Claire O’Boyle, fourth-year visual communications student

Her ink:
Of her three tattoos, the sunglasses-wearing pizza slice above Claire’s right knee is her favorite.
“It’s ridiculous and so me,” Claire says. It’s also pretty telling of her mood. “The guy I’m dating knows I’m hungry when he catches me staring at it.”
What her parents think:
“Since my first two tattoos are kind of jokes, my parents were upset about them. When I got my last one, they gave up, but they do like it more because it’s about family.”

Julian Lanier, second-year English student

His ink:
Julian has two tattoos and big plans to start a full leg sleeve as a graduation present to himself. His first tattoo wasn’t planned in quite as much detail as his upcoming sleeve. On 10/10/10, a tattoo artist had a $10 tattoo special. When his friend asked if he wanted to get a tattoo, Julian was down... as long as his friend paid for it.
“The next thing I knew,” Julian says, “I had a bike tattoo on my knee.”
His equality tattoo on his arm wins out as his favorite. To Julian, the large, colorful piece represents family and cultural ties. He also likes that it could pass as artwork rather than just a symbol.
“And I actually paid for this one,” Julian says.
What his parents think:
“My parents hate that I have tattoos. I hid it from them for about a year and a half.”


Dylan Knight, third-year media arts student

His ink:
Dylan was 18 years old when he got his only tattoo, the symbol of Sicily. His mother and her family are from Sicily, and the culture remains prominent in his life. The image that both he and the Sicilian flag bear probably won’t be his last piece of ink.
“My friend and I almost got one together recently, but we held off,” Dylan says. “It was more of a joke. We decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to get something permanent on a whim.”
What his parents think:

“My mom had just finished reading “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” so she thought it was pretty cool that I had one. And, of course, she’s Sicilian. When I showed my dad, the first thing he said was, ‘Well... you’re gonna have that for the rest of your life.’”


Roxy Lenzo, fourth-year environmental science student

Her ink:
Roxy dedicated each of her four tattoos to important people in her life. She has two tats on her wrist, one of which she got with her best friend. The other, the Hercules constellation, is for her mom. Roxy’s other two, a sculpture that her father created (on her side) and a watercolor originally painted by her grandfather (on her back) are her favorites.
What her parents think:
“My mom hates my tattoos. My dad is okay with them, though. I hid my first one, my back piece, from him until he saw it peeking out of my shirt. He took a better look at it and walked on. He couldn’t be mad at me because I tattooed a piece of his father’s artwork on my back. He even picked out which sculpture of his he wanted me to get on my side.”