Every so often, I have people tell me, “take your nose piercing out during an interview,” or “cover your tattoos for work.” The popularity of tattoos, piercings, and eccentric hair colors has been growing. In today’s society, Gen Z has begun to normalize these things and I now personally know more people that have tattoos in our generation than any other. However, not everyone is completely on board with the trend.
Society’s views on tattoos are inherently sexist. Growing up, my dad always had big tattoos on his arms, so it was completely normal to me. However, my mom, to this day, does not have one. She told me that growing up, men got the bold, large tattoos on their arms of whatever they pleased, but if a woman had one, no matter what or the size, it was “trashy.” It makes me happy to see more women get tattoos today, and now even my mom is considering getting one.
Our society also views tattoos and piercings as unprofessional. The company my mom worked at required any tattoos to be covered up during the work day. Even today, though not explicitly said or made a rule, many people still cover up their tattoos as they are scared of having a lesser chance of getting a job or being taken seriously in the workforce. This continues to confuse me as having a tattoo or piercing has nothing to do with someone’s capability or intelligence.
Some people get a tattoo for an emotional connection to a person or event that has happened. Some people get a tattoo because they think it is beautiful, unique, or whatever else. Honestly, to me, it doesn’t matter. It only matters if the person with the tattoo loves it and I think that is pretty beautiful. Someone loved something so much that they wanted to permanently put it on their body for people to see. Tattoos tell a lot about a person. To me, it is art.
“Which would be more unprofessional – someone expressing themselves through body art or an employer judging someone based solely on their appearance?” Kailyn Thompson, Daily American