Think Before You Ink

Everyone has a different opinion on whether tattoos should be allowed in the workplace or not. It may never be fully accepted in the workplace, but there definitely has been an increase in acceptance. Teenagers and young adults get tattoos and don’t even think into their future and how it could possibly affect them. It may be said that looks don’t matter, but in the workplace they do. People automatically assume bad of a person if they have a visible tattoos on their body.

Even tattoo artists have an opinion on where someone should get a tattoo. They’re not worried about the money, but the happiness and details of the tattoo for the help of the customer’s future. They talk over the placement and what they plan on doing in their future so having this tattoo doesn’t affect those opportunities. Tattoo artists have even denied tattoos to people who want a tattoo in an inappropriate place for their employment environment. One tattoo artist himself said, “‘Sometimes we have to think things through for people because they don’t think it through themselves.’”

Lately, it has become more common for minors to want tattoos. However, artists will not put a visible tattoo on a minor because, at that point in a teenager’s life, they don’t even know what they are going to be doing in their future. Even if the minor has parental consent, they will not put the tattoo in a visible place.

Tattoos have become a controversial topic in the work field, but is a piece of art on someone’s body really that big of a deal? Everyone should have the right to express themselves in whatever way they choose. It is understandable to deny a tattoo to someone who wants a pointless tattoo visible on their body, but if the tattoo is going to be covered then it shouldn’t matter. Getting a tattoo usually means something to people, which is why most people disagree with having their tattoos nonvisible. People get tattoos to look at them everyday and remind them why they chose that tattoo.

A survey was sent out to all the students here at Licking Valley on what their opinions are on tattoos and situations regarding them. Most of the responses stated that tattoos were okay to have and they didn’t mind them. One student stated, “I think that people should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies. If they're aren't hurting anyone else they should be able to do it [sic]”. Most people would agree with this statement, but there are also some people who would disagree. An example of this is from another response I received, in which the student states, “I believe they should stop being done[sic]”. Everyone has their own opinion but “Tattoos are basically how we define who we are. We took our clean skin and made art that represents us[sic]”.

Overall, everyone is going to do what they want when it comes to their body. Respect others and their decisions but also remind them to think before they ink.

#Editorials