Self expression comes in many forms whether that be hair color, piercings, or clothing. One of the most popular forms of this expression is tattoos. Within this decade, tattoos have become more and more acceptable, so more and more people are choosing to decorate their bodies with ink.

Here at Loyola, tattoo culture is more rampant than ever among students and faculty. Just walking through the Peace Quad, one can easily point out dozens of tatted folk. Each person with a tattoo has their own story and meaning behind the ink. Here are a few of the stories from the inked at Loyola.

“This tattoo represents my transition into the man I am meant to be. The space is especially important because it shows how close I am to being that man.”

– Ash Pellette, music therapy, sophomore

“It’s the bee’s knees.”

– Morgan Krummenacher, philosophy and

environmental studies, sophomore

“People often assume that my tattoo depicts the owl of Athena, but it isn’t why I close it. Owls are beautiful birds and I often heard them at night where I grew up, so I wanted this tattoo as a link to that part of my life.”
– Jonathan Peterson, director of the honors program

“I got this tattoo for my wonderful grandparents, Jim and Marcy, who have been married for 48 years. The car is a 1970 Chevy Nova and was their wedding car the day they were married. I love thinking of them every day and the love they share after so many years.”

– Emily Pauly, music industry studies, junior

“I’m skinny and I play bass.”
– Ellis Maclean, jazz studies, sophomore

“It represents my home, South Phoenix. In the background you see South Plaza, a notorious plaza in the city, South mountain, which has Radio towers, and a Phoenix bird that is the city’s logo.”

– Justin Wildman, urban and electronic music production, freshman

“I got this tattoo of my sister and then I told her, she has to love me forever because now she’s permanently on my body.”
– Haley Kastner, digital filmmaking, sophomore

“I’ve been working on a massive research project on the American folk singer Woody Guthrie. He frequently displayed a sign on his guitar that read, “This Machine Kills Fascists.” This tattoo is my homage to him.

– Mark F. Fernandez, chair of department of history