You probably don’t want to mess with Dani Gallucci.

With her cropped brown and violet hair, stylish black boots and various tattoos, Gallucci’s attitude is bad… or is it?

“I’m a softee,” Gallucci said. “I like wearing black and stuff, but I’ll basically care for anyone because that’s what I would want someone to do for me.”

The interactive game studies major received her first tattoo on her eighteenth birthday, but it wasn’t an act of defiance; in fact, it was the opposite. The tattoo was a birthday gift from her mom and dad, a rite-of-passage that both her father and brother went through before her.

“It’s kind of a tradition in our family to get a tattoo for your coming-of-age showing something you believe,” Gallucci said. “My tattoo is a reflection of my perseverance. It portrays a lot of things that were struggles for me growing up.”

Gallucci, who is highly into symbolism, spent months researching different ways of communicating what she wanted to say through ink. Now 16 months after receiving the tattoo, Gallucci’s left ankle is adorned with a sweeping garland of flowers, headed by the antlers of a deer.

“The pink orchids represent having pride in femininity which contrasts with the masculinity of the antlers, and the other different kinds of flowers represent my zest for life and how I almost gave up a couple times,” Gallucci said.

An artist and a writer, Gallucci faced great emotional turmoil throughout her teens as she learned to overcome her struggle with gender identity.

“[Getting my tattoo] was cathartic in a way. It felt like having a physical reminder on my skin that commemorated the struggles I had that did not end up claiming my life,” Gallucci said. “Having my family around me made it feel real in the moment.”

Since growing from her gender identity struggles, Gallucci uses her tattoo as a testament to perseverance and a tool to reach out to other queer youths going through similar life situations.

“I don’t show my tattoo to everyone, but to people who I think could benefit from seeing someone else who’s been through something,” Gallucci said. “It’s a way for me to say, ‘You’re not alone.’”

In the meantime, although her wardrobe is a sea of black, Gallucci remains positive.

“Whatever crisis you’re going through, it will have an end,” Gallucci said. “Life is an undulation and nothing lasts forever. When you’re in times of struggle you tend to forget the merit of the people around you, but you can recognize the good in whatever is around you, people who love you, and yourself.”

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