<p>My idea is a programmable tattoo that can be made invisible, or show different images, or even move.</p>
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<p>Yep. My kids used to get them at the State Fair. They look pretty real for a day or two.</p>
<p>You can also buy tattoo “sleeves” that are kind of like a stocking. We saw some on the staff in a restaurant and thought they were real until we got a close look.</p>
<p>I must say that I find the complaints about people “judging” others on the basis of copious tattoos and piercings laughable.</p>
<p>Why does a person get these things? Because they want to make a public statement. They are inviting judgement: they just want it to be a POSITIVE judgement: “s/he is soooo cool!”</p>
<p>Don’t slather yourself with tats or pierce your face then cry foul when you find out that others have not come the the conclusion you were hoping for.</p>
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<p>False. Or at the very least, a gross over generalization.</p>
<p>I have a small business with five employees. All, except for one, have been with me for over 25 years. They come in all shapes and sizes, religious backgrounds, appearance(plenty of tats) and personal habits that I don’t care to inquire about. They all have one thing in common, they support families with the money they make here,they work hard for me and they are honest. They understand that our business depends on their reliability and hard work. That is all I need to know. Fire someone because they put on a few pounds, smoke at home or sport a new tat? No way.</p>
<p>Why? We all make public statements with the clothing we wear, haircuts / color, jewelry, etc. That statement might be “I am prissy,” “I am tasteful / refined,” “I am from old money,” “I am a hot mess,” “I am businesslike,” “I care passionately about my appearance,” “I don’t care at all about my appearance,” “I like trendy things,” “I love la vie Boheme,” whatever. Why would a large / visible tattoo be any different? I’m not talking about the teeny rose on the left shoulder. I’m talking about something that will be generally visible to the public in “normal” clothing.</p>
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<p>Well, I do believe it’s usually a form of self expression, just as a person’s choice of clothes, hair styles, etc. are a form of self expression. Sometimes, as in my friend’s case, it is a personal reminder of a private event, but in most cases that I’ve seen, it is indeed a public statement of sorts.</p>
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<p>The fact is that in some businesses, having employees who smoke (on the job) or are baring visible tattoos are going to hurt your bottom line. In those instances, most of us would have no choice but to impose restrictions on the physical appearance of their employees or personal habits which do affect the business environment. If having an employee with visible tattoos will cost you customers, I don’t think many would be willing to accept that without at least requiring they be covered up. And yes, some would simply bypass the whole thing by just not hiring them in the first place. I hope that I would take the least restrictive measure, but since I’m not an employer and probably never will be, I will never be tested on that.</p>
<p>Maybe they are a public cry for help.</p>
<p>Some seem to cry out louder than others, though.</p>
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<p>I don’t think anybody who knows me would call me crying out for help. Unless anybody wants to help me pay for graduate school applications. ;)</p>
<p>nrdsb4----I know that interaction with customers can be affected by appearance (not the case here in our warehouse) and we have a smoke free environment. (after all this IS California)
My issue is with people who make generalizations on the fundamental character of a person based on weight, personal habits or general appearance. Strangely enough, I have only fired a person once. Not because he was an obsessive compulsive fitness addict (out more than 28 days in one year due to injuries) but that he was a liar and a cheat. You would never know that by looking at him.</p>
<p>As a headhunter for attorneys, I have had to give advice to a number of candidates about personal habits. After meeting them, I have had to tell them that they wore too much cologne and jewelry, that they needed to get a new pair of shoes and get a haircut. It’s funny that I never recall seeing a tattoo that needed covering. I’m sure plenty of them had tattoos. I guess they were all in discreet places.</p>
<p>Many professionals I know have tattoos. Most have them in discreet places. No one I work with is aware I have a tattoo, nor would my tattoo ever be visible in a work environment. My cartilage piercing is, but it’s usually covered by my hair. I doubt most people have noticed it, to be honest. </p>
<p>We are a B2B business that works directly with lower-level employees of multinational corporations. Many of our operations staff have visible tattoos (though no facial tattoos, as far as I know) and find it actually helps them gain credibility in the field (as they work with a population who are naturally inclined to distrust white collar professionals).</p>
<p>Well, normally when you go for an interview you are in business attire with long sleeves/jackets. At least I am. Now pants are completely acceptable (with a jacket) for female lawyers so there is really no need for a tattoo to show unless it is on your hand or neck. Mine are not. I’m usually in long sleeves anyway at work since I tend to always be cold. Summer is even colder- at least at my last place of employment.</p>
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Wait, I thought a tattoo was a deeply personal expression of a person’s fundamental character.</p>
<p>^^Ho, ho…what did the kids used to say…“snap”</p>
<p>Sorry, romani, but too many people talk about “expressing themselves” and so forth in relation to their “body art” and piercings for me to swallow that. (I’m not talking about people with discreet tattoos and piercings, note.)</p>
<p>Tattoos and piercings are unnecessary. Period. They don’t make anybody like you more, they don’t impress anybody worth impressing, they don’t make you a better person, they don’t allow you to do anything you couldn’t do before, they don’t make you happy. Want to express yourself? Write a book.</p>
<p>^^ Same could be said for hair coloring, Botox, makeup, nice clothes… We do what we do! Maybe we do it for ourselves! My tattoos DO make me happy.</p>