Tattoos are not stylish unless their in the right place. I see hundreds of tattoos everyday in my work-and I'm beginning to think people think about what they will mean in their future.  GG's get them on their arms and wonder why they don't get the job they applied for. Tattoos on the face are definitely a no no to keep a job. Guys get them up and down their arms, necks, legs, heads because their into gangs. One guy thought he was being "cool" because he had a bear tattoo-ed on his chest. The Oso (bear) Mexican Gang beat him up for wearing their tat without iniatition. Wearing the wrong tattoo at the wrong place seen by the wrong gang affiliate could be deadly. Tats on the fingers and hands are places where gang members identify who they are. Tats don't come off without a lot of help. Gang members trying to leave the gangs have their tats physically removed with boxcutters which has made big bloody messes. And theres the risk of bigtime infection. Me-I don't want any tattos. I tell my subordinates don't get a tattoo. Sorry for being a downer but I've seen too many bad things -lost jobs, lost income, injuries,firsthand  from the subject being taken too lightheartedly.

I have three tattoos, I have them where I can easily cover them with conventional clothing.  Tattoos are stylish, in fact many career fields have more people with tattoos then people without.  There just needs to be a little common sense, that's all...

I think it's one of those  'Your Mileage May Vary' things. Some people don't care if they have obvious tattoos, because they're planning on careers where they won't be judged based on piercings and tattoos. Some people don't have to worry as much about gang tattoos, because they live in an area with low gang violence. Some people just don't care at all. It really varies, I think.

Life is too complicated for there not to be unintended consequences from something as permanent as a tattoo.

I asked myself, is this something I will regret when I am old or if my situation changes. When I had mine done I was careful so that it could be covered up easily. At the time I had no idea I was going to transition and now I wish it would have been a little smaller.

A little forethought goes a long ways.

Tattoos can be easily covered up (depending on where they are) and a lot of people with good or even great jobs have tattoos. One of my teachers in high school had partial sleeves on both arms. I also know one fellow who runs an entertainment firm (they set up charity events, concerts, and celebrity events) and has a few tattoos. You can easily cover up tattoos on arms, and legs with clothes. Got a job interview? Wear long sleeves. Not all people that get a lot of tattoos are in gangs.

I'm actually looking into getting a new tattoo on my right calf. Camera related since I've been interested in film and cameras since I was 6. Still hasn't gone away.

And then there's also different cultures to take into account.

Tattoos do not cost you your job in Iceland.
Being a bad employee does.

-.-

I have 5 tattoos, 3 of which can be seen. The one on my neck gets the most attention since it's my namesake. The ones on my arm for my family and country/heritage have never been challenged. I've been with my company nearly 6 years and it's never been an issue. Now granted, these are ones I designed and ones that have meaning to me. Tattoos can be stylish if done well and if represent something more than just a pick off the wall.

I think this is truly dependent on the industry, the work place environment/culture. If it's a truly conservative place, then yes, tattoos may not be appropriate.

like hemlines any fad comes and goes, and the next generation of cool kids will find something else and the tat people will look like hippies at a punk rock show.

Quote from: tekla on March 03, 2011, 06:48:06 PM
like hemlines any fad comes and goes, and the next generation of cool kids will find something else and the tat people will look like hippies at a punk rock show.

Thing is.. not everyone gets a tattoo because it's a "fad". Some get it because it is important to the person they are (e.g., the one I got to remember my mom with).

I can assure you that the thousands of WWII Navy vets who went job hunting with their anchors and "Mom" tatoos on their forearms had no trouble finding work.

Um ok.

Quote from: Linus on March 03, 2011, 06:55:12 PM
Thing is.. not everyone gets a tattoo because it's a "fad". Some get it because it is important to the person they are (e.g., the one I got to remember my mom with).

I hate when people treat it like a fad, honestly. I've got two incredibly stupid ones but I'm so glad for them because they'll always remind me of two specific moments in time when things were absolutely perfect. My other four are all personal in some way.

I can assure you that the thousands of WWII Navy vets who went job hunting with their anchors and "Mom" tatoos on their forearms had no trouble finding work.

a) Fact is, lots of returning vets had trouble finding work, hence the GI Bill to take them out of the labor force for a bit

b) they had already done something that proved they were worth hiring in the first place.

