Obligatory Body Issues Post

Inject the following statement with all the facetiousness you can: I’ve discovered the secret to feeling good about your body.

Let me explain.

Getting a Job with a Tattoo

Its common knowledge, right? If you want to get hired in any impressively professional capacity don’t have any visible tattoos. Here’s the problem with that, the people who run the world are changing. The people who do the interesting and exciting work these days are just that. And whether you like it or not tattoos are interesting and exciting. They’re middle-class-edgy.

Also, here’s the simple fact I’ve discovered: tattos are advertisements. And in a job market where its all about who you know, you want a way to try and make a connection with anyone.

I’ve gotten two job offers because of one of my tattoos–granted, they didn’t go anywhere, but that’s still a connection that was made because of the tattoo, not in spite of it. We advertise ourselves in a myriad of other ways, from the way we dress to the way we speak. I’m not suggesting everyone tattoo their skillset down their neck, but simply that tattoos be recognized as the form of self expression that they are, along with every other way we present ourselves to the world. Sure, some clients or bosses will be turned off by them, but then some people won’t like your hair cut either, and how many more will be excited by tattoos? Will recognize them as part of the new paradigm?

Business is all about entrepreneurship anyway, isn’t it? Its all about being aware of where society is heading, of forseeing that need.

How many times have you been told that tattoos should be kept discreet if you ever hope to land a job outside the dreaded “service” industry?

This statement never fails to make me want to pierce someone’s eyebrow, because not only is it one of those broad generalizations that ignores the infinite combination of people and tattoos, but it also fails to take into account that a new generations is taking over–hopefully. A generation that doesn’t associate tattoos with navy men and felons.

What I’m trying to say is that ultimately I think people look like they would be good at what they want to do. So if what I want to do is write, and if my tattoo opens me up to conversations with people about writing, then I really don’t see the problem. And if you want to be an investment banker, so you wear a suit that starts conversation about money, that’s fine too.