Tattoos:TheRoadtoAcceptanceinWesternSocietyAnexplorationofgender,misconceptions,andworkplaceacceptanceSavannahRamionIndianaStateUniversityHonorsThesis

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Abstract

ThefollowingthesisistogainabetterunderstandingoftattooacceptanceinWestern

societybylookingatgenderintattoos,themisconceptionsandstereotypesthatsurroundthe

tattooingculture,aswellastheacceptanceoftattoosintheworkplaceandhowtattooed

peoplefeelabouttheirtattooafterreceivingone.TattooinginmodernWesternculture

appearedwithinmeninthearmedforces,particularlythenavy.Theanalysisofscholarlyessays

andjournalsviewedwithinthisthesisprovidemultipleexplanationsonacceptanceoftattoos

today.Gender,overall,isnotalargefactorwhenlookingattattooacceptance.Themainpoints

thatgenderbringupisthattattooedwomenareviewedmorenegativelythantattooedmen;

feminineandmasculinedesignedtattoosalsohaveaneffectonhowtattooedpeopleare

viewed:feminineormasculinetattooswilladdthecharacteristictothetattooedperson.Not

onlydothedesignsoftattooshaveaneffectonpeople,misconceptionsandstereotypesof

tattoosisalargereasonwhytattoosarenotbeingacceptedtoday.Itisstillbelievedthat

tattooedpeoplearerisktakers,promiscuous,heavydrinkers,andpartakeintheuseofillegal

drugs.Throughstudiesithasbeenfoundthattattooedpeopleandnon-tattooedpeoplearenot

muchdifferentthanhasbeenpreviouslyrecorded.Thefinalpointiswhenlookingattattoosin

theworkplace.Currentlyvisibletattoosarerarelywidelyacceptedwithintheworkplacedueto

thenegativeconnotationthatpeoplehavewithtattoos.

Keywords:tattoo,genderandtattoos,misconceptionsandstereotypesoftattoos,tattoo

acceptance,tattoosintheworkplace

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BackgroundInformation

Bodymodificationcomesinmultipleforms:piercings,scarification,andtattoos.All

processesaredifferent,bothinpracticeandculture.Culturalbodymodificationshavebeen

aroundforcenturiesandhavemadetheirwaytothemodernWesternculturewithinthepast

100years.Bodymodifications,specificallytattoos,havemadeanimpactonWesternsocietyin

variousways.TattoosspecificallyhavebeenscornedinWesternsocietybasedondifferent

standardsofreligionandmorals.ThescorningoftattoosinmodernWesterncultureisnot

uncommonandanypersonwhohasatattoowillbequestionedbythosewhodisagreewiththe

ideaofbodymodifications,specificallythosewhodisagreewithtattoos.

Tattoos,beingaroundforcenturies,canbefascinatingforpeoplewhereitisnotan

everydayaspectoflife.Archaeologistshavefoundthattattooinghasbeenfoundonmummies

datingbackto3000BConEgyptians(Williams,2014).Tattooedmummieshavebeenfound

acrosstheglobe,showingthattheideaoftattooingisnotsecludedtoonetypeofcultureina

specificpartoftheworld.Afewcountrieswheretattooshavebeenfoundarethefollowing:

India,China,Japan,Egypt,andIndonesia(Perzanowski,2013).Notallofthesetattoosare

permanent;Indiahastwodifferenttypesoftattooingprocesses:henna,anon-permanentform

oftattooingwithitsownreasonofpracticebehindit,andapermanentformoftattooing.

Thoughhennaisnowacommonformoftattooingbecauseitisnotpermanenttherearemore

cultures,inthepastandnow,willgowiththepermanentformoftattooingratherthanthe

non-permanentform.

Thereasonsthatpeoplegettattoosvary;innon-modernWesternculturestattoosare

importantinones’identity.InEgypttattooswerecommonlyfoundonwomen,usuallyshowing

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theirsocialstatus,oronpeoplewhowerebeingpunished.Beingtattooedasapunishmentis

notuncommon;inJapanmenweretattooed,asapunishment,forcommittingacrimeandis

nowcommonamongpeopleintheJapanesemafia.Otherculturesaretattooedforreligious

purposes,toshowsurvivalofwar,andtoshowsocialstatussuchasslavery.

Tattoos,today,arefoundonmanypeopleforvariousreasonsliketheywereinthepast.

Peoplewillgettattoosbecausethetattoomeanssomethingtothem,itisartisticallyappealing,

todecoratetheirbodywithsomethingpermanent,andmanymore.Withtheideaofgetting

something,suchasatattoo,permanentlyplacedonones'bodydoesnotcomewithoutitshate

inWesternsociety.Peoplewithtattoosarejudgedbyothersbecauseapersonhasatattooor

becauseofacertaintattoothattheyhave.Judgementcomesintheformofquestions,

comments,andbodylanguage.Judgementdoesnotsimplystopatwhetherornotapersonhas

atattoo;judgementgoesmuchdeeperthanthat.

Asapersonwhohastattoositisbettertounderstandthetypesofjudgementthat

comesfromthosewhodonothavetattoos.Peoplewithtattooswillfacejudgementfrom

peoplewithtattoosaswell;questionsgenerallyaskedarewhysomeonegotatattoo,what

doesthetattoomean,whydidsomeonegetthetattooinaplacevisibletoothers,andmore.

