94 Days of Summer: Day 12, Cayden's Glimpse at the Elusive Cheek Tiger

I’m pleased to announce a new category of post on the blog: “94 Days of Summer!” To get you in the mood as I explain the concept, I think it is fun to hum “Summer Lovin'” from Grease but substitute “bloggin'” for “lovin'”… are you humming summer bloggin’? Great!

I thought it would be fun to feature student guest bloggers over the summer. We have 94 days of summer “vacation” and our students are all over the world doing all sorts of interesting things. So, this category of post was born as a way to keep students connected and to showcase what our majors are doing during these summer months.  Students who were interested contacted me and were given a few guidelines (very few), so we will see just about everything up here! Some students are staying in SF, taking summer school, some completing internships, some traveling the world, others working jobs at home. Each student has committed to write three posts over the course of the summer.  The first one to make it to my inbox? Senior Communication Studies major Cayden Berkmoyer!

By way of introduction, I asked all of our guest bloggers to send me a short biography. Here we go… “Born and raised in San Jose, I spent my childhood in the Bay Area, but was also afforded the opportunity to travel the world, spurring my love for adventure and exploration. I left the Golden State after high school to pursue a new life in Albion, Michigan. My experience there was eye-opening, and from my time there I am able to appreciate what a unique and resplendent place the Bay Area is. Upon deciding that there was nowhere else for me but California, I transferred to the University of San Francisco, eventually deciding on Communication Studies as my major. I have just finished my second year here at USF and plan on graduating at the end of Fall semester next year.”

COMS senior Cayden, with no face tattoos

“Makes Sense to Me: A Communication Studies student’s observations over a summer in San Francisco

Volume 1: A Rare Glimpse at the Elusive Cheek Tiger

What do tattoos communicate? They can be a memorial for a loved one, succinctly express a profound sentiment, or illustrate one’s love for butterflies. The pervasiveness of tattoos in modern society had certainly changed alongside its appropriateness in the common eye. Now it is not uncommon to see CEOs or business owners with tattoos. Not so long ago, the only tattoos acceptable for the ‘real’ world were ones with military association, though the expression of oneself through ink is becoming more and more admissible in everyday life.

I, for one, believe that tattoos can be an expression of the self or a part of the self. They have the potential to tell a part of your story, something unique to your experience in life. While I may not necessary agree with some frivolous or hastily-decided-upon tattoos, I think they serve an important purpose—as a snapshot into a time in that individual’s life. Though you may perhaps regret the butterfly and tribal swirl lower back tattoo years down the road, it will be with you indefinitely—a memorialization of that moment that you will always carry with you.

The other day, I saw a woman with a tiger tattooed on each of her cheeks. Each fearsome feline appeared to be climbing up her face, looking over its shoulder with a menacing snarl across its face. Though the sidewalk was bustling with foot traffic, there appeared to be a protective bubble around this woman and her friends, into whose perimeter no one dare step. Rather than be afraid, I was more intrigued at the fact that this woman had tigers tattooed on her face. Sounds like something from Mike Tyson’s playbook, but one has to imagine that at some point, this woman made the (perhaps not lucid) decision to get tigers tattooed on her face.

Now, I cannot speak for her reasoning, but I must say that I admire someone who is willing to get a face tattoo. It is unavoidable that when interacting with this person, you inevitably look at their face. As someone who thinks that tattoos are extensions of the self, it is a bold move to permanently mark your body on a place that you cannot hide. People typically choose to get tattooed on their arms, back, chest, etc… Most of the places can be covered up if necessary. But a face tattoo? You can’t really avoid showing that off unless you are wearing a niqab.

So what is the point of this piece? I’m not entirely sure. It was startling to see this woman’s tattoos so prominently displayed, but perhaps more shocking was the harsh reaction of people to this individual. Her offering a piece of herself (whatever the tigers were meant to represent) to the world was met with immediate distrust and hostility. If only we were all so honest, to be able to put forth our story for the world to see. I have a profound amount of respect for Tiger Woman and other who unabashedly represent themselves as they see fit, regardless of what others may think of them. I think if we can take anything from this, it is (and this is particularly pertinent for those recently graduated students and those about to graduate): Don’t get a face tattoo, because the world isn’t ready for your awesome cheek tigers and you will not be employed anywhere.”

Nice observations, Cayden, and a fun way to start our 94 Days of Summer! I personally don’t have any tattoos, but I actually like them a lot (perhaps because my husband has quite a few!). Any tattoo lovers out there? Or, even better, anyone who regrets a tattoo? Comment back!