Seniors turning 18 throughout the school year have lots of possibilities opened up when becoming of legal age. One of those new rights they gain has kind of been the talk of the school lately, and that is the ability to get a tattoo.

For many, just the thought of needles is enough to make them sick to their stomachs. Other students can’t get over the fact that tattoos are a lifetime commitment and choose to wait until later on in life. Even the money involved sometimes stops young people from getting one all together. However, there are a few students that can stand needles and have the cash to pay for one. As a result, we see high school students with works of art etched into their skin.

Senior Dylan Nelson is one of latest students to utilize his new freedom. He has been serious about getting one for about a year, and waited a few months after his 18th birthday to get one. “I’ve always kind of liked them I guess,” he said when asked why he got one. “I didn’t know what to get exactly, just that I wanted it on the upper arm or shoulder area.” He decided that he wanted a depiction of a skull with a wad of cash and the words ‘Self Made’. It was very meaningful to Nelson, who relates his ink with being successful. He also said that the process cost him $500, but he was happy with how it turned out and he wouldn’t change a thing.

Not everyone, however, believes in getting tattoos and defacing your body, which is a respectable opinion as much as the opposite of being a way to show off one’s personality. Some students sit in the middle of the spectrum and just choose not to get a tattoo ever in life unlike their classmates. Senior Elijah Miller shared his opinion on the subject: “They look good on some people but not others, so that’s why I’m not getting one because it wouldn’t look good on me.” He also didn’t have any opinion on tattoos that are visible and in plain sight. “They don’t really have any effect on first impressions to me,” he said.

First impressions bring up a whole new argument when it comes to tattoos because they are still not quite widely accepted yet. Workplaces sometimes cause controversy because many jobs would rather not have visible tattoos on their employees. This impacted Senior Graden Anderson who was mindful when deciding on one because of his plans to go into the medical field in the future. Anderson decided to get a small tattoo on his back that is easily concealable so it would be more acceptable in a workplace that requires cleanliness.

The students that have gotten tattoos at New Ulm High School chose to represent themselves with a truly unique work of art that they want others to see. Many have a significance to artwork but some are there only to look cool, which is fine as well. This trend of tattoos will probably only grow in the future to upcoming students who turn 18 during the school year, and as time goes on they will probably become more widely acceptable in life.