After another heated squabble between senior Archana Kakar and her older brother, the two finally reach a silent truce while watching their favorite show, “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” Perched on the couch, Kakar and her brother are mesmerized by the show’s flashing colors and the touching life lessons.
In these rare moments during quarantine, the two would take a break from their frequent arguments to silently watch the show, which served as a place of common ground at the time and created precious memories. Inspired by their shared fondness of the show, Kakar and her brother got matching tattoos of characters from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” over winter break. Kakar’s tattoo is of Appa, a fluffy sky bison, surrounded by clouds located on her left forearm, and her brother has Momo, a winged lemur. Kakar and her brother felt those two characters emulated their personalities the most — similar to her own personality, Kakar feels that Appa is very supportive and relaxed, contrasting with Momo’s chaotic and random nature that aligns with her brother’s personality.
Similarly, senior Alex Tashjian got a tattoo devoted to Christianity, on August 15th, for his 18th birthday. Located on his left forearm, Tashjian’s tattoo features an angel with three crosses below it with the words “HAVE NO FEAR” in red. Tashjian finds that Christianity keeps him levelheaded and improves his mindset, explaining that the tattoo represents a part of his life that drives him to be a good person and do the right things.
Tashjian emphasizes the importance of choosing a piece that is important and significant because having a tattoo is a big commitment. As a result, Tashjian stresses starting out with something small for a first tattoo — advice he notes he probably should have taken himself.
“You should start out subtle, just because you might not realize the consequences yet of having one at all, even if it looks cool on other people,” Tashjian said. “Know that you’ll have it on you for a good amount of time, so you can’t get tired of it since it’s a permanent decision.”
Literature teacher Lynn Rose agrees with Tashjian’s perspective, as she also says that permanence is a factor to consider. She highlights that a tattoo should carry emotional weight, in order to prevent later regrets. Rose has two tattoos decorating each forearm. On her right forearm is a thyme sprig she got in 2024 to symbolize the fortitude and courage she displayed during a difficult time of her life.
“I got my thyme sprig because I got divorced after a 30-year marriage to my high school sweetheart,” Rose said. “That was really hard and I’m mostly healed from that, so it has changed a little bit and from an ‘I got through this divorce’ to ‘I did that,’ and now I can be independent on my own.’”
She got her second tattoo in 2023 with her adult child Beck, who suggested the idea and designed the drawing: a globe and a spaceship with the phrase “I love you all the way to outer space” in Beck’s handwriting. The two have been saying this phrase to each other since Beck’s infancy. Beck’s arm has the same design with the other half of the phrase – “even if there is no ending” – in Rose’s handwriting. Their tattoos complete each other and serve as an amplification of their familial bond.
“Of course it’s permanent, so you have to be OK with that,” Rose said. “If I think about it, the permanence is this reminder that I’m always going to be close with my child because I have their handwriting on my arm. So in a sense that’s solidifying; we know we love each other.”
Like Rose, Kakar also feels that the permanence that comes with a tattoo sets it apart from other art and increases its significance, being very difficult or expensive to erase. For her, it deepens her bond with her brother and represents all the times she has recalled him supporting her, including her college application process, through every question she’s had about the process, Kakar credits her brother as the one to talk her through. Moments of panic or uncertainty throughout the journey have been with her brother’s support — making her tattoo a constant reminder of the important role he holds in her life.
“That there’s definitely other ways of self expression, but tattooing is a bit more permanent to me because it is on my skin forever,” Kakar said. “It means a lot more to me because it’s something that will be physically with me all the time. Whenever I’m upset and I look at this, I remember my brother being there for me multiple times throughout my life.”
However, Tashjian notes that the sentimental meaning that comes with permanence can also often be offset by the stigma around tattoos as “crazy,” since they are often viewed as rebellious. While he says it’s wise to begin with a smaller tattoo, he also believes that having visible tattoos doesn’t make anyone a rebellious or bad person. Kakar agrees, believing that people with tattoos should not be deemed “unprofessional” in a workplace, even though they frequently are. While both her parents have their own tattoos, they still encouraged Kakar to get something easily coverable for professional settings. Kakar condemns this harmful stereotype, as she opposes the belief that her father’s multiple tattoos inhibit him from working at a large company or make him less professional and less qualified in his field.
“I don’t think that I am more unprofessional now that I have a tattoo,” Kakar said. “In fact, I think it shows that I have a lot of commitment, because this is going to be on my body forever and I was able to go through pain and say it was worth something in the end.”
