Art is a way that someone can express themselves; it can be on
canvas, paper or even their bodies. Art is even a skill present in many careers. We all look at art differently and most of
the time it is accepted. But why are people with tattoos judged so harshly by
many?
I look at tattoos as a way that someone wants to express them
for everyone to see. It is like they are carrying around a portfolio of work
that they love and/or have done. Although a lot of people are turned off by
tattoos and that causes people not to get jobs or judged.
I have always been told that what on the inside counts
growing up but then I was also taught to never get a tattoo because that can
affect how people think of me in the future. This makes no sense! Not judging people
is important but apparently tattoos do not count. Tattoos to me make every
person unique and tells me something about them.
After years of me wanting a tattoo I got one for my father
who passed away when I was younger, but I also placed it somewhere I could hide
if I had to, my ribs. My family has always been against tattoos and still hoped
I waited a couple years but they could not really be mad at me for it because
of the meaning. But there is not always a meaning for everyone and that is
okay. They have their own style and even its not clothes, shoes, or jewelry; it
is something that is just you.
Society needs to get over the fact that just because you
have tattoos you cannot do a good job working or cannot be accepted into a
community.
Art is everywhere and the body is just somewhere new that
more people are getting into as time goes on. Eventually as time goes on I feel
that tattoos will be more acceptable and not be something that has to be
hidden.
Historically, tattoos were only worn by lower class, blue collar, working types. Sailors and soldiers. Day laborers. Motorcycle outlaws. In other words, if you had a tattoo, chances were good that you were uncouth, were unable to do a good job at a task unless closely supervised, and and were not terribly intellectual.
ReplyDeleteThis prejudice will go away as my generation stops making hiring decisions. Along with the prejudice against men wearing earrings...
I agree, unfortunatly there is a stigma that is STILL attached to tattoos that does hinder people from be able to obtain cerain positions. I have 4 Tattoos, of which only one is SLIGHTLY visible and I plan on getting several more and actually finishing the one I have on my upper back so that it stretches across my upper back. I do not have any visible tattoos because I was in the Military & they have very strict rules & I am WELL aware of the stigma attached a how easily it can prevent you from getting a job no matter how qualified you are.
DeleteI MUST play Devil's Advocate a little though, if I were the Owner/CEO/President of a company that provided a service that required clients/customers to interact directly with my employees I can see WHY certain employers don't want tattoos on their employees. In hiring an employee, they then become in a way the face of the company. A LARGE porion of society maintains the mindset that tattoos are for Bikers or Gang Members, or that only classless people have them. It would be difficult to expect clients/customers to react possitively to someone who is covered in tattoos, a lot of people are scared of tatted up people, or think it's trashy and reflects poor intelligence. Say my hypothetical company is a Tax firm or Law Office where customers & clients are PROBABLY going to be very put off if not intimidated if the accountant assigned to them walks into the room with tattoos on his hands, forearms, fingers, neck or (RARELY) face....
As with many societal stigmas they will simply fade with time as it becomes more and more common & accepted... It is a tradition that dates back to around 3300 B.C. And is VERY commonly used in other cultures as a sign of power, status, or strength
I hope this goes away because people should be able to express themselves how ever they want and not have to miss out on anything and also be accepted into the world.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Companies, although most claim that they don't, do in fact discriminate against people with tattoos. As examples, Starbucks and The American Girl stores both will not hire anyone with visible tattoos and/or certain piercings. That is just unfair! I understand that companies ultimately want to promote themselves as professional, and an employee walking around with an inappropriate tattoo visibly showing might not seem acceptable. However, tattoos do not identify the person sporting them. A man can have a sleeve-worth of tattoos, but can be the sweetest man you'll ever meet. I feel your pain though, Coffeebean. I wanted a tattoo so bad for years, and I definitely didn't want to miss out on future job opportunities because of it, so I got one on my hip. I guess it's a compromise in this day-and-age and I am very happy with it. It still has meaning to me, it's still a tattoo, and I can still show it to whomever I want. Being able to see both point of views (views of companies and individuals), I guess that is the kind of freedom we can expect at this point in time.
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