Tattoos are losing their workplace taboo, The Tab FSU’s new study suggests

Art can be expressed in many different forms, but one of the most interesting and permanent forms of art is the tattoo. Tattoos reign as one of the most unique forms of artistic expression as it becomes directly part of the individual that wears it.

Ranging anywhere from realistic lions to traditional pin-up ladies, tattoos designs and colorations can be as vivid and cultured as the person they’re on. Tattoo culture is growing on college campuses as more and more young adults are choosing to get tattooed. These students are diligently earning their degree and paving the way for their future, and a little body ink is not going to stop them.

Tattoos can represent a multitude of ideas to the individual it’s on. Many tattoos are symbolic, many tell a story and many are just a beautiful piece of art that someone has thought out and chosen to get put on their body for the rest of their life. Some tattoos, such as tribal tattoos, are even familial traditions passed down through the generations. They are a beautiful and intimate way for people to express themselves.

People with tattoos have reported feeling more attractive, more confident, and even more intelligent.  While a tattoo may be a very personal and intimate decision, this form of self expression can be displayed for everyone, and their opinions, to observe. But as the acceptance of visible tattoos is growing, so is the tolerance in the work place.

Historically, tattoos have been considered unprofessional, undesirable and even trouble-making. The stigma behind the individual who chooses to get inked can be negative. But what does the future look like for us millennials who opt to get one anyways?

Through social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, a poll of strictly college students throughout the nation recorded whether they had one or more tattoos or none at all. In this survey of 240 college students, 94 of them reported having at least one tattoo. In simpler terms, every time you see three college students, odds are at least  one of them has a tattoo. These individuals are earning degrees at higher level institutions, ultimately making them the next educated and qualified generation of employees and employers.

By getting tattooed and continuing to further their education, students are squashing the stereotype that tattoos undesirable and unprofessional in their professional surroundings. These students are making the statement, consciously or subconsciously, that choosing to wear art does not change the value in a hard-earned degree.

According to the International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 86 percent of professionals do not think that tattoos negatively impact any chance of earning a job. Instead, they believe that grooming and business attire hold more important roles in the physical presentation and representation of a job or company. It is also stated that qualifications are ultimately viewed as the most important factor in the hiring process.

Ultimately, this means that education level, work ethic, and experience are more likely to earn you a position than tattoos are likely to negatively affect your job. Corporations and businesses are being forced to become a more tattoo-accepting environment given the rising rate of college students with the body art. In fact, many companies reported employees with tattoos better appealed to a younger clientele, both with and without tattoos, and created a more accepting work environment with their peers.

And for those that disagree, remind them that Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, Dorothy Parker and George Orwell all had tattoos and all had their effect on the world. This form of art and self expression does not define an individual’s intelligence or work ethic, and this ideology is becoming more accepted as the the number of youth opting for this art grows by the day.

So good news! Looks like you can get inked and still go Inc.