The semi colon tattoo......

I, too, have scars on my arms from self-harm.
I have a tattoo on one arm in Hebrew which says daughter...as in daughter of God. I chose it as a representation of my identity in Christ and not as "cutter" or "bipolar." Im not getting into religion, simply explaining my tattoo. Beside the Hebrew I have a silhouette of a red bird which I took from a drawing I did once while in the hospital-basically, it represents my belief that it is ok to be different!

Soon, I may be adding the semi colon to it. Not because its a fad but because I like it. Initially, the semi colon project was that people were to draw it on their wrist but tattoos are popular so of course people started tattooing it. Its about like TWLOHA went...people starting tattooing love on their arms. Ya know? Most tattoos people get aren't exactly 100% original. I myself have 8 and only one is from flash but hey...Sailor Jerry rocks!

Oh ... One one thing..I don't feel like I have to explain to anyone what my tattoos are nor what they mean to me .. They are for me and my enjoyment

I rarely fully explain my tattoos.They don't know otherwise

The Semicolon Tattoo: So Much More Than a Trend. | elephant journal

The semi colon tattoo went viral. It's ALL over facebook today. It's literally the most re-posted story in my newsfeed.

Nah, this is something personal and I wouldn't like to attract any attention whatsoever to my scars, internal or not. It's my business and don't need to be scarred further with a tattoo, or any other external symbol, to 'prove' I belong to a 'fraternity' or some such. Just my opinion.

Well said!

I have a medium size tattoo on my forearm also to cover some SI but it is from my mind and means something to me it doesn't cover all the scars but it takes my focus away from them and on to the positive part of my arm,I now feel able to wear short sleeve t-shirts. I'm hoping to one day settle on a design for my upper arm I have drawn a Geisha with a mountain background maybe I could make a semi colon pattern for part of her kimono.

For whatever reason to tattoo or not I am enjoying reading everyone's perspectives. Thanks

Their message isn't intended to be shameful "I used to cut myself" it is meant to be positive and uplifting "I've been through some very dark places but look how far I've come!"

Either way...if it helps people to get this tattoo or draw it on themselves, I am happy for them.

I can also see how this can go wrong because as you suggest it can become the whole of a person's identity or the diagnosis can become a sort of badge, people being proud to be ill or something.

I guess it kind of depends on how you look at it. When I came across this issue, I started to think that people might already know (or think they know) a lot about you from knowing you from before or what you wear or your skin color or your scars, and judge you as they please.

So a tattoo is not going to hide the rest of your identity, but simply bring a certain internal fight you had been fighting all alone, to the surface, almost in a way to being proud of the surviving so much pain and misery, of your willpower, your strength. Being proud enough to show the world. It's anti-shame. It's also to offer support to other people going through this or people who have lost someone. So there is a sense of community from this shared suffering. So those aspects can be positive in my view.

in my location a semi colon on the wrist is a spin off of the self help idea of taking a washable marker and writing positive things on one self when they feel like self injuring or suicide.

its not meant to identify that person as hey look at me i tried to harm myself. its a self affirmation that they did a great thing by not following through with the negative thoughts and actions.

its on the wrist because thats an area that is easily covered up by watches, bracelets, can be converted to different tattoos when no longer needed or not wanting it to show/ be visible to others.

my opinion its no different than someone getting a tattoo of their significant others, flowers, butterflies, skulls and what have you on their arms wrists, and other body parts. we live in a world of body art due to ones culture, gangs, and personal preferences. theres no shame in a person decorating their body with what ever they want on it here in america even if its someones name, an affirmation, dedication to surviving cancer or like this one surviving mental illness. some people are just so comfortable with their self, their body image and proud of what they have gone through that they want to commemorate that with something, and thats what the semi colon regardless of where on the body it appears does for people around here. I have one on my ankle because thats the site i most used. and no I dont cover it up unless the weather dictates the need for covering up feet and ankles. i have been asked if it has special meaning for me and I say yes it does. i know someone who died due to suicide and i have had my own battles with it too. its no different than wearing pink purple or green ribbons for things that are dear to ones heart.

If a cancer survivor tattooed a pink ribbon, would you tell that person their identity is cancer or criticize them for using a common symbol?

We all have our own battles, some more than others. Why should we be ashamed. Instead, we should be proud for what we have survived. Mental health gets enough shame and stigma. Why not voice our pain through tattoos? It's not for everyone. But if they do, good for them. It's like speakers who speak to audiences about rape, domestic violence, teen moms, etc. That doesn't make them who they are; it's not their identity. But they have the strength to stand up and speak to others of their trials. Tattooing also is voicing your struggles, just through art instead of verbal.

