Tattoos In Today's Society
Tattooing has held deeply personal and respected positions in cultures throughout not only time, but geographically as well. It’s been used to tell a story, mark beliefs, and identify who a person is. However, today tattooing is nearly taboo in most parts of society, especially in the corporate world. It has become a negative, a sign of rebelliousness and a screw you attitude. The ideal that has been held, and is still held, has been corrupted and perverted as with all great truths. The truth is that while most people do not begrudge anyone with tattoos, they are not perceived as a positive, even though there is no substantial reason for them not to be. In today’s cultural landscape the media is portraying tattoos more and more, and they have
…show more content…
begun to be an increasing part of our society (Atkinson). “The tattoo has appeared in the media in various forms: in stories, sometimes in epic tales as ornaments, as art, as craft and so on” (Walzer). They have been a part of society for as long as collective memory can go back. There have been examples of great men who had tattoos, men who have done something extraordinary. Matt Taylor, a British astrophysicist, is covered in tattoos; he has two complete sleeves of them. This is the man who landed a spacecraft on a moving comet, something that had never been accomplished. If he had not been allowed to do what he loves because of his tattoo then perhaps man would never have accomplished this amazing achievement. It would be a disaster if we lost the cure for cancer, a new way to produce energy, or the scientist that prove Einstein’s theories were not allowed to work because others could not look past the body art. An example that many folks do not think of is a patient receiving radiation treatments. Many patients get tattooed dots placed on the skin where they are meant to be irradiated. The ink aids the technicians in aiming at the correct spot.
Some will say that tattoos are simply not professional, or maybe even go against God.
They have no place in corporate culture as they can only present a distraction. Others might add that not all tattoos have meaning, that they are just whimsical decorations. This author will be the first to admit that in some cases it may be true that a person chose to act impulsively or irrationally when getting inked. Not every person who gets a tattoo feels the need for the art to have a deep meaning, but that should not matter in the big scheme of body art. Even without intended meaning attached to the art, there is a reason for a person wanting to alter their body. People ink on things they relate to, and enjoy; things that inspire them, and things that remind them of life altering events. There is still some meaning behind even a seemingly meaningless tattoo. While it is true that the Bible makes reference to not marking the body, there is never an explicit mention of what the marking is. Also, there should be no reason to consider them unprofessional. It might even make some things easier. Tattoos can form an instant bond between people; similar motifs and designs inked on the body can be powerful magnets in social situations. It would be a valuable tool to be able to look at a potential employee and know something very personal about them from the pictures on their skin. A hiring manager could have the ability to know the entire life history of the applicant in one sweep of the eye. Hours of useable business hours could be saved if an employer knew more about the person because of a simple tattoo. The interview process could have more depth and be streamlined because of knowing intimate detals about the applicant by their choice of body art. Some employers have already begun to make the shift from a knee jerk reaction to a person's physical appearance to more of an evaluation of the person as a
whole.
The CEO of a consulting firm has said that it no longer matters as much if someone has tattoos, but rather their professional abilities (Hennessey). A recent poll on tattoos in the workplace has reported that “70% of respondents thought that people with tattoos need to be ready to cover them up in the office, 23% thought tattoos should always be covered in the office, and 7% felt that all tattoos should be allowed in the office” (Caraher). The fact that a poll on tattoos in the workplace is even conducted is a good illustration that there are more people with tattoos than ever before in mainstream society. The presence of tattoos in the workplace is becoming the norm. However, there are still many who think those with visible tattoos have no place in corporate America. Seventy percent of people polled thought that it was okay, but they must be covered. While there may still be situations that covering up the tattoos may be the best, such as when having international negotiations, most instances of office type situations should allow people to display tattoos. It will not cause harm, and may improve relationships between people in the office allowing for productivity increases which would lead to increased profits for corporations.
One of the first steps to acceptance of tattoos is education about them in general society. Many people know little to nothing at all, about them. They just think that a tattoo is ink randomly chosen and injected into the skin and nothing more. Few know the long tradition behind them, the deep meanings they can sometimes possess, and the bond a person getting a tattoo develops with their respective artist. The process is not necessarily a spur of the moment whimsical act, but rather it can be quite complicated. An individual is allowing another human being to pierce their skin over and over again to insert ink under it. The artist has to deal with the bleeding caused by the needle. Many artists go through a development process with a client that entails gathering information before the actual ink is injected. The tattoo artist flush out ideas about the reason behind the type of tattoo and helps the person choose a style of art, and help with the decision of where the art will be placed on the body. The artist even does a layout or work up of the art before the ink session that allows the client to evaluate the potentially permanent body alteration. While not everyone may experience the artist/client bond, there are many that do. It is an especially strong one that lasts a lifetime. If more people understood this, then it might be better received in mainstream society, and therefore, the tradition would continue to flourish.
