<p>Tattoos are not horrible, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that having one can’t have a negative impact on your life. It can, especially if it’s visible while you are wearing normal clothing. Even one that’s not visible can harm you in the workplace if people learn about it.
Finally, when they go out of style in 10 or 15 years, it’s going to be a big pain having it removed.</p>
<p>My tattoos have not had any negative impact on my life. One is on my inside forearm and one is above my ankle. I am a lawyer and have had good jobs. It just has not been an issue. People seem pretty interested in the tattoos and very complimentary. I haven’t been fired or not promoted, my husband hasn’t left me and my kids aren’t ashamed of me. By the time I get “droopy” maybe there will be something like Botox or Restylane to plump them up! :)</p>
<p>Here are the most important things to remember with tattoos -</p>
<p>1) Consider the location. If you are planning to enter a conservative (or even relatively conservative) field where your tattoo would be an issue, make sure it’s something you can cover up. Those back of the neck, behind the ear, wrist, etc tattoos, while they may look nice, could easily have ramifications as they’re difficult to cover up. Also try and choose an area of your body where your skin will not change much as years go on. This is why the abdomen is not a great idea, especially for women. Generally, areas with little fat (like on your back or your ankle) are best. </p>
<p>2) Consider the tattoo parlor. Make sure they follow recommended health guidelines including brand new needles and one-time use ink. Check to see if your state regulates tattoo parlors (some do, most don’t). Go online, read reviews. Ask to see samples of the artist’s work. Tattoos are definitely an area where you get what you pay for - don’t shop around for the best “deal,” but realize you’re making an investment in something that will be on your body forever. Worry about places that say they’ll tattoo you without parental consent (if you’re a minor), or for very little money.</p>
<p>3) Consider the design. This is something that’s going to be on your body for the rest of your life. Make sure it’s meaningful and make sure you’re going to want it on your body forever - if you break up with your boyfriend, it’s going to suck to have his initials on your hip. Take the design and tape it to your mirror. Leave it there for a year. If you still like it, then consider getting it tattooed to you. Even consider getting a henna tattoo of your design to see if you like it on your body.</p>
<p>If you do all of those things, a tattoo can be a safe, wonderful thing. I’m completely happy with mine, and feel I made the right decision. It’s people who do things unsafely that give it a bad name.</p>
<p>Our bank even has tellers with facial piercings, so I really doubt that at my age , a smallish attractive tattoo in a place that is covered up most of the year is going to have an affect one way or the other on my life.</p>
<p>Like I think I mentioned I used to do massage, and you would not believe the people who have tattoos- CEOs, teachers, computer engineers, not just bikers.</p>
<p>I realize that some people are more visual and they may make snap judgements about people depending on what they are wearing, the quality or style of their shoes/haircut/automobile, but I have found people to be so much more complex than that, that I try hard to look beyond my own connotations towards someone else’s appearance.</p>
<p>“… some people are more visual and they may make snap judgements about people depending on what they are wearing, the quality or style of their shoes/haircut/automobile, but I have found people to be so much more complex than that, that I try hard to look beyond my own connotations towards someone else’s appearance.” </p>
<p>Amen. Words to live by.</p>
<p>
I’ve often thought of doing a study of personality styles based on the ringtone the person chooses for their cellphone.</p>
<p>Interesting, jym! My ringtone is Otis Redding singing “Try a Little Tenderness,” and I actually paid something like $1.80 to download it.</p>
<p>My H, on the other hand, cannot imagine why anyone would download a ringtone. (Which may explain mine! 
)</p>
<p>I use a usb cord to transfer clips from my computer to my phone since Verizon has mostly disabled blue tooth.</p>
<p>I have different ringtones depending on who the caller is.</p>
<p>My main ringtone is ( duh-Pearl jam) [Yellow ledbetter](<a href=“http://www.lr2.com/media/ledbetter.swf”>http://www.lr2.com/media/ledbetter.swf</a>)</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>That you know of. </p>
<p>You’ll never know about the opportunities you didn’t get, the job offers that weren’t extended, or potential clients that didn’t hire you after they caught a glimpse of your tattoos.</p>
<p>An analogous thing happend back in the late 80s and early 90s when it there was the fad of men getting earrings (a fashion mistake that has thankfully faded but not entirely disappeared). I’m sure there were lots of guys who thought that wearing an earring wasn’t having any negative impact on their lives. But I also know of more than one firm that did a discreet “ear lobe check” during employment interviews of male candidates - glancing closely at the guy’s ears at some point during the interview or luncheon to make sure there weren’t holes that indicated he was an earring guy who had merely removed his facial hardware for the interview.</p>
<p>I think there is a huge difference between someone with a tattoo hidden away most of the time under clothing or a small tattoo on an ankle versus the people you sometimes see with their entire neck and arms tattooed. Or the one I saw the other day with the whole area above her chestline done and a lowcut top.
I do think that facial and ear piercings and tattoos can be a factor in job hiring. But once again you have to look at the whole picture.
About 10 yrs ago I remember going to Back to School night at the elementary school. The teacher was brand new just out of school. I think many of the parents were shocked to see not only a tattoo on her foot but also a toe ring. It took a few minutes to focus on what she was saying versus her foot. She actually proved to be a great teacher and the only teacher who taught my kid grammar in her entire school career.
