<p>I don’t know any people who think that tatoos are “evil” per se, but I wouldn’t get one as I have no desire to get one.</p>
<p>17% is the number who can AFFORD removal. Tattoo removal is horribly expensive…particularly when you are unemployed.</p>
<p>Where did you find that number? I keep seeing only ~20% of people WANT their tats removed.</p>
<p>I think no one in the nursing home likes that “tramp stamp” anymore…</p>
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<p>To be fair, most people in college don’t like tramp stamps.</p>
<p>They get the 17% number because the only way that they can measure the number is by how many people actually make appointments for removal. That grossly misrepresents who would LIKE to have them removed. Look, Romani. You have a tattoo. It is discrete. It is personal to you. Fine. I will tell you as a recruiter, you would be very wise to make sure other tattoos you might like to get are also discrete, because, like it or not, visible tattoos are not appropriate for a big section of the work environment. And a tattoo artist who puts something on a person who shows up in their studio that is clearly way out of the mainstream, in a very visible location, is hurting them…unless they have a job in the circus. Clearly, they are more interested in profit than the wellbeing of their customer. Stop being so defensive. Your tattoo is fine.</p>
<p>CC is being screwy.</p>
<p>I never asked you about my tattoo. I honestly don’t care what your opinion of it is. All of my bosses know about my tattoo, heck one of them even helped me design it! I wouldn’t particularly want to work for somewhere that didn’t accept me for who I am, but that’s a whole other issue. FWIW- I want to be a professor and 4/6 of my professors right now have visible tattoos that I see every day, but I digress. </p>
<p>According to research done by Northwestern University in 2006, approximately 17% of people with tattoos wanted them remove. There is NO WAY that that number means everyone of them is getting it removed.</p>
<p>[Regret</a> that Tattoo? The Tattoo-Removal Business is Booming](<a href=“http://www.inc.com/articles/2010/02/tattoo-removal-entrepreneurs.html]Regret”>http://www.inc.com/articles/2010/02/tattoo-removal-entrepreneurs.html)</p>
<p>Academia is one place where nobody (generally) cares about tattoos. You have chosen wisely. but don’t let that insular environment lull you into thinking that academia represents the larger spectrum of employers…the ones who have to attract money from a less tolerant audience than college students.</p>
<p>Once again, I never said it did. But way to avoid the other aspects of my post. </p>
<p>However, it’s just plainly more acceptable now. My doctor has a tattoo on her wrist, my dad’s lawyer has one on the back of his neck, etc. 1 in 4 Americans has one and that number is increasing.</p>
<p>romani…do you like to argue for the sake of argument? Did I not already say that lots of people have small discrete tattoos and they are typically fine…particularly if you are SELF-EMPLOYED?! I am telling you…if you work for someone else in a corporate setting, you need to be careful. And I definitely think there should be tattoo malpractice.</p>
<p>Evil? No. </p>
<p>Less than “chic”. Yes (in my opinion, and that’s what you’ve asked for). Here is why.</p>
<p>Traditionally…in recent history…what “us old folks” remember is that sailors have tattoos. And prisoners have tattoos. </p>
<p>Then we added drug addicts. And they appeared on thugs. They keep appearing on more and more people to where they are certainly more mainstream. But they still hold a feeling of “ugh” for a lot of people. Not everyone. But I am certainly one who doesn’t like them. They’re permanent of course, and SO many people regret them sooner or later. They also say “look at me!..I’m wearing a permanent T-shirt that spouts my views!” A real turn off to a lot of “legit” employers (can’t have them showing at one of my clients’s offices). </p>
<p>But…to each his own.</p>
<p>75:25…not exactly a majority. I would not want to go look for a job from 100 employers hoping that I hit the 25 where my tattoo was OK…and even if it’s ok with one manager, it might not be with the next one. Not a position I would put myself in. Not in this job market. If I were getting a tattoo, it would be hideable…which is obviously what many if not most tattooed people choose…for a reason.</p>
<p>debrock, do you not like to read for the sake of not reading? </p>
<p>I have pointed out that not every employer likes tattoos. But it’s also not the be-all end-all when you get them. That is all I have said.</p>
<p>I have also pointed out that that 17% was bogus, but you just keep ignoring things you don’t want to read.</p>
<p>debrock, times are a-changing. There was a point when women wouldn’t be hired if they had short hair or if they wore pants instead of a skirt (well, actually this still happens but that’s a whole other issue). There will be a time in our near future where body art isn’t a big deal. It’s getting close to nearly half of the population having a tattoo by the age of 30. If this trend keeps up, non-tat people are going to be the minority. </p>
<p>It’s whatever.</p>
<p>I don’t know that I would hesitate to hire someone for a job if they had a tattoo, but I certainly look at tattoos and think that the person who got them is somewhat lacking in long term thinking skills.</p>
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<p>Then you may judge far too quickly. I feel bad for you :(</p>
<p>Do you have the same sentiments about soldiers that get them?</p>
<p>[Laser</a> tattoo removal is painful option for those feeling the sting of regret - MarineCorpsTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/offduty/health/military_tattooremoval_laser_070521w/]Laser”>http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/offduty/health/military_tattooremoval_laser_070521w/)</p>
<p>Romani, 75% of women had big hair in the 80’s and today…not so much. I would have sworn to you that I would keep my big hair. I was wrong. Thank goodness I didn’t have the big hair tatted on. I would have looked hopelessly uncool today. LOL.</p>
<p>The article above says that based on a survey, 17% of tatted people regretted their tats and wanted them gone. But the process is ungodly expensive…it costs thousands. Most people can’t manage it. And it hurts like heck. But the sale of cover creams is skyrocketing. I will be happy to take you to lunch in 20 years and laugh with you about how wrong you were. One of the big industry goals is to advance the process of removable tattoos. </p>
<p>I will tell you that the younger kids are already starting to turn away from the body art movement. My son’s friends look at my daughter’s friends and think they are a bunch of weirdos. Fashion is cyclical. I’ve just seen more cycles than you have.</p>
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<p>Ok… which is EXACTLY what I said, but NOT what you said. </p>
<p>Me:
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<p>You:
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<p>See the huge difference? 
Oh, and this also means that ~ 5% of the population has tattoos that they want removed. That’s not a big number.</p>
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<p>Big hair was around ~10 years. Tattoos have been around for ~10,000 years that we know of. Good comparison ;). </p>
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<p>Congrats. You’re older than me <em>applause</em>. My friends have tats. My friends look at tats and think they’re perfectly normal. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone my age who hates tats, but I digress. And as I said before, more people in their late 20s and early 30s have tats than younger people. It is still, overall, a growing trend. </p>
<p>How old are you children?</p>
<p>21 and 16. The 21 year old grew up in the age of extravagance where kids did much more foolish things thinking that they were untouchable. The younger one has seen the world collapse and realizes that he has to make smarter choices or he will have a tough time. The older one has 3 tats and would like to take them off because she has decided that what she thought she wanted to do for a living when she got them is not what she wants to do any more.</p>