Tattoos are a strange thing. Getting inked is one of the few decisions you make that really sticks with you for life. Jobs come and go, marriages can get annulled, children grow up and move away… But tattoos remain.

My feelings about my tattoos seem to change every day. A lot of the time, I’m not even aware that I have them. But in summer, when my arms are bare and countless strangers ask me, “Are they real? Do they hurt?”, I couldn’t forget about them even if I tried!

Sometimes I wish I never got tattooed. It shocks people when I say that, because I suppose to some extent, I am recognised by my tattoos. For better or worse, they have become a part of my look and my persona. In some ways, I find them limiting. And no matter how common they become, I feel like with tattoos, you’re always pigeonholed, to an extent.

And even though I’d like to get more — I’d love to cover my body with sigils and symbols — I also appreciate being able to cover them up when I want to. It’s easy for me: I just put on a t-shirt with mid-length sleeves. Having said that, I think Sabina Kelley looks incredible with just her arms done, and I love that she has been so strategic about placement.

As I said a couple of weeks ago, I think about getting more tattoos all the time, but something is holding me back from taking the plunge…

In the interim, I’ve been tuning into Best Ink every Wednesday for a dose of ink without the anguish! The fourth episode is on tonight at 10/11ET, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m not a betting woman… But my money’s on Teresa. (And Brittany is such a babe.)

Four quick questions with Pete Wentz

Q: What’s your first memory of tattooing? Can you blame your collection on an uncle with a sleeve or an older sister with a butterfly on her shoulder?!

A: My first memory of tattooing is looking at the guys in Guns n Roses; realizing that skulls and crosses were part of tattoo art.

Q: Do your tattoos have a theme or do you just go for what you like at the time? How many of your tattoos relate to music, and how?

A: I collect the art of various artists that I respect. There are certain themes that are important to me… I believe in imagination and the future. I believe in having your friends’ backs, love and truth and life….

Q: You’re most well-known as a musician, and your band, Fall Out Boy, just released a new album. Congratulations! It must be awesome to put out something new after your hiatus. What’s your favourite part of working on music? Is it writing, recording, performing, sleeping in a tour bus (!), or something else?

A: My favorite part of creating music is when the art becomes someone else’s. I love playing it in front of a crowd that energizes the songs and gives them new meanings…

Q: I’ve battled depression in the past, and I know you have too. I love that you’re a spokesperson for The Jed Foundation’s Half of Us campaign, whose goal is preventing teen suicide — that is so important. Do you have any advice for anyone who might be struggling with depression or anxiety?

A: You are not alone. It does get better.

Love love,

This was post was made possible with the badass support of Oxygen and Best Ink!

Photograph by the inimitable Lisa Devlin.