While most cringe in the face of a tattoo gun, senior Danny Stockberger embraces the opportunity as one to express himself. Since the summer of 2008, the sports marketing and management major has inked himself with four tattoos — an upper-arm sleeve, a Kanji symbol that means “run,” a life-sized heart on his chest, and two finger mustaches.
“I’m not trying to make a big statement or anything,” he says. “It’s more me expressing what I want to do.”
Stockberger, a runner on the IU cross-country and track teams, got his first tattoo, the Kanji symbol on his leg, at the urging of his teammates.
“We said, ‘Let’s all get tattoos!’ and I was the first one to dive in and get one,” he says. “And I have a pretty addictive personality so once I got one, I just wanted more.”
His teammates continue to give him suggestions for additional tattoos, some crazier than others.
“They just want to see if I’ll actually go through with it.”
He lifts up a finger and reveals a bit of inked facial hair on its side.
“Sometimes, like this one, they’re just spur of the moment.”
Because tattoos are permanent, they can permanently affect the relationships we have with our bodies. But for Stockberger, the messages his tattoos send go beyond the ink on his skin—they remind him of his values.
“I have a life-size heart on my chest that says ‘Mom and Dad.’ I put the most thought into it,” he says. “But I had no idea what it was going to look like—I like leaving things up to the artist’s interpretation. It turns out better that way.”
Tattoos also carry a certain stigma, one that Stockberger has had to face the hard way.
“I’ve had people tell me they thought I’d be a jerk when they first met me because I was tatted up. Then they were surprised I’m generally friendly. I try not to do that to other people though.”
Although his relationship with himself is not defined by his tattoos, Stockberger says they contribute to how he feels about his body.
“You can’t really mistake me for anyone. I’m definitely my own person.”
