Self-Expression Is Leaving Its Mark On High School Students

ook on the arm of almost any college basketball player, and you’ll see them: tattoos, as varied as the people who sport them. Walk around any college campus or through the Danbury Fair Mall and notice the gleams of lights that shoot off of eyebrow rings and nose studs. It used to be that expressing oneself hinged on the right clothing; now, accessories make the individual.

 And Newtown High School junior Steve Selezan knows this. 

On the side of his right bicep, a bold bulldog has been etched into his skin, a tattoo he got when he was a freshman. There is a large, black Chinese symbol which means victory tattooed over most of his left shoulder blade. Both spots, says Steve, were chosen because they could be hidden if he wanted.

Almost everyone at the high school knows that Steve Selezan has a couple of tattoos, which says a lot about how such expression can help identify students in a large and varied student body. A walk through the high school’s hallways yields many glimpses of individual expression, from nose and eyebrow rings to multiple ear piercings and yes, tattoos. Although no student will confirm that “tattoos are in,” or “piercings are more popular than ever,” it is evident that personal expression is on the minds of most high school students, and many are going to great lengths to express their individuality in a way that is meaningful to them.

“I wanted something different that looked good in the middle of my back,” says junior Nick Feola of the tribal tattoo at the bottom of his neck. Nick had an idea of the type of tribal tattoo, probably the most popular tattoo category for young students, that he wanted to get, and it was only a matter of telling the artist what the design should look like. When he returned to the parlor, the artist had just what Nick was looking for.

Nick and Steve are best friends, and no doubt Steve’s choice to get his second marking influenced Nick to take the plunge.

 “You always want it, but you don’t get it until someone else gets it.” That’s how Erin Macknight describes the process of getting a tattoo or a piercing. Erin decided to get her navel pierced because it could be hidden, but it doesn’t have to be for the warmer months. “It’s nice to have for the summer.”

According to Erin, last year saw several students decide to pierce their tongues. But there haven’t been any trends in piercings this year, she says. Students often know what kind of piercing or tattoo they want to get, but it takes seeing another classmate get something to provide a needed shot of courage, Erin says.

Tattoos for many students still remain the ultimate way of expressing themselves, because rarely, if ever, do you see the same tattoo on two different students. “They are classic,” says Tate Hoeffel.

“It was just something I always wanted,” said fellow junior Rob Weiss, who has a medium-sized dragon tattooed to the back of his calf.

“[They are] like a sign of youth, something that young people want to do,” explains Caitlin Rayn, who confides that if she got a tattoo, it would be something really small.

Still, as far as the high school goes, piercings easily outnumber tattoos, which is probably another reason why most students seem to know who among them have tattoos; they are simply not that common.

“I would like one of the barbwire [tattoos] around my arm,” says Kali Santarpia. “But it’s an individual choice. When people think of tattoos, they have a negative view. I just think they have gotten a bad rap.”

Angela Shannon, for her part, is not too sure about body art. “You might get something that in 30 years you might not want,” she says. Still, if she had to get one, Angela admits that she would get something meaningful. “I wouldn’t put any old thing on my body.”

Kathy Bartek wants a butterfly on her shoulder; Leah Blewett wants a purple and blue swirled moon and star below her navel.

Sarah Holland would rather get a piercing. “That way you can take it out if you get sick of it,” she says.

But ask any of these students why they would chose a particular design, a location to place it, a part of the body to pierce, and you will see that the reasons differ widely. Although Kathy Bartek feels much of today’s body art can be translated as rebellion against parents, it seems that at NHS most students claim that it really does boil down to self-expression. Self-expression, perhaps, taken to the next level.

It will remain to be seen what will become fad and what will stick. Angela Shannon remains a little skeptical: “Sure you want it now, but do you want it when you’re 60?”