In American society tattoos are becoming more and more common, especially among the younger generation. As a result, acceptance to tattoos has also grown as well; however, there are still several prejudices and misunderstandings surrounding tattoos. Almost every young person with a tattoo can attest to hearing the same negative and annoying statements being made by others all the time. If you are a young person with a tattoo, you can probably relate to the following problems, and if you are not, then you should be sure to continue reading so that you do not annoy your peers who do have tattoos.

1. Concerns about not being able to get a job

For some reason, people seem to think that having a visible tattoo automatically disqualifies you from most jobs. Obviously, these people have never heard of pants or a long sleeve shirt. Unless you get a tattoo on your hands, face or neck, tattoos are very easy to cover up with clothing. There is also cover up that is designed to go on over tattoos to make them practically invisible. Trust me when I say that if a young person is having trouble finding a job, it is definitely not because of their tattoo.

2. What about when you get old?

I am sure almost everybody, no matter what age, has heard this question before. We get it, tattoos are permanent and we will have this on our bodies for the rest of our lives. We already knew that before getting the tattoo, so there is really no reason to remind us. People will also like to tell you that your tattoo will not look good when you get older and your skin starts to sag. When I get to the point in my life where all of the skin on my body becomes wrinkly and saggy, the appearance of my tattoo will probably not be my main concern. Besides, a good tattoo is a good tattoo, no matter what body it's on.

3. Everybody always asking you what it means

For whatever reason, people expect everyone with a tattoo to have some kind of deep and profound meaning behind it. I am sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but that simply is not true. Are there a lot of people out there who get tattoos with a specific meaning behind them? Yes. However, there are just as many people who get tattoos with no meaning behind them at all. Tattoos are pieces of art, and just like art, not every piece has to have a specific meaning behind it. Even though it may not seem like it to most people, getting a tattoo because you love the way it looks is just as valid of a reason as getting one because of the meaning behind it.

4. How much did it hurt?

This is probably the first question that a person hears after getting a new tattoo, and also one of the most annoying questions. Everybody has different pain tolerances, and can bear certain sensations more than others. Thus the answer you receive is bound to differ from person to person. We also do not know your pain tolerance and how you would react to a tattoo, so please do not ask us how much a certain tattoo would hurt on you. The only way to know is to go out and get one. So save yourself the time and don't ask somebody with a tattoo about pain, because they honestly can not give you an accurate answer.

5. Random people touching it

I don't know if this happens because people do not understand what a tattoo is, or because they just have no boundaries, but people love to touch another person's tattoo. Maybe they are testing to see if it will rub off, or if the tattoo has changed the texture of the skin? I'm not really sure. However, I can assure everyone that a person's skin feels the exact same after their tattoo heals as it did before. Also, please has some respect for other people. If you are not close to somebody and do not get their permission, you are not entitled to touch their body. Just think about how uncomfortable it would be for somebody to randomly go up to you and start touching your skin. It doesn't make it any less weird with a tattoo.

6. Disapproving looks from adults

Even if you are not their kid, or affiliated with them in any way, young people still get judgmental looks from some adults. They are never sly about it either. We can see you, and we know what you are thinking. Don't worry, nobody is going to rob you or corrupt the minds of your children just by having a tattoo. Nor do we care if some random adult does not approve of our tattoo, so please just keep walking and look away if it bothers you that much.