Lindsay

Taylor Lindsay
Instructor: Malcolm Campbell
UWRT 1103
29 October 2016
The Heart to Heart About Body Art in the Workplace
I started working at Airbound Trampoline Park in Winston-Salem, North Carolina two
days before my 17th birthday. My co-workers were welcoming and immediately accepted me in
their circle, making the first day of work less intimidating. As I talked among them, I studied
their appearances. Everyone appeared young and happy, but it wasnt until I noticed the
magnitude of body art that they appeared to be free. Their tattoos were all unique in their own
ways, and as I got to know my co-workers better I learned the stories behind them. They had ear
piercings that came with great risk, but it was worth it to them. I came to love my job, the
owners, and my managers. Many jobs I had applied to in the past turned me down due to my
piercings and eye-catching hair colors, but I could express myself however I wanted here. After
my first year, my co-workers had encouraged and accompanied me to get an additional piercing
and my first tattoo. They had also added on to their collections.
Now, two years have flown by and my friends are starting to graduate college and trying
to migrate from Airbound, but most of them are having a hard time. The majority of them have
switched to jobs relating to their major, but cant progress because of their exposed ink. My other
co-workers have decided to cover their tattoos with makeup or clothing and take out their body
jewelry. They are not the only ones facing this obstacle. As tattoos and piercings become more
popular and as young adults graduate college, employers may turn down qualified workers due
to body art and studs. My co-workers are starting to question the permanent decisions they have

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made and wonder if they will ever obtain the job they studied for. The more I thought about it, I
wondered if employers would have to give in because eventually, they will need new, skilled
employees to carry out their work. Will professional careers start to accept tattoos and piercings?
As the need for fresh workers is increasing so is the desire for piercings and body art.
In the past, tattoos and piercings were perceived as savage and were associated with
individuals who were up to no good. According to Michael Atkinson, the successful author of
Tattooing, body art was a social deviance and a symbolism for trouble. In the 1920s, servicemen
and the working class got tattoos of patriotic art for the love of their nation and their hard work,
but in the 1950s tattoos were often seen on criminals who wanted to make their crimes known to
the public. As time went on, bikers and gang members sported and further tarnished the view of
them. However, the perception of body art changed at the end of the 70s when women used it as
a symbol to express their equality and empowerment. Americans today tend to believe that
tattoos and piercings are a part of pop culture because they have become common in modern
culture and spread throughout mass media to attract a younger audience. It is common to see
individuals covered in art when leaving your house, and tattoo and piercing parlors are in every
direction. 36% of Millennials, ages 18 to 25, have at least one tattoo as stated by Mik ThoboCarlsen, a journalist for Huffington Post. 14% of them have a piercing that is not on the lobe of
the ear, but located somewhere else on the body. These practices have become a form of art and a
symbol of freedom. Every day, young adults go under the needle to express their interest,
remember loved ones, or make memories. What one individual may cherish, the employer may
find distracting in the professional work setting. Garrette Kennedy, writer for the website
Labordish, informs young adults that 60% of professionals said that visible tattoos and piercings
would have a negative impact on the applicants chance of being hired. This raises the question if

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people will be out of a job due to their decisions of expressing themselves or will employers give
in to what is now a part of pop culture.
People often feel employers are using an act of discrimination when they are told that
their tattoos or piercings are unacceptable in the work place. Garrette Kennedy argues, There is
no overt protection for employees with body art. The expression of it is protected from the
criminal law by the constitution, but is not federally protected in the workplace. The only acts of
discrimination prohibited in the workplace is age, gender, disability, national origin, and
pregnancy. Therefore, hiring managers have the right not to hire an individual due to their
piercings and tattoos, and it is ultimately their decision if they do or not. Their decision is
influenced by their own beliefs or what the company expects. Many traditional places prefer a
conservative look, and want a neat, clean, and professional image. They fear the presence of
tattoos and piercings in the professional work setting implies that the worker is not qualified.
Customers tend to have a negative bias saying individuals with body art and piercings are less
intelligent, attractive, and more rebellions proving why companies hire individuals with a more
polished look. 4% of tattooed or pierced people say they have faced discrimination in their
current job. States with the highest tattoo discrimination statistic are South Carolina, Oklahoma,
and Florida.
In the opinion of Barrie Gross, an experienced small business owner, the key for
employers is to have a written policy about dress code and appearance that employees are
required to read and sign, and then to enforce that policy consistently. The policies should have a
reason to back up the decision and be the best choice for the business. If the employers have the
authority to create a policy, they have the authority to come to agreement with their workers. I
then wondered are some employers more lenient than others and might be willing to accept

