Tattoos –Employer Discrimination, Public Opinion, Personal Memorial

Tattoos –Employer Discrimination, Public Opinion, Personal Memorial

Even though visible tattoos are distracting, the desire to memorialize an event or loved ones death is sometimes worth the discrimination suffered. Although commonly associated with lower-class individuals such as gang members, prostitutes, prisoners, and bikers, tattoos have started making their way into mainstream society. With the move to mainstream society middle- and upper-class individuals are learning that although they may be more affluent than the so-called lower-class the tattoo they have elected to purchase still carries a stigma and is still an object of discrimination.
Much like a textile artist paints a picture on canvas; the tattoo artist paints a picture or design that is permanently etched into the skin. “Artists create tattoos by infusing ink into a person's skin using an electrical tool that looks and sounds like a dentist's drill. With 50 to 3,000 penetrations per minute, a sterilized needle deposits insoluble ink about a millimeter in depth below the surface of the skin” (Resk, 2008, ¶ 3).
According to Brad Wong (2005) “16 [sic] percent of all adults have at least one tattoo, with the incidence higher among younger people.... 36 [sic] percent of Americans ages 25 to 29 have them, as do 28 [sic] percent of those ages 30 to 39” (¶ 10). Even though more individuals are electing to acquire tattoos and even though tattoos have become a more acceptable form of individual expression, tattoos have not become readily accepted in the workplace or in mainstream society.
Allison Baker (2008) states that:
Brian Miller, a Texas State University professor, said he did "a scientific study"
that proves the stigma is still there…. He surveyed 18-to-24-year-olds and found
that they would rather not work with someone who has visible body art in
situations where face-to-face contact with customers is necessary or sales
commissions are shared. They [sic] don't want their pocketbook to be affected by
someone else's negative appearance. (¶ 3,...