Tattoos are a common form of self expression for many people, yet many businesses see them as unprofessional and it can hinder a person’s job opportunities. But why is that? Tattoos have been around for many centuries and some tattoos are even used as a part of religious rituals, yet they are still seen as irresponsible and trashy. According to DLA Piper, 60 percent of employers reported that visible tattoos negatively impacted someone’s ability to get hired.

Job applicants all over the U.S. are being rejected for their tattooed appearances and it is plain discrimination. While some companies are becoming more relaxed with visible tattoos, such as Starbucks, other companies have stuck to their old ways of thinking. Companies such as Disney still make their employees cover up visible tattoos infringing on their personal expression and making their employees hide their true selves.

With millennials and Generation Z starting to become a part of the workforce with nearly half of them having a tattoo according to a Harris poll, businesses of old school mentality might not have a choice in hiring employees with visible tattoos. Eventually, businesses could run out of untattooed employees to choose from and then what? The upcoming generations are much more open-minded, free spirited, and not afraid to express themselves in any way possible. When future generations become leaders and employers they will begin to beat out older competitors because of their lack of discrimination when it comes to visible tattoos.   

People with racist or extremely offensive tattoos are a whole different story and should be handled on a case by case basis. Tattoos of this nature most definitely would conflict with businesses’ bylaws and what they try to promote as a company. Therefore, they should think twice.

Companies are not allowed to discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, and religion so why should they be allowed to discriminate based on one’s outward appearance? According to Skinfo, the highest percentage of tattooed employees in the workforce is the military. The military is held in the highest regards throughout the United States and the people apart of the military also happen to be the most tattooed.

Most of the time when military personnel retire they must transition back into the “normal” work world which can be difficult to do because of their tattoos. Not only do potential tattooed employees have a difficult time obtaining a job but now veterans who are seen as heros are also having a difficult time due to the stigmas against tattoos. These heros serve and protect our country without dilemmas over the art on their bodies so what is holding back the rest of the U.S. from doing the same?

Tattoos are a form of art and it is no one else’s decision or right to decide what other people should and should not do with their own bodies. Discrimination is never okay, especially when it is keeping exceptional people from helping a company expand and exceed expectations. Employers are overlooking or even turning down employees that are highly qualified and maybe even perfect for the job all because they have visible tattoos.

People having tattoos, visible or not, should not be judged on their ability to perform their job duties based on how they express themselves through their appearance.