I recently got my first tattoo on Friday the 13th, going under the needle for the first but what I suspect won't be the last time. After the initial excitement and adrenaline wore off, I began to panic slightly as I admired my tattoo. I had never really worried about tattoos being a negative for me in the future, I wasn't thinking that way, but as it dawned on me that this ink on my body is very permanent the worry caught up with me. I heard in my head the many times people in my life had warned against beautiful body art, saying it could affect an employer's choice to hire you or change how people perceive you. I began to research this more to see if I really did make a mistake.
I think the first important thing to keep in mind is the mentality that used to go hand in hand with tattoos. Tattoos were seen as a part of the counter-culture and were associated with bikers or gang members. Obviously, these stereotypes are incredibly outdated. People could still have that mindset but tattoos are on such a variety of people now it's hard to subscribe to that thought process anymore. People now see tattoos as an art form and there is a wider variety of them than ever before. They are a part of self-expression. The generation that is taking over the workplace is one that has grown up seeing tattoos this way and not as a taboo, so it would only make sense that ink would become way more acceptable in the workplace. Tattoos no longer represent one certain kind of lifestyle, a person with visible tattoos could very well be the most highly qualified person for the job.
Another aspect to consider is placement. For the jobs that remain opposed to tattoos, there are very few places on your body you cannot keep concealed easily with the right clothes. Many employers might not even realize their employees are tatted because they wear professional business attire, concealing their body art. When I was researching this most studies said that tattoos were become more widely accepted but even in the places that weren't up to speed concealing tattoos didn't seem to be all that much of an issue.
Tattoos are a beautiful art form that I am in love with. It seems to me a lot of other people are in love with it too. With the shift in generations and the evolution of the tattoo industry, body art is becoming more widely accepted than it ever was before. While I am sure there is still some prejudice against ink, I think anyone looking to get some will do just fine. With thirty six percent of Millennials and forty percent of Generation X being team tatted, it seems like people with tattoos are rapidly becoming the majority.
