Here at South, many students have gone the extra mile to express themselves by getting tattoos. 

Some students are of the age of 18, the required age to get a tattoo without a parent, and some got their permanent marks before turning 18 with their parents’ permission. Either way, students chose to display their personalities and creativity by going under the tattoo gun.

Senior Jordyn Jones-Carter started her impressive tattoo collection when she was just 16 years old. Her first tattoo, a skull and roses, is a tribute to her family. 

“Most of my tattoo’s I got just because I liked the design, but the skull and roses is for my mom, my brother, and me,” Jones-Carter said.

Jones-Carter also has the image of an African woman on her arm, a “Loser/Lover” design on her arm, and a red ink dragon on her torso. She got half of her tattoos when she was 16 and the other half when she was 17, and said she plans to get more. 

Senior Maddy Duggan got her tattoo when she was 17 years old with her mother’s approval. Located on her side, the image of a rose and a lily flower proudly exists. Duggan said her tattoo didn’t have a specific meaning at the time of getting it, but she has given it her own meaning over time. She got her tattoo at St. Louis Tattoo Company in Chesterfield.

“My mom got a rose tattoo when she was 17, just like me, and my two childhood best friends are named Lily, so my tattoo reminds me of them,” Duggan said.

Duggan said the tattoo was painful. She said she only has one tattoo as of now, but she can see herself getting more. 

Senior Adam Sommer is another student who is inked up. To carry on a family tradition, he got a tattoo on his 18th birthday. 

“My older brother, my two cousins, and I all have Bible verses on our upper chest. We kind of made it our own tradition, and we all have different verses,” Sommer said.

Sommer said the tattoo didn’t hurt like he thought it would, and he would definitely get another one. 

“I actually want to get another tattoo soon, maybe in a couple of months, but then I won’t get any more,” Sommer said. 

Senior Natalie Hemmy got her tattoo recently. She has a flower design on her foot. 

“It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would, but it still hurt since it was right on the bone,” Hemmy said. 

Hemmy stated that she would get another one. 

Taya Hale, junior, has a special tattoo. Located on her left ribs, it reads “I love you-mom,” from a note she put in Hale’s lunch box when she was in second grade. 

“It is very significant to me since my mom and I have such a great relationship and she got her mom’s signature in the same place at the same time I did,” Hale said. 

Hale said her tattoo, “hurt pretty bad, but not enough to cry about it.”