Corissa's Interview

What is your tattoo?

I have 3 tattoos. The first is a silhouette of a reef shark with some waves surrounding it on the back of my left hip. The second is a cluster of three hearts with filigree on the front of my left hip. The third is a swallow on the front of my right hip.

What prompted you to get this tattoo? 

The shark I had been thinking about it for a while before I got it and ultimately decided to get it because I have a huge respect for and have been fascinated with sharks since I can remember. Hell, my favorite movie is Jaws.  The hearts are something that my mom, sister, and I got together as a remembrance of our relationship before my sister got married. She wanted to get tattoos together as opposed to having a “bachelorette” shindig. The swallow I got because I have a huge devotion to my family and in the coming years my family will be growing. The hearts were a good symbol of my sister, mom, and I, but I wanted something that encompassed all of my family.

What special meaning or significance does this tattoo have to you? 

The shark doesn’t hold much significance other than that I love sharks. The hearts are significant because it always makes me think of my mom and sister and it is something that will always tie us three together. The swallow is significant because it reminds me of how important my family is, but it also represents the coming together of my family and my fiancé’s family into our family (yellow and blue combine to make green). 

Do you regret getting a tattoo?

Nope

Do you feel like you are judged or excluded from activities because of your tattoo? Why or Why not?

I do not; mainly because I decide whether or not the tattoos can be seen. 

Do you feel people with tattoos are generally accepted in this day and age? Why or why not?

I feel like they are generally accepted by people our age (18-25) but they are not completely accepted by individuals older than that. For instance, there are many professional settings where people still don’t accept tattoos that are visible. Ultimately, I think that tattooing is a fad right now that may die out or could become more popular as time goes on, which would also increase the number of poorly done tattoos. There are certain tattoos in certain placements that are accepted moreso than others, but generally I think the acceptance of tattoos has increased more recently. 

If you could do it all over again, would you get this same tattoo and same placement? Why or why not?

Yes. Despite that the areas may stretch when I become pregnant in some years, I like the placement of the hearts and swallow because they are somewhere that I can conceal if I want to and they are visible to me, which is important to me. I like the placement of the shark because it is slightly more visible than the other two and it is the tattoo with the least personal meaning. All of the tattoos are things that I have carefully considered before getting them so I wouldn’t want to change anything about them. Even if I didn’t like them as much, I wouldn’t want to change what they are because it was obviously something that was important enough for me to get at some point, so if anything it is a reminder of who I was at that point of my life.

Do you plan on getting any more tattoos? If so, what are your ideas (if you have any)? 

Yes. I would like a lizard with the word “Ahimsa” and a celtic tree of life.

Tattoo Encyclopedia: The heart symbol has an obvious meaning of love and affection. The tattoo encyclopedia mentions that the shark tattoo traditionally emphasizes their teeth or their fins, signifying their threat to man as well as the knowledge that they are always below the surface. Birds traditionally have positive associations in mythology, but the tattoo encyclopedia doesn't have any specific meaning for a sparrow.