Are tattoos now socially acceptable?

[thestjohn]

I've no tattoos, but I've had a ring in my nose for about a decade now. I've primarily worked in customer-facing roles, and I can't say that any member of the public ever displayed a negative reaction to it, or that it affected my performance in the role. Of course, it may be the case that people don't react verbally or visually to this sort of thing but are still offended, so I see the point some employers have. I have had comments from the public, but they're always curious inquiries rather than indignation. But honestly, I've never seen my interaction with customers suffer because of it, even to the point where I was beating sales targets more than other employees. Same goes for friends with tattoos I have who work in a variety of businesses. I will concede that a facial tattoo might be stepping over certain societal boundaries depending on where you live.

And I don't get the whole thing about suits in business. Where does it say that unless you wear a suit you can't be professional? Where does that whole tradition come from? I look bloody terrible in a suit, no matter the cost and quality of the cut, so do many other people.

[3dfan]

I have three tatoos and my collegues and boss do not mind ( I work as a lawyer) besides long sleeves decide this problem easily )))I even made cool wallpapers of my tattoos using equipment on work!

[Vetro]

I would say tattoos have been socially acceptable for quite some time now...

[b0redom]

[Naith]

Aren't they 'old hat' now...?

[oldskooladdict]

Yer, I reckon they are more accepted, but yes, I don't think they are ever likely to be accepted in high position client facing roles.

I don't have any or intend to get any, sure, if you want to get some go a head.

One thing I don't understand is tattoos and fashon - fashons change, the tattoo by defintion cannot - so why get a 'fashonable' tattoo if you're going to get one (Chinese letters anyone?!) - at least plan it and do something original and with some kind of meaning.

[sarngate]

I would say they are socially acceptable, but that doesn't mean people who 'accept' them understand or agree with the reasons why people have them done. I know many people my age who have tattoos which in my eyes seem like sad attempts to individualise ones self, or even to look 'cool'.
Of course, if you have a tattoo which means something to you, or is at least thoughtful, for example the name of a loved one or some other important factor in your life (not including football teams -_-) i would certainly respect somebody a lot more. The tattoo of the cyborg arm looks damn cool by the way
Reminds me of the craze a couple of years ago where everybody got Celtic (not the team) tattoos on their arms wrists, and now they all look like sheep, oh the irony !

[schmunk]

Reminds me of the craze a couple of years ago where everybody got Celtic (not the team) tattoos on their arms wrists, and now they all look like sheep, oh the irony !

[Rave]

[IMG] Mint Sauce [/IMG]

So Mint Sauce is still apparently as awesome as it was when I used to read MBUK, your point being?

(To be fair, Mint Sauce made my soul soar, if you know an archive, hook me up pls). I worshiped Jo Burt, and my pink 'n blue Mint Sauce racing jersey that I bought aged 19, which fitted everywhere apart from my biceps, still fits everywhere apart from my biceps aged 30....

Anyway, Tats. I grew up a classic middle class kid- private school, suspicious of working class people. I've ended up doing a working class job. In the bus industry, the majority of people in senior positions have worked themselves up from driver level. My direct boss is in his early 60's and a few years from retirement. He's been working since he was 15. He has some faded tats on his arms which he makes no effort to hide by wearing long sleeve shirts. And he's a competent bloke. Loads of my colleagues as controllers have tats on their forearms. One's a die hard Christian; I don't think he's born again, AFAIK he's had the faith all along.

One of the first drivers I 'reported' as a controller (for breaking the rules) was running early. He pulled up, didn't deny that he was early, and gave me his name and badge number perfectly politely. He was (and of course still is) covered in tats all up the arms and halfway up his neck. To anyone who doesn't know him (including me at the time), he looks intimidating.

So I put the report in. At the time I was a new controller, so all my reports had to go through my area controller. He's a Geordie, and has rough looking tats down his arm and onto his thumb. When I asked, it turned out that they spelled 'Soul' and he got them as a regular at Wigan Casino in the 70s. I'm not making this up, he was there. He said " so you booked Johnny M". I said "shouldn't I have?" and he replied "no I'm glad ya did kid" and laughed.

A few months later I was up at Kings Cross, where controllers are rarely seen, but they'd asked me to go there because they thought that a lot of the old drivers were taking the piss when they got up there for that reason. Johnny M turned up bang on time; every other driver had pulled up late. I jumped on his bus for a chat. He told me that the reason he drives faster than every other driver is that, when he got the job, he couldn't read. When he was told to change his blinds and turn away from his original destination he hated it because he couldn't read the blinds to change them, so he became the fastest bus driver in the west so he'd never be late enough to have a turn.

