When the punk scene exploded in the 1990’s, so did tattoos and piercings. Punks manipulated their clothing, hairstyles, and bodies in a rebellious form of self creation and expression. Most tattoos from the punk scene were both colorful and visible (hands, wrists, neck, head, etc.). It was taboo for its time, and although most punks had no interest in getting a white or even blue collar job, their image slowly leaked into mainstream culture. People began getting tattoos that lost them their job or the potential for employment because it looked (or looks) unprofessional.
In 2012, the generation of eighteens to twenty-somethings that are inked is at about forty-five percent, and growing. But many careers still do not accept the reasoning that tattoos do not make a person; a person makes tattoos. Twenty-five year old Emmitt Sams works at a Subway in Chattanooga’s mall. The oven is right behind his sandwich line, and his sweat is visible to any customer’s eye. He has to wear a long-sleeve turtleneck under his uniform to cover up his tattoos. Subway would rather risk his sweat dripping onto the counter than reveal they hired someone with tattoos because his work ethic and customer service are equivalent, if not more, to a person without tattoos. David Beckham must wear long-sleeves beneath his uniform for the same reason. While many tattooed people understand the reasoning behind the dress code, an increasing fraction dedicates much of their time to the advancement of acceptance of tattoos in the workplace, and that starts with getting acceptance from the people we all pass each day — each other.
At SCAD, it seems the majority of students have at least one tattoo, which is interesting because we are the next generation of employees in the workplace. Dana O’Riley, the student success and career adviser at SCAD-Atlanta has no tattoos, but many of her students and friends do. When asked about her opinion on tattoos in the workplace and whether or not she has any, she said, “I don’t have any myself, but I’m very open-minded towards them. I have friends who have them, they just cover them up for work. And that’s what I think: if your tattoos aren’t inappropriate and they can be covered with clothing if necessary, then you should be fine.” Although she does not know of any faculty at SCAD with tattoos, she explained the possibility of it being due to the business attire required for work.
New York is a cultural hub for both the arts and professional business. Because of places like that, a trend currently exploding is the juxtaposition of preppy/business attire with visible tattoo work. When asked about her opinion on that image she said, “Yeah, I have always liked contradictions like that. I think acceptance of tattoos from employers is growing. And who knows? Twenty or thirty years from now, it’ll be interesting to see how the tattoo trend has gone — if it’s completely nonexistent or if everybody will have one.”