Pictured Above: Psychology senior Nathalie Dragwa has 31 tattoos and counting.
Molly Ryan | The Crow’s Nest
By Molly Ryan
For centuries, tattoos have been used as a means of self-expression and identification.
However, in modern years, tattoos have carried an inescapable stigma.
But with this rising generation championing more open and accepting values, tattoos are becoming less taboo and more “to do.”
A hub for tattoo shops, it’s no surprise that students in the Tampa Bay area are taking an interest in the permanent body art.
Madeleine Latimer, a USF Tampa junior in integrated public relations and advertising, said she never understood the stigma around tattoos.
“I saw them as permanent art, and I’ve always loved going to museums and making my own art, so I only felt it fitting to put art on my own body,” Latimer said. “I, in turn, can become a piece of art.”
To Latimer, the skeleton surrounded by flowers on her upper arm is much more than just a piece of impressive art – but a reminder of her strength.
Molly Ryan | The Crow’s Nest
“I have struggled with depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and body dysmorphia disorder,” Latimer said. “It caused me to fall into a dark place for a long time and I decided that my skeleton and flowers would be my very first tattoo.
“I got the skeleton to show where I have been in the past,” Latimer said. “It represents my struggles in life. The flowers and plants around it represent my growth from a bad place in my life. I look at this tattoo and it reminds me every day of the terrible situation I came from and how I overcame it and grew from it into the person I am today.”
Nathalie Dragwa, a senior psychology major, has been getting tattoos for years and believes they have helped her with personal development and growth.
“Tattoos give me confidence from trauma that I’ve experienced in the past and it has definitely helped me cope with that,” Dragwa said.
“All of my tattoos mean something to me, even if it’s something that I just looked at and thought I liked, but all of my tattoos are mine and they are a part of me, and I feel like I would not be the same person if I had no tattoos on my skin right now. They help define me and they are so important to me.”
Dragwa recently got a new tattoo – her 31st – on her upper arm.
“I just got this outline of the ‘Wish You Were Here’ album cover by Pink Floyd because it’s the song I have with my dad and he’s my best friend, so I got this tattoo as a tribute to him,” Dragwa said.
Ana Miranda, a freshman psychology major, also has tattoos that honor her relationship with her family.
Molly Ryan | The Crow’s Nest
Miranda recently got a sun and moon on her ribs (considered by many one of the most painful spots to get tattooed) for her second tattoo – the imagery representing her parents.
“I have always viewed (my parents) as complete opposites,” Miranda said. “My mom has always said that if she ever got a tattoo that she would get a sun.”
Miranda said her tattoos gained meaning through her experience, as well.
“Growing up, I came to realize that getting the tattoo itself us going to create a new memory and keeping that memory on your body is really what makes the experience meaningful,” Miranda said.
Despite many holding prejudices, Dragwa says she is beginning to see change in the public perception of tattoos.
“I feel like tattoos are becoming more accepted every day because if you sit down and talk to someone with tattoos, you can learn their entire life story just from the artwork on their body,” Dragwa said. “I definitely am a big advocate for the acceptance of tattoos because I feel like they are such a personal part of each person’s life. I … cannot wait to be covered in art.”
Sophie Ojdanic contributed to this report.