Judgementdoesnotstopataskingquestions;judgementallcomesinformsofvariouspassing

commentssuchashowatattooedpersonwillregrettheirtattoointhefuture,atattooed

personwillnotbeabletogetajobwiththeirtattoos,atattooedpersonwastedtheirmoneyon

atattoo,and,again,more.Withjudgementoftattooscomesacceptanceoftattoos,even

acceptancefromthosewhodonothaveatattoo.TodaytattoosarecommonamongWestern

societyasadecorationonones'body;itisunderstoodthatthetattooispermanentand

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removalofthetattoowillbedifficult.Whilepeoplewillregrettattoostheyreceivedearlyonin

life,adultswillbetattooedwellintotheir50'sandnotregretgettingtattooed.Regardlessof

regretornotforatattoo,judgementwillnotstopfrompasserby’swhosimplygetaglimpseof

avisibletattoo.

Eventhoughsomepeoplewillregretthetattoothattheygotwhentheywereyoung

thereisstilltheproblemwithtattooedpeople:othersarenotwillingtoaccepttattoos.Tattoos

intheUnitedStatesofAmericastartedwithmeninthemilitary,mainlythosewhowereinthe

Navy.Nowpeopleofallagesaregettingtattooed;thelegalagetogettattooedwithout

parentalorguardianconsentintheUnitedStatesofAmericais18-year-old.Beingtattooed

takesmoney,patience,andanartist.Acceptanceoftattoosinvolvestwomainvariables:

religionandmorals.Anyonewithtattooshasreceivedcriticismfromsomeonewhobelieves

thattattoosarenotmoralandarebreakingrulesoftheirreligion.InTheBible,Leviticus19:18

states"Donotcutyourbodiesforthedeadorputtattoomarksonyourselves.IamtheLord."

ThisbibleverseisonethatcausesproblemswithintheChristiancommunitywhentalkingto

thosewithtattoos.PeoplewhotakeTheBibleforfacevaluewilltellsomeonewithtattoothat

whattheyhaveisasinagainstGod.Tattoosarestillbeingscrutinizedbypeoplewhohave

strongbeliefsagainstthemsuchasChristian'swhobelievethattattoosaresins.

ResearchQuestions

ThoughtattoosarecommonlyfoundwithintheUnitedStatesofAmericaandWestern

society,acceptanceoftattoosonpeopleisquestionable.ThereforeIproposetolookinto

acceptanceoftattooswithinWesternsocietytoseeifithasbeenevolvingforbetterorworse.

Variousquestionsmustbeaskedinordertoanswertheargument.Onepointtonoteontattoo

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acceptanceareviewspeoplehaveonthemwhenthetattoosareonpeopleofadifferent

gender.Genderhasadistinctimpressiononpeople:stereotypicallywomenaredaintyand

fragilewhilemenarestrongandaggressive.Genderisacommonthemeamongjudgement;

lookingintothedifferentgendersoftattooedpeoplewillhelpexpandonacceptanceoftattoos:

isitmoreacceptedofmentogettattoosorwomen?Thisdistinctionwillbemystartingpoint

fortheacceptanceoftattoos.

Asecondpointthatisworthnotingarewhatthemisconceptionsandstereotypesof

tattoosandhowtheyaffectpeoplewhohavetattoos.Therearemanymisconceptionsofthe

processofgettingtattoosaswellasstereotypesputonpeoplewhohavetattoos.These

misconceptionsandstereotypesareahindertotattooartistsandthosewithtattoos.By

exploringthemisconceptionsandstereotypesoftattoosIwillbeabletoexpandonthe

hypocrisyandjudgementthatarereceivedbytattooedpeople.WiththisexplorationIwillbe

abletostateastowhetherornotacceptanceisgrowingforthosewithtattoos.

ThefinalpointthatIwillexploreisiftattoosaremoreacceptedtodaythantheyhave

beeninthepast.Withthechangingtimespeoplearebecomingmoreliberalandviewingtopics

differently.NowthattattoosarebecomingmorecommoninWesternsocietypeopleareforced

tothinkabouttattoosmore.Withtheideaofbeingforcedtothinkabouttattoosmorethanthe

pastitwillbebeneficialtolookatthepastandcompareittotoday.IanticipatethatIwillrun

intoproblemswithtoday'sjudgementontattoossuchastattoosintheworkplaceandtattoos

withincertainagegroupswillbeahelpingfactortodeterminewhetherornottattoosarebeing

acceptedmorethantheyhavebeeninthepast.

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Tattooshavebeenaroundforcenturiesandwereoriginallyusedforculturalreasons.

Foundonmummies,ithasbeennotedthattattoosdatebacktotheancientEgyptians.Noting

thepastandculturalaspectsoftattoosthenmovesforwardtowhypeopleinWesternsocieties

aretattooedtoday.BodymodificationispopularamongthoseinWesternsocietieswhowishto

decoratetheirbodiespermanently.Peoplewithtattoosrunintopeoplewhojudgethemfor

theirtattoosbasedonreligionandmorals.Havinganunderstandingofjudgementontattooed

peoplebyhavingtattoosmyselfisthereasonfortheexplorationoftattooevolution.Themain

pointofexplorationfortheevolutionoftattooacceptanceinWesternsocietywillbethrough

thereadinganddecipheringofjournals,articles,andbooksthathavebeenpublishedwithinthe

past30years.Itisimportanttofindrecentarticlesratherthanarticleswrittenmorethan30

yearsagobecausethemainfocuswillbeontoday'sacceptanceoftattoos.Ifdatabeingfound

thatwascollectedpasttheyear1980willbefutileinthepurposeofcurrenttattooacceptance.