For many, tattoos have deeply personal meanings. They are an art form used throughout time to represent who a person is and depict their life stories; there are very few reasons why they should not be allowed in the workplace. They can strengthen bonds between employees and possibly streamline the hiring process. Some employers are already opening up to the idea of tattoos. They have been a part of western civilization since the 1700’s and this form of self-expression continues to gain popularity. Would it not be a tragedy if the next great mind, the person who could cure cancer or go to Mars, was refused a job because of a small amount of ink on the skin? Tattoos are in reality a permanent part of our society. They have been around for thousands of years, and their popularity only continues to grow. Body art should not only be welcomed into the corporate culture, this form of self-expression should be supported.
begun to be an increasing part of our society (Atkinson). “The tattoo has appeared in the media in various forms: in stories, sometimes in epic tales as ornaments, as art, as craft and so on” (Walzer). They have been a part of society for as long as collective memory can go back. There have been examples of great men who had tattoos, men who have done something extraordinary. Matt Taylor, a British astrophysicist, is covered in tattoos; he has two complete sleeves of them. This is the man who landed a spacecraft on a moving comet, something that had never been accomplished. If he had not been allowed to do what he loves because of his tattoo then perhaps man would never have accomplished this amazing achievement. It would be a disaster if we lost the cure for cancer, a new way to produce energy, or the scientist that prove Einstein’s theories were not allowed to work because others could not look past the body art. An example that many folks do not think of is a patient receiving radiation treatments. Many patients get tattooed dots placed on the skin where they are meant to be irradiated. The ink aids the technicians in aiming at the correct spot.
Some will say that tattoos are simply not professional, or maybe even go against God.
They have no place in corporate culture as they can only present a distraction. Others might add that not all tattoos have meaning, that they are just whimsical decorations. This author will be the first to admit that in some cases it may be true that a person chose to act impulsively or irrationally when getting inked. Not every person who gets a tattoo feels the need for the art to have a deep meaning, but that should not matter in the big scheme of body art. Even without intended meaning attached to the art, there is a reason for a person wanting to alter their body. People ink on things they relate to, and enjoy; things that inspire them, and things that remind them of life altering events. There is still some meaning behind even a seemingly meaningless tattoo. While it is true that the Bible makes reference to not marking the body, there is never an explicit mention of what the marking is. Also, there should be no reason to consider them unprofessional. It might even make some things easier. Tattoos can form an instant bond between people; similar motifs and designs inked on the body can be powerful magnets in social situations. It would be a valuable tool to be able to look at a potential employee and know something very personal about them from the pictures on their skin. A hiring manager could have the ability to know the entire life history of the applicant in one sweep of the eye. Hours of useable business hours could be saved if an employer knew more about the person because of a simple tattoo. The interview process could have more depth and be streamlined because of knowing intimate detals about the applicant by their choice of body art. Some employers have already begun to make the shift from a knee jerk reaction to a person's physical appearance to more of an evaluation of the person as a
whole.
The CEO of a consulting firm has said that it no longer matters as much if someone has tattoos, but rather their professional abilities (Hennessey). A recent poll on tattoos in the workplace has reported that “70% of respondents thought that people with tattoos need to be ready to cover them up in the office, 23% thought tattoos should always be covered in the office, and 7% felt that all tattoos should be allowed in the office” (Caraher). The fact that a poll on tattoos in the workplace is even conducted is a good illustration that there are more people with tattoos than ever before in mainstream society. The presence of tattoos in the workplace is becoming the norm. However, there are still many who think those with visible tattoos have no place in corporate America. Seventy percent of people polled thought that it was okay, but they must be covered. While there may still be situations that covering up the tattoos may be the best, such as when having international negotiations, most instances of office type situations should allow people to display tattoos. It will not cause harm, and may improve relationships between people in the office allowing for productivity increases which would lead to increased profits for corporations.
One of the first steps to acceptance of tattoos is education about them in general society. Many people know little to nothing at all, about them. They just think that a tattoo is ink randomly chosen and injected into the skin and nothing more. Few know the long tradition behind them, the deep meanings they can sometimes possess, and the bond a person getting a tattoo develops with their respective artist. The process is not necessarily a spur of the moment whimsical act, but rather it can be quite complicated. An individual is allowing another human being to pierce their skin over and over again to insert ink under it. The artist has to deal with the bleeding caused by the needle. Many artists go through a development process with a client that entails gathering information before the actual ink is injected. The tattoo artist flush out ideas about the reason behind the type of tattoo and helps the person choose a style of art, and help with the decision of where the art will be placed on the body. The artist even does a layout or work up of the art before the ink session that allows the client to evaluate the potentially permanent body alteration. While not everyone may experience the artist/client bond, there are many that do. It is an especially strong one that lasts a lifetime. If more people understood this, then it might be better received in mainstream society, and therefore, the tradition would continue to flourish.
For many, tattoos have deeply personal meanings. They are an art form used throughout time to represent who a person is and depict their life stories; there are very few reasons why they should not be allowed in the workplace. They can strengthen bonds between employees and possibly streamline the hiring process. Some employers are already opening up to the idea of tattoos. They have been a part of western civilization since the 1700’s and this form of self-expression continues to gain popularity. Would it not be a tragedy if the next great mind, the person who could cure cancer or go to Mars, was refused a job because of a small amount of ink on the skin? Tattoos are in reality a permanent part of our society. They have been around for thousands of years, and their popularity only continues to grow. Body art should not only be welcomed into the corporate culture, this form of self-expression should be supported.