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The walls were covered with them - Chinese symbols, butterflies, tribal art, roses and skulls. Tattoos engulfed the space of Andromeda, a tattoo parlor on St. Mark's Place where countless numbers of people go to get works of art permanently etched onto their bodies.
According to U.S. News and World Report, an estimated half of all 18 to 29-year-olds have at least one tattoo. One can't help but wonder why so many young adults decide to get inked.
Brooklyn native Christopher Dadah, 21, got his first tattoo at the ripe age of 18. "My first tattoo was a ying-yang with a tribal sun around it. It's important to me because in life, we experience good and bad every day," said Dadah.
Like many other 18-year-olds, Dadah became consumed by the culture of tattoo artistry. He currently has two tattoos. "I think she's [my mother] afraid I'm going to end up looking like a children's coloring book," said Dadah.
In the 1990s, tattoos were associated with bikers, sailors, outcasts and rebels, but how the times have changed.
Pee Pee, an employee at Andromeda tattooed his own body at the age of 12. Now in his mid-20s, his body is almost entirely covered in tattoos. He even got the top of his head tattooed. People of all ages go to Andromeda to get inked - it's no longer an "obscene" thing to do.
St. Mark's Place is the epi-center of tattoo parlors in New York City, but beware: tattoo parlors are not all one and the same. "This is the only field where what you want isn't what you're always gonna get," said Joe Pollak, owner of Andromeda. Getting inked is like marriage, a lifelong commitment, so make sure you understand what you may be shelling out $200 for.
Tattoos are like potato chips. You can't ever have just one. In a culture full of "tramp stamps" and "sleeves," one truth remains - tattoos have a tendency to become addictive. "After people get tats, they usually can't wait to get a next one," said the 21-year-old Queens resident Tephadorn Sornthong. He got a tiger tattooed on his right arm at the age of 18 and his second tattoo, a lion, not long after that.
Through trauma and happiness, it seems that the way young adults cope with life's rocky situations is by permanently affixing them to their bodies as a reminder of their survival.
For many, tattoos hold symbolic meanings. After being diagnosed with cancer two years ago, 20-year-old Tatiana Iqbalsingh, a student at St. Leo University in Virginia, and her best friend Teresa Mosquera, a 20-year-old student at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Va. took the plunge and got matching tattoos.
Through break-ups and life-threatening illness, Iqbalsingh and Mosquera got puzzle pieces on their wrists to commemorate their friendship. They both have three tattoos each and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. "I'm reserving my left ankle for a tattoo of a rosary," said Mosquera.
Human skin has become the new canvas and young adults are using themselves as walking works of art. People are customizing their bodies, separating themselves from the rest. Tattoos are so common nowadays that it seems they're no longer just for rock stars. In her article "Over-40 Rebels with a Cause: Tattoos," New York Times writer Elizabeth Hayt wrote, "Tattooing is so prevalent that there are tattoo parlor chains, tattoo courses at art colleges and temporary rub-on tattoos favored by preschoolers."
However, conflict arises when it comes to careers. As 18-year-olds get tattooed, they may not consider the possibility of how this could affect their future endeavors. Do tattoos still come with a societal stigma?
According to Hayt, absolutely not. "Tattoos are becoming so acceptable … they are in danger of losing their allure of naughtiness," said Hayt.
Nonetheless, it may be a long while before tattooees give up the adrenaline rush that comes with getting inked.
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