Introductorysection

Thehistoryoftattooingshowsthattattoosexistfordifferentreasons:humiliation,

punishment,anddecorationofthebody.Theprocessoftattooinghasexistedforovertwo

thousandyears;scholarsbelievethattattooingstartedwiththeEgyptians.Notonlywere

mummifiedEgyptiansfoundwithtattoos,otherlatercultureswerealsodiscoveredtohave

tattoossuchasVikings,Romans,Britons,Japanese,andPacificIslanderswerealsoknownand

foundtohavetattoos(Williams,2014).Withtheknowledgethattattooinghasbeenpracticed

throughouthistory,tattoos,today,arestraddlingthelineofacceptance.Acceptanceoftattoos

hasbeenheavilyarguedamongstscholarsandhasbeentestedbypsychologists.Notablepoints

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fromvariousarticlesspeakoftattoosonmalesandfemales,misconceptionsandstereotypes

againstpeoplewhoaretattooed,aswellaswhetherornottattoosarebeingacceptedtoday.

Variousquestionshavebeenansweredthroughtestsbyscholarswithinthepastfifteen

years.Genderisaheavilystudiedsubjectwithtattooedpeople;malesandfemalesareviewed

differentlydependingonwhattypeoftattoosthepersonhasaswellasplacementofthe

tattoos.Beyondgender,tattoosarevieweddifferentlyonpeopleofvariousprofessionssuchas

surgeons,mechanics,andsalespeople.Notonlyaretattooedworkersjudgedfortheirtattoos,

theyalsohavefalsestereotypesforceduponthembypeoplewhoviewtattoosnegatively.The

stereotypesandmisconceptionsoftattooedpeopleweighsheavilyontattooedpeopleandhas

beenlookedatandtestedindepth.Themainstereotypeofatattooedpersonisthattheyare

recklessandimpulsivewhencomparedtonon-tattooedpeople.Evenwiththestereotypesand

misconceptionsoftattooedpeople,judgementofworkerswithtattoos,andthedifferences

betweendifferentgenderedtattooedpeopleitisimportanttoknowwhetherornottattoosare

beingacceptedwithinWesternculture.Tattooshavebeenpracticedindifferentcultures;

Westernershaveadoptedandadaptedtattooingwithtechnique,practice,andreasonsfor

gettingtattoos.

ResearchAnalysis

TattoosandGenders

Genderplaysalargeroleintattooacceptanceandmarginalizationmorethanpeople,

bothtattooedandnon-tattooed,realize.Variousobjectsandsubjectsinlifeareconsideredto

bemasculineandfemininebasedonstereotypesthatmalesandfemaleshave;stereotypeson

malesarethattheyarestrong,theheadofhousehold,logical,andlesssensitivetoother’s

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feelingswhereasfemalestereotypesarethatfemalesaredelicate,dependent,emotional,and

easilyinfluencedbythosearoundthem.Thesestereotypesformalesandfemalestransferover

totattooedindividualsbasedontheirgender.

Astudydonein2012basedontherolesofgendernormsandtattooswasdoneinorder

toshowthedifferencebetweentattooedmalesandfemalesinaworkplace.Itwas

hypothesizedthatmalesalespeoplewithmasculinetattooswouldbeconsideredmore

masculinethanmaleswithfemininetattoosandthatfemalesalespeoplewithmasculine

tattooswouldbeconsideredmoremasculinethanfemaleswithfemininetattoos(Arndt&

Glassman,2012).Duringthestudypeoplewereaskedtogroupupdifferenttattoodesignsinto

feminineandmasculine.Tattoodesignsthatwereconsideredfeminineinthestudyaresuns,

dolphins,andcolorfultattoosandweredescribedascute,modern,andhappy.Tattoodesigns

thatwereconsideredmasculinewereblackCelticdesigns,barbedwire,andsnakes.The

masculinedesignsweredescribedasaggressive,tribal,andbad(Arndt&Glassman,2012).The

studyconductedalsohypothesizedthatmalesalespeoplewithmasculinetattoosandfemale

salespeoplewithfemininetattooswouldbewell-receivedthanmalesalespeoplewithfeminine

tattoosandfemalesalespeoplewithmasculinetattoos.Bothhypotheseswerefoundtobetrue

(Arndt&Glassman,2012);thedifferentdesignsoftattoosfoundontattooedsalespeoplemake

adifferencetohowtattooedandnon-tattooedpeopleperceivethem.Tattooedsalespeople

arenotviewedasnegativelybytattooedpeopleversusnon-tattooedpeopleandfeminine

tattoosareseentobepositivewhencomparedtomasculinetattoos(Arndt&Glassman,2012).

Notonlyarefemininetattoosviewedmorepositivelyincomparisontomasculine

tattoos,buttattoosdesignsarecenteredaroundatraditionalviewonfemininitywith

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butterflies,birds,andothersoftorpersonalobjects(Dickson,Dukes,Smith,&Strapko2015).

