When deciding if you want to get a tattoo, the biggest choice lies in two words: visible or not. And usually the reason hinges on the tattoo's likeliness of prohibiting you from getting a job. According to people in our parents' generation, it will. But Millenials have already or are beginning to enter the workforce, and they are making a name for themselves. If our generation has a stronger voice about controversial issues, you can be sure we have something to say about tattoos. And not only that, many of us have tattoos.
So, since our generation will soon be the primary employers in the world and may have a less conservative approach to tattoos, does it still affect our ability to be employed?
Like I said, more people are getting ink these days. According to an article in The Economist, "One in five adults has one [a tattoo], and two in five thirty-somethings. These days women with tattoos outnumber men." And the USA Today reports that "about 73 percent of people get their first tattoo between 18 and 22 years of age, and an estimated 40 percent of Millennials have a tattoo, according to a
When more and more employees have tattoos, the place they work at begins to shift in mindset. Tattoos aren't as much of a taboo as they used to be, and some occupations are open to tattoos showing. Artists are generally the most likely to be open about tattoos, but even in corporate America, ink on your skin isn't as rejected as it once was. An article in Forbes offers an example of a female VP with tattoos: "Having large, colorful and highly visible lilac tattoos inked across her upper chest didnāt stop Courtney Pecola from landing a job as vice president of Philadelphiaās ZB Sports, a sporting goods retailer, in 2004. 'If Iād passed on her because of her tattoos, Iād be out one phenomenal employee,' Pecolaās hirer commented." Even Jill Abrasom, the first female executive editor of the New York Times and number five on the Forbes list of most powerful women in 2012, had visible tattoos.
But not everyone is as open to tattoos as Philadelphia ZB Sports and the Times. Though there are stories of high-level executives and employees displaying their body art, the prejudice still remains, and the Economist might have the reason why: "Empirical studies have long linked tattoos with deviant behavior. People with inked skin are more likely to carry weapons, use illegal drugs and get arrested. The association is stronger for bigger tattoos, or when there are several, says Jerome Koch, a sociologist at Texas Tech University." Watch any crime TV show, and what do most of the prisoners and thugs have in common? Tattoos.
CareerBuilder put out a survey in 2011, and "31 percent of surveyed employers ranked 'having a visible tattoo' as the top personal attribute that would dissuade them from promoting an employee." Reasons why range from the unprofessional air a tattoo gives a person to the desire not to make a traditional client uncomfortable. Doctors and military professionals are the most strict when it comes to tattoos. Gaining trust from a patient and developing self-discipline in a soldier are the top reasons for the strict rules these two jobs have for tattoos.
As a result, more and more people are getting tattoos removed. According to a Pew Research Center survey quoted in USA Today, "Of the 45 million U.S. residents with tattoos in 2013, about 17 percent regret getting them." Just like people outgrow music tastes, so do they outgrow their tattoos. And some find it harder to get jobs with their visible tattoos. So the number of Americans interested in tattoo removal procedures has increased.
Still, having a tattoo doesn't mean you are guaranteed a low-level, low-income job. You still have the opportunity to get a job, but it depends on a company's open-mindedness. Maybe when the 40 percent of Millennials in the world with tattoos are the ones hiring employees, we'll see more people with open tattoos in the workplace. Until then, be smart. Would a sun on your neck limit your chances of getting a real job? Maybe. Is it worth the risk? You must decide that for yourself.
