Stereotype: a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Last week, I accompanied my best friend to get her second tattoo. Holding her hand as the needle pierced her skin, I pondered the stereotypes that come with tattoos in our culture. I went home and Googled “Tattoo stereotypes” in order to feed my curiosity. As 2,790,000 results appeared, I came across one page full of so much ignorance, I decided right then and there that I just had to write an article on it. I had to. It was destined.

While American culture is growing much more accustomed to tattoos over time, this fact still stands true: the stereotype on tattoos may just be the most prominent of all stereotypes existing today. On the page I mentioned above - the one found in my research - individuals were responding to the question, “Are tattoos negatively stereotyped in the United States?” and the column of those who proudly answered, “Yes” boomed with judgement and hatred. Responders said that tattoos make a person look uneducated and ugly; a person with a tattoo must have a low I.Q. and a lack of self-respect. Most referred to tattoos as trashy and said that anyone who thinks otherwise is both wrong and stupid.

Overgeneralization: drawing a conclusion or making a statement about something that is more general than is justified by the available evidence.

To say that every person with a tattoo is uneducated and low-class is to say that every person who wears glasses is intelligent and studious. Why is it so natural for us to judge others based on their appearance? Sure, a man covered head-to-toe in tattoos may look a bit obnoxious, but he’s well aware of that and he chose to look that way, so let him be. It’s not our place to judge and categorize people for choosing to mark their body with permanent art. Yes, I absolutely believe tattoos are a form of art.

I would never dye my hair pink, but if I see a girl with pink hair walking down the street, I think Dang. Good for her for being bold. Same goes for tattoos. It is our human right to express ourselves, and tattoos are one way of exercising that right. A person shouldn’t have to argue their reason behind a tattoo in order to receive validation for it. Pink hair, tattooed arms, and big, round glasses do not define a person’s character.

In contrast to the hateful page I found on the internet, I also came across an article on Forbes magazine explaining the change in workplace regulations regarding tattoos. The article read, “most employers today would agree that a person’s appearance is nowhere near as important as his or her professional skills,” and this statement alone sums up the heart of the issue. To turn down a hard-working, qualified potential employee because of a sentence or two inked on his or her forearm… well, this would be a mistake.

John 7:24 says, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” It is not our place to condemn others for how they choose to look. What matters is a person’s heart, a person’s intentions, so let’s leave the judgement to the man upstairs.