#like.. my parents can bemoan me spending money on ink and pain

[frogseasons]

i think something that parents/older people dont really understand about tattoos is that beyond being fun and cool, they make you love your body just a bit more. instead of looking at portions of my body and hating them like i did as a teen, i recognize the art on myself first and foremost. how could i hate my thighs when i have a tatt of my cat on one and a dope princess mononoke tatt on the other? how can i hate my arms when my favorite tattoo rests there, perfectly contoured to my body? my fingers when the dots by my nails make me feel pretty? when an important object from my favorite childhood show draws a line down my chest, and i can focus a bit more on that than the dysphoria that pops up half the time? when the back of my ankle holds a family memory and my knee is a testament to my own artistic ability? when i hate my body i can take a step back and think: that art is beautiful and it found a home on me, and i’m so lucky to be the body that carries it.