With or Against the Grain

With the Grain
In “On Teenagers and Tattoos,” published in the Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Andrés Martin brilliantly explores the realm of reasons behind teenage tattooing. He opens our eyes to the possibility that tattoos among teenagers are more than a fad or form of rebellion, but more so a bold statement about whom they are as individuals. Dr Martin’s publication gives several solid reasons why teenagers get tattoos, making it hard to refute him. His first reason is tattoos give teenagers a sense of uniqueness; making them stand apart from their peers and helping them stand out as individuals in a society that can be authoritarian and unfavorable. Boldly stating this is my unique self and I am like no other. Martin’s second acknowledgement is that teenager often get tattoos to remember and solidify a specific person, time, event or place that has an importance in their life. I was a witness to this very act a few months ago, when my sister and her two best friends graduated high school. They each got a tattoo that link the other two, to remember their special bond, knowing that they are all off to separate colleges. His final reason behind teens getting tattoos is for a sense of belonging. “Tattoos can be a readily available source of grounding,”[120] acting as a steady ground in a world of constant change and turmoil. “Adolescents’ bodily decoration, at times radical and dramatic in their presentation, can be seen in terms of figuration rather than disfigurement,” is an excellent way to look at tattoos among teenagers and a great way to sum up this article.

Against the Grain
In “On Teenagers and Tattoos,” published in the Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr. Andrés Martin explores the realm of reasons behind teenage tattooing without thinking about the future of these teenagers. Martin gives us several reasons why teenagers get tattoos, basically saying that we as adults should okay them and almost encourage them. His first reason is tattoos give teenagers a sense of uniqueness; making them stand apart from their peers and helping them stand out as individuals in a society that can be unfavorable and authoritarian. So does, joining a sports team, getting involved in student government or finding something they are good at and doesn’t permanently mark their bodies making it hard to get decent jobs at adults. Martin’s second acknowledgement is that teenagers often get tattoos to remember and solidify a specific person, event, time, or place that has an importance in their life. Realistically this is true for all ages that get tattoos, and is probably one of the main reasons behind most of them. His final reason behind teens getting tattoos is for a sense of belonging. There are a thousand reasons why teenagers get tattoos, but should we really be telling their parents to embrace it, without making their children fully aware of the future consequences outside their adolescent lives?

Works Cited
Martin, Andrés. “On Teenagers and Tattoos.” Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Rpt. in The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing. John D. Ramage, John C. Bean, and June Johnson. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 2006. 118-121.