In the 2000 film Memento, amnesiac Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) blankets himself with textual tattoos to help him find the man who murdered his wife. While most people don’t find themselves in such drastic situations, the textual tattoo has become a staple of the body art world.

Transformers actress Megan Fox has several, including a poem on her left rib cage that says, “There once was a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her heart.” Pirates of the Caribbean actor Johnny Depp also has a few, including the names of his son Jack and his mother Betty Sue. Celebrities and commoners alike adorn themselves with this type of tattoo.

According to a 2006 poll done by the Pew Research Center, 36 percent of people aged 18-25 have at least one tattoo. Many of those tattoos are textual.

At Evolved Ink in Eugene, OR, tattoo artists Josh “Crawdaddy” and Kendra “Clementine” (they use nicknames for last names at the shop) ink patrons who want word-based tattoos all the time.

“We’ve seen everything from poetry to Bible quotes,” Crawdaddy said. Crawdaddy has been at the shop for over a year as an apprentice and now freshly-licensed artist.

“A lot of virgins are coming in and getting words and initials,” Clementine said. “Virgin” in the shop means a person getting a tattoo for the first time. The parlor even features a style book for thousands of texts for patrons to pick out. People come in wanting tattoos showing off heritage, memorial, and credence.

Matteo Holmes at Eugene Tattoo and Body Piercing Co. also sees plenty of people with similar desires, from first-timers to grandparents.

“I do a lot of lettering,” Holmes said. “I get a lot of people wanting it.” He added that he has tattooed plenty of words, with words on the wrist being the most common. Whether it’s old English or cursive style, he can visualize the words and draws them free hand.

Despite its popularity, the artists agree they don’t like or encourage one aspect: the names of significant others.

“I hate doing significant others’ names,” Holmes said. “Tattoos are permanent. People aren’t.” Holmes added that he sits down with the people who want them and talks to them. He acknowledged that in the end, he lets people decide whether to go through with the process or not.

Clementine agreed. “Names are weird,” she said. “If it’s a memorial piece or your children, it’s okay.”

Erin Hayward, a student at Pacific University, is indeed one of the people sporting tattoos honoring family. On her right forearm, she has a quote from the Led Zeppelin song “Thank You” in bright magenta lettering. Her tattoo says, “When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me.”

“It truly articulated how I felt,” Hayward said. “It symbolizes my family. No matter what happens in life, you always have your family.”

Clementine has her own word tattoo on her hands that says “Breathe deeply.” As someone who suffers from panic attacks, she said she needed a reminder. “When I panic, I forget to breathe.”

Holmes has his own as well. He has the words “Hold Fast” across his knuckles. The saying is an old sailor superstition of deckhands who had to hold on tight at the top of the ships they worked on.

“For me, it’s more of a life motto,” Holmes said. He added that he would consider getting other textual tattoos.

This form of tattoo doesn’t appear to just be a trend. “It’s kind of a self-actualization type of thing,” Holmes said. “Statements aren’t a trend.”

“It’s personal expression,” Crawdaddy said. “Some people are really big on words and stuff. I’ve discovered a lot of people who aren’t very visual.”

Whether it’s a parent carrying the name of a child or an athlete living by a motto, the textual tattoo is a unique form of expression.

“Words have a lot of different meanings,” Crawdaddy said. “Where can you get that other than writing it out?”