In our society today there are people from all races, ethic groups, and social backgrounds. Sadly, a lot of the time, these differences create hate and prejudice rather than education. I never really fit into a group where I felt people might judge me before I spoke, that is until I started body modification. Most of my good friends were intrigued, but still loved me for who I was as an individual. Fellow pierced and tattooed accepted me as one of their own. All in all, I thought the BME community would be one of the most open-minded found anywhere in the world. I was wrong.
At A Glance Author Becca Contact [email protected] When N/A I had e-mailed BME with my rook experience, which also mentioned my other current mods-2 tattoos, 1 navel piercing, and 8 varied ear piercings. Eagerly I waited for my confirmation account mail to be sent. I couldn't wait to surf the members only pages on the site! However, what I found waiting for me greatly upset me and made me think twice about the people in this group.
It seems that when you submit a story, there are voluteer reviewers of it. On the e-mail that I received, there were about 5 different comments from different people who had read over my experience. There was the one about the dreaded clamps, the one about how my writing was well worded, and then there was THE comment. "16 with 2 tattoos! You must have not thought these out very well!" I was shocked, but also amused at this person's apparent ignorance. I wrote a rather stern e-mail in reply but I think it was lost in the process.
Anyways, here is where my ranting comes in. Yes, I am a teenager, and yes, I do have 2 tattoos. However, implying that since I am young I cannot make a well-thought out decision is personally very insulting. I am not stupid. I realize that a tattoo is permanent and that whatever I choose to get etched into my skin will stay with me for better or for worse. It took me about 2 years of research on both the design and procedure for my 1st tattoo and my father, who also has 2 tattoos, was there for me every step of the way. I checked out the studio before hand and would not get it done there unless I felt it was clean, friendly, and professional. I also chose small to medium sized tasteful designs in discreet places. If I regretted anything, which I would take upon myself as my own fault, I would still be able to cover them up. Deciding to get a tattoo was no different then some of the other major decisons I had already made at this point in my life such as moving in wi th my father, choosing a college, buying a car. Even if those were not permanent, I still used the same logic to go about deciding them.
I can see where a person might cringe at someone so young doing something so major to their bodies. Not all teenagers have the maturity level to go about this in a safe and responsible way. One example I am reminded of is a girl in my Humanities class. Prancing in one afternoon with a huge backpiece that spelled "Laydee Laos" in cursive letters (she was Laotian), she had no idea what to do for aftercare and continued to scratch some of the color out of her fresh tattoo. Not only did she receive bad instructions, it was poorly done. This is where common sense comes in. Some teens have it, others don't. I would die a slow painful death before I let an undeducated, inexperienced person tattoo me! Still, there is no right to assume I am one of these types of people unless you take the time to get to know me first.
Basically, my point is that you should take the time to think before speaking, or writing out an e-mail. There are plenty of things in the body modification world that I don't agree with and would never dream of doing, but I still respect that those people feel they should do that to their OWN bodies. Respect people, and maybe just maybe, that same respect will be returned. Telling a person what is right for their own bodies or lifestyle, is liking telling someone not to believe in God, or to worship the Devil. Some subjects you just don't touch, and if you do, you should do so in an extremely cautious manner. I would never tell the Laotian girl that her tattoo was a piece of you know, but by educating her about the aftercare steps and what her healing tattoo should look like, I have already begun to turn her thinking around in a positive, constructive way.