Why I Got It
A photo compilation of meaningful tattoos and the stories behind them
Story and photos by Hope Rasa
They say never to get a lover’s name tattooed. While thoughtful, it’s obvious what they mean. In the event of a breakup, that Times New Roman “Chelsea” on your neck might not look so good to you anymore. So get creative with meaningful tattoos instead. Get a tattoo of her favorite flower instead of getting Chelsea’s name in plain text. Meaningful tattoos aren’t always as obvious as “Chelsea.” Sometimes, people walk around with incredibly meaningful tattoos that look completely random to passersby. Something as simple as a flower can have a “Chelsea” behind it.
When Esther Davis’s mother was pregnant with her brother, she craved pomegranates. This pomegranate tattoo honors them both.
When Davis’ brother was born, their uncle gave them both a stuffed animal. Davis got an elephant, and ever since, they’ve been obsessed with elephants. “If I watch a video of elephants, I cry; I just really love elephants.”
After she dropped out of the University of Washington due to illness, Kacie Joe McDonald spent time in bed reading. One of the books she read was “The Bell Jar,” by Sylvia Plath. A metaphor from the book spoke to McDonald. “She’s going through a very difficult time and basically just drops into this monologue about how there are so many different paths you can take in life,” McDonald said. From “The Bell Jar,”: “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked.” This writing spoke to McDonald when she was in a transitional part of her life. “I was so caught up in this ‘who to be’ and ‘how many lives you can have’ and it was just the right time,” McDonald said.
Ky Barksdale has a semicolon tattoo. The symbol originates from Project Semicolon, an anti-suicide and mental health advocacy nonprofit founded by *Amy Bleuel in 2013. In an interview with The Mighty, Bluel explained that the semicolon represents perseverance. “...We see it as you are the author and your life is the sentence. You’re choosing to keep going,” Bleuel said in an interview with The Mighty in 2015. Barksdale and other members of her family have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Her sisters will also get semicolon tattoos when they turn 18. Barksdale added a butterfly wing to her tattoo because she works with kids. “If they see this weird little thing on my body, they’re gonna be like ‘what is that? What does it mean?’” This way, Barksdale said, the kids. “...don’t really recognize what it is, but they see a butterfly and they’re like ‘oh it’s really pretty’,”
Edie Krieger got a tiny question mark tattoo on her ankle while in Thailand teaching English. She got it with a few other kids her age. “It’s to find your ‘why?’ and to find your purpose,” Krieger said. “To remind yourself there’s always a greater thing to be working towards.” Right after high school, Krieger taught English in Ghana and ended up loving it so much, she took a gap semester working an internship in Thailand to get TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certified.
An intertwined chrysanthemum and delphinium run up and down Krieger’s ribcage. This tattoo is based on the children’s picture book “Chrysanthemum,” by Kevin Henkes. The book is about a little girl mouse named Chrysanthemum. “Everyone bullies her for her name. They’re like, ‘it’s too long. It’s weird. It doesn’t fit on a nametag; why are you named this?” Krieger said. Until Chrisanthemum’s beloved teacher reveals her name is “Delphinium” and defends her from the teasing. “And she’s like, ‘and I think that’s beautiful, and when I have a daughter, I’m naming her Chrysanthemum,’” Krieger said. The tattoo reminds Krieger not to care what anyone thinks and to surround herself with people who support her.