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Tattoos are a way of taking control over a major aspect of our life we have very little take on: our bodies. By adorning it with lines and color, newly found beauty can sprout from skin that we may have some trouble accepting in the first place. This is a magical transformation with profound effects. We asked people on Reddit's sub r/tattoo to share their stories of how their body perception changed once they got their inks. Tattoos as a Shield: Overcoming Societal Expectations and Bullying For many individuals, societal expectations and bullying can lead to a damaged self-image and a lack of confidence. Our first story illustrates how tattoos can act as a protective shield, allowing individuals to reclaim their bodies from negative societal influences. By covering scars and transforming their body into a canvas of beautiful art, tattoos shift the focus from perceived flaws to intricate designs. This transformation significantly boosts self-esteem and body positivity, enabling individuals to embrace their appearance with newfound confidence. Tattoos become a means of healing and empowerment, fostering a sense of pride and self-acceptance. Clean-Ad-8872 says: I am extremely self-conscious of my body. I’m short, chubby, and I have an apron belly and quite broad shoulders. Couple that with a pretty vast collection of SH scars, I would wear long sleeves even in the middle of the summer in the American South. I started getting tattooed when I was about 18 and I now have most of my body covered. Being covered in beautiful art has made me so much more confident - if they’re looking at me, they’re looking at my tattoos, not my body. It just makes my body look better to me, too. Many of my arm and leg tattoos cover the SH scars, so now I’m not worried at all about wearing tank tops, shorts, or even the occasional crop top! My self-confidence skyrocketed when I got my sleeves done, and it’s been on an upward trajectory since. I’ll even wear a bikini (high-waisted) and feel confident on the beach. Tattoos helped heal my mental image that was damaged by societal expectations and years of bullying. Empowerment Through Choice: Gaining Control Over One's Appearance Our second story highlights the empowering aspect of choosing to get tattoos. For those with physical features they feel self-conscious about, such as a facial birth defect, the act of getting tattooed can provide a sense of control and personal agency. Tattoos offer a way to redefine one's relationship with their body, turning it into a source of pride and admiration. This empowerment through choice can be profoundly healing, allowing individuals to see themselves in a more positive light and appreciate the unique art they have chosen to display. unlovelyladybartleby says: I have a facial birth defect, and mirrors are not something I enjoy. But now that I have full sleeves, I catch myself actually looking in mirrors to admire my ink. Being able to choose part of my appearance and have control over my body was very powerful and healing for me. Transforming Negative Attention: Turning Stigma into Admiration For our third testimonial, tattoos served as a transformative tool to change the narrative around a birthmark that attracted negative attention. By integrating the birthmark into a beautiful tattoo, she was able to shift the focus from stigma to admiration. The positive reactions to her tattoo replaced the dirty looks and ignorant comments with compliments and appreciation. This transformation underscores the power of tattoos to redefine how others perceive us and, more importantly, how we perceive ourselves. That1Chick04 says: I have a splotchy wine birthmark on my neck/chest that never bothered me until I got older (kinda looks like a hickey) In high school I had a school nurse ask what was on my neck and when I told her it was my birthmark she rolled her eyes and said “oh sure”. Always had little old ladies giving me dirty looks after seeing it. Then the last straw happened while I was working at a clothing store. I was helping a woman and she said “girl, who torn you up last night?!” I had no idea what she was talking about so she motioned to her neck and I laughed and said “oh that’s my birthmark” to which she replied “yeah right honey, good cover”. Done! Went a few weeks later to have it covered. I had a great artist that did roses with a red wash. You can still see the birthmark through it which was intentional, using the wine color of it. Turned out perfect and now instead of getting dirty looks or ignorant comments, everyone comments how beautiful my tattoo is. Greatest decision ever! Embracing Unique Body Features: Celebrating Natural Differences Our next testimonial reveals how tattoos can help individuals embrace and celebrate their unique body features. Having large calves, which once caused self-consciousness, became a source of pride and beauty when adorned with custom tattoo art. Tattoos can transform body features that might otherwise be a source of insecurity into celebrated and admired elements of one's appearance. This shift in perspective encourages body positivity and self-acceptance. bh8114 says: I am a woman who has very large calves. And it’s not weight. Whether I’m heavier or in great shape (I have been both) my calves are huge and muscular. Large to the point of a stretch straight-leg pants fits me like a skinny jean. I’ve always been extremely self-conscious of this. One day I was getting a half sleeve at the tattoo shop I go to and the subject of open real estate on the body came up. I mentioned my calves but said I liked to keep them covered. After some conversation with them and some encouragement to shift my thinking into that being a large canvas I started thinking about a calf piece. I now have one custom enchanted tiki room piece that covers my entire left calf. Now if I wear something that shows my legs I no longer think about if someone is thinking “wow, she has huge calves” because I know they are probably focused on the art. I am now trying to decide what I want to have on the other side. Reclaiming Body Image: Healing from Eating Disorders and Negative Comments For those struggling with eating disorders and negative body image, tattoos can be a form of reclaiming their body and self-image. The process of getting tattooed can be therapeutic, offering a sense of control and personal expression that fosters a positive self-concept. Additionally, the supportive community of tattoo artists and enthusiasts can provide a nurturing environment that promotes mental well-being. Through tattoos, individuals can discover a deeper connection to their true selves and a lifelong passion for body art. SovereignJWS says: I’ve struggled with an eating disorder