Meaning Behind Tattoos: Stories of Love and Resilience





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11 Stunning Tattoos Tell Stories of Love and Resilience

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You know tattoos have gone mainstream when even Dame Judi Dench has one. For her 81st birthday, she got a small wrist tattoo with just two words: “Carpe Diem.” As Dench explained, “That’s my motto: Seize the day.” Twenty-nine percent of Americans — or nearly 1 in 3 adults — have at least one tattoo, according to a Harris Poll. Gone are the days when a tattoo was just about rebellion. Now, as UCLA professor Joseph Pierre points out, they can be “windows to the psyche.” Tattoos tell stories, and not always the stories we assume. Here are 11 people with tattoos who truly exemplify the popular saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” of

Mona Sishodia early 50s

Sishodia’s tattoo is the Gayatri mantra, which she got to remember her mother, who died of cancer. “It’s for our goddess Durga. In Indian culture, we have millions of gods, but when I was little and I’d get scared, my mom would tell me, ‘If I can’t be there, the goddess Durga will protect you.’ That was comforting. I’ve never been religious, but I was born and raised in India, so this is part of my culture. I believe there’s mystery in the universe. I lost my mom to cancer when I was 11. It was devastating. But the things she told me when I was a kid to make me feel safe and secure, they stayed with me.” of

Kitten Kay Sera 55

Sera is a singer and performer — and she’s been called “the world’s pinkest person.” Her first and only tattoo, which she got on the Oxygen reality show "Best Ink", was a memorial to her late dog, Miss Kisses. “She was my first dog as an adult. Miss Kisses and I, we were so much alike in our personalities. She was the star of the show. I was more like a featured extra holding her leash. I lost Miss Kisses in October, and a little bit of my pink heart went with her. But I really feel like having this tattoo on my back is somehow keeping her spirit alive with me. I’d like to get another tattoo of her paw print and have them trace it on my wrist. That would be more visible, and I could talk about her with people.” of

Fred DiBella 47

His back tattoo is an exact replica of his mother’s tombstone. “My mom is buried at a cemetery in Long Beach. I live in L.A. now, but I try to visit her on Mother’s Day and whenever I can get out there. One day I was there, and I took a picture and sent it to my tattoo artist. I said, ‘Would it be weird to get this as a tattoo?’ I didn’t know if it’d be bad karma. He said, ‘No, as long as it means something to you, let’s do it.’ “My mom passed away before I got my first tattoo. I’m not sure what she’d think of this one. She’d probably be more nervous about what my dad would think.” of

Kayla Cummings 27

On her 21st birthday, she got “Free Soul” tattooed across her knuckles. “I’d just graduated college, where I always felt out of place. It was really suburban and farm country, and I felt more comfortable in the city, in Boston. The knuckle tattoos were my way of saying, ‘I’m not going to change myself to please other people.’ Knuckle tattoos are called ‘nail in the coffin’ tattoos. You’ve committed yourself. There’s really no hiding them. You’re putting yourself out there. That’s what I wanted. It was a way of showing the world I won’t change who I am for a job or a relationship or my friends or anyone. This is me.” of

Gwyn LaRee 52 

Her tattoo began as a tribute to her late husband, Ric, who died from esophageal cancer. It evolved into something more. “I had Ric’s ashes mixed in with the ink. So he’s always with me. The tattoo gave me something to focus on. I knew I wanted a dragon because it symbolized the strength to carry on. Then Josh [my tattoo artist] and I kept adding. The day I got the roses on my elbow, I was invited to a friend’s house, where I met my new husband, Mac. “Two weeks before Mac and I got married, I went in for my final tattoo session. Josh said, ‘Sit back down, we’ve got one more thing to do.’ He changed the drawing of the male lover, who originally had straight blonde hair, to lovely black curls, which is what Mac has. Then he said, ‘OK, you can go get married now.’ ” of

The Campa Family

Christian 21; Zach, 24; Shari, 48; Juan, 58 All four family members got matching tattoos: a heartbeat with the words ‘This too shall pass,” a reminder of their struggles, support and love. Zach: “My brother was diagnosed with depression when he was 12. I didn’t really understand it then, but when I got to college, I started having my own struggles. I got this tattoo two years after my brother got his. I love the phrase ‘This too shall pass.’ For me, it’s a personal reminder that I’ve endured the most crippling anxiety I could ever imagine." “I was stunned when our parents told us they were getting the same tattoos. They were being so supportive to us.” of “The heartbeat monitor reminds us: Every day you wake up, if you’ve still got breath in your lungs, that’s a victory — you made it through yesterday.” of

Amar Sotomayor 44

A transgender woman, Sotomayor got her butterfly tattoo on the three-year anniversary of her transition. “Butterflies are all about freedom. It took me three years to get to this point, of embracing my new name and my new gender. This tattoo reminds me every day that this a journey, and it was never supposed to be easy. Before coming out as transgender, I was officiating a gay wedding for friends in Puerto Rico, and they released all of these butterflies into the air. One of them landed on me and wouldn’t budge. I was like, ‘Honey, I’ve got to get back to work.’ But she was stuck to me. It felt like a message. I thought, OK, I get it, universe. It’s time to be free.” of

Tom Pardoe 55 br

Pardoe got his first tattoo to celebrate his sobriety. His next tattoos, which would become a full arm sleeve, began as his heart was being broken. “I was in my 40s, and in a place of complacency. I’d lost myself, I’d lost my voice, and I wasn’t happy. A month before my partner came to me and said, ‘I don’t want to be in this relationship anymore,’ I’d sought out a tattoo artist with an idea for an arm tattoo. I wanted it to be shedding the skin of my old life and welcoming the new. When it was done, I’d made the transformation from somebody who’s been shattered by the end of a 10-year relationship to somebody who was single, vibrant and back on his feet.” of

Michele Harper 54

The tattoo on her neck, which she got at age 45, is the word “love” written in Sanskrit. “I’ve always been interested in Hindu spirituality. One of my coworkers was Indian, and I asked her to write the word ‘love’ in Sanskrit. Unless you know Sanskrit, you wouldn’t look at my tattoo and know what it says. It feels like my own little secret. People ask me about it, but I prefer having the mystery. “I always forget that I have a tattoo back there. I have other tattoos, and when I go to job interviews, I remember to cover them up. But I forget about the ‘Love’ tattoo. So, love is always there, following me.” of

Gayle Lamb Rabinowitz 61

Rabinowtiz got the unicorn tattoo to commemorate her 60th birthday. The quote is from the Bible, Psalm 92:10: “But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” “I felt so empowered the day I got this tattoo. People wanted me to lay down and die because I was turning 60. The tattoo was a validation of my next chapter. Everybody said I couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that – but I did it anyway. Once you face your fears, there are no fears. I’m a 25-year breast cancer survivor and a four-time stroke survivor. I jumped out of a plane this year! The people who told me, ‘Isn’t it time to retire?’ … I’m going to prove them all wrong!” of

Daeg and Mickey Faerch 23 and 62

For Daeg’s 23rd birthday, mother and son got matching tattoos of John Lennon’s famous doodle self-portrait. Mickey: “It reminds us both of the lyrics from his song ‘Imagine,’ and to make an effort every day to walk toward the light. It reminds me of my love for my son and how lucky I am every day to have a relationship like this. He’s an only child, and I’m his only parent. We’re so blessed to have each other.” of Also of Interest

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