As 2022 progresses, more and more seniors are turning 18 and able to get their own tattoos. As we get the first taste of adult life, many are celebrating with drawings we will remember forever. Contrary to popular belief and reactions to my online survey, multiple Magnet students have some pretty cool ink. Ranging from professionally done line art to homemade stick and pokes, I was able to interview 8 raptors about their tattoos.

Starting with Mabry Wise, she showed me her beautiful fairy tattoo on her thigh. The tattoo features a fairy with butterfly wings holding a moon. When asked about it’s significance, she told me that she got it mostly for fun and in celebration of her eighteenth birthday, but it also has a cute backstory. “I grew up with my grandmother reading me her fathers copy of Grimm’s fairytales, written by the brothers Grimm and originating from Germany where my grandmother lived for a while,” she explained. “Fairytales were a huge part of my childhood and an important aspect in my relationship with my grandmother. I grew up loving all things magic and still imagine fairies living in the woods every time I go. So really it’s a beautiful piece of nostalgia for me.”

Miley Phillips was next to showcase her tattoo, which features a crescent moon and two stars on her ankle. This was another classy line art tattoo, which I am a big fan of. Miley told me that she got it on her 18th birthday, and her grandma has a matching one. So cute!

Next was Maggie Garrigan, who has a red 22 on her wrist. When asked about where she got it done, she revealed that it was in Dublin while visiting her best friend and cousin. She explained the importance of the number by telling me “22 is the day of both of our birthdays (mine is 11/22 and hers is 1/22) and we decided on October 22 to commemorate my trip to Dublin and to remind us both of our bond while we’re on opposite sides of the world.” This simplistic and classy tattoo was done in red ink, which is being banned in certain countries due to it easily causing allergic reactions. If you are a fan of Maggie’s tattoo, I’d advise to get a red tattoo while you still can! (and maybe check if you’re allergic beforehand.)

Yet another red tattoo, Maddie Vitalis showed me her Scorpion tat, a symbol of homage to her astrological sign. She told me the inspiration was her Scorpio sun sign. I was very excited when she got this tattoo, because she has been talking about wanting a scorpion tat since I met her.

Ella Jones also showed off her ink, featuring 4 designs down her forearm. These symbols were a homage to the four elements and also Avatar, which Ella is a fan of. She also got it right when she turned 18 to celebrate. She said she chose the design because “it is not obvious if you have not seen the show, but if you have you will notice it right away.” The subtle homage to Avatar was done in fine black ink.

Now, getting into the stick and pokes. Mikhael Douglass showed off his stick and poke, which featured three flowers. Mikhael’s tattoo certainly has a several layers of meaning behind it. He chose flora because “flowers have always been a really big part of my life – I want to study environmental studies or sciences so i’m a big believer in art and science within nature.” He told me “the colors represent the 3 colors that can create the entire rainbow – not RYB because yellow won’t show up on my skin. Everything comes in threes, whether that’s my adopted siblings or the strongest shape – a triangle.”

Another stick and poke comes from Inés Carrillo, who has a black heart on her wrist. She told me she did it just for fun. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it to stay but then it did,” she reported. I would guess that many people with stick and pokes can relate to this sentiment.

For our faculty tattoo, we have Mrs. Hooffstetter with a dainty daisy on her ankle. After having some health issues years prior, she decided to get a daisy since she had always wanted one. “I got it on my ankle, because it’s just for me. People will know me for years, and not realize I have a tattoo!” She drove down to Savannah to get the tattoo with a close friend.

And to finish off our article, we have Gus Dickinson with another homemade tattoo. Beautiful artistry Gus!