Withfemalesobtainingtattoosthatareconsideredtraditionallyfemininefemalesareheavily

judgedfortheirtattoosregardlessofstyleordesign.Tattoosarealreadyviewednegativelyby

groupsduetotheideathatpunksgroups,rebels,anddeviantswerethetypeofpeopleto

receivetattoosinthepast(Swami&Furnham,2007).AstudyperformedbySwamiand

Furnhamin2007investigateswhotattooedwomenareratedincomparisontonon-tattooed

women.Itwashypothesizedthattattooedwomenwouldberatedtobelessattractive,more

sexuallypromiscuous,andconsumelargeramountsofalcoholwhencomparedtowomenwho

arenottattooed.Theparticipantswere160undergraduatestudentswhowereshown8

differentimagesofdrawn,tattooedandnon-tattooedwomen(Swami&Furnham,2007).

Theresultsofthisstudyshowthatparticipantsviewedtattooedwomennegativelyin

comparisontonon-tattooedwomen.Tattooedwomenwereperceivedaslessphysically

attractive,sexuallypromiscuous,andmorelikelytoconsumelargeramountsofalcoholwhen

comparedtonon-tattooedwomen(Swami&Furnham,2007).Thisstudydepictsthe

marginalizationthattattooedwomenfaceinsociety;tattoosareassociatednegativelyin

Westernculturewiththethoughtthattattooedpeoplearemorelikelytopartakeinrebellious

behavior,haveahighusageofdrugsandalcohol,aswellasmakeimpulsivedecisions(Swami,

Tran,Kuhlmann,Gaughan,&Voracek,2016).

Athirdpointtobringuponthetopicofgendersandtattoosisthereasonforgetting

tattoos.TattooshopownerJustinaKervelnotedthatmenwillgettattoostochangehow

societyviewsthemwhereaswomengettattoosinordertochangethewaytheyview

themselves(Keinlen,2005).TeresaJohnson,anothertattooshopownerstates“’Alotof

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womendoitasatypeofreclaimingtheirbodiesandmarkingofcertainincidents,’”(Keinlen,

2005,p.25).Anothertrendforwomenwithtattoosisthattheyarenotafraidtogetlarger

tattoosversusasmall,daintytattoothatisexpectedofwomenyetwomenstillattempttohide

theirtattoos.Notonlyaresizedifferentforwomen,placementisalsoasizewhenlookingat

genders.Malestendtogettattoosontheirarmsorothervisibleplaceswhereaswomenget

tattoosontheirtorso,back,orhips(Keinlen,2005).

Regardlessofgendertattooedpeoplearejudgedsimplybecausetheyhavetattoos.

Gender,though,playsanimportantroleintattooacceptance.Ithasbeenseenthattattooscan

beconsideredmasculineorfemininedependingonthedesign;thedesignofatattoocanaffect

howatattooedpersonisviewed.Maleswithfemininetattoosareviewedtobemorefeminine

andfemaleswithmasculinetattoosareviewedtobemoremasculine.Thistypeofthinkingis

hinderingtheacceptanceoftattoosasisthejudgementofvisibletattoosonfemales,thesize

oftattoosonpeople,andthewaytattooedwomenareperceived.Gender,though,isnotthe

onlywaytattooedpeoplearediscriminatedagainst;thedifferentmisconceptionsand

stereotypesoftattoosarealsohinderingtattooacceptance.

MisconceptionsandStereotypes

Thewaythattattooshavebeenviewedinthepast80yearsarehinderingthe

acceptanceoftattoosinsocietytoday.Misconceptionsandstereotypesoftattooshaveexisted

sincetheirintroductionintoWesternculture.Understandingthemisconceptionsand

stereotypesthatsurroundtattooswillfurtherexplaintheiracceptance.Tattoostereotypes

havebeenconsistentthroughouttheirhistoryinWesternsociety;throughvariousstudies

tattoostereotypeshavebeenconfirmedandinvestigatedinordertoputanendtothem.

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Mostinformationrevolvingaroundtattoostereotypesreportthattattooedpeople

partakeinriskybehaviorsandriskydecision-making(Neluis,Armstrong,Young,Roberts,Hogan,

&Rinard,2014).Theriskybehaviorassociatedwithtattoosishighamongsttattooed

adolescents;tattooedadolescentsareassociatedwithhighdrugandalcoholuse,riskysexual

activities,aswellasillegalorviolentbehavior(Swamietal.,2016).Notonlyaretattooed

adolescentsassociatedwithillegalandriskyactivities,collegestudentsarealsoassociatedwith

thosebehaviorsaswellaspossiblehistoryofcriminalarrest(Swamietal.,2016).Thisparticular

studywastoinvestigatewhetherornottattooedindividualsweremoreimpulsiveorwillingto

takemorerisksincomparisontonon-tattooedindividuals;thisstudyhypothesizedthat

tattooedindividualswouldtakemorerisksthannon-tattooedindividualsandthatthetattooed

individualswouldbecomemorepronetoboredomandahigherlevelofimpulsiveness(Swami

etal.,2016).Theresultsofthestudyshowthattattooedadultswereslightlymorelikelytotake

risksinsomevariablessuchasethical,financial,healthandsafety,recreational,andsocialrisks.

