As someone who has several tattoos, I want tattoos to be more accepted in the future. I want to be able to get a tattoo on my arm or leg and not be judged while at work. In my eyes, your body is a canvas, so let’s cover it with art. Both of my tattoos have a deep meaning to me. I want to be able to put words and images that are meaningful to me on my body and show them off. Instead, I have both of my tattoos in places where they can be easily covered up: my ribs and foot. If I wouldn’t have to cover it up everyday with a sweater, I would have a sleeve on my arms by now. A teacher would look very “unprofessional" if they had a sleeve, wouldn’t they? That is what the view has been for years. Why are tattoos considered unprofessional? I think we use tattoos as another excuse to to judge a person. We need to stop this, and here's why.
We shouldn’t judge one another’s appearance.
Tattoos aren’t part of our typical natural appearances like the colors of our skin, eye, and hair, but judging someone with a tattoo is the same thing. We have all heard the quote, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We are all grown-ups; we know better than that.
Religious beliefs are a weak argument against tattoos.
Tattoos are looked down upon by the typical statements of “God doesn’t like tattoos." "Your body should be clean and pure.” Well you know what? God loves me and my tattoos. When it is my time to go, he’ll take my soul, not my tattooed flesh. When we walk through the doors, we become something new, anyway. If you want a tattoo, don’t let anyone stop you.
We love our tattoos.
Those with tattoos love their tattoos, and each one means something special to them. We’re used to you judging our tattoos, but we’re proud of them. Telling me that I have to cover up something that means the world to me can be offensive and hurt my feelings. I’m proud of the images on my body, and they should be shown off.
Studies have actually supported tattoos.
A study that was published by the American Journal of Human Biology actually suggests that those with multiple tattoos have a better immune system than those who have never been tattooed before. The research concluded that tattooing can actually stimulate the immune system similar to how a vaccination would. The results of the study are still not yet conclusive as of March 2016, but a sample size of evidence showed how the body can be trained to respond to stress over time. This study hopes to reduce any stigmas associated with tattoos through further research.
You should not refuse to hire someone based on having visible tattoos.
Having tattoos should not keep someone from getting a job, unless they have cuss words or body parts on them—that sort of thing. How well someone works has nothing to do with what he or she has printed on their body. Some companies believe that tattoos will not attract customers as well. Tattoos have nothing to do with attracting costumers. Isn’t that what ads are for?
Stop judging our worth because of tattoos.
Judging my values, intelligence and worth based on my tattoos is ridiculous. There are tons of people out in the world who have associate and bachelor's degrees, master’s, PhDs, MDs and so on who have tattoos.
Tattoos don’t affect our values or intelligence; they let us express ourselves. Trusting someone with tattoos should not be that big of a deal. Tattoos have nothing to do with trust. What has to do with trust is that individual person’s values and personality, not what they have on their body. You don't see us making these same assumptions because someone has a mole or freckles.
I love my tattoos. In the future I want more, but I also want people to stop shaming tattoos. Tattoos are a beautiful, yet sometimes a painful way of expressing ourselves. Our bodies are a blank canvas, so why not cover it? I’m not going to hell because I have tattoos. If I’m going to go to hell or heaven, it will be based on my soul. If I were to steal, it would be because of my own values and personalities, not my tattoos. If I went to jail, my tattoos didn’t make me do it. Remember that.