Quote from: tekla on March 03, 2011, 06:48:06 PMthe next generation of cool kids will find something else and the tat people will look like hippies at a punk rock show.

I'm putting my money on scarification being the next big thing.

Like branding?  That will separate the men from the boys.

Quote from: VeryGnawty on March 03, 2011, 09:37:07 PM
I'm putting my money on scarification being the next big thing.

Too late, it is already here.  More often than I care to think about, I have seen people into the scar bit.

I personally don't like tattoos so I don't have them, but many people enjoy how they look. I do wonder if they will regret something in the future. I see teenage females for example with remarkably childish and silly tats on their legs, they like them now but in the future?
There should be enforced laws that minors are not allowed to be tattooed in any circumstance. When you see a 15-16  person with tats I do feel angry.

I did post a few years back (I think) of interviewing a young man for a job. He had love and hate tats on his knuckles and swastikas on his forearms, and neck. He seemed pleasant but his tats displayed an attitude that I was uncomfortable with, particularly since  the job involved working with female staff, and without being sexist, I was concerned that his attitude would not be right.

As Tekla pointed out it is a fad. I think maybe coming out of cable shows such as LA Ink etc. While I appreciate the artwork involved, and the pain tolerance  the person has, the large 'arty' tattoos are probably unable to be removed by any laser technology currently available, so if someone wants them removed they would be looking at skin grafts, and big ones at that.

But people do weird stuff without thinking through the consequences.

JMO
Cindy

I think that, like pretty much anything else, if you want to know someone's motive for having a tattoo you'd have to ask them. Assumptions based on our own likes and dislikes are dubious and even potentially harmful (as anyone who's been on the receiving end of phobia-fueled behavior will know). As an example, who knows, maybe the guy with the swastika tattoos wanted the job because he was desperate to afford to have them removed.

I have two tattoos I'm really glad to have, and one that was an "impulse buy" that's a bit embarrassing and which is worth keeping just to remind me never to do that again! I would like a pair of otters on my forearms, and I'm aware that this would result in some people relating to me on a "he's got tattoos on his arms, that implies xyz" basis. Time will tell whether I care enough either way.

And I don't mind if people don't like my tattoos! I can't stand eyebrow piercings, myself (they make me think of stapled repair jobs), but I try to rise above this in the company of nice people who have them .

What other people do with their bodies is their own business (  sound familiar?), lots of the women I work with- highly paid and qualified scientists, have tattoos.  If you are Maori I would sort of expect you to have them in fact.
Personally I wouldn't though, because I am of an age when I can remember meeting people who recieved them courtesy of a concentration camp.  So the thought makes me extremely uncomfortable.

Quote from: CindyJames on March 04, 2011, 01:48:36 AM
I personally don't like tattoos so I don't have them, but many people enjoy how they look. I do wonder if they will regret something in the future. I see teenage females for example with remarkably childish and silly tats on their legs, they like them now but in the future?
There should be enforced laws that minors are not allowed to be tattooed in any circumstance. When you see a 15-16  person with tats I do feel angry.

As Tekla pointed out it is a fad. I think maybe coming out of cable shows such as LA Ink etc. While I appreciate the artwork involved, and the pain tolerance  the person has, the large 'arty' tattoos are probably unable to be removed by any laser technology currently available, so if someone wants them removed they would be looking at skin grafts, and big ones at that.

AFIK, a minor needs parental permission to get a tattoo, even then a tattoo artist can still choose not to tattoo minors.  Some states, like Georgia for example, make it illegal to tattoo a minor regardless.  I don't know about it being a "fad", its been around since biblical times its just gotten more visibility lately.  I've had my tattoos for about 15 years, that seems to be a little long to be a fad if nothing else.  As I understand it laser technology will remove tattoos quite effectively, its just very expensive.

In my case I knew for about 10 years what I wanted for my first tattoo before I got it. My second tattoo for close to that and my third tattoo, pretty much ever since I knew dophins mated for life (say about 3 years).  I also have two or three more I want to get but I haven't settled on the design, placement or both.