The angel resting on Sophomore Joseph Miner’s left shoulder is not a real angel of course, but a tattoo of one. Miner’s angel is a seraphim, traditionally considered in the Christian faith to be the highest rank of angels. Stretching from Miner’s shoulder to halfway down his arm, the seraphim clasps its hands in front of it as if it were praying, and hides its feet and eyes behind four of its six wings, while the other two stretch out behind it.
Miner’s decision to get his tattoo came six months after hearing a particularly inspiring sermon. The topic was Isaiah 6, where the prophet Isaiah finds himself before the throne of God. In the scripture it states that seraphim flew about the throne, covering their feet and faces with their wings while proclaiming God’s glory. Recognizing his unworthiness, Isaiah proclaims himself to be “a man of unclean lips,” who should not even be allowed to look at God. At this, one of the seraphim flies down and touches his mouth with a piece of coal. “He says, ‘Your guilt is taken away and your sins are atoned for,’” Miner recalled, “and it was kind of like a response to… just the weight of the guilt he felt for being such a sinful man.” Miner said he got his tattoo as a reminder that God is more concerned about our devotion to him than he is about how many sins we commit.
Sarah Makosy ‘16 also got her tattoo to remember something special in her life. Hers simply consists of a set of coordinates on the back of her arm: 42’ 37’ N, 79’ 04 W. Makosy said these are the coordinates of a camp where she had worked the past two summers. “In the two summers that I was there, I really changed a lot as a person,” Makosy said, “and I really… found out who I was.” She, along with a friend working there, got the tattoo to commemorate the camp.
Several students interviewed said they believed that tattoos were beginning to gain acceptance in today’s culture. Crystal Zuver, a sophomore and non-traditional student with nine tattoos, said that those with tattoos used to be considered “up to no good”, but that is not the case anymore. “I am an artist,” she said, “and I see my body as a canvas, and tattoos are art and a way to express myself.”
However, others expressed a differing opinion. Emma Donmoyer ‘19 said she believed that getting a tattoo is something that can very easily be regretted. “What means something to you changes a lot when you get older, even if it meant something to you at one point, it might not later,” said Donmoyer.
A number of students also spoke about a change in their perceptions of tattoos and those who have them. Miner said he gained a new appreciation for personal space after receiving his tattoo. “When I’m just walking around trying to get my lunch and someone’s like, ‘Oh, what’s that mean?’” Miner said with a laugh. “Like, I’m trying to eat here! Leave me alone.” He also commented on people who would try to feel his tattoo. “I’m like, ‘that’s still skin’, you know?”
Miner, Makosy, and Zuver all agreed that getting a tattoo is something that needs to be thought about. “That one split-second decision of, ‘you know, I’m just going to go get a tattoo today,’ is something that stays with you forever,” said Makosy. “Permanence-wise and importance-wise is something that I think people should take thought in.”