High schoolers get tattoos of their favorite teachers in viral TikToks that split opinions

Over the last few weeks, several high schoolers have taken to TikTok to share tattoos they got for their favorite teachers, in a viral trend that has the internet asking whether it's heartwarming or inappropriate.

Olivia Carrea got a tattoo in honor of her teacher, and went viral for it.
Olivia Carrea got a tattoo in honor of her teacher, and went viral for it.  © Collage: TikTok/Screenshot/@oliviacarrea

TikToker and high school student @OliviaCarrea went viral in June for a video she shared in which she revealed a tattoo to the teacher who "got [her] through high school."

The video, which shows the teacher's heartfelt reaction to her tribute tattoo, has since amassed almost 40 million views, but is drawing both support and criticism from across the internet.

In a follow-up video, Carrea showed off her tattoo, explaining to both fans and critics what it means to her and why she got it.

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"I love it," she said. "It's so meaningful, so special, it was such a special little moment. He's like family so it was just a really nice moment."

Why did this TikToker get a tattoo for her favorite teacher?

A few days after her post went crazy viral, drawing all sorts of reactions from across the web, Carrea posted a TikTok video response explaining the tattoo in detail. She started by apologizing for not showing the tattoo in the original clip.

"It is his handwriting," explained Olivia Carrea. "He wrote me a letter when I graduated from high school and in that letter one of the things he said was 'Your presence matters' and that got to me so I got it tattooed in his handwriting."

"And then the roman numerals above it are the roman numerals for twenty nine, which is his classroom number."

More than one student is getting inked up for their favorite teacher

In early July, a different TikToker went viral for a remarkably similar post. The video, posted by Zlyah (who goes by @Zlyahhhhhrowe), included a heartfelt explanation of why this particular teacher had meant so much to her.

"I never shared this, but during my Senior year I struggled a lot mentally," Zlyah said, adding that she "didn't think [she] was going to make it."

Apparently, her teacher "saved" her, allowing Zlyah to sit in her classroom if necessary and always being supportive.

On Zlyah's birthday, which was the day before she graduated, she had a sticky note from her teacher tattooed onto her arm. In a follow-up video, she revealed the text: "You're the best! Love you! <3 Holton."

Tattoos for teachers get mixed reception

While most reactions to Olivia and Zylah's gesture were positive, others threw some shade. One commenter pointed out that they had "some incredibly teachers" but had "never once wanted to tattoo myself for them".

Others thought that their teachers would think them weird if they got similarly tatted-up. On the more extreme end of the spectrum, there were suggestions that parents would have the teacher in question investigated.

While there was a fair amount of criticism coming both girls' way, there was also a lot of light. Countless commenters said that they were "in tears" over the video, and defended the intentions.

"It's so sad that some think this is inappropriate," one person commented on Olivia Carrea's original post. "We all need love, compassion, and even hugs. She may not have that anywhere else, this is beautiful."

Cover photo: Collage: TikTok/Screenshot/@oliviacarrea

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