Notonlythat,tattooedpeoplewerefoundtohavegreatermotorimpulsivity;asawholeitwas

foundthatthereisnotalargedifferencebetweentattooedandnon-tattooedadultslikeitwas

previouslythought(Swamietal.,2016).

Morestereotypesfoundwithtattooedpeoplearebasedoffoftattooedteenagers.

Tattooedteenagersfindtattoosasawaytoexpressthemselveswhileadultshavefoundtattoos

asignofdeviantbehavior(Blair,2007).Astudyfoundthattattooswerelinkedwithteenagers

whohadeatingdisorders,practicedunsafesex,violence,suicide,andhadalowself-esteemas

wellasschoolfailure(Blair,2007).Adifferentstudyfoundthattattooedteenagersreported

havinggradesintheAandBrangestatingthatgradesandtattooshadnothingtodowitheach

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other.Itisbelievedthatthereisastigmaonteenagerswithtattoosbecauseofthequick,short-

termdecisionmakingthatteenagersareknownformaking(Blair,2007).Collegestudentsare

alsojudgedfortheirtattoos;collegestudentsfindtattoosmorepositivethantheirolder

counterpartsandarenotconcernedtobeconsideredarisktakerforhavingtattoos(Dicksonet

al.,2015).Moststudiesfocusonthenegativeviewonbodyart,theirpermanence,health

concerns,anddisapprovalbyfamilyandpeers(Dicksonetal.,2015).

Astudydonein2009showedresearchersthatpeoplewithandwithouttattoosare

vieweddifferently.Becauseofthatstudy,itwashypothesizedbyArndtandGlassmanthat

peoplewithtattooswouldacceptotherswithtattoosmorethanthosewithouttattoos(2012).

Thestudyconcludedthattattooedparticipantstrustedtattooedpeoplemorethanparticipants

withouttattoos;notonlydotattooedpeopletrustothertattooedpeoplemorethannon-

tattooedpeople,tattooedpeoplearealsomorewillingtoworkwithtattooedpeoplethannon-

tattooedpeopleare(Arndt&Glassman,2012).Thereasoningforthisisbecausenon-tattooed

peoplemakeaquick,stereotypicaljudgementbasedonbeingin,orout,ofaspecificgroupof

people,inthiscasetattooedpeopleandnon-tattooedpeople(Arndt&Glassman,2012).A

harshjudgementmadeonpeoplewithtattooscanbealongthelinesof,“’You’reanicegirl.It’s

toobadthatyouhavesomanytattoos,’”(Keinlen,2005,pg.25).Itisoftenthatnon-tattooed

peoplewillmakejudgementssuchasthatonthosewithtattoos,thathavingtattoosofanykind

makessomeonea“bad”person.Duringthe1970sand1980stattooingwasviewedasasignof

rebellionandalsobecamepopularduetopunkandrockmusic(Keinlen,2005).

Amorerecentlookintothereasonswhypeoplegettattooswassectionedoffintoeight

differentcategories:bigfivepersonalityfactors(opennesstoexperience,conscientiousness,

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extraversion,agreeableness,andneuroticism),needforuniqueness,distinctiveappearance

investment,sensationseeking,attitudetowardauthority,sociosexualorientationand

participantdemographicssuchasgender,age,andethnicity(Swami,2012).Swami’sresults

foundthatpeoplewhoreceivedtheirfirsttattooshowedmuchlowerscoresonthebigfice

dimensionofconscientiousnessandmuchhigherscoresonextraversion,sensationseeking,

needforuniqueness,distinctiveappearanceinvestment,andsociosexualorientation(2012).

Whilethereweredifferencesbetweentattooedandnon-tattooedpeople,thenotablefindings

werethelackofdifferencesbetweenthetwogroupswhenlookingatattitudestowards

authority(Swami,2012).Inthepastitwasheavilybelievedthattattooedpeoplehada

rebellioussideincomparisontonon-tattooedpeoplesuchasaffiliationwithagangaswellas

schooltruancies.Thedifferencenotedwiththisparticularstudyisthatbehaviorwasstudied

basedonpsychologicaldifferencesratherthanself-reportedbehaviors(Swami,2012).

Thesefindingsmakeanimpactontheacceptanceoftattoos;stereotypesareoneofthe

mainproblemswhenitcomestoacceptanceoftattoosinWesternsociety.Tattoosarestill

viewedasarebelliousactandareconsiderednegativebythosewhodonothavetattoos.With

therebelstatushangingontothetattooindustryitisdifficulttoanalyzetheperceptionof

tattoosasawhole,studiesdonearetypicallysmallgroupsofpeoplerangingfrom200–500

participants.Itisnotablethatthestereotypeofriskybehaviorisclosinginwhencomparing

tattooedandnon-tattooedpeople,withtheonlynotabledifferencebeingthattattooedpeople

aremoreimpulsivewhenbehindthewheel.Itisalsonotablewiththeunderstandingofhow

non-tattooedpeoplearewilling,ornot,toworkwithtattooedpeople.Non-tattooedpeopleare

lesslikelytotrustsomeonewithtattoosasopposedtoatattooedpersontrustinganother

Ramion 15

personwithtattoos.Itisimportanttounderstand,though,thattattoosarenotasharshly

judgedbasedontheirstereotypestodayastheyhavebeeninthepast.Withinthepast10years

tattooswerelinkedwithunsafesex,drugusage,heavydrinking,andotherriskybehaviors.Now

theriskybehaviorstigmaisbeingclosedbetweentattooedandnon-tattooedpeople.

