Tattoos: Taboo or Tolerable?

I didn't think the problem existed anymore until it was mentioned. I always planned on doing it. Now that my best friend and I are finally old enough to actually start thinking about it, we were in for a unexpected rude awakening. As we explained the idea of our tattoo to represent our friendship to her father, we were brutally shot down, much to our surprise. He's all for tattoos, as long as we can cover them. But I always thought, why would you get a tattoo if nobody can see it?

Well, because the world is a cruel and judgmental place. It is certainly not unheard of to be denied a job due to tattoos. There is no rhyme or reason, though. Tattoos have no say in work ethic, morals, intelligence, or kindness. Affirmative action laws exist to help minorities land jobs and end discrimination, yet ink is something employers can still discriminate against, which I find very hard to believe in this day and age.

Even though some find them taboo, tattoos are something I’ve always wanted. I've always imagined my future self with them, and I've even considered the idea of getting a sleeve. I love the idea of art on a body rather than the typical, plain-old wall. Someone with a tattoo is someone with a story. People say “a picture is worth 1000 words,” and the same goes for a nicely done tat.

The most cliché reaction to tattoos is the infamous, “What about when you're older?!” Well, what about it? By that time, you won't be looking for a job anyway. You'll most likely have already found a partner, and really, who judges an eighty year old? By that time, life is more than being attractive or employable. It's about enjoying what you've gone through and enjoying what you have.

To allow something as silly as judgment or a little disproportion when you're elderly to stop anyone from getting inked up is idiotic. Personally, I would not want to work for a company that would judge me over something on my body, nor would I want to befriend someone who looked down on me for it, either. If I am going to choose to spend my time somewhere, it will be somewhere I am accepted as who I am. Perhaps when my generation runs the world tattoos won't be a issue, or perhaps they will. I can only hope my generation grows up and operates with open minds, as I wish the generation in charge now did.

Regardless, when I am eighteen, I will get a tattoo, and I will not care what the world has to say, nor let potential employers or colleges stop me.