This is the tattoo I'm getting for my 16th birthday. Yes, it's a Chinese symbol. No, I don't speak Chinese. Yes, it's overdone BUT no, I don't want a huge tattoo and yes, it has a lot of meaning.

The symbol means beautiful.
I'm not getting the word beautiful tattooed on myself because I'm conceited or anything like that but because the word beautiful is so much more to me than just a word. Each day I can look down at my body, a body that I've had quite a lot of issues with over the years and still continue to, and I will have a reminder that I am beautiful. Despite whether or not I find myself physically beautiful, I know that I'm a beautiful person and the people in my life have taught me that. Each day I can look down at that and have a reminder to treat people the way that I want to be treated, to not judge quickly and not judge harshly. Each day I can have a reminder that the world around me is beautiful and even on my darkest days, I have a reason to believe that something good is going to happen because it always seems to...even the smallest thing. I have a reminder that beautiful doesn't just have to mean that I'm a pretty face but that I'm a good person with a pure heart and good intentions. That's what this tattoo means to me and that's why I'm getting it.