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exposed, small or meaningful tattoos? Are there locations that are overlooked compared to
others? This is all up to the employer and what he or she finds acceptable. STAPAW stands for
Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work and is an organization that provides great examples of
professional careers that have been lenient with their tattoo policy. According to this
organization, the government has the most lenient tattoos and piercing policies. However, only
8% of government employees have ink or piercings. In comparison to this, organizations like
Starbucks, Disney World, and Universal Studios have included no piercings or tattoos policies so
their workers maintain a specific appearance. As claimed by Megan Schultz, an author for
several academic journals, It is up to the employer and what they believe to be fit.
The millennial generation consist of the children who were born between 1982 to 2002.
There are more than 77 million millennials, and they are entering college in record numbers at
more than 50% (Vanian). They receive their education and try to find work that is fulfilling and
will bring them guaranteed success. According to Jake Schwartz, the CEO of the business
education company General Assembly, 88% of millennials reported wanting a fun and social
workplace. Studies proves a business could lose $20,000 when a millennial leaves a company.
Schwartz was the most convincing voice when he explains that individuals in companies want to
keep the younger employees satisfied and will tolerate their demands. In other words, employers
must think of their employees as customers who they need to keep constantly happy. If
employers are desperate to keep their millennials and make them happy, then they may come to
an agreement that the young individuals can express themselves freely with tattoos and piercings
in the professional workplace. The employer may weigh the importance of fresh, qualified
workers over the appearance they have to maintain. I agree with Schwartz with how successful
young adults have become in receiving their education and are very skilled. Over time, the

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millennials will become successful, rise to authority, and will make decisions for companies.
Because they have been exposed to tattoos, piercings, and pop culture, policies in the
professional careers may start to shift as new beliefs enter the environment.
All of the employees at Airbound Trampoline have taken different directions for their
future, but we still make time to reconnect. My closest co-worker, who majored in zoology, now
works as the director of a zoo in North Carolina and has five exposed tattoos, all of animals. The
majority of my co-workers decided to take out their piercings and cover their tattoos to be able to
obtain a professional career. There are some who are still at Airbound and are still having a hard
time finding another job. All of their outcomes are different just as employers all have different
beliefs and perceptions of tattoos and piercings. My research has made me more aware of my
own future and how my decisions about my body can have consequence. Employers have the
right to deny me a job because of my piercings and body art. I need to be careful of the size,
placement, and meaning of them. I hope my readers consider contemplating getting a tattoo
longer and ask themselves is it worth it. If the career you prefer is lenient with body art and you
are sure about the career path you are going to take, then go for it!
I remain curious about what the future holds and how pop culture could eventually affect
the professional work place. How long will it take for the millennials to bring change? I had a
hard time finding information on millennials in the work setting because they are still young.
They have not yet built their careers and are getting closer to the top positions every day.
Although we dont often see court cases about tattoo discrimination or reports on the news, if
millennials begin to challenge company policies we might see the issue being raised in the
future. There are many questions I have researched, but left unresolved because there is not a
right or wrong answer. Does the position in the workplace affect if you can have a tattoo or not?

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For example, what if one individual with piercings works at the front desk and directs customers
and the other individual has piercings as well, but works in his private office all day? Will work
policy apply to both or only for the individual who works at the front desk? It is up to the
employer so the answers will vary. Last, I would like to know how many people turn to covering
their body art and piercings. How many people go through the lengths of laser removal just to
obtain the career they desire?

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Works Cited
Haddaway, Amanda. Hiring Discrimination Against Tattoos and Piercings Work It Daily.
11 Mar. 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Kennedy, Garette D. Tattoo-ism: Where Body Art Meets Employment Discrimination The
Labordish. 22 June 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Lyons, Jenny. The Tattoo: Then and Now New University: University of California, Irvine.
9 Oct. 2012. Web 29 Oct. 2016.
N.A. Attention, Employers: Millennials Have Made Their Demands The Atlantic. N.D.
Web. 2 Oct. 2016.
N.A. Tattoos in the Workplace Statistics StaPaw: Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work.
N.D. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
Schultz, Megan, Diane M. Harvey, and Susan M. Boscoe. "Tattoos and Body Piercings in the
Workplace." Proceedings for the Northeast Region Decision Sciences Institute (NEDSI):
1-10. Business Source Complete. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2016
Thobo-Carlsen, Mik. How Tattoos Went from Subculture to Pop Culture The Huffington Post.
27 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Oct. 2016.
Vanian, Jonathan. Why Employers Need to Empathize with Entitled Millennials Fortune.
12 July 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.

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