can be an outlet for people to express themselves. One in ten people find it difficult to recognize their emotions. Where an individual's verbal expressions of emotion fail, tattoos can assume responsibility to showcase their values and the things in their life that hold the most importance. 25% of those with tattoos explained that their tattoo held deep personal meaning. It provided a way for them to showcase an important aspect of their lives.
Tattoos allow a subject to display their individuality, even when they do not symbolize a deeper meaning. The process of selecting a design and its placement results in an outcome that is unique to each individual. The freedom that accompanies selecting a tattoo's font, design, placement and color permits the individual to collaborate with the artist.
This practice of expressing individuality has been shown to significantly increase an individual’s self-esteem. For example, students' tattoos have helped them gain more confidence in themselves. A study of American college students showed that individuals with four or more tattoos had much higher self-esteem levels than those without tattoos.
Tattooing is an artform that should be appreciated regardless of whether the piece has underlying meaning. The process of creating a tattoo is extremely intricate. The artist must use a needle to inject ink into the second layer of skin called the dermis. Whether it is simple line work, requires shading, shadowing or highlighting — the artist is meticulous throughout the entire process.
Those who get a piece of body art are displaying the tattoo artist’s work, which should be celebrated regardless of the design selected.
Students like Juliana Arciszewski, a nursing freshman, believe that the popularity of tattoos has stemmed from their acceptance in the workplace.
“I think they have become so popular because employers don’t seem to care about tattoos as much as they used to," Arciszewski said. "I think people are starting to get tattoos to express their personal styles.”
While visible tattoos have been frowned upon by businesses in the past, they have begun to become much more accepting of body art. 91% percent of managers say the workplace is much less formal than in prior years. In fact, one third of company employers have claimed they are accepting of employees with visible tattoos.
The previous issue of ensuring that tattoos be covered up during office hours is much less prevalent today. The increasing number of tatted individuals has caused body art to become much more normalized in society. A survey conducted by Statista Research Department indicated that 41% of millennials had at least one tattoo. Born between 1981 and 1996, their generation had the highest percentage of tattooed individuals. With the average age of a first-time manager in the United States being 30 years old, many millennials are already in the leadership positions that set workplace dress codes.
While the number of individuals getting tattoos has increased, tattoo removals have also become more common. At least 11% of Americans have looked into removing a tattoo after receiving their design. With the technology available today, people are able to remove a tattoo through a series of laser treatments. The cost of removal can range between $100 to $1000 depending upon size, location, color and time elapsed since getting the tattoo.
The action of getting a tattoo can be helpful in expressing oneself, displaying works of art and has become much more acceptable in the workplace. Whether or not you have decided to get a tattoo, we can all appreciate the beauty found in the art form.
ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON WARE
- Kadence Cobb is a journalism freshman
The University Star welcomes Letters to the Editor from its readers. All submissions are reviewed and considered by the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor for publication. Not all letters are guaranteed for publication.
FROM FRONT MAIN POINT
longer production nights that laid ahead. To produce the work we do, our staff members spend hours putting stories together, taking photos at sporting events (sometimes multiple games in one day), editing podcast episodes and working on everything in between.
It’s been a trying time for student media. Our editorial board watched on as some of our fellow student newsrooms faced threats of censorship and complete shutdowns due to budget cuts, university infringement and COVID-19. We recognize the privilege we have to produce the content we do. As great as student media is, there are institutional problems that have haunted organizations like ours for decades.
We work long hours with very little pay, the majority of us without any pay at all, and oftentimes feel like we are all on our own. Burnout seems to be inevitable. There are moments when we feel like giving up, times when we question ourselves and instances when we compare our work to other newsrooms — newsrooms that usually have better resources than we do.
So, as we sit and ponder all the things we did and didn’t do, all the areas we fell short and came out on top in, our goal has always remained the same: to serve you, our audience. We strived to produce content our audience deemed valuable and functioned as a platform to share stories that often go untold.
If you’ve ever read our articles, engaged with our posts on social media, listened to a podcast episode or even just picked up our paper to play Sudoku, thank you. To our amazing team and all that you do, thank you. Whether you’ve been on staff for four years or four weeks, your contributions to our organization matter. Lastly, thank you to our team behind the scenes – our staff members who sell our advertisements, keep our website running and deliver our newspaper every Tuesday morning, none of this would be possible without you.
As we wrap up our final print issue of the semester, we pass the baton to our upcoming editorial board who is leading the way with editing and designing this week’s paper. It’s been a great year, now it’s time for the next editorial board to shine.
The University Star’s 2021-22 editorial board takes a group photo, Saturday, April 2, 2022 outside of Old Main at Texas State University PHOTO BY LILIANA PEREZ
Gold medal bout and the winning point against University of Texas at Austin Fencing Club (UTFC). Texas State fencer on the left, freshman Jengo Russell, ended, senior Dillon Henry's undefeated streak in the conference. Saturday, April 16th, 2022. PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS STATE FENCING CLUB
GETHER AND BONDING OVER A SPORT.
JOSH PAEZ, BIOCHEMISTRY SENIOR
The structure of the tournaments took form on the final day of competition, as club member Jengo Russell, a business administration-management freshman, who has taken up fencing as recently as last September, was set to take the strip in a saber competition. The atmosphere was intense as Russell took on a competitor with whom he had previously fallen short to 5-1.
The Bobcat fencer thrived this go around, doing so with his own unique mentality.
“I went in thinking we are going to get second place, so I was much more relaxed,” Russell said. “When I am fencing at a tournament, in my head, most people give in to pressure and are like, 'oh my gosh nerves.' I am just meowing, just on the strip, meow. Calm as I can be.”
Russell described the bout as wiping the silver paint by him. He defeated the fencer, winning the event for the Bobcats while shouting phrases like “le meow” and “Huzzah," expressions he says while competing that are written on his glove.
Under a direct elimination format, the tournaments follow standards set by USA Fencing with bouts being fenced up to five points. With the points even at four, the club's treasurer Peter Cu, an accounting junior, had the opportunity to win his saber match in the decisive ninth bout.
“It was crazy, that ninth match. By that point my brain was fried, it was the end of the day,” Cu said. “I just had one card in my playbook, I just went for straight attacks, and it worked out. I lost a lot of points, but I pulled ahead.”
The entire team was excited as it was the first time since joining the club that any member had beaten The University of Texas in saber. Members new and old were there to celebrate, just as they are present for practices and other club-led activities.
With the new trophy additions to the storage closet in Jowers Center, Room 221, where practice is held three times a week, Paez is excited about the team's future and not worried about collecting spoils. Instead, his sights are set on keeping the club fun, diverse and inclusive.
“I want to continue to have good results. But at the end of the day, I always have to recognize that this is about community,” Paez said. “This is about family, coming together and bonding over a sport. Not necessarily grabbing trophies and kicking ass and taking names.”
Despite the conclusion of the SWIFA season, the Texas State Fencing Club is not done fine-tuning its craft. Practices are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7-10 p.m. in Jowers Center, Room 221, and no prior experience is required to join the team.
Texas State Fencing awarded Top Sabre Squad of SWIFA III, pictured afterward. Left to right: junior Peter Cu; freshman Jengo Russell; freshman Maddy McJilton. Saturday, April 16th, 2022 PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS STATE FENCING CLUB