Now you might be tempted to assume that an old school bus driver like that, tatted all the way up to the neck, can't read etc. would be a chauvinistic old bastard. But he and his wife had kids young, and once they flew the nest he encouraged his wife to become a driver too. His wife's a good driver and a general all round darling. The pair of them are an asset to my company.

And if all you ever saw were Johnny's rough tats, you'd never bother to realise that.

I'm fairly happy with my working class job now. I earn at least the median wage for London, which I suspect is more than a lot of people who actually graduated as engineers from the uni course I failed.
My only body modification is my belly button ring which I administered myself with a safety pin aged 18. I haven't had a ring in it since my last one broke a year ago- but the hole ain't closed up, and I'll get another soon. Since I have no ambition to get on the middle class management course anytime soon I'm quite tempted to get some tattoos, but TBH the only one I've ever really fancied is an eagle on the bicep like Richard Gere had in An Officer And A Gentleman.

[schmunk]

So Mint Sauce is still apparently as awesome as it was when I used to read MBUK, your point being?

(To be fair, Mint Sauce made my soul soar, if you know an archive, hook me up pls).

My point was that the quote I quoted mentioned celtic tattoos making people look like sheep - Mint Sauce is a celtic sheep...

The source of my 'Sauce was http://homepage.mac.com/pfellows1/thisiswhy/index.html

[blade-uk]

I still want a tattoo one day, but i do think that the phase has died down a bit now from how it used to be years ago, but i have see quite a few people lately with about a dozen piercings in their face.

Andy

[Rob_B]

When it comes to tattoos a phrase always springs to mind, I personally don't have any however if I did it'd have to mean something, I doubt the majority of tattoos are well thought through &/or individual/meaningful....

"Always remember you're an individual, just like everybody else"

[danroyle]

i have two dragons one on each arm. one is the missus and the other i got when i had my child both were thought about for a good couple of years before getting them. no names written on them though.

I have a picture of a phoenix which i took from an ash album cover and modified into a tattoo design about 2 years back and will one day get it put on but i dont really like needles so never rush them.


Also always have my tattoos were they can be covered easily for at job interviews etc.

On the negative side of tattoos my mate who i wont say his name as he might get online and read this one day and will be very unhappy has about ten tattoos at least all very large and over recent years has left his wife a couple of times for babysitters and suchlike. when he was first with his wife he got her name and all 3 kids names put into a tribal shoulder tatto (tattoo was done while he was having an affair with the 17 yr old babysitter he was 29) left the wife pretty much before the ink dried.
Obviously the babysitter didn't like him having his wifes name on his back so she made him get rid of it then she wanted her name on his back but it had to be bigger than the wifes name had been.

So square across the middle of his back he gets the word sammi in 1 1/2 inch letters across the middle of his back, 18 months later it all goes tits up and he gets back with his wife.You can see were this is going by now surely

anyway the wife hates sam so she makes him get rid of her name off his back so he has to have some huge tattoo put on there to get rid of it 6 months back with his wife and she wanted her name put back on. he left her again before he could get the tattoo done.

But not joking we call him the shopping list as he has had so much writing on him, sadly he never looks after his tattoos either and years of sunburn have made most look really nasty and faded now.

[danroyle]

Totally disagree, nothing is more depressing than discovering a tramp stamp.

i showed my wife your posts about tramp stamps and she has two small tats and a nose ring.

i wont repeat what she said needless to say it involves the hubble telescope tweezers and scalpel and pain for you.

i disagree about them being tramp stamps a woman can have a tattoo and still be beautiful after all tattoos are supposed to be body art.

[shelley bda]

I agree it depends on what job your applying for. I have a tattoo on my lower back, I have to keep it covered up for my work

That said I don't think appearance should matter if your good at your job. I know a Guy who coaches the Village Kids football team ( he used to coach my Son ) he also goes into Schools to train Kids and runs sports clubs during the holidays, he's brilliant at what he does, but he does turn heads, as he has a big mohecan hair cut which changes colour each week, ears full of piercings and tatts all over his arms ( he also plays guitar player for a death metal band in his spare time ) despite this he is well respected and well liked throughout the community he's off to Australia this summer to coach Kids over there for a year or two.

[Blitzen]

tatoo´s are OK if there are not too ín your face´.

I have my Arsenal badges and am happy, but they are only visible when my shirt is off (like atm as i am in sunnier climes).

I also think that tatoo´s os women, whether of nice pictures or not, make women look pretty cheap (sorry to the ladies here but they do).