Tattoo with a Meaning

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.