I Met Someone Covered in Tattoos: Body Art or Self Mutilation - Essay Example

1 Chauntelle Keilholtz Reflective Essay 9 March 2006 I Met Someone Covered in Tattoos: Body Art or Self Mutilation I arrived late for theparty on the boat, alone and nervous. I knew nobody there except the host. Looking around me I saw beautiful people, skimpily but fashionably dressed, it was a hot August night. Wearing a long tunic blouse and floor length skirt, I felt overdressed. I noticed a young guy, in his twenties, who wore a buttoned-up shirt and Levis. I was covered up to hide the bulges of my not-so-beautiful body, he had no need to do so, he looked good.

He nodded to me, smiled and soon we were talking like old friends. He was bright and funny and I found out he was a sailor on leave, a radio operator on a warship. I felt at ease, relaxed enough to ask why the buttoned-up shirt He looked at me with a mixture of defiance and shame, unbuttoned and took off his shirt. Some people, I remember, moved away and I felt somewhat embarrassed. oes this answer your questionhe asked, looking me straight in the eye.My feelings swung from fascination to repugnance.

Fascinated because the artwork on his body was quite beautiful, from the blood red roses on each upper arm, the anchor on his wrist, to the Cross of St. George flag adorning his back. Repelled too, by the imagined pain he must have endured as the needle went in and design and color applied to a living, breathing person. I remembered hearing reports of the damage and disease that tattooing and body piercing were causing, dreadful infections and even HIV. But Steven, as he was called, had been tattooed now for three years, with no ill effects.

2Within a few seconds, I settled for fascination and admiration. He had after all, followed a centuries-old naval tradition, as stated by a famous New York tattooist: Sailor without a tattoo is like a ship without grog: not seaworthy." (Samuel O'Reilly)And then I thought, how sad that both he and I felt it necessary to hide what society might consider unacceptable. Looking around, I saw tanned, slim bodies. I perceived much adornment and ornamentation, designer clothes, sparkling jewelery, shining lips and polished nails, oh, and the hair colors had little to do with Nature!

All these were not only acceptable, but desirable. I recall feeling a spurt of healthy anger, both with myself and the 'beautiful people' around me. Having believed from an early age that thin people were aesthetically better to look at, I had wasted years of my life trying to attain something always just out of reach. In the process, I lost my self-esteem and confidence as I failed to find a 'perfect body'. The media, my peers, my own perceptions, had all combined to make me forget that the important thing is what is within and not the facade.

What Steven had done to his body may also have been influenced by external forces, like tradition, peer group, the need to belong in a masculine fraternity by wearing the badges. He was proud, in the right company, of his body, and I began thinking, rightly so. But in the final analysis, neither of us wanted to stand out from this crowd, me because I felt inferior and he because he feared to give offense; my initial reactions had been nothing new to him. My decision was made, this was body art at its best, I told him so.

Beautiful pictures on a beautiful body, no need for shame. He rolled up his sleeves at my insistence and went to find us more drinks. The people who stared, nudged and whispered were the losers if all they could see was how we looked instead of who or what we were. There is no denying that it took a great deal of courage to do what he did, in the face of some hostility and ridicule. 3It taught me to be brave myself, and to stop beating myself up for my lack of perfection. Often I ask myself just what that is exactly and accept that nobody can be it.

The self-awareness gained in the experience I have just described has stood me in good stead; now I look at the inner person and am not so easily taken in by so-called beauty. What is frightening, however, is how these role models, perceptions and pressures can impact on vulnerable people, and the disastrous results such as bulimia and anorexia occur. I was lucky to meet that tattooed man and will always thank him for helping me understand the really important truths about life and how it should be lived.

And about beauty too. I hope he got something out of it too, I am sure he did.Works CitedA Concise History of Tatoos and Body Art 9 March 2006 http://geocities.com/history_of_tatoos/history_of_tatoo.htmlBody Image 9 March 2006 http://caringonline.com/eatdis/topics/bodyimage.htmOsborn, Andrew in Brussels The Guardian 31 July 2003 Health Risks Warning on Body Art Dyes 9 March 2006 http://ghchealth.com/health-products/phpprint.php