Mind Your Manners

As a child I was always taught to dot the I’s and cross the t’s. Always say please and thank you. Wash your hands before you come to the table to eat dinner. Make sure your hair is brushed and your clothes are respectable before you leave the house. Which means that things like tattoos and piercings were never really something that my brother or I really were exposed to until a little bit later in life.

Tattoos were always something that there was a stigma behind. If you had one you were a bad person and you meant trouble, you weren’t to be trusted and you definitely weren’t the employable type. Lucky things have changed, if only slightly!

I love them, Tattoos, Piercings, and I have several of both, much to my parent’s disgust. I’ve always wanted a lip piercing, but their big thing was no piercings on your face. Although society has shifted and moved on the idea of both and they are more accepted, I still tend to get ones that people can’t really see. .

Still, I have always been a bit iffy about them, and how they might affect me in my career, its weird how putting something on your skin, or through your skin, can affect the way that people perceive you. I’m always a little bit surprised when someone tells me about something that they have, when they don't seem like the kind of person that would get some ink. Everyone has a little piece of themselves that they keep hidden or only show to a few people and I feel very honoured that people want to show me that side of them...makes me feel really special.

I got my first piercing when I was 17 and 50 weeks old (precise I know!)....I had asked mum if I could get it done...and she said only when I turn 18...even then she didn’t really approve of it. I spoke to the Tattoo Shop about it and they said because it was so close they would do it for me (I wanted it to heal by my birthday) Work even let me take the afternoon off to do it...it was my first experience...and while it hurt...I had the bug and I couldn’t wait to do it again!

1 week after my 18^th come my first tattoo, two little butterflies on my left hip. One of my best friends got exactly the same one, it was a little bit special. About 6 months after that I got another piercing, and then another one, and then another one...Until I had 9 in total. 3 pairs in my ears, tragus, cartilage, belly button, two in my tongue and a few I care not to mention. As I have got older I slowly let go of some of the more outrageous ones, because they caused a little bit of trouble, so besides my ear ones I only have 1 other. It’s still insanely addictive and I would love to get some different ones, but I have sensitive skin and get infections from every type of metal. It gets a little bit expensive when you have to fill so many holes.

As for tattoos, I have 5. The first one was on my hip which I described earlier, my next one was at 19 and on my lower back (tramp stamp) and marked the freedom and fun that I was having at that age. My next one was on my upper back, between my shoulder blades, a little tribal piece which symbolised finding and experiencing my first love. All of these ones are easily hidden under my clothes and I got my next one 4 years later and it was the first one that was out in the open for everyone to see. I actually really, really love this one. It’s a little one on my foot and it symbolised finding my prince charming and moving on to the next stage of my life. I was always a little bit nervous of how people would see me in regards to this one, judging me maybe because of the ink on my skin. Which makes my next one a little bit surprising.

I nearly had second thoughts about them, when the tattooer asked me where I worked and if they would mind about them. It really made me think twice. It’s not like I just woke up and decided that I was going to get them, I had been thinking about it for quite a while, never the less, the comment really made me think twice.

Are people going to think of me differently because I have a pink bow on each thumb? Am I going to be treated like a second class citizen because of it? The answer in my opinion is no. You can’t judge my moral character or my work ethic by what I look like. I have a friend that has more piercings in her face then an echidna, stretchers, an undercut and drawn on eyebrows. She looks rough as. She works in government and is crazy good at her job. She is also the sweetest, most sensitive person in the world. Just shows that you can’t really judge a person by what they look like.

And I wont lie, when I first seen my man, I noticed his smile then his tattoos. I’m a sucker for them. There is nothing better than a muscular arm with a sleeve. It’s just so attractive.

I guess the issue here is that society still tends to judge people on their ink and their piercings and they really shouldn’t. Whilst it is an extension of who we are...it shouldn’t be the MEASURE of who we are.

We all have a different fingerprint, voice, personality, even our arms aren’t the same length. We should all continue to express our individuality. Don't let society force you to conform to their ideals.

Be proud of who you are...I’m proud of who I am...body art and all J

My Foot Tattoo - One of my Favourites - 23 Years Old



The Second Tattoo I Got - Drawn Up By Me - 19 Years Old



Latest and Favourite Tattoo - 24 Years Old



The First Tattoo I Ever Got - 18 Years Old



My Upper Back Tattoo - 20 Years Old