Tattoos have been around for a long time but have always been associated with a stigma. In the past, the common view was "only criminals have tattoos." But today tattoos have become a form of expression. In an individualistic society such as the US, the freedom to express yourself has become increasingly important in today's generation. For many people, tattoos can be a confidence booster or a way of achieving self-acceptance and identity.

So why does it feel this freedom does not get carried over into professional environments? Why is it that I can have a killer resume, solid experience, speak confidently, but still be turned down for a position because one of my tattoos peeked out from my sleeve? Should I handle this by only having tattoos in places where they can't be seen? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of expressionism?

There are two common ways of handling this dilemma. The first addresses one of the previous questions and is the common route people take and only get tattoos in places that can be covered with clothing. But this route is just as much infringing on your rights as being turned down for a position because a tattoo is showing, and unfortunately, there are not many laws in place to protect those rights.

People with tattoos may or may not experience this type of discrimination. I certainly never thought I would. I always thought it depended on how you carry yourself, and if I spoke in a professional and confident tone-nice firm, but not too firm handshake, maintain eye contact, assert myself in a respectful manner, business/professional attire-that I would never experience this kind of discrimination, but I did.

It was when I was a senior finishing up my undergrad in psychology. I was assigned by my professor to give a presentation to an outside assessor-that did not know me-about my career plan. Her job was not only to rate my presentation but my professionalism as well. I had prepared all week with my fancy Prezi and wore the best business attire I had. I even wore pumps-I never wear pumps. I was wearing a sweater, it was cold outside that day, but when I came inside where I had to make my presentation, I was sweating big time. So, I pushed my sleeves up, and low and behold, my tattoos were exposed. I made my presentation-probably one of my best presentations-my assessor and I engaged in really good conversation, but I did notice her glancing at my arms repeatedly. If you want to read more on learn here check out our own web page. I shrugged it off, thinking I'm probably just overthinking because she was so polite and really seemed interested in what I had to say. A few days later, I received her score and received full points across the board, except on professionalism. I was deducted two points with no feedback offered and no explanation. At first, I thought, "well it's just two points, it's not that big a deal," but it was still eating at me, what I could have done better to earn those two points. Part of me wondered if my tattoos had anything to do with it, but I still kept denying it and she truly did not strike me as being that cynical, but I really wanted to know where I could have improved. I finally decided to reach out to my professor, and she offered to send her an email and ask for her feedback. When I got the feedback, I was shocked. My suspicions were confirmed, and she blatantly said, "She was not dressed professionally enough, and I found her tattoos distracting."

Believe it or not, I actually wasn't as angry as I expected. I may have been a little hurt initially, but really, I was a kind of impressed that she actually admitted my tattoos were the reason, instead of some passive-aggressive comment that I would be left to decode for the rest of my life. Another reason I wasn't very angry is because every tattoo I get, I tell myself that this very situation is always a possibility, and if I feel I cannot handle it, then I shouldn't get the tattoo. If I truly believe that tattoos do not mean I am irresponsible or unprofessional, then I better be able to handle this in a respectful and professional manner. I always tell myself, with every tattoo I get, if I am fully qualified for a position and am ever turned away for what I believe to be a prejudice attitude towards my tattoos, then that is not a company I should work for anyway. I would never be respected there; I would never be happy there. Their feelings are not a reflection of my character, it is, however, a reflection of theirs that they cannot look past tattoos to see my actual qualifications. I should not question my integrity as a person because my tattoos are exposed, they should question theirs.



This event could have made me crawl in a corner and regret every tattoo I've ever gotten, but instead, it empowered me to prove this woman wrong. I am a professional woman, and I chose to have tattoos.

So, listen up everyone, it is our job to challenge stereotypic thinking, and the best way to do this is by exposing the conservative community to people outside of the norm. Yes, before tattoos were viewed as irresponsible, but times have changed and that is no longer an accurate viewpoint. We must show employers that tattoos are not indicative of delinquent behavior and that they are not some thoughtless action. In fact, there is typically a great deal of thought that goes into tattoos-design, placement, best shop in town, budget-there is nothing thoughtless about any part of the tattooing process, or at least for most individuals.

So, we must start proving to the professional world around us that these two variables can coexist and say, "I am a qualified candidate for the position, and I do have tattoos."