i recently got my first tattoo. it is the continent of africa with “one world” written in amharic on top. my parents are from ethiopia and i have a strong affinity to my culture and feel a very intrinsic connection with my african brothers & sisters. my tattoo was to symbolize — one love, one country, one nation, one people. anyway, my parents, having emigrated to the states over 30 years ago, are very conservative. they regard people with tattoos as dirty, rebels, uneducated, etc.
so imagine my mother’s surprise when i revealed my tat- oh gosh. she flipped! i’m way over the legal age or general age where you stop caring about what your parents think. however, it’s different in the ethiopian culture; you will always remain your parents’ little kid. anyway, after a couple of days of isolation and really ignorant verbal bashing from my parents, they are now at the - “fuck it” stage. they haven’t embraced my tat, but they aren’t going to disown me either.
if you are going to get a tattoo, think about what you want. let it marinate for a while and if you feel the same about it after some time has passed, then it’s meant to be. don’t be nervous about the social implication or pressure or expectations. like my boyfriend said: those who have tattoos are rebels, so don’t expect EVERYONE to be 100% in love with what you got.
tattoos are a form of artistic, personal, or political expression. it’s an expression, so make sure to mean what you say and to say what you mean!
