Danielle Green’s column explores the stories behind AU students’ tattoos. Read her introductory column for her thoughts on tattoos in general.
Mark Bevilacqua decided to finally get his first tattoo once he was out from underneath his parents’ roof. He finally finished his quarter-sleeve tattoo this past August almost 15 hours of tattooing work. His colorful tattoo displays a forest scene with a pale yellow flower as the center piece.
“I wanted to get something that I’d never regret,” he said.
Bevilacqua, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and native to Long Island, New York came to American University to study Spanish Language. He was driven by his future plans to work for his family’s construction business where many of the workers speak Spanish. His decision to get the tattoo came after two years of contemplation.
His tattoo features a scene from the 1987 animated film, “The Brave Little Toaster”.
“I grew up with this film. It really had an impact on my childhood. At the time I didn’t think much of it, I just enjoyed it. It was only later that I found out how dark the film really is,” Bevilacqua said.
The film follows a group of appliances as they travel to find their owner who they believe has left them behind. The main character, the Toaster, leads the group on this adventure.
On a break during the journey, the Toaster wanders off into the forest. There he finds a single yellow flower who flirts wordlessly with the Toaster. The Toaster rejects the flower, claiming that he isn’t a flower and promptly runs away. He looks back at the flower and sees that it is now dying from the pain of rejection. The short encounter between the Toaster and the flower is never brought up again.
“To me this scene is a story of rejection and the tattoo stands as a symbol of reclaiming your worth. For me, getting a tattoo was a way to take back control of my life and living life the way that I want,” said Bevilacqua.