Acceptance

Thefinalpointthatisimperativetothisworkiswhetherornottattoosarebeing

acceptedtodayoriftheyarestillmarginalizedinWesternsociety.Tattoosaredeeplyrootedin

historyforvariousreasons;archaeologistshavefoundmummiesofnobilitythatwereadorned

withtattoos.Evenwiththerichpastoftattoos,theyarebeingviewednegativelyinmany

aspects.Aproblemwithacceptanceoftattoosiscommonlyfoundwithintheworkplace.Ithas

beenarguedbytattooedpeoplewhetherornottheyareallowedtohavetattoosandthatthey

areprotectedunderthefirstamendmentoftheconstitution(Porter,2012).Argumentshave

brokenoutbetweenemployeesandemployersastowhetherornotworkersareallowedto

havevisibletattoos.Varioustestsandstudieshavebeenconductedinordertounderstandhow

tattoosaffectpeoplewithinaworkenvironment.

“Thedaysofbeingdisqualifiedfromajob,socialorreligiousgroupforhavingatattoo

arealsoathingofthepast,”(Williams,2014,pg.25).Thisstatementisnotnecessarilytrue

whenlookingatthejobaspectofhavingtattoos.Onenotablestudyfocusedontattooswithina

workenvironmentwherethetattooswouldbevisible.Thestudydepicted8menandwomen

withatribaltattooontheirneck,aswellas8menandwomenwithouttattoos,andshoweda

groupof262willingrespondentstodeterminewhetherornottheywouldbewillingtowork

withthetattooedindividuals.Therespondentswereaskediftheywouldwillinglyallowavisibly

Ramion 16

tattooeddoctorperformsurgeryonthemaswellasallowavisiblytattooedmechanictowork

ontheirvehicle(Baumann,Timming,&Gollan,2016).Theresultsofthestudyfoundthat

mechanics,bothwithandwithouttattoos,wereviewedmorepositivelythansurgeons,butthe

tattooedworkers,regardlessofprofession,wereratedlowerthanthenon-tattooedworkers

(Baumannetal.,2016).

Asecondstudywithtattoosintheworkplacedealtwiththewaybothtattooedandnon-

tattooedpeopleperceivesalespeople.Overalltheratingstatedthatnon-tattooedpeopledid

notwanttoworkwithsalespeoplewhohadvisibletattoosbecauseofthenegative

connotationsthattattooshaveinsocietytoday(Arndt&Glassman,2012).Thetattooswerea

turnofftonon-tattooedpeopleworkingwithtattooedsalespeoplebasedontheirgenderand

theytypeoftattootheyhad(amasculinetattooorfemininetattoo).ArndtandGlassman’s

researchshowedastigmawherevisibletattooscouldchangeaperson’sperspectiveona

worker.Inonecaseafemalewithamasculinetattoowasaskedifshewasalesbianbecauseof

hertattoo(2012).Tattoosintheworkplacearedifficulttodealwithbasedonthenegative

connotationthattattooshave;tattoosareforpunks,notworkers.

AthirdimportantstudyontattoosacceptanceintheworkplacewasdonebyWilliams,

Thomas,andChristensenaboutsocialworkers(2014).Socialworkisintendedtopromote

culturalcompetenceanddiversity,yettattooswithinthesocialworkprofessiononsocial

workersareviewednegatively.Ithasbeensuggestedthathavinganunconventional

appearanceoftattoos,piercings,andbrightlycoloredhairmayturnoffclients,colleagues,and

administration(Williams,Thomas,&Christensen,2014).Whilehavingtattoosmaybeviewed

negativelybyaclient,socialworkershavebeguntocomplainthattheiremployersaremaking

Ramion 17

themcoveruptattoosandremovepiercings;somesocialworkersbelievethatforcing

employeestocoveruptattoosisanoutdatedpolicythatdoesnotcoincidewithsocialwork’s

corevalues(Williametal.,2014).Williams,Thomas,andChristensenstatedontheissueon

socialworkersandtattoos,

Theissueofvisibletattoosandpiercingsbeingrestrictedintheprofessionalworkplace,

includingsocialworksettings,isnotgoingtogoaway…Socialwork,likemany

professions,isfacing,orshoulddirectlyface,thisissue.Giventhatsocialworkis

expresslycommittedtoreducingprejudice,marginalization,andoppression,weareina

positiontoleadinadvocatingformoreflexibleworkplaceexpectationsandpolicies

regardingprofessionalappearance.Indeed,ifhumandiversitytrulyisanimportant

professionalvalue,thenitistimetomodelthisvalueacrosssocialworkcontextsand

demonstratebetterconsistencyinpracticingwhatwepreach.(Williamsetal.,2014,pg.

374).

Itisconsideredunethical,asaprofessional,tojudgeatattooedpersonbecausetheyhave

tattoos;inretrospectitisalsounethical,asaclient,toviewaprofessionalinaculturallydiverse

positivepositiontojudgetheprofessionalforhavingtattoos(Williamsetal.,2014).

