Millennials and Tattoos

I have a tattoo. It’s a small arrow I designed myself on my rib cage, which I got on my 18th birthday. It’s in a place that other people would only see if I was wearing a bikini and obviously, if I was wearing a bikini, I’m in an environment where it doesn’t matter. When asked what the meaning of the ink was I’ve continually responded with: “an arrow needs to be drawn back in order to move forward, so when life seems hard, keep aiming.” Some people I’ve told or discussed tattoos with have brought up the common belief that one day I’ll regret it or that it will look terrible when I’m 80. I feel that the people who believe I would regret the tattoo are afraid of commitment or believe that young adults make terrible decisions. Yet, they expect young adults to make extremely life-changing decisions like what to study in college or give the opportunity for young adults to join the military and put their life in danger.  Business Insider has determined that 45 million people in the United States have a tattoo and about 14 percent of people regret getting one. I will acknowledge that not every tattoo is a good idea, but to assume every tattoo is a bad decision is an over exaggeration. It’s a piece of art in which our body is the canvas. Some art is too beautiful to disregard based on its medium. But if it really is a bad decision, lazer tattoo removal technology has advanced astronomically in the past couple of years. Almost 100,000 tattoos were removed in 2014 according to Business Insider. Therefore, for a price, tattoos aren’t necessarily permanent. And as for the comment about the tattoo looking terrible when I am 80, I say I’m going to look terrible anyways, why not decorate myself with memories and reminders that ground me and make me happy in the meantime.

From my personal experience and hearing stories of others, tattoos can be addicting. All the time I have ideas that I would love to see on my body in ink. I would love to get a second tattoo but I’ve been cautious about where I would put it on my body. From my research, the stigma of tattoos in the workplace is becoming less of a taboo, but still in many areas of work, many feel that it is inappropriate. The most accepting jobs are retail, arts, and entertainment, while the jobs that do not embrace tattoos are higher paid jobs in law, the government, or education. Most places will ask the employee to be able to cover their tattoo, but in some cases, having a tattoo will limit their job opportunities or promotions.

            My brother-in-law, Garrett, is a manager at a heavy equipment rental service in the bay area. He has over five tattoos, some that take up his entire calf. “Personally, I have never been discriminated against. Most people in my life agree with my tattoos.” His larger tattoos depict Christian themes while others are his kid’s initials in their own handwriting. “It seems like more people around me have tattoos then don’t,” he adds.  

            With 40% of millenials having tattoos, discrimination may lessen as we progress into the future. But the content of our artwork is always going to be judged. We should continue to be open-minded about our rights to our bodies, but also be smart about what we display to the world so that we have “no ragrets”  in the future.