What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?
This is one of those questions to ask myself often. As someone who got their first tattoo on their 18th(I almost left this as 8th and not 18th, ha!) birthday, I have quite a few, and want a ton more. Tattoos are akin to that haircut you get when your boyfriend leaves you. You know you need to do SOMETHING, and it’s something that’s kinda big, but also meaningful or empowering to you.
I’m not saying every tattoo has to be for your Grandmother or for your mom’s birthday or whatever symbolic idea you have. Some tattoos can be fun, for the hell of it. I mean we only live once, right? (YOLO…or whatever the kids say these days…I’m literally always a generation behind on the slang….I’ve become one of those moms.)
But tattoos are such a fun way to decorate the body. They show who you are as a person in a way not much else can. They have a way of letting your soul shine on the outside of your body, instead of just the inside.
My Current Tattoos
Personally I’ve gotten most of my tattoos at large changes in my life, or for some significant meaning. (Not that I don’t have a “For fun” tattoo, I totally do) But those have been the times I’ve had to scratch the itch, and do something drastic to my body, to show the world (and myself) that something large enough has happened in my life that I need to permanently make note of it. On my body…in my skin.
I’ve gotten a tattoo for turning 18, one for when my first husband left me out of the blue (a story for another time) one for when my Aunt passed away and a matching tattoo with my brother and one with my cousin. I’ve gotten a tattoo with a friend from high school who I now only speak to on occasion. (She has since converted hers.) So many of my tattoos have a meaning, or at least had a meaning, at the time. But I don’t regret a single one, and someday when I have a little extra money, I can’t wait to get another.
What tattoo will come next?
And although I know what my tattoo will be for, (Yup, this one has meaning!) I can’t for the life of me decide what it’s going to be of. I know I want a tattoo for my daughter. For my incredible little Lorelai. I was thinking of a Bee at one point, as it’s symbolic of my Aunt who passed, and because bees always seem to pop up on places of importance in my life, even when there’s zero reason for a bee to be there.
The reason behind a name.
And yet, we named her Lorelai, from the German name for the Siren of the sea, who lures fishermen to their demise. This may sound a little sad or creepy, but as a Feminist (especially in 2025…IYKYK) it feels fitting. I know my daughter is strong willed, sharp as a tack, and honestly funnier than most adults (and she can’t even talk yet!) I plan to teach her that no matter what life throws at her, to never let a “man” stand in her way.
Here is a link to the story of Loreley if anyone is interested!
https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/the-loreley-rock/7b9a0bb3-18b3-44da-907e-e9861d3f831b
So would a siren tattoo be more fitting? I’m starting to think so. Something beautiful, yet slightly scary. Maybe based on the original German legend perhaps? A Beautiful maiden upon a rocky cliff? Or maybe stick closer to the more simple mermaid legends? Time will tell, and we’ve got plenty of time. If I did a mermaid of some sort, I’d absolutely want it to have a “frame” and be on my calf. So at least I got the placement down.
