Appellant's Brief

Tattooing

I've been bugging my sister to get a tattoo on her birthday. Just to convince her, I told her I'd pay for it, sort of a birthday present. She finally said she would do it.

I've been convincing my wife forever to get a tattoo. She finally said she might do it. I'm hoping she does.

My brother, on the other hand, is itching to get another one. He already has three different images tattooed on his body. Come to think of it, I'd probably cover myself in tattoos if I had a body like his.

Anyways. Moving on. I wonder why I've been trying to get my sis and my wife to get inked. I read up on the art of tattooing, and wasn't really surprised to find out that it's a multi-cultural thing. Tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of status, and symbols of religious and spiritual devotion. In some cultures, tattoos also serve as decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility. But what about today? The art of tattooing has entered mainstream culture and is, for the most part, simply considered decorative.

I got one only about a year ago. Before I finally decided to get one, I spent years looking for a design that I liked. I couldn't find a design that I was ready to permanently etch on my skin, so I made one.

The figures are runic symbols representing my name and the names of my wife and two sons.

I remember how it felt like the moment I walked out of the tattoo parlor.
It felt like graduation day. It felt like a lazy Sunday afternoon. It felt like a swing from a sand trap to the green. It felt like freedom.

Pleaded by Appellant on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 @ 11:22 AM with 3 Objections