On the thigh of 17 year old senior Sam Jones, different shades of blue, green and yellow thinly outline a large water colored owl. The details are astounding, and it’s almost as if you’re afraid it will come off if you rub it. However, that won’t be the case; Jones had this abstract image tattooed on her body approximately four months ago during winter break, after having seen it on one of the Naperville Central’s art department “Take Art!” pins.

“I saw [the pin], and I was like ‘Hey, this is pretty, I am going to put it on my body forever now,” Jones said.

After having taken Painting 1 and 2, Drawing 1, 2, 3 and currently 4, it is needless to say Jones is an artistic person and has spent a lot of time in the art department during her high school career.

“Daniela Cirone , [one of Central’s art teachers], actually helped me decide if I wanted to get it or not,” Jones said. “She was like ‘I think you should do it, that’s awesome,’ so I was like, ‘Okay, I will!’”

The owl is the third of Jones’ tattoos. When she was 16, she had a Mickey done in the back of her neck, as well as a semi-colon on her wrist. She had these made in Florida, partly because of the price difference between Illinois and Florida tattoo parlors, but more importantly because of legality issues: One has to be 18 to get a tattoo in the state of Illinois, regardless of parental consent.

Despite having wanted a tattoo for several years, senior Gus Smith waited until he was 18 to get his for this reason. For a long time he carried an original illustration of a sparkplug in his wallet, in hopes to get it tattooed one day. After getting it done, however, the drawing is still neatly placed his wallet. It was made in memory of his grandfather, whom Smith was close with.

“I mainly got [the tattoo] because my grandpa used to work on cars, and he was a big part of my life,” Smith said. “So I got the sparkplug for him and to remember him I put ‘O.J’ on it, because his name is Jerry.”

Gus had his tattoo done in his cousin’s tattoo parlor, The Constable, which is located in Plainfield Ill. and seems to be a popular place among Central students.

“It used to be a police shop, and it was named [The Constable],” Smith said. “Then it closed down and my cousin bought the rights to the shop.”

The Constable is the same shop senior Julie Anne Good got her nose stud. She had also waited several years to get this done, however, it was neither an issue with the law or with money which was prohibiting her.

“I had wanted it since I was 13, but my Mom didn’t let me get it then,” Good said. “So by the time I was 18 my Mom thought it was fine, and she actually got it for me [on my birthday].”

For Good, getting her nose pierced wasn’t nearly as

painful as she had imagined it to be.

“It was really clean, it wasn’t done with a gun but with a needle, so it was a lot less painful,” Good said.
Jones also recalls having a good experience when she was getting her tattoo done in Florida.

“It was awesome,” Jones said.  “Just watching him tattoo me mesmerized me, it was crazy.”

Jones has had all her tattoos done at the same parlor in Florida, and plans on traveling down there if she gets more, something she thinks is very likely to happen.

“You get addicted to tattoos after you get your first one,” Jones said. “You’ll go online and you’ll see tattoos and you’re like ‘I want another one!’”

After Good had her nose pierced, she also feels like she is more likely to get more done, now that she is comfortable with process.

“I have been considering getting my cartilage and my tragus [pierced] because I knew it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would,” Good said.

When it comes tattoos, there is always the concern that it will be a decision one might come to regret, especially when getting them at a young age. Tattoos can be a limiting force, especially when it comes to job opportunities or in some cases, even friendships or relationships. However, both Smith and Jones were sure of themselves when they decided to get their tattoo done.

“The thing is, it’s a part of me; this means something to me,” Jones said, as she pointed down at her high. “You just gotta remember that it’s not for other people, it’s for yourself.”

However, it isn’t just other people’s reaction that one should consider before getting a tattoo. Since tattoos are permanent, it cannot be taken out like a piercing if the person comes to regret his or her decision. This is one of the reasons that Good got a nose stud instead of a tattoo, which is what she was initially going to get on her birthday.

“I just want to make sure that I’ve thought about it for a while,” Good said.

When it comes to getting a tattoo, Jones advises going through a thought process before stepping into the parlor. This is to ensure that it isn’t a spontaneous decision, and that the person genuinely wants the tattoo.

“Wait three and on months, because you have to be very confident that you want that on your body,” Jones said.