For Medill senior Kelly Rappaport, tattoos are more than body art—they’re a statement of her passion for creativity and accessible expression. The summer before she began college, she chose a design that reflected those values: a tattoo of Keith Haring’s iconic dancing figures inked on her bicep.
“I live and breathe everything creative,” Rappaport said. “It’s very central to who Keith Haring was—making art that wasn’t locked away behind high prices or gallery walls.”
Haring, a New York-based pop artist and activist, is known for addressing social issues such as the AIDS crisis and drug addiction through his cartoon-style works. Since that first tattoo, Rappaport has added four more pieces, including a miniature Picasso painting and Andy Warhol’s famed banana from the Velvet Underground & Nico album cover. She relies on Chicago studios like Lucky Kat Tattoo in River West and Good Mood Tattoo in Pilsen to bring her vision to life.
Rappaport is part of a growing cultural shift. According to the Pew Research Center, 41% of Americans under 30 now have at least one tattoo. Rappaport says she chooses art with enduring significance to ensure she won’t outgrow it.
“These are works that have been displayed in museums for hundreds of years,” she said. “They’re timeless.”
Tattoos as Self-Expression
For Weinberg freshman Sailor Akohonae, tattoos serve as a personal extension of her identity. Each of her four tattoos represents a different aspect of herself, including an anchor to symbolize her name and a silhouette of her and her brother.
“It’s like another decoration,” Akohonae said. “You can style your body with clothes and jewelry—and also with tattoos.”
But not every tattoo carries lasting satisfaction. Weinberg freshman Fima Furman said she regrets the cartoon frog she had inked on her ankle while on a family trip to Spain. Though she was legally old enough to get the tattoo at 16, she now wishes she had waited for a more meaningful design.
“It’s artistically cool and goofy,” she said. “But it’s on my body forever, and I just wish it had more meaning.”
As an aspiring physician, Furman also placed the tattoo where it can be hidden beneath medical scrubs. Despite broader corporate acceptance—companies like Disney and UPS relaxed tattoo policies in 2021—Furman said she remains cautious about how patients might perceive her.
“I don’t want to be thought of as less professional or trusted less,” she said. “There’s no way to predict how someone will feel about tattoos, and I would never want a patient to feel uncomfortable or question my judgment.”
Balancing Expression and Professionalism
Akohonae echoed that sentiment, noting that stigma still lingers in professional spaces. While she believes tattoos have no bearing on job performance, she chooses placements she can easily conceal during interviews.
“I understand that some workplaces want to maintain a certain image, and that’s fine,” she said. “But tattoos don’t impair judgment or work ethic.”
As tattoos grow in popularity and societal norms shift, students like Rappaport, Akohonae, and Furman continue to navigate the balance between personal expression and professional expectations—finding ways to honor their identities without compromising future opportunities.
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