Thursday, 19 June 2014

They'll look at me as a 'prostitute' if I were to get tatted.




I fucking love tattoos! They are so damn interesting and lovely to look at, something to ask about, talk about, and they say so much about a person. After watching all these world cup matches and seeing these beautiful men covered in tatts makes me admire them and want them even more which sucks. But of course thats another something I can't do, have, or want. Being Turkish and Muslim means both cultural and religious backlash, not to mention I'm a girl; which just adds to the list.

I have always been a Muslim but always somewhat an unknown one as I don't look religious but its something I was born into I guess and I have tried to follow as much as I can. It's hard following a religion or path when you don't really have anyone around you who fully implies the rules of Islam to you, but believe you me I'm happy about. My mums from Turkey, automatically more religious than my fathers Cypriot side of the family, her family in Turkey are all super into their religion; praying five times a day, fasting, and all attempting to teach their own kids the same route, but somehow only half succeeding. And well my fathers side, is well pretty pathetic with the whole understanding of religion so its hard to see the right way to go at most times because when people surprisingly ask us if we are Muslims we kind of reply in a "well, yeah; but not proper religious" kind of way, or my dad calls us "micky mouse Muslims" which is quite comedic. But when I am to ask about tattoos they shake their heads in despair implying how haram it is, even though there is no religious stability within our immediate family. And even though my dad has a tattoo himself that still doesn't matter as they then go on to say that the family won't approve, and that they'll look at me as a 'prostitute' if I were to get tatted which is just bullshit and a cheap reply.

Tattoos are so beautiful and delicate looking that if you get it done properly there should be no problem at all. But no, we have to approach the higher court in order to do something that completely concerns no one but me and my own body. I'm someone who has been creative my whole life, drawing, painting, creating music, sewing, totally artistic since I can remember I'm studying fashion for fucks sake, but cant express my total creativeness on my own body because a) God doesn't approve of tattoos, or b) my Family don't approve of tattoos. Personally my family don't concern me at all, they can learn to live with it; its more about the religious thing. The thing is, if we only see ourselves as 'kind of' Muslims than can't we commit 'kind of' some sins like tattoos but yet still fast and pray?! If we are not to change or beautify our appearance like plucking our eyebrows or having plastic surgery, then why is it all we get on Turkish TV is ads on cosmetic surgery non stop! And if my family can't approve of tattoos then why is it fine for me to do it when I'm married so long as the male decides its fine; and why is it not a problem for my male cousins to get tatted up; because I'm a girl I'm too inferior to decide for myself?! They send out so many different messages that they can't blame us for not being able to catch up with all the rules and regulations between God, culture, family and TV. 


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