I would think more people here would be supportive

This is about as positive as threads come around here.

I have an English degree and currently work as an editor. If I got a semicolon tattoo, most people I know would probably think it was a grammar nerd sort of thing!

I don't like illness as identity. I don't believe this helps people. Using a common symbol is inviting employers and others to prejudge you and possibly discriminate against you. This IS how I offer support, by being honest about one potentially harmful outcome of doing this.

I'm not criticizing the OP, I'm offering food for thought. Agreeing with people does not always equal support.

But you're assuming that it's their identity when in fact you don't know. You're judging someone based off your beliefs, not theirs. I.e. you're projecting.

It wouldn't need to be visible to everyone.. If a person wants to use a pen or crayon or tattoo.. There is alot of space that is typically covered by clothing LOL

If a semicolon is being used as a symbol of mental health struggles or suicide survival, I am not labeling that person. The person who decides to get that tattoo is marking themselves. I know that some employers might take that as a sign of instability/increased health care costs or even unreliability. Being a person who struggles with such things, I do not personally think less of people like me.

Even someone surviving cancer should not announce it to a potential employer.
I'm basing this on unethical things I've seen and heard employers do.

The only part that is coming from me is this--I don't think using illness as part of your permanent identity is healthy. That part is just my opinion.

People and employers will judge you regardless. They will judge you because of your religion, your physical illness, your skin color, race, gender, sex, weight, tattoos (unrelated to this issue), etc. They're not (and should not) be allowed of course. And I'm sure they won't say it to your face either.

But given everything else, I would be real surprised if everything else being equal, a small semicolon becomes the reason someone is fired or does not get a job. If the particular job requires certain level of mental stability or freedom from any mental health issues, past and present, I'm sure they have other ways to check into this and find out, than to rely on a tattoo which symbolizes a variety of things (personal past of self harm or support for those who are dealing with this issue or have lost someone to this).

Why make it easier for others to judge you?
IMHO it seems like you are putting a small billboard yourself, if it is visible.

Even if you don't lose a job over it, any perceived stigma will hurt your career. at least I've witnessed something like this.

Seem like your issue is with tattoos in general not just the semi colon.

I'm just glad people have freedom to express themselves and not be oppressed by people who want to silence them.

Addition: I already don't fit into the norm because of my mental illness. I will be judged no matter what I do. So since I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not, I can be proud of who I really am. I mean, I will never fit into society's little box. Society saw fit to that already.

So I believe that silence is what causes all the stigma, and imo, you're just feeding it.

See, I don't view the semi-colon tattoo as a "badge" or anything, or someone saying "hey, this is my identity!"

I view it as a way of remembering/acknowledging the past (the part in front of the semi-colon) and looking towards the future (the part after). It's a reminder of something in the past, and a reminder that that part is over and a new part starts.

Like... people getting tattoos in honour of people who they know have died. It's a way to honour and remember the past with them. Except... in this case... it's an aversion to dying as opposed to dying. It can be a way for someone to remember themselves.

Do I label myself as bipolar? No. But it IS a part of who I am, and it is certainly a part of my life - part of my past, and will be a part of future. It is a part of me, but it is not me. It isn't shameful or wrong of me to include that as part of my identity. I identify as bipolar, I identify as caucasian, I identify as working-class, I identify as Canadian, I identify as a teacher..... Why is it that my health needs to be hidden?

I actually am planning on getting the tattoo. On my foot. Where the dot part of the semi-colon is going to be a freckle that I have there - I've frequently drawn around it over the years, and I've contemplated a tattoo there for eons. So I'm going to get the bottom half included. (I was also an English major, and the ; is my favourite piece of punctuation..... I actually used the ; so much that I had to start training myself not to, and I seem to over-use dashes now instead!)

Is it a trend? Yes. But it will have a layer of other meanings for me, as grammar is much more significant to me than birds, butterflies, etc.

But am I labelling myself? No. If someone knows what it means, then good! I will have a discussion about it - I believe in erasing stigma. I don't even have to tell them that I deal with it, but that I find it an important cause. Then again - it will likely go unnoticed unless I point it out as it will be the same colour as the rest of my freckles.

Now I think you are making assumptions about me. That I'm anti tattoo? Where did that come from?

I had never felt I would want to get a tattoo because I could never imagine wanting something that permanent on me.
But when I first saw meaning of the semicolon tattoo, I did seriously consider getting one: I am proud of beating a terrible, deadly disease. It is not my identity by any means, but it is something that I have surmounted. It has changed me.

I then learned it was linked to a religion, and that ruled it out completely. Their reasoning that faith helps, regardless of the type of faith, had zero resonance for me.