Throughout the world tattoos and piercings are viewed many different ways. Typically in the United States, tattoos don’t hold a negative connotation while in Japan there is a stigma surrounding tattoos and how they affect one’s culture. Within Iran, there was an outright ban on tattoos in 2015. 

Within the workplace, there is often a debate whether or not tattoos and piercings are unprofessional or if they should be allowed. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, approximately 45 million Americans have tattoos. However,  many workplaces still view tattoos as unprofessional and believe that they hurt the image of the company.

Whether you are for or against tattoos, the debate will always remain, how much is too much? School districts like Horry County Schools do not allow educators to show any tattoos or facial piercings. These educators must conform whether that means taking out the piercing or wearing clothing that covers the tattoo no matter the weather.

Carolina Forest High School English teacher, Rose Schneider shares, “Tattoos and piercings do not interfere with one’s ability to perform his/her job. I was told teachers cannot show tattoos as it would influence students to also want tattoos. Instead, shouldn’t we teach our students to think independently, to make choices for their lives that make them happy, to be individuals, and to not follow what others do? Finally, plenty of high school students already have tattoos and are able to have them shown at school.”

CFHS student Aspen Whittington comments, “It really isn’t that big of a deal, I think people should be free to express themself. Teachers should be able to express themselves just like us, they are people too.”

Should employers change their view? Companies like Starbucks, Google, and UPS are all on the list as tattoo-friendly companies. However, some of these companies do have stipulations; Starbucks is one of them. 

 “We want customers to focus on you, not your body art. Tattoos are allowed, but not on your face or throat. Treat tattoos as you treat speech – you can’t swear, make hateful comments or lewd jokes in the workplace, neither can your tattoos.”

As a student with high professional aspirations, I believe that tattoos and piercings are a form of expression, and it should not be up to the discretion of the employer whether or not they are visible. By limiting how permanent features on one’s body are seen, it creates unneeded stress and extra work on the employees by forcing conformity.