My Body, My Canvas

Brenna Dupries | Dec. 5, 2019 | Features

In a society where so much emphasis is placed on finding out who you are, thousands of teens are trying to make their mark. Through outward displays of emotion and personal beliefs, students all over America use their appearances to showcase their differences. Some students at Stanton College Preparatory School get tattoos or piercings to express themselves and materialize personal mementos. Others may choose to dye their hair and wear bright-colored makeup to stand out in a sea of students who tend to follow the same trends. Stanton students can also use this experimentation in an attempt to learn more about themselves, while showing others how they are individually unique.

Adolescence is often regarded as a time of discovery and introspection as students navigate through an era of uncertainty and learn how to externally convey their feelings and beliefs. These decisions can be difficult ones because of the potential permanence associated with them, often demanding a substantial amount of personal reflection and parental consent among students. For some, these decisions are not as challenging, allowing them to easily manifest their values and emotions physically. These physical modifications often include tattoos, piercings, extravagant makeup, and eccentric hair colors.

The brain offers one potential source of explanation for these behaviors of self-expression. The frontal lobe, which controls logic and reasoning, continues to develop well into adulthood and plays an essential role in influencing a teen’s decisions. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry [AACAP] offers insight into the mind of an adolescent.

According to the AACAP, “Pictures of the brain in action show that adolescents' brains work differently than adults when they make decisions or solve problems. Their actions are guided more by the emotional and reactive amygdala and less by the thoughtful, logical frontal cortex.”

With the various changes going on in an adolescent brain, it is conceivable these feelings materialize in tangible ways. Aside from the biological aspect explaining the sometimes impulsive behavior exhibited in teens, these behaviors can also manifest as creative expressions.

Makeup is one form of personal expression that makes a statement while still remaining temporary. This specific style of physical alteration has been around for thousands of years and is used in almost every culture in the world today. Using a wide range of colors, styles, and techniques, students use their face as a canvas for their emotions or interests. 

“I use dark makeup as a way to express what interests me and to fully embody self confidence,” said sophomore Aaliyah Dudney. “I personally use my makeup to resemble girl bands from the ‘80s and ‘90s.”

Makeup offers a creative outlet for students, but it can simultaneously create the risk of being judged for standing out, especially when an individual chooses to change something overtly visible to others. For the people who make these semi-permanent changes, these social stigmas often pose a threat to the way students view themselves and the people around them. Some students, like Dudney, persevere through the judgement and stares and do what they feel best represents their emotions. 

“[Makeup] helps to express my personality to a greater extent than would be possible otherwise,” said Dudney. “Even if I get stares I am happy with myself so I can ignore them without a second thought.” 

While makeup offers a temporary and easily modifiable outlet for creativity and self expression, hair color makes these decisions slightly more permanent. This change is a particularly popular form of creative expression in high schools today. Hair color and style also gives students a way to take advantage of what some describe as the fleeting freedom of youth. Students feel high school years offer a time to experiment before entering the workforce as full-time employees.

“Dying your hair is fun and exciting; now is the time to do it,” said sophomore Piper Jones. “When you’re in high school, you don’t have to worry as much about whether your employer is going to judge you for the color of your hair because your age gives you leeway.” 

While some students like Piper Jones dye their hair willingly, others are peer pressured into the decision. Whether it be at a social gathering or online, peer pressure showcases a side of expression that is more about social victimization than self-induced creativity.

“I was at a party and all the girls wanted to dye someone’s hair, so they volunteered me. They called my mother, without my permission, who of course said yes and felt like I couldn’t say no after they called her,” said sophomore Lainey Rose. “Even though I am now happy that I dyed my hair, I definitely was not excited or happy when they were haphazardly trying to follow the hair dye box’s directions.” 

Although the decision to alter one’s body may seem like a personal choice, the majority of high school students are still minors and are expected to receive parental consent. Parents are often concerned for their child's professional future or current social life. This can limit a student’s ability to clearly express themselves in more overtly permanent means.

“My mother was very against the idea of me dying my hair at first,” said sophomore Anita Perera. “She was worried about what the people around me would think and how it would impact my chances of getting into specific colleges. It took a lot of convincing and assuring her that college was still two years away.”

Using makeup and hair colors for self-expression is favorable to many because neither of these outlets are permanent. Feelings of regret can be mitigated with the reversibility of dye and makeup. However, while these options seem like enough for many, a few high school students go a step further and choose to make their self-expression a potentially lifelong commitment.

Tattoos are one example of modifications that offer a more permanent statement, showcasing an image or design that can hold emotional weight and importance for that person. Many people get tattoos because they have personal value and a unique, often important meaning behind them. 

“My mother, sister, and I all have the same tattoo on various regions of our body. It is an image of three elephants, the largest being my mother, then my sister, and the smallest is supposed to represent me,” said senior Nina Negron. “All three elephants have their trunks raised symbolizing good luck and family. My father passed, so the three of us have had to stick together over the years. My tattoo definitely has an emotional connection behind it, making it unique to me.”

Elephant designs are not uncommon in the tattoo community. They represent a wide host of symbols including good luck, wisdom, courage, and strength. Another student, senior Riley Woods, also received a matching tattoo with her mother, depicting an elephant. Woods got this tattoo because it represented her bond with her mother, something that was specific and important to her.

“Elephants are strong mothers and don’t abandon their young like many other animal mothers do,” said Woods. “My mom and I both got matching tattoos together to represent our close bond. My tattoo is hidden most of the time by my socks, so for me it’s there for the personal meaning and connection to my mother more than anything else.”

Similar to students, several Stanton teachers are also inked with individual mementos. Although they are not classified as minors, some of the motives for getting a tattoo are the same.

Rather than choosing their tattoos with spontaneity, teachers like Mr. Sebastian Cardozo, a Stanton physics teacher, reflect and choose their tattoo design years before actually getting it. 

“My obsession and love of astronomy began at a very young age and has continued to grow throughout my life,” said Mr. Cardozo. “Since astronomy has been permanent in my lifestyle for over 20 years, I thought that it would only be fitting that it was permanent on my skin,” 

Because of the permanence of a tattoo, Mr. Cardozo planned out the exact design he wanted long before he received it. 

“I knew I wanted to get this tattoo when I was a teen but it took me several years to plan this out because it is such a permanent thing and I didn’t want to regret anything about it,” said Mr. Cardozo. Like personal interests, one’s faith can also play a role in the motivation to get a tattoo as showing a favorite Bible verse or an image can remind them of their faith. 

“My tattoo says ‘sola fide,’ meaning ‘only faith.’ This comes from Martin Luther’s 95 Theses,” said junior Xavier Holden. “He wanted everyone to know that the way to God was through faith alone. Likewise, I believe you have to have faith and be a truly good person to have this relationship with God. I wanted this to be a permanent expression in my life and on my body.”

For those directly involved in the tattoo community, tattoo artists can understand both a student’s desire to use this form of expression and the apprehensions that come with it. Mr. Isaiah Reed, a tattoo artist based at a Jacksonville tattoo and piercing parlor, “Untouchable,” hopes to spread awareness about the safety procedures involved.

“My advice would be to not get any tattoos that are trendy. It looks nice, but when the trend is over you look at yourself and ask ‘why did I do this?’” said Reed. “It is also important to take care of these new tattoos, so that it doesn’t get infected and you have to have portions of your skin and removed.”

Despite the surrounding stigma and medical issues which may arise, students still believe their body art is worth it. They value what the change adds to their life and appreciate how easily they can express their values. Whether these alterations are permanent or temporary they still impact each individual’s life in a different way and act as an outlet for their expression.