Astudydoneoncollegestudentsabouttattoosintheworkplacewasconductedin

2014(Foltz,2014).FoltzobjectiveofthestudywastodeterminewhetherornotMillennial

collegeundergraduatesunderstoodtheimplicationsofobtainingajobwhilehavingvisible

tattoos.Theundergraduateswereaskedtoanswer“yes”and“no”questionsthatpertainedto

theattitudeandperceptionsparticipantsfeltabouttattoosandhowthey(tattoos)would

impacttheirchanceofemploymentaswellasanswersomeopenendedquestionstoexpress

Ramion 18

participants’reasoningforobtaining,ornotobtaining,atattoo(Foltz,2014).Overall

respondentsstatedthattheywouldthinkaboutplacementbeforegettingatattooinregardsto

futureemployment;notonlythatbut85%oftherespondentsagreedthatitwouldbedifficult

forsomeonewithvisibletattoostoobtainajobaftergraduatingfromuniversity(Foltz,2014).

Whenaskedahypotheticalquestionabouthiringsomeonewithtattoos,“…61.2%of

respondentsindicatedifanapplicanthadvisibletattoos,theirdecisiononwhethertohirethe

applicantwouldbenegativelyimpacted,”(Foltz,2014,pg.596).Whenaskedwhyrespondents

felttattooedpeoplewouldhaveproblemsfindingajobaftergraduatingfromauniversityas

wellashavinganegativeimpactonhiringatattooedperson,respondentsstatedthatitis

becausetheybelievetattoosarenotprofessionalandemployersshouldhavetherightto

dictatewhetherornotatattooisvisibleforemployment(Foltz,2014).Theundergraduate

participantshadahighunderstandingoftheimplicationsofhavingvisibletattooswhenlooking

foremploymenteventhoughofthe21%ofparticipantswhohavetattoos,95.2%ofthe

tattooedparticipantsstatedthattheirtattooswouldnotbevisibletofutureemployers(Foltz,

2014).

Tattooacceptancedoesnotendattheworkplace,acceptancealsoisimportantwhen

lookingatanindividualwithatattoo.TattooshavebecomepopularinWesterncultureinthe

1990smoresothananyotherrecenttimeperiod(Swami,2011).Forthisparticularstudy

peoplegettingtheirfirsttattoosatdownandfilledoutaquestionnaire,theywerethenlater

contactedwithinthreeweeksandfilledoutanotherquestionnaire.Theparticipantswereasked

aseriousofquestionsbasedonhowtheyfeltabouttheirphysicalappearance,theirneedfor

uniqueness,theirsocialanxiety,aswellastofilloutRosenberg’sself-esteemscale,statewhy

Ramion 19

theyweregettingatattoo,statetheirsatisfactionwiththeirtattoo,andtostatewhatthe

likelihoodofgettinganothertattoointhefuturewouldbe(Swami,2011).Theresultsfor

gettingthetattoowerehighlyratedthatthereceiverwantedtoexpressthemselves,lookgood,

ortobeunique.Overalltherewerelargedifferencesbetweenmalesandfemaleswhenitcame

totheirphysicalappearancethreeweeksaftergettingtheirfirsttattoo.Menhaddecreased

theirsocial,physicalanxietywhereaswomen’ssocial,physicalanxietyincreased.Evenwiththis

finding,itwasalsonotedthatwomenappreciatedtheirbodymoreeventhoughtheirsocial,

physicalanxietyincreased(Swami,2011).

TattooshavebecomeapartofpopularcultureinWesternsociety.Oneaspectoftattoo

acceptanceisthewaythatpeoplewithtattoosfeelaboutthemselvesandotherwithtattoos.

Aftergettingatattooone’sexpectationsoftheirtattoomayhavechangedthewaytheynow

viewthemselveswhetheritbenegativeorpositive.Tattoosintheworkplacearealso

somethingofconcernwhenlookingattattooacceptance.Overalltattoosintheworkplaceare

notacceptabletonon-tattooedpeople.Ithasbeenseenthattattooedmechanicsandsurgeons

areratedlowerthantheirnon-tattooedcounterparts.Whiletattooingisincreasinglybecoming

popularintoday’ssocietythereisstillastigmaonthem.Tattoosarenotbeingfullyacceptedin

theworkplaceknowingthatpeopleareapprehensivewhenworkingwithsomeonewhohas

visibletattoos.Itisbelievedthatitiseasiertoobtainajobwhenonehasvisibletattoos,but

thatisstillnotthecase.Thenegativeconnotationandriskybehaviorstereotypethattattoos

haveonthemmakeemployersleeryabouthiringpeoplewhohavevisibletattoos.Visible

tattoosarestillseenasasignofrebellionaswellasasignofimpulsivebehavior.Hiringa

Ramion 20

tattooedbasedonthesestereotypeswillhindertattooedpeopleuntilthenegativethought

surroundingtattoosdiminishes.

Conclusion

IntroductorySection

ThisthesisismeanttoshowpeoplethattattooacceptanceisevolvinginWestern

society.ByanalyzingvariousscholarlyarticlesandstudiesIhopetoshedlightonthehypocrisy

ofthenegativeviewsontattoosbasedongender,misconceptionsandstereotypes,and

acceptanceintheworkplace.Theanalysisoftheresourcesfoundbarelyscratchthesurfaceof

whatisknownontattooacceptanceinWesternsociety;manyofthestudieslookedat

consistedofsmallrespondentsingeneralizedlocationsofEurope,Canada,andtheUnited

StatesofAmerica.Personallyhavingtattoos,bothvisibleandnot,isthedrivingforceofthis

thesis.Betterunderstandingacceptancewithinthepastfifteen-yearsaswellaswithinthepast

yearhasgivenmeabetterunderstandingofwhatpeoplethinkofthosewithtattoosbasedon

whathasbeenperceivedbythem(tattoos)sincetheycameintoexistencewithinWestern

society.

