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Why does society hold such a strong opinion of women and their appearances? What women are wearing, their makeup, how much they weigh, if they have plastic surgery, their overall appearance – these are all things by which women are judged upon a harsher standard than men. Where I have seen this the most, however, is through tattooing, a popular trend in today’s culture.

The issue of women and tattoos is one that is very close to me. Being a woman with three tattoos – a purple tiger lily flower on my back, a quote on my left arm and a heart on my left foot – I can honestly say I have been negatively judged for my permanent choices. With only being at the young age of 19, most feel that I am too young to make permanent life changes to my body; however, it is my body and therefore my own personal means of self-expression.

I got the purple tiger lily flower on my back when I was 18. I did not even tell my mother I was getting one because I knew how she would react. I decided to get a tiger lily because it is my favorite flower and it represents pride, love and growth – all things I try to embody.

Tattoos are symbols of inspiration and self-expression. No matter what a woman might go through in her life, she feels the need to represent it in a beautiful and unique way.

The P.INK program, short for personal ink, is an organization that dedicates their goals to helping wounded women at a chance of empowerment. P.INK helps out women who have gone through the horrible journey of mastectomies resulting from breast cancer by helping them get the tattoos of their dreams.

Megan Hartman, on an interview with Huffington Post live, revealed that she never had breast cancer but on occasions would have to remove small lumps possibly threatening her life. Hartman made the courageous decision to remove both her breasts so her risk of getting cancer would be reduced. Hartman is a serious athlete who spends most of her day at the gym. Post-surgery she felt the need to tattoo over her scars because of the awkwardness the other women had towards her chest. She wanted people to stop looking at her as wounded but rather to look at her as strong.

Molly Ortwein, another breast cancer survivor, had a double mastectomy ten days after she was diagnosed which left scars around her breast. Ortwein wanted to cover up her scars with a rare flower from Brazil, a Pernambuco Blossom, to hide the constant reminders of her cancer. Now, every time Ortwein takes off her shirt, she looks in the mirror and smiles because her tattoos remind her that she is a survivor.

These two women’s stories brought tears to my eyes and not only are their tattoo stories overwhelming and inspirational but hopefully a sign to show that tattooed women are not what they used to be in the past. It is time to be open-minded when it comes to different trends in culture because we are then able to stop judging people on the outside and really see who they are on the inside.