Tramp Stamp, body symmetry, her ink, her canvas, and her unique story. Puncturing her pale skin with the injection of a solid needle, at the speed of 50 to 3000 times per minute, is a painless normality for college junior Sam Bara. What began as a curiosity transitioned to a means of self-preservation and a stabilizer for her eating disorder, Anorexia.
Anorexia is an eating disorder consisting of severe weight loss due to starvation, which is self-induced by the patient because of a distorted body image. This mental disorder has the highest fatality rate of all eating disorders.
Bara is described by her friends and colleagues as reserved, artistic, and mostly introverted. She began her tattoo collection at the age of 23, which is considered a late start by most tattoo aficionados. “Had I had a job and car in high school, I would have attained so many tattoos. It also didn’t help that I didn’t even have a fake I.D,” said Bara.
Growing up in a liberal and open environment, Bara was surrounded by family members that accumulated tattoos. Her father has three small tattoos referencing baseball, and her aunt has a large dragon tattoo that shields her entire backside. As a child, Bara was always fascinated by tattoos. They were always a future endeavor that Bara believed she would dabble with.
What followed was an insidious eating disorder that has consumed her life from the age of thirteen. “I was getting bullied pretty bad in the seventh grade. It went from kids saying, “Oh you’re so skinny, to “Oh, you’re so anorexic.’ I began starving myself, partly to be skinny, but mainly to punish myself,” said Bara.
According to the Pew Research Center Study, close to 40 percent of the population of people, aged 18-29, in the United States, have tattoos. What used to be considered self-destructive, a job stopper, trashy, and modern day social branding, is now an integral part of a liberal pilgrimage for a society that craves freedom and individuality.
Millennials, people born after 1980 and before 2000, are described by demographers and sociologist as trendsetters, over sharers, entitled, and addicted to tattoos. Millennials are also entrenched in a dark age where social media is the norm, and everything about one’s life is documented and deeply examined by the entire world. According to the American Psychological Association, millennials face more anxiety and stress than any other generation, thus far. The source for this anxious generation is entering a difficult job market, paying off student loans and the pressure to have life sorted out.
Bara has seven tattoos and will continue to capture more. She has a large octopus on her shoulder, a sea bottle on her forearm, the word “Veritas” on her wrist, a fairy on the side of her hip, a seahorse on her thigh, a ghost behind her ear, and she recently added “David Meowie” a cat tattoo to commemorate the deceased singer, David Bowie, on the back of her neck.
Bara is not concerned about facing discrimination in the workforce when she graduates as an English major. She currently works as a massage therapist. “At the spa where I work, there’s a running job that you need to have tattoos to work there because almost every therapist has at least one,” said Bara
However for junior Madelyn Wodarski, placement and the aesthetic of a tattoo is crucial. She currently has four dainty tattoos and will continue to gather more dainty tattoos. “I’m not a fan of sleeve tattoos or hand or face tattoos. I hate portrait tattoos because they always look creepy and they never look like the person. Tattoos are still looked down by some people,” said Wodarski
DePaul senior Mara Richtman has five tattoos, and believes that tattoos are a form of pure self-expression that people shouldn’t comment on. “I think some tattoos can be trashy, but it’s not fair to generalize, nor is it fair to judge a tattoo you might think is tacky that someone got for a reason that meant something important enough for them to put if on their body forever,” said Richtman.
Bara, like many millenials, has three more years to continue to receive health insurance coverage under her parents through Obamacare. In order to make an appointment for the doctor’s office, Bara has to receive her insurance card from her parents, and notify her parents of any treatment she is receiving. Bara’s family is not aware of her eating disorder.
“I describe it (anorexia) as a volcano. It can be dormant for a year, then it get’s triggered. I can go years and be fine, and then something happens and I will starve myself,” said Bara.
Becoming branded by art has turned into a coping mechanism for Bara’s eating disorder. “It wasn’t until after I got my first tattoo that I realized what they were going to do for me. Tattoos won’t cure me, but they have helped a lot. Seeing myself covered in artwork makes me feel beautiful, and helps when I feel I might fall back into bad eating habits,” said Bara.
Bara has never faced discrimination for her tattoos and does not plan on getting any removed. She is aware that the process of removing tattoos is more dangerous and painful than receiving them. “If I don’t like a tattoo, I’ll get it covered. My tattoos are not offensive. I get compliments on my ink all the time,” said Bara.
DePaul freshmen Alex Corley has two dainty tattoos. She views tattoos and piercings as art forms, and believes that negative tattoo stigmas are diminishing. “My first job was at a corporate bank as a teller. In my interview I had my nose piercings, my ear piercings, and my wrist tattoo was exposed. I still got the job,” said Corley
Bara considers herself a tattoo addict as she has attained all seven tattoos in less than two- and-a -half years. She has thought about getting a “sleeve” of tattoos, or being entirely covered on one or both arms.
DePaul freshman Amanda Simmons believes that the climate on tattoos is drastically changing, and that people will continue to get tattooed and not conform to the “real world” “I can see myself becoming addicted to tattoos, so I wait six months in between before I decided on anything. Any body modification can be addictive,” said Simmons.
Bara is currently battling anorexia and is seeking help and support from her friends. Her anorexia flares up when she is having a difficult time or is under severe stress. She is on a wait list for a non-profit eating disorder program in Chicago. “My eating disorder is not something that I want to share with my family. My tattoos have helped me a lot. I don’t have to be skinny to be pretty. Tattoos won’t cure me, but they help. Anytime that I want to starve myself I look at them and know that I don’t have to do that to myself”.
Sofia Carapia 