Should Teens Be Allowed To Get Tattoos?

In Jon Kelly’s article he brings more information on the stance taken against tattoos in the work place by potential employers. Kelly discusses how employers tend to discriminate

In the article, "On Teenagers and Tattoos," Andres Martin tells a story on the rising trend of tattoos among teenagers and explains the different reasonings behind teenagers tattooing themselves. The main reasons Martin states for this existence is teens want to indicate as individuals. What I agree with Martin is the relationship between tattoos and teens are quite prevalent today, and tattoos are more for personal display rather than tattoo itself. Martin starts off by bringing up his idea on the relationship between tattoos and identity. He introduces his thought that tattoo is helping young people to reveal and show their allegiance to a social class. He thinks people should be able to express themselves to any extreme and through any kind

Bridget Flynn, her article, “Do tattoos work against you?”, tattoos can work against job applications, on what is telling about tattoos are considered acceptable in some places, but others like to work in offices are very difficult to have a job in there. Sometimes people with tattoos can have a job like from offices or more important stuff, because they have a good study, and also experiences for work wherever they want to do. Others have really hard to find a job, but that’s why they just not have experiences, and they think is for them tattoos but isn’t. People can have a tattoo and they still have a great job.

Tattoos have likely been at the top of the list as the most discussed topic amongst the different social classes. There is a divide between societies understanding of tattoos, those who oppose them identify tattoos as being a form of “taboo” and is associated with a type of body modification that is seen as distasteful in nature. Others believe tattoos are a form of one’s own self-expression. Although tattoos are subjective to each person, we should not completely rule them out altogether because they are perceived and sometimes deemed inappropriate, that is a form of stereotyping.

Seen as symbols of life accomplishments or beauty, tattoos have become a worldwide trend. Individuals have been getting tattoos for many centuries, with the earliest ones dating back to 5,200 years ago. It all started with their important role in rituals and tradition. As they slowly began to be associated with smoking and alcohol abuse (The Economist, “How a Tattoo Affects Your Job Perspectives”), the amount of people getting them increased. Today, 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo (“Tattoo Statistics”). Tattoos are permanent markings on the skin that increase the difficulty to get hired for a job and are against some religions, such as Islam, making them a trend that people should not follow.

Considered as a form of art for some people and unprofessional for others, tattoos are being seen as a familiar form of self-expression that many of the younger and older generations are getting nowadays. Tattoos are a form of body modification along with piercings, but the majority of people in the workplace will be forced to cover up their tattoos while people with piercings are sometimes allowed to keep them in, which causes a form of unnecessary discrimination. According to Garrett D. Kennedy, "Tattoos and body piercings have become increasingly prevalent in the U.S. — over 20% of adults are now tattooed. This number only will be increasing because 38% of millennials (born from 1981-1992) have tattoos, approximately half of whom have two or more, while 23% of millennials have body

Tattoos have been dated back to 5000 BCE. Tattoos have played the role of being badges of honor, ceremonial markings, signs off social rank, forms of punishment, and of course ways for people to beautify themselves (The Cultural History of Tattoos). Over the past years, tattoos has increased and continues to increase significantly in popularity. According to statistics, 36% of American adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18-25 and 40% of American adults in the U.S. between the ages of 26-40 have at least one tattoo (Seth). While the trend of getting tattoos are increasing, the concerns of the employers starts to increase. People who have tattoos should not be discriminated because it is unethical, a form of self-expression, and art.

The art of tattoos has been prevalent in many ancient cultures and represented many different things. In the more recent past times, tattoos were seen in a very negative light; mainly associated with circus freak shows, bikers or outlaws. Even though there are more Americans getting tattoos these days, there is still a disapproving view on tattoos in the workplace. Tattoos are continuously becoming more popular with each generation and more often have some personal meaning. Many companies that have recently started to accept appropriate body art in the workplace have seen positive benefits related to their new policy changes. This debate has also led people to file discrimination lawsuits against their employer. There are occasions that the subject matter or the placement of a tattoo on the body may not be professional for certain types of jobs. With the growing number of people that have body art, the more personal meaning behind it and younger demographics of both people working for and being served by many companies these days, having visible tattoos should no longer be damaging among many careers today. The debate needs to be evaluated by each company, and often each individual situation, to determine if body art can be accepted.

Leanne Padowski’s expression in position two did not contain as many as statistical facts as the thesis in position one. She indicated reasons why tattoos are often frowned upon. The evidence for Padowski’s thesis was weaker because there was only one study in 2011 by a career builder which shows a lower percentage on why you should not get a tattoo. She articulated on two choices which would make tattooed individuals feel judged or underestimated

Moderation is important when discussing tattooing and piercings. When tattooing, piercings, and body modifications began to alter the overall appearance of the individual, the individual would be considered deviant by majority of society. There are many individuals in the United States that have tattoos and piercings, but majority of the people have tattoos that can be concealed or tattoos and piercings that are not gaudy. An article titled, “Tattoos in the Workplace” discussed that in 2012 a poll was conducted that stated that 21% of adults in the United States had tattoos (Osland, 2013). However, nearly 60% of people that have tattoos, have them in areas that are hidden by clothes (Kesling, 2013). Although this study may not cover every single individual in the United States, it does give a

Tattoos first originated in the west by a captain and his sailors. This group of Navy men returned home with their new pieces of art and were looked at as “oddities” by the people of their hometowns (Burgess 746). Much time has passed and a lot of things have changed since this event in the 1700s. However, looking at people with tattoos differently than people without tattoos has not changed. The main issue is people with tattoos are being discriminated against in the workplace. The number of people with tattoos has increased dramatically within the past decade. Tattoos have now reached a new audience including men and women of many different occupations. Although there are people with tattoos currently in many occupations

They are no longer considered taboo, but a way for people from all races, ages, genders, and ethnicities to express themselves. More and more people are adorning their bodies with art and with all the movie stars and athlete’s that have tattoos, it makes us common people want them even more. Tattoos are considered a fashion statement, an expression of an individual’s character and personality and it is not just the questionable neighbor who has one but your child’s school

Thesis Statement: The number of people with tattoos is continually growing, but employers are still reluctant to hire those with visible tattoos.

This paper focuses on the subject of whether or not tattoos and piercings should be allowed in the workplace. There are a lot of resources arguing that they should not be allowed, but this research maintains the point that they should be more accepted in the workplace these days. This paper concludes by discussing how tattoos and piercings are much more of an artistic expression rather than a form of rebellion as it was once considered.

There are many employers that have the opinion that having visible tattoos is unacceptable for the professional work environment. Someone with a tattoo is seen as uneducated and possible dangerous. However, there is no solid evidence to support either of those beliefs. The stigma of sporting a visible tattoo has no validity. A person with tattoos is just as knowledgeable and capable of working as a non-tattooed person. Tattoos, whether visible or covered, do not change a person’s individual work ethic or how educated they are.