Are tattoos good or bad? There’s not one specific answer to this as many different people have many different opinions. I’m not writing this to tell you that tattoos are good or that they’re not bad. I’m simply writing this to say that they should not in any way be used to turn someone away from a potential job.

Coming from my personal experience of course I’m going to say that tattoos are used for people to express themselves within society. I have two tattoos myself (I plan on getting... many more) and got my first one at 18. Millions of people have tattoos and most of them mean something to the person. Some people think that they are unprofessional and should not be shown in the workplace. All I can really say to that is well...why?

The fact that a lot of our society cannot accept the fact that tattoos are an example of an expression of art and meaning is sad. In my opinion, when I see someone with a tattoo I don’t judge. I think, “Wow, that looks amazing,” or “Wow, that’s a beautiful piece of art.” The entire process of getting a tattoo in some cases does hurt, and people don’t get ink plastered on their skin just because. It costs time and money to get tattoos. They are nowhere near a waste of our time. If people are spending their time, their money, and putting it on their body, then why should someone else tell them it’s unprofessional and decline them of an opportunity because of it. In a lot of cases, tattoos have meaning. I know for me, the current tattoos I have all have a specific meaning to me and my life. I would never get something tattooed on my skin if it didn’t mean at least something to me. So yes, it’s kind of offensive knowing that a lot of people think it’s unprofessional for people to have tattoos in the workplace. We should be able to express ourselves in society without being blamed for it in our careers.

People are always saying, “It’ll be hard for you to get a job with a tattoo there,” or “If you’re gonna get one you better be able to hide it.” Why would I want to hide something that I paid for with my own money and that I’m personally proud of? I love my tattoos and I’m sure anyone else who has them can relate. They are meant to be an art and are nowhere near treated as such. Tattoo artists are judged for what they do, when in reality they should be appreciated. They are extremely talented and the work that they create is truly amazing.

I hope those reading this article can begin to have a better understanding of tattoos and what they do mean to the person wearing them. If you’re someone interviewing people for a certain job, disregard the fact that someone has tattoos, just as you should if they had a different hairstyle, or if they were a different race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.

Having tattoos should not be considered unprofessional. What’s unprofessional is turning down an employee of great potential due to superficial reasons and not their skill level or knowledge.