SummaryofFindings

Tattooshaveevolvedsincetheirexistence;Egyptiansadornedthemselveswithtattoos

ifconsideredpartofnobilityandtheRomansweretattooediftheywereprisonersorslaves.

Tattooingisnotalwayspermanent;thereisanotherformoftemporarytattooingknownas

hennawhichhasbecomepopularwithinWesternsocietybecauseitisnotpermanentversus

tattooingdoneinashop.WiththerichhistoryoftattooingIbelievethatitisimportanttoknow

whatthesocialstanceontattoosis:aretattoosacceptableorno?

Ramion 21

Thefirstpointthatwasinvestigateddealtwithgendersandtattoos.Whatwasfoundis

thatpeoplehaveaspecificperceptionoftattoosonmalesandfemales.Theperceptionsdeal

withthewaymalesandfemalesareseeninsocietytoday:malesarethestrong,independent

genderwhereasfemalesarethedainty,dependentgender.Withthesestereotypesinmind,it

isseenwithingroupsthatmenwithfemininetattoosareviewedtobemorefemininewhereas

menwithmasculinetattoosareviewedtobemoremasculine;thesamegoeswithwomen,

womenwithfemininetattoosareviewedtobemorefemininewhereaswomenwithmasculine

tattoosareviewedtobemoremasculine.Thediscriminationwithgendersandtattoosdoesnot

stopthere;womenaregenerallyviewedtobepromiscuous,heavydrinkers,aswellasdrug

usersbecauseoftheirtattoosregardlessofdesign.Themain,finaldifferencebetweengenders

isthereasonwhytattoosaregotten.Women,typicallyspeaking,gettattoosthatare

sentimentaltothemormarkaturningpointintheirlifewhereasmengettattoosbecausethey

wantoneorlikethedesign.

Anotherimportantaspecttolookatwhentryingtounderstandtattooacceptanceis

knowingthemisconceptionsandstereotypesthatsurroundtattoos.Tattooedpeopleare

thoughttobeheavyrisktakers,especiallyamongstadolescents,whopartakeintheusageof

illegalsubstances,areheavydrinkers,partakeinunprotectedsex,andhaveaproblemwith

authority.Ithasbeenfoundthattherearenotlargedifferencesbetweentattooedandnon-

tattooedpeopleliketherewasinthepast.Alargeportionofstereotypesandmisconceptions

oftattoosstemfromtheagegroupthathavetattoos:teenagersandyoung,undergraduate

students.Someofthestereotypesthatsurroundteenagersarethattheydopoorlyinschool

andmakepoorlifedecisionsbecauseitisbelievedthatteenagersmakeshort,brashdecisions

Ramion 22

withtheirlives.Overallthereisstillahighlynegativeconnotationconnectedtotattoosbynon-

tattooedpeopleregardlessofdesign.

ThefinalpointmadeistoknowwhetherornottattoosarebeingacceptedinWestern

culturetoday.Themainaspectoftattooacceptanceiswithinemployment.Ithasbeenfound

thatemployersarelesslikelytowanttohireapersonwithvisibletattoos.Notonlyare

employerslesslikelytohireaqualifiedpersonforapositionbasedonvisibletattoos,ithas

beenconcludedthatnon-tattooedpeoplearelesslikelytoworkwithsomeonewhohasvisible

tattoosorthenon-tattooedpersonislesslikelytotrustsomeonewhohastattoos.Ontheother

handithasbeennotedthatapersonwithtattoosisgoingtotrustaworkerwithtattoos.Trust

withvisibletattoosalsocomeswithprofession:peoplearemorelikelytotrustatattooed

mechanicversusatattooedsurgeon,butthenon-tattooedmechanicandsurgeonwerestill

ratedhigherthanthetattooedmechanic.Notonlyisacceptanceintheworkplacelookedatby

customers,itisalsoimportantwhenlookingatspecificprofessions.Socialworkersare

beginningtoarguethatvisibletattoosshouldbeallowedbecausetheirprofessionispositiveon

diversity.

ClosingSection

Theessaysandarticlesthathavebeeninvestigatedareasmallportionofwhatistobe

foundontattooacceptance.Atthispointitdoesnotappearthatgenderisahugefactorwhen

lookingattattooacceptance,butthemisconceptions,stereotypes,andviewsoftattoosinthe

workplacecomposealargeportionofwhathasbeenstudiedwithtattooacceptance.Itis

importanttoknowthatacceptanceoftattoosinWesternsocietyistakingaturnforthebetter,

butitisaslowslopetotattooacceptance.Thenegativeviewsontattooshavenotchanged

Ramion 23

withinthepastfifteenyears.AfterlookingintotattooacceptanceIbelievethatitisimportant

tofurtherinvestigatetheperceptionsoftattoosintheworkplaceandtobetterunderstandand

overcomethenegativeperceptionsthattattooshaveonWesternsociety.

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