SKIN DEEP MAGAZINE • 25tiny human. As always, the analysis of why I really wanted
this tattoo came after its completion—I tend to opt for ink
impulsively and review the emotions behind my quick de-
cisions in the aftermath. With #nametattoo generating
over 100,000 results on the popular social media platform
Instagram, I wondered—why does anyone decide put the
name of someone on their body forever?
If we go back to the birth of modern tattooing, a sweet-
heart’s name in a simple heart is the embodiment of the
iconic traditional tattoo, something worn by sailors and
the military, today still representative of the ultimate
commitment, an irreversible decision that proves just
how far you’re willing to go to say ‘I love you for life.’ On the
other hand, lovers’ tattoos can sometimes endure a bad
rep—we’ve all seen the memes that poke fun at the creative
ways in which people have tried to cover over the names
of ex-wives, and anyone who wears the name of their life-
partner has no doubt endured the: “well, you’d best stay
together forever then!” comments.
Tattoos of our parents’ and chil-
dren’s names, or names of the de-
ceased, however, are different in that
they are often less critiqued for being
potentially regretful, but they could
also be labelled as potentially point-
less—if name tattoos are created to display a commitment
to the person, what is the point of a child’s name or some-
one who has passed away, i.e. those who aren’t going to ap-
preciate the gesture?
I think the answer to this lies in the recurring truth
that our tattoos aren’t always made for the sake of others
but more often send a statement to the rest of the world
and most importantly, to ourselves. There’s a reason why
I wanted my own son’s name tattoo to be in a non-tradi-
tional font, one which wasn’t necessarily easy to read on
first glance... because the only person who needed to know
what it said, is me. We celebrate people, living or dead, not
always for their own direct benefit, but often for our own.
As a human race, we have always liked to mark life’s
milestones in specific ways—from funeral and wedding
traditions to ritualistic birthday cards. What I like about
name tattoos is that, despite them still being so ubiqui-
tous today, they remain wildly exciting in their unique-with #nametattoo generating over
100,000 results on instagram, i wondered- why does anyone decide put the name of
someone on their body forever?