The Woman With the Dragonfly Tattoo
“I can’t imagine you without that tattoo,” said my good friend after seeing my new dragonfly tattoo for the first time. It is my fourth tattoo. The dragonfly with blue-green wings flies up the back of my left upper arm. The insect represents change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization. As humans, we undergo constant re-invention over the course of months, years, or decades. A tattoo stays with us through it all.
The evening after getting the new ink, I found myself out with a small group of friends. At the table, all five of us had tattoos. Three of us had multiple ones. I had gotten my first tattoo in my late twenties. One friend had gotten his first in his mid-thirties and now sporting two forearms and an upper arm with vibrant birds and sea life. Another friend at the table, who also happened to be a teacher, had a tattoo on her inner wrist that had been done by a former student.
Adorning your body with ink has become commonplace.
Jobs that used to bulk at hiring people with visible tattoos are finding it harder and harder to find people without any. The stigma of tattoos has faded away. They are less a sign of rebellion and more a symbol of creativity.
They are less a sign of rebellion and more a symbol of creativity.
