Tattoos (revised) (p.s wasnt able to interview my dad, hes been working shutdowns [16 hr shifts] and i dont get home till 1 in the morning from work so i was screwed this whole week)

               

“Why did you get the tattoo?”

“She means my life and it shows how much I love her.”  

There are many stories behind the ink in people’s bodies, and there are different views in how society see’s tattoo. I live in the city of Long Beach and if you have a tattoo and if your black or Hispanic, the police with racial profile you. They will think you are up to no good, harass you and ask you questions like, “are you on probation”.

“What do you think people think about the tattoo?”

“I know I might get stereotyped as a criminal, as a Mexican girl gang member but I really don’t care, I know what I am and what I am not.”

Tattoos are a way of art of self expression and are not always negative, some have a lot of meaning for people. For Guadalupe Ceballos (Lupe for short), her tattoo shows how much she loves her 6 year old daughter Allison. Lupe’s tattoo is Allison’s name on her upper back. When Lupe was pregnant she wanted to have a girl. As Lupe went to her Doctor appointments they said it was most likely going to be a boy. Lupe was excited when she found out it was no longer going to be a boy but a girl, this is what lead her to tattoo the name Allison in upper back or back of the neck.

“Why did you chose the back of your neck?”

“I chose it on the back of my neck because I didn’t want it to be visible when im out looking for a professional job, it makes me seem ghetto and unprofessional.”

 

This Is Lupe’s first and only tattoo and she isn’t planning on have one anytime soon, her only reason for another tattoo is if she has another child.

                When I saw the tattoo my first prediction was it must be one of her family members name, apparently I was correct. I came to this prediction because when someone has a person’s named tattooed it’s usually there mom, dad, son, or daughter’s name. When I found out what the tattoo meant, I thought that is a valid reason for getting permanent ink on your body.  In my opinion, if a person is going to get a tattoo, it should have a story behind it or a meaning.  

                When Hispanics have tattoos society usually stereotypes a person as a criminal or an “other”, society looks down upon them, although today tattoos are influenced threw media. Today models, celebrities, professional athletes, hip-hop artists, singers, etc. mostly have tattoos and it is influencing society that tattoos are the new trend, that it is becoming normal now. Everyone knows Little Wayne, (he isn’t a good rapper), Wiz Khailfa, Tyga, famous hip-hop & rap artist that are tatted from there face down to their legs. When we see them in music videos, our perception of tattoos change, we think it makes us look cool, rather than caring what people will think if we had those tattoos. Maybe we might get girls like they do in the videos, is probably another idea that comes to mind. Kobe, a basketball player known around the globe has tattoos and no one labels him as a black, gang banger. If he weren’t a pro basketball player, society’s perceptions would be different.

                I would say Lupe’s tattoo doesn’t make her seem down upon on, it is barely visible. The tattoo isn’t a gang related tattoo, or it is not a ridiculous tattoo of something like a dolphin smoking weed.  Tattoos allow a person to express themselves, it is a form of art of self expression in one view, in another view, tattoos are suspicious, criminal related, not loyal. If Lupe had her up in a ponytail and someone saw her tattoo, they would think she was trouble since it is on the back of her neck, I would think that if I seen her walking around my neighborhood. Everyone is going to judge, but it is unfair and we shouldn’t be so quick to judge if a person is untrust worthy, a criminal, a bad person if they have tattoos. I see them as normal and more acceptable today in society then back in the days. Lupe is a single mother, lives alone with her daughter and works to provide for her. She lives for Allison and she is Lupe’s world. Lupe has never been in a gang, a criminal, or a “bad” person. Lupe graduated high school, and went to college. But no one would’ve none that if they saw her in the street with her up and saw her tattoo, someone would’ve profiled her as another criminal statistic.