My Dear Sweet Son presently has an eyebrow piercing. He is looking for a summer job. He is willing to take it out to work but has been wearing it while doing his job inquiries. I am sure it has prevented him from getting called back at a few places. If he doesn’t get a job in a week the eyebrow piercing goes. I have tried explaining to him that most of the customers are people my age and many of those hiring are my age and we are not fond of facial piercings.</p>
<p>But I also know of more than one firm that did a discreet “ear lobe check” during employment interviews of male candidates - glancing closely at the guy’s ears at some point during the interview or luncheon to make sure there weren’t holes that indicated he was an earring guy who had merely removed his facial hardware for the interview.</p>
<p>I think that must depend on the area. Like I mentioned bank tellers have facial piercings & as long as you can take out the lip ring or whatever- what does it matter? It doesn’t have any bearing on how you do your job. ( the bank tellers on Capitol Hill in seattle- wear their facial doo dads- to my surprise- but I haven’t noticed any wild color hair- that is—* in the bank*)
( I don’t think I would want to work for a company that was so anal, that even if I was appropriately dressed for an interview, they took out a magnifying glass to check out my possible piercings- what’s next DNA profiles?)</p>
<p>I will admit that those ear stretchy lobe things aren’t going to go back, but I suspect that the people who under go that process know that & are comfortable with their decision even though they know that it is not a conservative look.</p>
<p>When I think of all the other detrimental things that people do to themselves/others- being obese, alcoholic, smoking- miysogny, racism, or just being a hateful manipulative A$$hole, having an earring ([as my daughters’ principal does](<a href=“Garfield High School (Seattle) - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garfield_High_School_(Seattle%2C_Washington)</a> ) who is one of the best dressers I have ever met ) seems pretty tame.</p>
<p>I am actually more afraid of being one of those old ladies who have dots of rouge on their cheeks than what my tattoos are going to look like.</p>
<p>And no- of course what people say on CC isn’t going to have bearing on whether or not I get one, but I do think visual appearance is interesting to discuss. </p>
<p>I know that I have a initial prejudice against people that are dumpy/overweight, but some of the most intelligent, interesting and kind people I know are overweight or really aren’t that interested in clothes ( although they don’t necessarily go together)</p>
<p>I think it is worth it- to get past our own connotations with physical appearance to get to know people. If you haven 't noticed, 
I am fairly casual & liberal, I have a friend whose manners and attire are straight out of the upper crust conservative handbook. She just likes clothes with alligators on them ( or look like they should have alligators)
The whole thing- her clothing could be a caricature of Martha Stewart. </p>
<p>We make quite a pair :D</p>
<p>coureur- I DO know that my tattoos have not had any negative impact on my life. I have gotten the jobs for which I applied (since the tattoo in my late 40s), don’t rely on clients to hire me since I work in-house, have gotten raises etc. I can assure you my abilities speak for themselves, and the arm tattoo is covered by long sleeves much of the year anyway. I think I am savvy enough to assess the impact on my life during the 7 or so years I have had the tattoo a little better than YOU are.</p>
<p>^^I’m sure you know your life much better than I do, since I know nothing about it. But my point was not that I know anything about your life but that you don’t know what you don’t know. You don’t know what you’ve missed. Without tattoos you might have gotten even bigger raises, or a promotion, perhaps you’d be the big boss by now. Or perhaps a competitor might have offered you big bucks and a better job to come work for them. You don’t know.</p>
<p>But what I DO know is that many people (not just me) take a very dim view of tattoos, and this can sometimes have unanticipated and unknown negative consequences for the tattoo wearer.</p>
<p>^^ I’m sure we’ve all cost ourselves some opportunities for various reasons, whether it be weight, personality, clothes, substance abuse, whatever. I have no regrets. People seem to think my tattoos fit my personality and seem to like them. I think I’ve gained more than I’ve lost, but no matter- I’ve done fine, tattoos and all!</p>
<p>MOWC…I completely agree. :)</p>
<p>coureur…WHY do you look at tattoos negatively? </p>
<p>If you don’t like one, don’t get one. But who are you to judge someone else because you disagree with what they’re doing to THEIR body (not yours)?</p>
<p>If you ask me, that’s on par with not liking someone because of their sexual orientation or because they eat red meat vs. someone who doesn’t (both options are ridiculous, if you ask me).</p>
<p>HisGrace,</p>
<p>I’m actually for tattoos, but I want to defend coureur. He/she holds many valid points.</p>
<p>1) coureur did not judge anyone. What are you talking about?
2) why does he/she look at tattoos negatively?</p>
<p>They “have unanticipated and unknown negative consequences for the tattoo wearer,” all of which can be explained in the poster’s previous posts if you actually look at them.</p>
<p>And besides, why can’t coureur view tattoos in a negative light? Each person is entitled to his/her opinion.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that he/she is not entitled to his/her opinion. I’m merely curious as to his/her reasoning.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You don’t think that’s even the least bit judgmental? That since someone has a tattoo, they’ll obviously never be on par with someone who doesn’t?</p>
<p>Not to mention he/she is projecting thoughts/actions onto people he/she doesn’t know. That’s what bothers me the most.</p>
<p>Very condescending and judgmental, IMO. Many people object to tattoos and don’t like them. That’s fine. Just don’t try to tell me that my choice to get a tasteful tattoo in my mid-forties has negatively impacted my career, which has, actually, been quite successful.</p>
<p>^^I never said it negatively impacted your career. Let me repeat that I don’t know anything about your specific career. What I said is that it could negatively impact you in ways that you would never know about. And to illustrate this I used the example of those guys with earrings who were probably blithely thinking that their tasteful personal choice wasn’t hurting them at all, when in fact they were flunking the ear lobe test at job interviews. I’ve seen it happen. Many people view tattoos in the same negative way that they view male earrings or nose, eyebrow, or lip hardware on either sex – very negatively.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Never said that either. What a person with tattoo has done is deliberately and unnecessarily burden themselves with a permanent style statement that is going to turn off a lot of people.</p>
<p>I got a tattoo of an excerpt from The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot between my shoulders. I got it the day I turned eighteen. It is, so far, the best way I have found to introduce people to new literature. ;p God knows nobody ever actually reads the poem when I merely recommend it.</p>