TOLEDO, Ohio — March is women's history month where we celebrate the accomplishments of women through the course of American history and here at home.
Right here in Toledo, there are women who are forging their own paths every day.
Some are using body art as a way to express themselves.
WTOL 11 spoke to two women involved in the local tattoo industry.
Erica Jimenez is a Mercy Health employee who says she draws self-esteem from her tattoos.
She is using that positivity to get on the cover of the popular tattoo magazine Inked.
She says tattoos are a way to express your uniqueness.
“I’ve always loved doing my own thing. I’ve never liked going with what everybody else likes,” said Jimenez.
Small businessperson Jordyn Tinney is fully invested in tattoo culture.
She runs one of the few female-led tattoo shops in Toledo, Brick House Tattoo & Co., and is proud of her success.
“It’s a pretty male-dominated field so just seeing women do something that is typically dominated by men is just refreshing,” said Tinney.
Tinney says the way Americans think about tattoos has changed in the last few decades as it becomes more acceptable and mainstream.
Whereas for most of the 20th century, tattoos were perceived as being something that only bikers or sailors or prisoners would get, nowadays you’re just as likely to find one on the arm of your kid’s teacher or family doctor, whether they regularly show it off or not.
Jimenez says she has seen the change in attitudes at her job.
She says when she first started working for Mercy Health they didn’t allow employees to show their tattoos, but that policy was changed in the last few years.
Both women are happy to play a part in lifting the stigma against tattoos.
“In a world where everyone is always trying to fit in, it’s cool to be able to show what you stand for yourself and to stand out as an individual,” said Tinney.
Click here if you want to help Jimenez win a spot on the cover of Inked Magazine.
The contest is a fundraiser for MisiCares, which helps musicians in financial need.
You can vote once a day for free or purchase additional votes.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified Brick House Tattoo & Co. as the only female-led tattoo shop in Toledo. This is not the case and WTOL 11 apologizes for this error.
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