The Stigma against Tattooing

I recently got a tattoo done - it was my first tattoo and I felt awesome once I got it done. My husband sports the other half of the tattoo and together , it means "eternal love " . We did it to symbolise our love for each other through good times and bad on the day of our 2nd wedding anniversary. So it is something that means a lot to us personally and I dont think I will ever regret the fact that I got inked.

So the other day, my friend saw my tattoo and was telling me how I cant apply for a government job because they don't approve of tattoos ( which is not true by the way, it applies to the Indian army though)  and especially in the corporate world a tattooed person is looked upon as a bad choice for recruitment. There are stigmas attached to tattooed people and trusting them with a reliable job  and there are other far fetched ideas such as - tattooed people are lazy, unreliable, irresponsible, unprofessional , a business liability and more. I have gone through a lot of forums and talked with many people about this kind of stereotype. Sadly it is a glaring reality and because of this many people have lost perfect job opportunities even though they have skill and potential.

A tattooed person getting hired depends on the company, the job you’re interviewing for and the person interviewing you. even though tattoos have nothing to do with your ability to perform on the job. The issue is often perception, and along with that comes all the stereotypes.

Perception can be a powerful influence in the decision to extend a job offer, and denying that this exists could be limiting your career. Hence many people cover up their visible tattoos effectively before a interview. 

Having tattoos or piercing doesn’t effect how hard someone works or their character. Just because someone is expressive through the way they decorate their body does not mean they are unequal to someone who expresses themselves in a different way. That is not how it is in this world, hopefully one day people will see that discriminating expression is the exact same thing as discriminating against skin color, or if skin color is something we donot have a choice over, we can compare it to discrimination against people with a different ideology/religion than yours .

If the discrimination is based on the excuse that a tattoo is a "distraction" then consider this :  does the company / HR involved fire or reprimand employees who have hair colors that don't look natural, who go tanning and look extra crispy, or long elaborate nails. To me, those are as much a distraction as a tattoo .

Such things are basically just personal bias and stereotype. I know doctors, engineers , and other extremely intelligent and successful people who sport tattoos and in this day and age it does not affect customer base or profit turnover or have any valid quantitative or qualitative effect on overall business growth! What kind of ethics is adhered to by a company if it rejects a perfect candidate who would make a great addition to their workforce just because the company or a person in the recruitment and hiring team has a bias about people with tattoos ?

My tattoo is not big , just a small one on my wrist and it is not obscene. But the Ultimate question that I would be facing is this - why did I get a tattoo? My answer is this : No, getting a tattoo was not a “bad choice,” it was something that represented me, my struggles, my achievements and my goals, and my love for the man who has made my life meaningful . There is nothing on my body that is designed to intimidate people, nor did I get anything to look “tough” or to look like a “rebel.” I'm well educated , my professional mettle has been tried, tested and proven and I am employed at one of the best companies in the world. And yes, my tattoo is my personal space. Donot cross that line.

The choice left is this : If you really want the job, cover up the tattoos . If you  want to work in a good job environment where you are accepted as you are, and who values employees not on face value but on their talent and welcomes openness ,  then dont cover it up.