the wordsmith
sarah james
tattoo taboo?
According to Psychology Today, 47% of Millennials have tattoos; which is a huge increase from Baby Boomers, of whom only 13% have tattoos. Despite this increase, people with tattoos are still highly stigmatised in society today, as they were in decades gone by.
A stigma is the correlation between an undesirable characteristic and a stereotype. So when people deviate from what is seen to be typically socially accepted, they are often subjected to ostracism. This ostracism is often worsened by the stigmatised person is deemed responsible for their situation, for example, obesity and drug addiction. Tattoos also fall under this category as they are seen as self-inflicted.
Tattooed individuals are seen as being less intelligent, less honest, heavy drinkers, violent and more promiscuous. In general, women with tattoos are judged far more harshly than men with tattoos.
Often, in the workplace, people are not hired if they have visible tattoos, as it is believed that that image of a tattooed employee will taint the image of the company as tattoos are deemed ‘unprofessional’. Whether the person has the necessary skills for the job is often ignored. In many workplaces, tattoos are seen to violate companies’ dress codes.
If we understand tattoos to be a form of self-expression, then how can that be viewed as unprofessional? Some may choose to have art in their homes and offices, while some choose to have that art on their bodies.
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As a whole, we group people together as the ‘type’ to get tattoos – usually those who are alternative, goth, listen to rock or metal, are rebellious or who break the law. People who don’t fit this description are often told, “you don’t look like the type to get a tattoo” but this stereotypical ‘type’ is starting to exist less and less.
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One of my best friends is studying to be a doctor and has expressed interest in getting a tattoo but has always been held back by the thought of people deeming her less professional if she had one. To be honest, due to society’s view of tattoos, I would be dubious about receiving treatment from a heavily tattooed person. This is a mind-set that I need to try and get myself out of.
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To an extent, in my field of work, I haven’t faced any marginalisation based on my ‘alternative’ appearance (I don’t have any tattoos but have quite a few visible piercings).
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So why do people marginalise tattooed people?
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One argument is that this marginalise legitimises the differences in social class. There is a perceived notion that those with tattoos are criminals or drug addicts, and this perception immediately puts them in the lower class category. Another argument is that stereotypes exist because there some degree of truth in the stereotype.
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Another reason for the stigmas surrounding tattooing and tattooed individuals is the pain and the potential health risk involved in the process. Due to the existence of tattoo stigma, tattoo artists are hesitant to tattoos areas such as the neck, face or hands, unless the person is already pretty heavily tattooed. They are worried that doing such tattoos on someone without many visible tattoos will hinder that person’s job opportunities.
However nowadays, research has found that those who have a tattooed family members or friends were less likely to stigmatise others with tattoos.
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Although tattoos are less stigmatised now, due to more people having tattoos, they are still associated with a lot of stereotypes. It is unfair that people are judges as unprofessional and not hired for jobs, simply due to their outward appearance. Tattoos don’t dictate how good a person is at his/her job.