Written by Abby Kellett
Born in the mid-‘80s and later, Generation Y has been accused of having self-focused, impatient and pleasure-oriented lifestyles. Though the generational stereotype of unnaturally colored hair and facial piercings may not be prevalent on Harding’s campus, tattoos are.
Daniel Amstutz, a Bible major from Sacramento, Calif. just got the beginning of a sleeve nearly three weeks ago.
“I think I can see where people can get tattoos as like, a right of passage,” Amstutz said. “But for me, no. It’s to remind me, even when times are down, that God has given me a path to follow, and it’s just kind of there to help uplift me.”
In spite of the fact that Amstutz hopes to be a minister or preacher one day, his plan to get a sleeve tattoo on his upper arm does not cause him concern when he thinks about entering the Christian workforce.
“From a biblical perspective, it’s kind of an evangelistic tool because kids are going to ask you what this tattoo means,” Amstutz said. “And I can tell them that through all the mess-ups that I’ve had, God said ‘Here’s the path, and even though you’ve fallen off it, you can come back.’ In my own way, it’s a way to connect to them.”
While some students are using tattoos as tools to reach out and spread their beliefs, others are using the permanent symbols as reminders of certain times in their lives.
Brenna Shettlesworth is a nursing major from Miami, and she has a tattoo of a rare, tropical flower on her foot. She got the tattoo after going through a difficult time.
“I had this need to find peace, you know?” Shettlesworth said. “And my grandma had given me something with those kind of flowers on it, and I realized I really found peace in that. “
After getting the Belladonna flower sketched by an artist to, ensure the picture would be exactly what she wanted, she waited two years before finally getting the tattoo.
“You need to research the places you’re thinking about going to, and make sure you think about it for a long period of time so you’re not getting it on a whim,” Shettlesworth said. “Because kids in our generation just do it because their friends are doing it, and it’s permanent. You need to be sure it’s something you won’t regret.”
Besides making whimsical decisions, Generation Y has also been described as “family-centric,” or prioritizing time with the ones they love most over work and higher salaries. Youth and family ministry major Michael Walker makes a case for this argument with his tattoo.
“About three years ago I got W-A-L-K-E-R down my ribs,” Walker said, “because I’m proud of my name, you know? I’m a family kind of guy.”
Dustin Birdwell is a junior Youth and Family Ministry major and got a family-oriented tattoo as well.
“It’s a book on my back shoulder, and on the page in Greek it says ‘on fire for God,’ and ‘A Life Called to Serve for God,” Birdwell said. “And it has my brother’s dog tags hanging from the center.”
The previous generations may have some trouble understanding Generation Y’s reasons, but whether they like it or not, tattoos on Harding’s campus are a bit more than conventional.
