No, the semi colon is not just limited to a punctuation mark anymore. It has a more serious meaning to it many people the world over– it symbolises the power of yourself. Today, tattoos of semicolons offer love and hope to those struggling with mental health issues – depression, suicide, addiction, and self-injury.
Image courtesy: twitter.com/ ProjSemicolon
Here’s how it all began!
When Amy Bluel lost her father to suicide, Bluel wanted to do something to honor him and more importantly raise awareness for mental health issues. And, Project Semicolon was born. In grammatical usage, a semi colon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. Drawing parallel to real life, the semi colon tattoo serves as an inspiration to those who self-harm, or are considering suicide, to choose a better alternative—for themselves and for their loved ones.
Image courtesy: twitter.com/Lorraine angel
Today, people are tattooing the mark as a reminder of their struggle, victory, and survival and many are tattooing the semi colon in solidarity. With the hashtag #thesemicolonproject, thousands of people who are fighting depression and mental illness are showing off their tattoos and telling powerful stories.
That’s how the semi colon became a global mental movement!
