2008 Woodie Awards
Creative expression can come in all forms
Ashley Bonora
Issue date: 2/9/06 Section: Features
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How do you show your creative expression? Many young adults are using clothing, music, or more recently, body art. The craze over tattoos is booming.
Teens love the idea of tattooing their young skin with symbols, Chinese words, and fairies. Tattoos from an outsiders perspective are either looked upon as 'really cool', or just plain tacky.
People get tattoos for a number of reasons. Ranging from spiritual or emotional reasons, to those that tattoo their bodies on impulse. Deciding whether to get one and the meaning or sentiment behind it, is a personal choice.
"I have one tattoo. It's very special to me. It's the day that my grandfather died. We were very close and it's a constant reminder," said Stephanie Serenita, freshman, Merrick, N.Y.
"I have what's called a Kanji symbol. It means a lot to me. A bunch of my friends and I got the same one in the same place on our calf during high school. It's a great way to keep me connected to all of my closest friends," said Mike DelViscovo, junior, Boston, Mass.
Tattoos are one of the most popular ways to express one's personal feelings and emotions that may not be the easiest to express through words, and it's a way to be creative.
Expression through tattoos has been a huge hit, especially when the younger generation sees celebrities like Travis Barker of Blink 182 and "Meet the Barkers" on MTV, whose body is camouflaged by an array of multi-colored designs and creations.
Although the creative aspect, the cool-factor, and the meaning behind tattoos are what drive a person to get ink, it also seems that some feel it is a way to break away from the dependence of their parents and really let the mini-rebellion in them loose.
Many college students get tattoos at the age of 18 because it is a way to show individuality and creativity, but to also show their parents they are growing up, and there is nothing they can do about it.
It may not be typical or usual, but this is definitely one of the most commonly and often used tactics to show a person's expression.