If you’ve seen people or pictures of people with semicolon tattoos, you probably have wondered what the tattoos mean. Typically inornate and small in size, the semicolon tattoo might seem relatively unremarkable, but they’re cropping up everywhere, and they contain a tremendous significance.
While it may appear to be a flair for punctuation, what the semicolon tattoo actually represents is mental health struggles and the importance of suicide prevention.
Originating in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the semicolon tattoos originated from Project Semicolon, for those who struggle with self-harm, addiction, depression and suicide. It is also used in memory of those whose sentence has ended, like the father of the movement’s founder, Amy Bleuel. Amy has battled against mental illness and depression throughout her life. After she lost her father to suicide, she wanted to honor his memory in a special way. She also wanted to raise awareness for suicide prevention and other mental health issues, so she started Project Semicolon. The project aims to offer hope, love and understanding to those who battle depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury. In the writing field, a semicolon is used when the author could have chosen to ended their sentence, but chose to keep it going. It separates two connected thoughts. With the Project Semicolon, you are the author and the sentence is your life.
