Are tattoos really unprofessional?

Getting a tattoo was a very personal decision for me. I knew I would have to deal with possible consequences when entering the workforce, but I felt stronger about decorating my body in meaningful artwork than a job ever would. I always knew tattoos were not quite accepted in the professional world, but I could never understand why.

I set out to get some answers by asking managers of local businesses, only to find that few would do an interview in order to protect their store’s reputation. Okay, this topic is apparently touchy. So here are some students’ opinions on tattoos, their place in the office and the stigma surrounding them.

Mathi Tamilmani, Finance and International Business

“Usually when people are told to cover up tattoos, it’s because people are trying to remain on the safe side of things. They don’t want to take the risk of their employees, company or personal brand possibly getting affected by a tattoo.”

Brandon Newson, Neuroscience

“I’m hoping that people’s tattoos are taken into consideration during hiring. If I had to disclose that I have a tattoo at a medical or law school interview, I would hope that the interviewer would ask to see it, ask its meaning, and take the context and message of the tattoo into account instead of me being automatically disqualified.”

Adam Pierce, Law and Public Policy

“I have two tattoos and plan on getting more. I would like to say that I don’t think my tattoos will affect me getting hired, but realistically, considering that I’m doing law, I could see it being a problem, just because of how professional the industry is and the identity of that kind of job.”

Marija Novakovich, Biology

“People think tattoos are unprofessional because of the image it gives a person. Once people stop worrying about the image of themselves in the workplace and vice versa, only then will tattoos not be a factor in getting jobs.”

Roger Morris, Business

“Business in general tends to be traditional and change very slowly. You’re expected to conform, and if you don’t, then people aren’t going to trust you because they think you’re not willing to follow directions. It’s like, everyone does it, so why don’t you?”

Eleanor Surina, History and Arts Management

“I think having tattoos is very much of a generational issue. Historically, tattoos and piercings are associated with gangs or prisons, so older generations have negative connotations about them. Our era, we like to think we accept everyone so we try to look past that and embrace it.”

Overall, our generation is pretty open to tattoos, but if you’re going into a traditionally professional field, maybe wait to get that elaborate sleeve you saw on Pintrest. But, if it means something to you, I say go for it. You could have some trouble now, but it looks like by the time we’re all the bosses, tattoos won’t even be a second thought.