"Ugh! Whore" "It seems like you've been in prison already." "Why did you put such dirt on your skin? You're ruining your body!" We frequently hear these expressions whenever others see a girl who has a great deal of tattoos on her skin. Personally, my mommy even told me that I look like an uneducated bitch and she told me that she'll never speak to me again after I got my skin inked. I recognize the fact that almost all of us are fully cognizant of the negative stigma and the judgments that people might give us if we get a tattoo but do you ever wonder why most of us think this way? When I was in my younger years, I always presumed that having a tattoo is cool, boundless, and wonderful! Perhaps I was too young when I first stumbled upon these rock fans that are highly inclined to music and the arts; and express themselves through these lovely harmonies and yes, tattoos. Tattoos are not dirt and most notably, it doesn't make you less of a human being; in addition to not making a girl less feminine. Those people who have tattoos are brave, not because of the endless pricking of needles on skin hurts but because getting a tattoo is a lifetime commitment. It is a big decision to make because it will be forever on you, it will be a part of you, and your tattoo will become you. It will be a part of your individuality and the fact that you know about the poor judgments about tattoos before getting one is already a form of sacrifice. You do it for the sake of love in expressing your creative imagination; and that is what I call bravery. Not only women receive these wounding conclusions but even men are wrongly judged according to their tattoos. He looks like a drug addict, or a pervert, or a rapist, are just few of the countless insensitive words people give them. But on the other hand, it is highly evident that a man who has a tattoo is more adequate than a woman who has a tattoo especially in our conservative, conformist, and overcritical country. Perchance your parents, or any adult that you know, or this highfaluting, hypocrite someone has told you already that before, prisoners in our country are "obliged" to get tattoos and it will serve as a mark that they were once a criminal. Have you ever doubted their credibility? Let us say that your assumptions are correct, but is it still right for them to say that these women who have tattoos (who might be a much better person than them) look as if that they became felonious? And a whore? Or a slut? Or I feel sorry for this girl because all she knows is partying and getting laid? It is correct that most of our prisoners have tattoos not because they are required to get one but because they chose to have one. In our New Bilibid Prison, gangs were formed inside but it is not the type of gang that we know or that we typically see in the movies. These gangs are humble groups operating businesses (barber shop, shoe-repair shop, basket weaving factory, etc.) inside the compound; but upon joining a gang, the prisoner must be tattooed with the group's symbol and this is one aspect why women with tattoos are misjudged most of the time. Having knowledge about this will really give us a negative impression to tattooed women because we are not used to encounter a woman who looks like a "rebel". Us women were born and raised to be conservative, to be naive, to be soft-spoken, and to do things that "a lady should be doing”. That thing about our prisoners can be a part of our tattoo history but if we will dig deeper, tattooing has been part of Filipino's culture and we have been practicing the art of tattooing for centuries. Tattoos became a sign of rank, power in certain communities, and a symbol of big accomplishments in life; while others believe that inking your body will give you some kind of magical qualities. The Spaniards even called one of our tribes as "pintados" because our ancestors were covered with tattoos. Filipinas were also tattooed to enhance their beauty, for fertility, and to serve as means of clothing. We are living in a contemporary era and women don't get tattoos just because it looks hot and fierce, and definitely not because it is trendy. Women like to express themselves too through visual representations. Their way of expressing themselves might not be soothing to your eyes but you must also learn how to see more behind her tattooed skin. What you see are not just drawings or paintings on her body but she is entrusting us her personal story, a very important moment in her life, the most important person to her, and even her deepest memories that we are too blind to see. There are deeper meanings on each tattoo she gets and it is a form of an artistic expression. Tattoos are form of art not only because it is a form of illustration but because tattoos also require strong emotional commitment. A tattoo does not only imitate the subject that you want to put on your body but it also completes its deficiencies. Tattoos are our way of speaking the truth, and tattoos will always become mysterious. She is a tattooed woman. She is a form of art. And art is never ugly. SHARE THIS ARTICLE: |
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'es-theet' (n.) A person who affects great love of art, music, poetry, etc., and indifference to practical matters. El Esthete or The Aesthete in English, is where I share my Literary works, artworks, and everything else in between. Categories:
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