In
every person’s life, there is always someone who is very important to them. It
may be their children, mother and father, or even a close friend. Nevertheless,
these people have had a very big impact on other’s lives in some way. Sometimes
the love for these people may be so big that the person may want to do
something very special for them. Some may show their love by expressing it with
words, others with gifts, but some people have so much love for another person
that they get a tattoo in order to show their affection and as a constant
reminder of them. The love a person has for someone may be strong enough to
give this person the courage to get permanent ink on their body through this
painful procedure. The person who wears this tattoo is Angelina Jolie. Angelina
Jolie is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. She has received an
Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards,
and has been cited as Hollywood's highest-paid actress. By having these
tattoos, Angelina is spreading the various messages she means to convey to all
the people that watch her on television or at important events. Over the years
she has gotten many tattoos done for all her children. For example, on her left
arm, she has tattooed the coordinations which indicate the locations of her
adopted children across the globe. The tattoo that really caught my eye was one
that she has placed on her left shoulder blade. In the language of Cambodia, it
is an incantation to protect her and her adopted son Maddox (who was from
Cambodia) from harm. This inscription for Protection translates to, “May your
enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours
always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will
attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides.” Khmer or
Cambodian is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of
Cambodia. With approximately 16 million speakers, it is the second most widely
spoken Austroasiatic language (after Vietnamese). Khmer has been considerably
influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious
registers, through the vehicles of Hinduism and Buddhism. Angelina got this
tattoo in the Cambodian language because her adopted son, Maddox is from
Cambodia. She wanted to get something meaningful and that would remind her of
her son every time she saw this tattoo on her body. I chose to write about this
tattoo because besides famous celebrities like Angelina Jolie, many people
often get tattoos as a reminder of a family member or a loved one. For example,
I have many friends who have gotten the name of their new born baby on their
body, their mother’s name, or even the name of someone who has passed away. To
me, a person has to have a lot of love or affection towards the other person
whose name they are getting on their body. Something that concerned me about
Angelina’s tattoo, is that who is going to be able to read the inscription? The
language of Cambodian is not a language that is commonly spoken in the United
States so very few people would be able to figure out what it says. I would not
get a tattoo of someone’s actual name on my body, but like Angelina, I would
get maybe an inscription that as dedicated to them or something that reminded
me of them, such as a bible verse or maybe their favorite flower. In
conclusion, along with other tattoos Angelina has, I believe there is a lot of
meaning behind this tattoo. Although not many people will be able to read what
it says, it is very important to her for it is a constant reminder of her son.
Like Angelina, many people get tattoos as a constant reminder of the people
they love. As of now, I don’t have the courage to get a tattoo in order to have
as a constant reminder of someone, but maybe one day I will and hopefully it
means as much to me as it does to Angelina Jolie and many other people who have
done this.
