As a teenager, wanting to express ourselves and experiment with our appearance is part of our teenage experience, whether it being how we decide to style and cut our hair or how to dress. That being said, tattoos and piercings are going to play a role in how we express ourselves. However, should teens legally be allowed to? I believe they should, with some limitations.
The law states that you must be 18 or older to legally get a tattoo or piercing. However, there is the exception of parent or legal guardian’s permission.
Having the legal age for tattoos at 18 is reasonable enough because tattoos are permanent, unless you decide to pay extra money for a laser tattoo removal in the future. Tattoos can range from $50-$250 and a piercing can range from $30-$75 depending on the size of the tattoo or what piercing you’re getting. Keep in mind that different tattoo or piercing parlors all charge differently considering it’s being professionally done.
Piercings have been around for thousands of years and have been done to children as small as 4 months old, which I might add had not been consensual. It is very common for some cultures to pierce their baby’s ears from as early as 4-12 months old. Growing up in a hispanic household, every girl cousin I have, has had their ears pierced as a baby. It’s very normal in my culture to see babies with their ears pierced. Some other cultures that do this are Brazil, Nigeria and India. However, piercings are happening at such a young age but when the child is old enough to want one themselves on their own decisions, it’s not okay?
I believe that piercings should be allowed legally at 16. When people hear the word “piercing” they start to think about the extreme side of piercings. But piercings are an art. People use piercings not only as a form of expression but create art with how they place it and decide to style it. Unless the piercing is in an inappropriate place where a parent or guardian should be present and give their consent. Simple piercings like lobe piercings should be allowed for a teenager to get legally at 16 but should have parent consent if it’s piercings like cartilage, industrial piercings. Especially if it’s going to be a more extreme piercing like an eyebrow, belly button, or even getting gauges.
Teenagers can do many things at 16, like learn to drive and get a driver’s license and have a job but not get any tattoos or piercings. Allowing a teenager to drive is more of a risk to their life than allowing them to get a piercing or tattoo. Teenagers are more reckless and impulsive if they can drive. Teenagers are also allowed to have a job, drive, and file taxes. All of these being things that are a bit more severe than getting a piercing or tattoo. Letting them have a tattoo or piercing is not the end of the world.
Personally, when I got my piercings done I didn’t put much consideration into it. I don’t regret any of my piercings, but I definitely think I should have maybe slowed down on getting them rather than getting them done all within the same time and should have waited till I was 16 to continue piercing my ears. On my ears, I have a total of 12 piercings. I also have 2 on my nose. I had my first lobe piercings pierced when I was a baby. After that, my mom took me and my sister to get our 2nd lobe piercings when I was 11.
The rest of my piercings I did at home with a piercing kit I had bought after falling into a piercing hypnosis on youtube. When I was 14, there was a time period where I wanted to be a professional piercer. I wanted to practice so I would pierce my own ears. Eventually I pierced my nose and my septum at 16 and decided to stop. My mom has always been my role model and I would see her with her piercings and tattoos and think she looked so cool. I always admired the art of it. I have felt more confident when I am able to have my jewelry. Being able to style my ears with jewelry is something I look forward to and I get to change my earrings depending on my mood. It’s all about self expression and not being able to do that feels invasive in some ways.
With my tattoos, I definitely gave it a lot more thought about what I wanted and whether I wanted the tattoo to have a meaning to me or if I wanted it because it would be stylish. I got my tattoos at 18 and I think I made a good decision in waiting rather than impulsively doing it at 16. I have a total of 4 tattoos. I have a pair of fairies on my shoulder, a flower going up behind my ear, my mother’s name written on my wrist and a small cross on my finger. To other people, it may seem like they are just random tattoos but each one has a meaning to me. I got the fairies dedicated to my cousin, who is like a sister to me. The flower behind my ear was dedicated to my sister, it is her favorite flower. She also has a tattoo of my favorite flower on her arm. The one on my wrist of my mom’s name is just an expression of my love for her. Lastly, I got a cross on my finger more for my religious purposes, and plus it was something small that I can have with me as a reminder.
When getting a tattoo or piercing, it is good to take into consideration a few things. Are you going to like what you are getting done in the future? Is this going to affect any future job or career choices? Where are you going to get the tattoo or piercing done? Piercings are not like tattoos where it is going to leave an obvious mark, they are easier to eliminate and are easy to get back as well.
It shouldn’t be a crime to be able to get a tattoo or piercing, and 16 year olds should be able to get one without parental consent, but it should be something you consider carefully and get it done properly by a professional.
