Darian Kuxhouse, Campus Carrier Opinions Editor
Once or twice every week I receive comments about my tattoos. They are mostly Dr. Seuss jokes about the tattoo on my chest that reads, “I am. I am. I am.” While it’s not pulled from the literary genius of Seuss, I did choose this quote from Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar.” I don’t mind when people ask what my tattoos mean. A problem only arises when people openly criticize me for the choice to permanently have art on my skin.
About a week ago a woman who sat down next to me asked me, “Is that a real tattoo?” and when I replied that it was, her demeanor immediately changed from pleasant to condescending. She handed me a bookmark with Christian lyrics on it. “You might want to read this,” she said. While I have no problem with the bookmark she handed me, I did have one with the way she judged my character based on her perception of tattoos. Within thirty seconds, I was reduced to something unholy, something worth criticizing.
There is a serious stigma against people who get tattoos. When you pass your local tattoo shop, you almost expect to see a few Harleys parked out front, a large man with a long beard inside, tattooing other intimidating men with equally intimidating facial hair. People who get tattooed are assumed to lack foresight, seen as rebellious, up to no good or simply immature.
People say tattoos ruin your body. They brand you as harlots and prisoners. They will prevent you from getting jobs or even respect. I shouldn’t have to earn respect based on unmarked skin. A Fox News poll in 2014 found that 20 percent of people in the United States had tattoos. That’s one in five. Tattoos aren’t an anomaly anymore, so is a fifth of our population supposed to fight for respect because they have chosen to have body art?
My tattoos have really personal meanings attached to them. I didn’t make the decision to get them the day of. They took months of planning and debating. I didn’t make the decision to get permanently inked on a whim, but I also don’t think that people who do should be shamed either. Time magazine reported that people expect there to be a meaning or purpose for tattoos — and that the meaning is something you should expect to be asked about by onlookers. If someone wants to be tattooed, regardless of their reasoning, that is their personal decision. However, even though mine are very special to me, I still get hate for them from both strangers and past friends. I am very fortunate that my tattoos have not affected various interviews and hires over the years.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission prohibits employers from discriminating based on race, color, religions, sex or national origin. While tattoos and body art aren’t nearly as big of a problem, I don’t think that employers should be able to discriminate on that factor either. National Public Radio told the story of Deanna Mullenax who had to spend half of a year looking for a job due her tattoos.
“Tattoos literally change your career,” says Mullennax, who is now working at a bakery in Chicago. “They call them ‘job stoppers’ for a reason.”
I have made sure that my tattoos are in places that are easy to cover up, but unless they were somehow able to seriously inhibit me doing any job, I don’t think that employers should be able to deny jobs to people based on their tattoos rather than their credentials.
Every person is entitled to self-expression. Whether that is a note from a parent tattooed on your shoulder or Beyoncé’s face on your thigh, it is no one’s business but the person who has decided to live with it for the rest of their life. If you happen to love someone else’s art, by all means tell them. If you disapprove of their art, try and keep it to yourself. There’s no need to spread hate. I still plan on getting at least three more tattoos in addition to the two I already have. If you’re thinking about getting one, don’t let other people’s opinions influence your own. You do you.