JustPeachy is a 28-year-old woman with a large, detailed tattoo on her back. She shares that her tattoo helped her overcome an extremely difficult time. She chose each detail to represent the different times in her life that “changed [her] and shaped [her] into the person [she] is now.” When talking about the significance of each detail, JustPeachy says she chose the tree because it’s “something that year after year dies and comes back stronger than ever. Its strength grows from the roots up to make it into something beautiful time and time again.” There are six leaves because her life changed dramatically when she was six years old. “My father left my mother and she turned to drugs and alcohol, leaving me and my younger sister to fend for ourselves.” The broken swing represents a broken childhood, which she describes as “having to grow up way before my time.”
When JustPeachy got her tattoo, she wanted a reminder of “all [she] had to overcome to get where [she] is now.” She sketched trees for years, admiring how they change with the seasons. She provided her sketches and idea to a tattoo artist who made the final design. She chose to have the tattoo on her back because it honours a big event in her life and deserved to take up as much space. It also indicates that the events are behind her, and she is moving forward now.
When asked about the meaning of her tattoo, JustPeachy says the answer may or may not change. Most of the people that know her know of her childhood and would understand the meaning of her tattoo. However, she struggles to get her mother to understand it. JustPeachy shares that it took her “years to be able to look back on [her] childhood and not feel ashamed or upset.” She also battled with depression and self-harm for years, “looking to have some control over [her] life.” When she was able to talk about her experiences and use them to help others it became less painful. She now views it as the “backbone” to her story. She says, “It’s what shaped me to become independent, and into a woman who I’m growing to love more and more each day.”
STORIES FROM THE SKIN 