“Tattooed women are seen as persons who flaunt their freedom from gender norms or as individuals who threaten women’s traditional space in society.” (Santos, X., 94)

A tattoo symbolizes freedom of self-expression; people get them to express themselves on their skin either temporarily or permanently. However, Santos explains that this is not always easy for Chicana women who are put on a platform for criticism and public judgment once they decide to get tattooed. Something similar occurs in the rest of the Hispanic community, tattooed women are still regarded negatively; tattooed young girls’ families, friends and even acquaintances often react to their decision to get a tattoo with disappointment or even anger. This is because these women are no longer available to receive the fantasies others might want to project onto them. They are telling the world (or perhaps just themselves) that their own standards of beauty and attractiveness are more important to them than the standards of anyone else. They take ownership of their bodies.
Although I don’t have a tattoo now, as a future educator and a Latina, I wonder: would a visible tattoo prevent me from getting a teaching job? I would like to think that the answer is no, that tattoos no longer prevent a qualified teacher from obtaining a position, but are female teachers at a disadvantage because of the social norms that limit a woman’s right to use their bodies as they please?
Tattooes are a form of art that take time and talent to create; the fact that a woman is stigmatized because she has one should not be tolerated anymore. Our job as educators of future generations is to educate our students to respect others’ choices, and celebrate differences.