LEAD

Name: Joseph Xu
Age: 20
Year/Major: Junior, Sociology

LM: What tattoos have you got?
JX: One chest piece, two on my left arm, one on my right arm, one that spans the entire right side of my upper body/ribs, one of the backside of my left calf, and one of the top left of my back.

LM: What age did you get your first tattoo?
JX : 19

LM: Where did you get your tattoo(s) done?
JX: First one at Lucky Monkey by Corey Cuc, four by Mike Emmett (split between Name Brand Tattoo and Depot Town Tattoo), and two by Adam Schrewsburry at Name Brand Tattoo




LM: What was the inspiration for your tattoo(s)?
JX: My tattoos are a reflection of a period in my life and the ideology or ideologies that I hold at the moment. As I grow and progress through life, I come across various discrepancies and problems with the individuals and groups that I interact with, as well as the social structures that overly it all. Born from those struggles is a massive amount of scar tissue, both that of emotional and physical. The latter, physical, manifests itself in the forms of tattoos as I attain that emotional scar tissue, learning and becoming aware of the universal truths and ideals that surround me.

LM: Have you got any tattoos we can't see?
JX: All my tattoos, save for my most recent one (lower part of my upper half of my left arm) are more or less completely covered by regular clothing.

LM: What was the reaction from friends/ family?
JX: My family was not pleased by any stretch of the imagination, but are more or less in a constant state of denial about my tattoos. They realize that I have them and, thus, little to do about them, but still generally try to ignore the fact that I have them as a coping mechanism of sorts. My friends, of course, are more supportive of them, though, usually for more aesthetic reasons.