The Women With The Coy Fish Tattoo

As I was growing up, my father restricted tattoos in my family. They were not allowed what so ever! He strongly believed that they were a symbol of negativity and with a tattoo you were not able to get a good job. None of my parents have tattoos themselves, so I always thought of them as no good. Now that I’ve grown into a young adult I’ve come to realize that some professionals have tattoos themselves. Today I interviewed Deseree Garcia, a 32 year old Respiratory Therapist at Torrance Memorial Hospital. She has a tattoo herself and this is her story.

Deseree Garcia, a 32 year old Respiratory Therapist at Torrance Memorial Hospital was interviewed today by me. I asked her several questions regarding her Coy Fish tattoo that is located on her right arm. One of the questions that were asked to her was, “why did you place your tattoo on your right arm?” she giggled and replied “I wanted it to be exposed to the public.” According to Deseree, she does not have any regret towards her tattoo of the Coy Fish. Although she does sometimes think about her wedding day and how her tattoos are going to throw off her wedding dress look.

          She repeatedly stated that her Coy Fish tattoo was one of her favorite tattoos. I asked her what the Coy Fish tattoo symbolized and she calmly answered “My son is half Japanese, and the Coy Fish symbolizes his Japanese culture, strength, luck, and fortune.” I questioned Deseree Garcia if people look at her any different because of her tattoo and she answered, “They’re actually surprised I have tattoos myself because they’re rarely exposed at work, they usually ask me why would I permanently mark my body and I just let them say their opinions.” Deseree seems to not really mind exposing her tattoo because she is a professional with a degree and a permanent job.

          I, myself strongly have the belief that tattoos are cute but not to be marked on your body. When I saw Deseree’s tattoo I thought it symbolized good luck. I not once thought about the Japanese culture, I just thought she maybe liked the design. The tattoo she has is really colorful and detailed which made me think she just got it because she wanted a cool looking tattoo. Well I guess my assumptions were completely wrong!

          Tattoos can either have a positive or negative connotation on someone depending on how they were raised, ethnicity, or religion. I, myself am Catholic and was raised by my father that tattoos have a negative connotation. As you can clearly see, even a professional has tattoos but she can tell you her, that they do look unprofessional and should be hidden during work hours. Now I see tattoos differently because they don’t make you a better or worse person. Tattoos are just a form of expression for people.