One employer’s thoughts on the tattoo pandemic!

I’m trying to be open-minded about tattoos and accept that they are “skin deep” (pun intended).  However, employers have some legitimate objections to tattoos and there are a couple things employees should consider:

The First Amendment does not apply to private employers; just the government. No laws protect a person’s right to have tattoos in the workplace.

Have a theme.  Skulls, snakes, dragons, Bible verses, unicorns, gargoyles, Homer Simpson, kid’s names, flags, and favorite sports teams don’t necessarily go together.

Face tattoos. Criminals. Enough said.

Not all art is good art. Just because it is on your skin does not make it attractive.  You might not care, but those of us that have to look at it will make judgements based on what we see.  There’s a reason kids’ art is not in museums.

Barbed wire bicep tattoos look cool on young, fit dudes with big arms.  They look ridiculous on middle-aged flabby guys.

Young, fit dudes with big arms eventually turn into middle-aged flabby guys.

Racist, sexist, and vulgar tattoos will guarantee that you max out at minimum wage.

There’s a reason pastels are the last crayons in the box.

Ninety percent of relationships and 50% of marriages fail.  Names on skin last forever.

If you want to honor your sports team, use the logo, not the name.  See “Las Vegas Raiders”

Women, don’t put verses on your cleavage.  Although they generally aren’t worth reading, most people can’t help trying.

Eventually the tattoo fad will go away like disco, long haired hippie people (thank you Bob Dylan), and 80’s big hair. Until then, do whatever you want, but realize that your right to express yourself might be at odds with your employer’s right to a tattoo-free workplace.