Prejudice for the Inked?

Photograph of Liu Ming by: Claro Cortes IV/Reuters

Tattoos don't dictate how well we work, so why do they make interviewees seem less promising? A Pew Research Poll from 2010 stated that 23 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo. I personally have two tattoos and plan to get a few more before graduating from college. In the future, I hope to become a nurse who will work at a hospital or small clinic. Because most hospital employers have a strict policy on body art, I would have a harder time landing a job. For professional purposes, I can always cover my tattoos with pieces of clothing or a really good concealer (one made especially for tattoos). However, simply hiding your body art isn't good enough.

The Missouri Southern State University articulates that as of November 2009, tattoos must be covered up by uniforms and the usage of bandages (to cover them up) is not allowed. Even with that said, many employers still don't really approve of their workers having body art in general. Society was brought up to have a negative connotation associated with ink on your skin. This form of art is a way to express oneself, so discriminating people with tattoos during job interviews is just another way to suppress them. Additionally, there is a stigma towards tattoos due to cultural/social purposes as well as the fact that they could be used for organized crimes.

Culturally, many religions don't believe in tattoos so there is a certain stigma towards people with body art that they are “unholy." In many countries, tattoos were and still are seen as barbaric, dirty, or "thuggish." In Japan, there was a prohibition of tattoos around the 19th century because the Japanese government saw body art as unfit for their society. Even until now, the social stigma towards tattoos are still seen in a bad light. A study done by the Journal of Nursing Administration found that nurses with visible tattoos or piercings were seen as less fit for their job by their patients. Not only that, but many organized crime tattoos are visible and this could cause a lot of problems either between gangs or between gangs and police enforcement. On the other hand, smoking is allowed around hospitals even though they have detrimental effects on anything alive.

There is certainly a correlation between one’s health and one’s intake of cigarettes (whether first hand or second hand). As a nurse, having a tattoo won’t harm the patient’s health (and you can cover it up if it disturbs the patient). So why are tattoos not allowed in most hospitals, but smoking areas are allowed? I'm not saying smoking shouldn't be allowed, I'm saying that if there are smoking areas around a general work area then workers should be able to have the kind of body art they desire. This is really ironic because what could kill us is allowed, but what doesn't kill us (or at least others) isn't allowed.

What happened to equal opportunity? Having ink on your skin shouldn't determine whether you get the job or not. But they unfortunately do and based on Burleson Consulting, 42% of managers stated that their opinion of someone with tattoos would be lowered. Tattoos are are already expensive, but the price to get them removed is probably unimaginable. Society should just deal with the fact that more and more people are getting tattoos. Getting inked doesn’t imply that someone is a bad person, that’s just an idea that people attach to the word 'tattoo'. I have tattoos and I'm the kind of person who loves volunteering and just hanging out with my friends. I've met so many people with tattoos who are extremely nice and sweet.

Employers should allow interviewees or workers to cover their body art up with either concealer made for tattoos or pieces of clothing. With all the innovative products being sold nowadays, we shouldn't even have to worry about covering our tattoos with bandages. Companies should not ask interviewees whether or not they have tattoos. By doing so, each person can have an equal opportunity to get a job based on their skills and not on their body art. Body art can influence what a person thinks of you. Tattoos really aren't as big of a deal as people make it out to be.