Tales from the Tattooed
I got rejected from a job because I disclosed that I had hand tattoos. Not once in my work life prior to this had I run into an issue regarding them, rather always receiving curious inquiry or admiration.
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Moreover, what I thought was strange was that the company I was applying to was a casino and was shocked that their standards were that stringent. I felt like my floral hand tattoos paled in comparison to some of the outrageous body art donned by their everyday clientele, but I digress. It got me thinking about my lived experience post ink prick and furthermore the lived experiences of all tattooed people.
The story begins with me sprawled out on my friend’s dorm room floor. It was 2020 and I was a college freshman existing in the strange vacuum of Covid-19. A vast majority of students chose not to come to campus that year, rather opting for remote learning or taking a gap year. I was one of the select few who wanted to have that in person campus experience, regardless of circumstance (such as a global pandemic). And it was a blast – I made some of my best friends, we played outside all day and night, academics kind of took a back seat for everyone and professors didn’t even seem to mind. Life felt so unserious, so I said, “Sure, what the heck?” let me stamp some random symbolism on my hands. A star and a teddy bear.
A year later I got those crude stick and pokes covered up – enter stage left floral artwork. From then on I became highly selective of what I was going to get inked onto my skin and where. I don’t regret any of my tattoos, they are beautiful bits that tell my story – strung together by a variety of skilled artists. I know such acceptance is not felt by everyone in the tattoo community. There are thousands if not millions of humans walking around with a tattoo they deeply regret. Perhaps the result of a drunken night out, being young and impulsive, not vetting an artist properly or simply no longer identifying with what once felt kismet.
Despite how common tattoos have become, there is still an underlying assumption that visible ink says something definitive about a person’s character. Depending on who you ask, tattoos can mean a whole host of things, spanning the proverbial gamut from artistic self-expression and personal storytelling to something sinful, rebellious, or downright improper. In my opinion, those who hold a stigma against them are of an antiquated mindset.
Tattoos are one of the few forms of self-expression that evolve alongside us. They can be added to, reworked, covered up, or reinterpreted. The meaning behind them shifts as we do. What once symbolized one chapter of life may come to represent something entirely different years later. I think it’s got to be one of the coolest things when I see someone elderly with a tattoo on their well worn skin. I look forward to seeing the art age with my body as well. Yet of course, not everyone appreciates the art form. If we shift our thinking to the occupational – there are still employers who view visible tattoos as unprofessional. There are still family members who ask whether you’ll regret them when you’re older. There are still strangers who make assumptions before ever learning your name. But those perspectives seem increasingly out of step with reality.
These days, tattooed folks can be found just about everywhere. They’re teaching classrooms, caring for patients, running nonprofits, arguing court cases, balancing budgets, raising children, and serving their communities. In other words, they’re doing the same things as everyone else – and in stride! This specific industry – one built around gambling, risk-taking, and its fair share of seedy characters – caught me completely off guard. The rejection wasn’t something I went to bed crying about, but it did feel oddly out of touch. Like a small reminder that while tattoos have become increasingly commonplace, not everyone has gotten the memo. For every person who sees body art as a form of self-expression, there’s still someone else who sees it as a red flag.
And in case you were worried…I am currently gainfully employed at a wonderful organization that never once raised concerns over my hand tats. So there! Bite me, undisclosed casino.
