Tattoos aren't so Taboo Anymore

Society as a whole is moving forward and becoming more accepting of the
things that make us unique.  We are constantly growing in our acceptance
of diversity and our open mindedness.  Because of; celebrity influence, the gradual increase of people who don’t see tattoos as trashy but as artwork, and from the burning need to stand out, we have come to accept tattoos and change the status of what they mean.

It is natural for people to want to stand out amongst the crowd.  Over the past 50 years we have gone from rainbow decor clothing, to parachute pants, to tattoos, but the one thing that remains constant is one-upping the previous generation.  Back in the 60’s, the only people with tattoos were outcasts and the military.  Today, people of every class and occupation have one, even the well educated and businessperson.

I work with a Vietnam vet, and I asked him about tattoos back when he was
in the “conflict”.  He told me that the majority of tattoos were soldiers keeping kill counts.  If you look around today you see a plethora of tattoos on a very diverse group of people. The spread of tattoos has been a trickle effect, what started as the symbol of junkies, and has turned into a normal part of life for many businessmen and businesswomen.  

Earlier rock bands also increased the number of tattooed people.  The more fans saw their celebrity idols have tattoos; the more they realized how cool they were and wanted to express themselves in the same way.  Once more and more people saw that tattoos were art, and that you can have a tattoo without a “bad reputation”, it became acceptable for more people to have.

For women the acceptance has made even
greater strides.  If a woman had gotten a tattoo in the 60’s, it would be
assumed that she was “some crazy feminist”, but today, women of all
statuses can get them without ridicule from anyone.  As women have gone
further into the business world they have also taken great strides into
the “man territory” of the inked world.

(Word Count 352)

Tattoos aren't so Taboo Anymore

Society as a whole is moving forward and becoming more accepting of the things that make us unique.  Since the 60’s, we, as a society, have made great strides in women’s and minority’s rights.  Through accepting everyone’s differences, and looking for new ways to express themselves, we have become a lot more understanding about people modifying their bodies, specifically tattoos.

It is natural for people to want to stand out among the crowd. Over the past 50 years we have gone from rainbow decor clothing, to parachute pants, to tattoos, but the one thing that remains constant is one-upping the previous generation.  Back in the 1960’s having a tattoo was reserved for the outcasts, the bikers, and for the military.  Skip forward 50 years and you have tattooed people anywhere from rockers to soccer moms.  In the past 10 years there has been a dramatic increase in women with tattoos because the younger generations are more accepting, and people can stand out while showing what they feel through body art.

I work with a Vietnam vet, and I asked him about tattoos back when he was in the “conflict”, and he said the majority of tattoos were soldiers keeping kill counts.  If you look around today you see anything from memorials to flowers depicted on someone’s flesh.

The spread of tattoos has been a trickle effect, what started as the symbol of junkies has turned into a normal part of life for many businessmen and businesswomen.  For women the acceptance has made even greater strides.  If a woman had gotten a tattoo in the 60’s, it would be assumed that she was “some crazy feminist”, but today, women of all statuses can get them without ridicule from anyone.  As women have gone further into the business world they have also taken great strides into the “man territory” of the inked world.
(Word Count: 311)

The Love of a Lifetime

Is love only for adults?  I don't think so, and this is why I am telling this story.  When I was only 12 years old, I met the boy who was one day going to be my long term boyfriend and hopefully my husband.  It was the first day of soccer practice on the field when I met him.  We all were doing our drills, and I couldn’t help thinking about how nice and funny he was.  Since I had never had a crush before, I didn’t really think it was anything serious, but right away I just knew I liked him.  We played soccer together that whole season and developed our amazing friendship.  A few months later, after becoming really great friends, and right after my 13^th birthday, we started dating.  Deep down I just knew that we belonged together, even though everyone else was saying that it was just a silly crush and it wouldn’t last.  Our families humored us when we first started going out, but it was obvious that they thought that since we were just kids we knew nothing about love.  We dealt with that for a few years until they started realizing that we weren’t going anywhere.  We have gone through so many things with each other, good and bad, and we are more in love now than we have ever been.  We have been together for over five years now, and we can’t wait to get married as soon as college is over. 
 (Word Count 250)

  

Lauren's Life

My name is Lauren Anderson and I am from the lovely town of Glen Burnie.  I have lived here all my life and have enjoyed every minute of it with both of my parents, my sister, and a few animals along the way.  I went to catholic school since I was in the second grade, which I think has greatly influenced my life and all my choices.  One of the other main things I believe which has influenced my life greatly is rock music.  Since I was born that has ultimately been what has separated me from all of the other kids.  It gave me the chance to be individual when everybody else was listening to pop and rap.  One of my absolute favorite rock bands is called Avenged Sevenfold who does nothing but stand for individuality.  Listening to them is one of my favorite things to do, and makes up my style.  (Word Count: 153).