and weight gain. This has caused me to receive negative comments from loved ones close to me, and getting tattoos helped me reclaim my body and take control of my own image. This boosted my confidence and allowed me to discover the idea of my true self in a way that I never knew was possible. For me, there is a therapeutic nature to the entire process. I also discovered just how vast, yet closely associated, my local community of tattooers is. This provided me with a positive sense of community that was tremendously beneficial for my mental health. I quickly saw the beauty in the collaborative process between client and artist. Tattooing is a form of art unlike any other, because each piece literally becomes a part of you. For me, a tattoo is way more personal and intimate than having a nice painting on my wall could ever be. I didn’t expect any of this when I got my first tattoo, but I’ve discovered a lifelong passion. Living Canvas: Mapping Personal Stories and Achievements When getting tattoos, people can perceive their body as a living canvas, with each piece representing personal stories, achievements, and memories. This perspective highlights how tattoos can serve as a visual narrative of one's life, mapping out experiences and emotions in a permanent, meaningful way. By seeing their body as a work of art, individuals can develop a stronger sense of self-love and confidence, celebrating the unique journey that their tattoos represent. rosecoloredgasmask says: This is probably gonna sound pretentious, but I see myself as a living canvas to display art on. My tattoos are art I love, and they also work to map out who I am. My memories, my losses, my achievements, my good times, my bad times, my aesthetics, my passions, reminders for myself. Even if I just get a flash piece off the wall it means something to me. I don't believe any tattoos are truly meaningless, even if it's not a custom piece, it still says something about who you are. As a result, my tattoos make me love my body more. I love looking at them, having work made that fits like a puzzle piece. It's given me more confidence in my appearance. It's allowed me to become a living work of art, I like to think. Overcoming Medical Scars: Turning Trauma into Art In our next story, we're told about how an experience with a sternal scar from open heart surgery demonstrates how tattoos can help individuals overcome the psychological impact of medical scars. By covering the scar with a tattoo, they were able to transform a source of trauma and negative self-image into a beautiful piece of art. This transformation provides relief and freedom from the constant reminder of their medical history, allowing them to embrace their body with confidence and without fear of judgment. grettlekettlesmettle says: I have a sternal scar from open heart surgery when I was a kid. It's very noticeable: raised, red, goes just below the collarbone to just above the navel. It's hard to articulate how much having a sternal scar like that fucks with your self-image. When you're a kid, other kids treat you like an actual monster. When you're an adolescent and everyone else around you starts wearing v-necks and bikini tops and learning how to like living in their new bodies, you can't join in because everyone will be staring. Every clothing choice revolves around hiding the scar. Every time you catch it in the mirror it reminds you that you are supposed to be dead. Your body is a staple of horror movies. I started saving for plastic surgery when I was nine. I cried for days when my family doctor sat me down and told me that it's not possible to do anything with the type of scarring I have. I've had people dump me after I take my shirt off. I got a tattoo over it. My artist said that you really only have to wait six months after a tattoo to go over it. She was right. It functionally disappeared. Instant relief. Instant. It's been six years and I just don't think about my body as a negative anymore. I don't have to fret over necklines. I can go swimming without panicking over who's staring at me. The people I date think the tattoo is hot. I don't get aggressive questions about it. I don't get random people treating me like a freak or weirdos coming up to me in the grocery store saying God must have had a plan for me. I got another tattoo near my shunt scar recently and now it's hey cool there's a tattoo there and not oh right another reminder that I might need a heart transplant. It's great. Healing Through Pain: Finding Beauty in Chronic Illness For our final story, we hear how dealing with chronic illness and pain underscores the therapeutic aspect of tattoos. For those whose bodies have been a source of pain and betrayal, the process of getting tattooed can be a way to regain control and find beauty in their physical form. Tattoos can serve as a reminder of resilience and strength, helping individuals to reconnect with their bodies in a positive and meaningful way. The integration of personal elements, such as the ashes of a beloved pet, adds an extra layer of significance to the art, deepening the connection to their tattoos and their body. kimberlycannabis says: I’ve been struggling with chronic illness and severe chronic pain since I was 13 years old. My body constantly betrayed me, and I made it my mission through my teenage and early adult years to disconnect and dissociate myself as much as I could from it. That meant partying, drugs, and choosing people that I knew didn’t truly choose me back. When I was 23 I was diagnosed with another chronic illness. I became addicted to doctor-prescribed fentanyl because they didn’t know what else to do about my pain. I was finally able to snap out of that downward spiral, and went through years of therapy to learn to love myself and my body. I’d like to say that my body and I are friends now, and working on deepening that friendship as time goes on. I started a large piece on my left side/thigh/ribs that is “memento mori” themed (“remember, you die”) as a reminder that life is short and I can’t go the rest of it hating the vessel I live in, even though it definitely does still betray me at times. The process of getting tattooed has allowed me to feel in control of my pain, and have it result in something truly beautiful. It also has my cat's ashes in it, which makes it extra meaningful to me. Beauty After Pain We cannot choose our bodies, just as we can't choose our pains. But we can choose what to do with it, and find the means to convert them into our innermost strengths. Tattoos can play a beautiful part in helping people reclaim their bodies as their own, choosing their aesthetics and skin adornments. They can truly help us find beauty after pain.

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