Lizzy Acker | The Oregonian/OregonLive

By Lizzy Acker

Updated: May 16, 8:10 a.m.

Sometimes, in the service of journalism, people must offer themselves up. I’m a reporter for The Oregonian and for this story I have decided to get myself a tattoo, as decided upon by the readers of The Oregonian/OregonLive. Then, someone will film me getting that tattoo.

There are a lot of reasons to get a tattoo. You can get one that says something about you, or reminds you of a person or important event. Or, you can just get one because you think they look cool. I have 10 tattoos, some of which are meaningful in some big or small way and some of which just look cool. My next tattoo will hopefully be meaningful because it was chosen by you, a stranger, and look cool because it was done by a great artist.

But before you vote on which tattoo I should receive, you should know what I am already working with. Here are my 10 tattoos, all of which I love, along with some of the commentary they have received over time.

The voting is now closed on the tattoo. Keep scrolling to watch Avalon Reynolds of TigerLily Tattoo in Portland give the winning tattoo.

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

1. Age 19 or 20, star

Artist: Unsure, Portland

I got this tattoo after deciding I wanted to get a tattoo, riding the bus down Hawthorne Boulevard, walking into a tattoo studio that creeped me out, leaving, taking the bus farther down Hawthorne and then walking into this studio, which isn’t there anymore.

I didn’t know what I wanted my tattoo to be, only that I wanted one. I saw a picture of a star in the case and went with that one, the idea being the artist could do the outline and if I could handle the pain, then they would fill it in. Look! I handled it.

My mom’s comment upon seeing my first tattoo: “At least now I can identify your body at the morgue.”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

2. Age 21, dandelion

Artist: Unsure, Eugene

This one I got at a shop in Eugene that wasn’t High Priestess because High Priestess wouldn’t give me a foot tattoo (which, by the way, I totally respect and was their right).

This tattoo is a take-off on the classic Girl Scout camp tattoo, a daisy on the toe. It's from a song -- it's a whole thing. I was working at Girl Scout camp when I got it and I went for a dandelion on my foot instead of a daisy on my toe.

Comment from my dad, a botanist, upon seeing this tattoo: “That’s not actually a dandelion. The colors are wrong.”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

3. Age 23, Oregon outline

Artist: Same person who gave me the star, same shop.

I got this tattoo before I moved to California for graduate school, because I wanted to make sure no one mistook me for a Californian. This was 11 years ago so that sticker with the Oregon outline and the green heart wasn’t an ubiquitous thing yet. Which is something I tell people all summer long, now that I am back in Oregon.

Comment from a stranger at a bar the night after I got this tattoo: “What, do you love toast?”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

4. Age 27, shark

Artist: Derick Montez, San Francisco

I got this tattoo after Montez tattooed my then-boyfriend. Montez and I talked about shark tattoos -- I had been surfing a lot and had a mild fear of sharks so I thought a shark tattoo might be like a spell to ward off sharks (but ironically because I don't believe in spells). He drew this for me and then put it on my body.

Comment from cousin-in-law: “Don’t boys find that scary?”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

5. Age 29, eagle

Artist: Derick Montez, San Francisco

When I was 29 I went through the peak of my dramatic tattoo getting. I don’t want to get into it too much but it definitely involved feelings and boys. Montez drew this eagle to be a pal to my shark. Two apex predators on my thighs. I'm sure someone can offer an analysis of this.

I like to imagine myself as a very old woman, being undressed in a nursing home and some young whipper snapper taking off my pants and saying, “Oh my god!”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

6. Age 29, feather

Artist: Derick Montez, San Francisco

The feather was my first for-work tattoo. I got it while interviewing Montez back in 2012 during my tattoo spree. All I said was, "How about a feather?" and Montez drew it on my body free hand and then tattooed it. I used to rock climb a lot and I liked to see this tattoo when I was climbing and pretend I was a bird.

Comment from a coworker: “Is that cultural appropriation?” (Answer: I don't think so but it could be.)

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

7. Age 29, Gary Snyder poem

Artist: Derick Montez, San Francisco

This is a tattoo of the final words in Gary Snyder's poem "For the Children." The writing is done by my friend Mark, who is an old friend who I hadn't seen for years probably when I asked him to write this so I could tattoo it on my body. He's a good friend, so he did it like 25 times so I would have choices.

After I got this tattoo, I found out that this poem is a favorite of both of my parents and that they discovered they both loved it not long after getting together. This may be the only tattoo I have that they, begrudgingly, support.

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

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8. Age 30, Big Dipper

Artist: Pete Hickok, San Francisco

This was my first stick-and-poke, done with a kit purchased on the internet. Stick-and-poke is the old form of tattooing: just ink and a needle. We used a kit because there's always the risk of blood-borne illness and we wanted to be tough without being dumb. I had my friend give me the Big Dipper because I wasn't sure how I was going to handle the slow needle poking (versus the also-painful tattoo gun). It took a lot of pokes, even just for these seven little dots.

Comment by me: “Oh yeah I have a tattoo back there.”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

9. Age 31, bear

Artist: Derick Montez, San Francisco

Have you ever gotten matching tattoos with your ex-boyfriend? That’s what I did! This is also my California tattoo. I got it about a month before I left San Francisco and came back to Oregon.

Comment from basically everyone: “Wait, your EX-boyfriend?”

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

10. Age 33, Tilikum/Keiko

Artists: Julie Showers and Alyssa Walker

This is my second stick-and-poke, also from a kit, and my second at-work tattoo: I got it while I was at Willamette Week, in the office. When one of the art directors got sick of poking me, the other took over. It’s a commemorative tattoo of human killing orca Tilikum and also Keiko, the Free Willy star that used to live at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

This one is pretty new. I’ve only had it for one summer and haven’t got a lot of comments on it yet. But I am sure someone has something dismissive or mean they can think of!

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

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Wikimedia Commons Denkhenk and Lizzy Acker/The Oregonian/OregonLive

Tattoo map

Wondering where on my body these tattoos are located? Here's a map.

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Now, vote on Lizzy Acker's next tattoo.

For the next week, voting is open on what my next tattoo should be. Once a winner is determined, one of the tattooers at Tiger Lilly Tattoo in Portland will give me that tattoo, live on Facebook. I've decided on a traditional Sailor Jerry-type tattoo. From there, the rest is up to you. Vote wisely, readers!

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<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/9736957/">Which tattoo should reporter Lizzy Acker get on Facebook Live?</a>

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Want more?

Explore the Portland tattoo scene and then check out these political tattoos, Pacific Northwest tattoos and these silly tattoos.