Home Campus & Community Tattoo Preview: Autumn Cardinal

Tattoo Preview: Autumn Cardinal

by Gary Lowder

With their long neck, and alien-like eyes on their 180-degree pivoting head, the intelligent-looking praying mantises are interesting bugs. According to the National Geographic Society praying mantises are formidable predators and their long bodies and stick-like appendages allow them to camouflage themselves so they can stalk prey, using the hinged front legs they are named for to snare smaller insects.

Freshman art major Autumn Cardinal has a tattoo of a flowery orchid mantis tattooed on the front of her right thigh. Cardinal said the tattoo symbolizes “a million” things. Cardinal doesn’t have the fondest memories of her birth mother. “I don’t remember much, but what I do remember is that she really didn’t like bugs…” she said. “I can remember going into the backyard and capturing praying mantises.” Cardinal would then proceed to place the insects in her mother’s bedroom and on the bed itself. Cardinal said, “ I remember being nine years old and feeling super smooth about scaring my mom, and I always thought it was so funny.”

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“When I turned 16 I wanted a tattoo that symbolized that sort of small rebellion in my childhood,” she remembered with a smile. According to a 2013 study by Pew Research Center, almost 40 percent of college age people have a tattoo somewhere on their body, and according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine 73 percent of adults with tattoos say they got them in college. This increase in body art has led to employers loosening up on no-tattoo policies and even dress codes. Cardinal explained how the insect also represented female empowerment. “I’m not sure how familiar you are with praying mantis’ mating habits, but after the females have sex they typically eat off the males’ heads…I think it’s a great symbol for my ‘take no nonsense’ attitude.”

“Ultimately I chose the orchid mantis because I love the way they look and I believe it represents me and my experiences, and I had never seen another person with a praying mantis tattooed on them,” Cardinal explained. “I just wanted something that was undeniably me.” The Pew Research Center’s study also stated that the recent popularity of college tattoos is rising because most students want to feel independent and tattoos help them achieve this feeling. Others use body art to cover scars from accidents or spots they find unsightly. Getting a tattoo also helped Cardinal’s self esteem. “I chose to get the tattoo on my thigh because it was such a prominent place where everyone could see it, but also because I had a lot of self-esteem issues with my thighs and the rest of my body, and I know a lot of other girls do too. The mantis helped me deal with those issues in my own way, and helped me learn to love my body.”

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