Guilford students’ tattoos and significance

Yunah Kim, Staff Writer|December 1, 2017

Julia Martins de Sa
Branwyn McDowell sophomore, psychology major My mom and sister actually both designed it. They didn’t like draw it or anything. I think my sister found the image online somewhere, but they put together the idea of it. And my nickname in my family has always been “B,” and I was always called “little B.” And I really liked bees, so they incorporated that. And then the molecules are all the molecules that kind of go into making somebody happy. There’s a really long history of mental illness in my family with depression and bipolar (disorder). I felt that it was really important to have that sort of represented in that tattoo. So they incorporated that. It’s kind of a tribute to both me and my family.

Getting a tattoo is permanent and often painful, but people continue to get them because they are considered symbolic, representing loved ones, memories and emotions.

From the small moments to the big ones, tattoos often combine the art of expression and storytelling to capture all of the different memories and experiences that shape an individual. Each tattoo can hold the story of a lifetime.

The Guilfordian interviewed four students to about the significance of their tattoos.