thedrifter
09-26-08, 06:39 AM
Where and when should you show 'tats'
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf
DENVER - The U.S. Marine Corps recently revised its policy towards tattoos, in essence prohibiting Marines with large "sleeve" tattoos and other large visible tattoos from serving as recruiters or guards at U.S. Embassies.
Corps leaders stated that such positions were very much in the public eye and such tattoos fall outside the image the corps is trying to portray. Tattoos are steadily seeping into the mainstream and there’s no shortage of ink or diversity among the people with tattoos.
“I’m a firefighter from Canada,” said Peter Myers
“I’m a choreographer,” April Charmaine said.
“I lay carpet,” said Eserner.
All three were walking around the 16th Street mall on warm sunny day in Denver. Myers showed us his tattoo dedicated to a fellow firefighter who died. Charmaine had two stars tattooed on the back of her ankles. Eserner’s tattoos were a mix of world travel and a dedication to his daughter. As proud as he is of his tattoos, Eserner says there are scenarios when tattoos are unprofessional.
“I’ll never get anything up towards my neck or down near my forearms because if I ever needed to get a job that required me to get a suit. I’m not all tattooed on my face or anything like that,” said Eserner.
Tattoo artist Cory Veer says he and his fellow artists at the Blue Door Tattoo have worked on a wide spectrum of clients. The shop on Broadway sees police officers, business executives and other personalities. Veer says he believes tattoos have become so popular that they seem to be losing their edge.
“Back in the 80s I’d walk into a restaurant and the stares would come. Nowadays that’s not happening. I have to have a cigarette in my mouth for that to happen,” said Veer.
The Marine Corps has plenty of company when it comes to establishing policies towards tats. Companies like Walt Disney, Wal-Mart and a long list of retailers have written policies addressing appropriateness of tattoos and body piercings. Joel Parriott, an employment adviser with the Colorado Department of Labor, says while social attitudes towards tattoos may be becoming more relaxed, the workplace remains a fairly conservative regarding ink.
“Some companies have very strict dress codes and workers have to adhere to it. If you’re out in the public, if you’re in front of the business representing the company, they may want you to look the part, dress the part with shirts, ties and jackets. Probably a visible tattoo is not going to be part of that dress code,” said Parriott.
Parriott says many clients who come to his Adams County office looking for employment have shown him their body art. He often advises them to keep them covered, not necessarily because they would be viewed as out of the norm, but mainly because they could serve as a distraction.
“If someone’s looking for a babysitter, I don’t think they’d want to see a tattoo of a skull or something else on somebody’s hand or neck. It just takes their focus away from you,” said Parriott.
Do tattoos affect people’s perceptions? Can they hurt job opportunities and the ability to retain employment? Depending on the answers to those questions, it may be evidence that tattoos are something more than skin deep.
Ellie
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf
DENVER - The U.S. Marine Corps recently revised its policy towards tattoos, in essence prohibiting Marines with large "sleeve" tattoos and other large visible tattoos from serving as recruiters or guards at U.S. Embassies.
Corps leaders stated that such positions were very much in the public eye and such tattoos fall outside the image the corps is trying to portray. Tattoos are steadily seeping into the mainstream and there’s no shortage of ink or diversity among the people with tattoos.
“I’m a firefighter from Canada,” said Peter Myers
“I’m a choreographer,” April Charmaine said.
“I lay carpet,” said Eserner.
All three were walking around the 16th Street mall on warm sunny day in Denver. Myers showed us his tattoo dedicated to a fellow firefighter who died. Charmaine had two stars tattooed on the back of her ankles. Eserner’s tattoos were a mix of world travel and a dedication to his daughter. As proud as he is of his tattoos, Eserner says there are scenarios when tattoos are unprofessional.
“I’ll never get anything up towards my neck or down near my forearms because if I ever needed to get a job that required me to get a suit. I’m not all tattooed on my face or anything like that,” said Eserner.
Tattoo artist Cory Veer says he and his fellow artists at the Blue Door Tattoo have worked on a wide spectrum of clients. The shop on Broadway sees police officers, business executives and other personalities. Veer says he believes tattoos have become so popular that they seem to be losing their edge.
“Back in the 80s I’d walk into a restaurant and the stares would come. Nowadays that’s not happening. I have to have a cigarette in my mouth for that to happen,” said Veer.
The Marine Corps has plenty of company when it comes to establishing policies towards tats. Companies like Walt Disney, Wal-Mart and a long list of retailers have written policies addressing appropriateness of tattoos and body piercings. Joel Parriott, an employment adviser with the Colorado Department of Labor, says while social attitudes towards tattoos may be becoming more relaxed, the workplace remains a fairly conservative regarding ink.
“Some companies have very strict dress codes and workers have to adhere to it. If you’re out in the public, if you’re in front of the business representing the company, they may want you to look the part, dress the part with shirts, ties and jackets. Probably a visible tattoo is not going to be part of that dress code,” said Parriott.
Parriott says many clients who come to his Adams County office looking for employment have shown him their body art. He often advises them to keep them covered, not necessarily because they would be viewed as out of the norm, but mainly because they could serve as a distraction.
“If someone’s looking for a babysitter, I don’t think they’d want to see a tattoo of a skull or something else on somebody’s hand or neck. It just takes their focus away from you,” said Parriott.
Do tattoos affect people’s perceptions? Can they hurt job opportunities and the ability to retain employment? Depending on the answers to those questions, it may be evidence that tattoos are something more than skin deep.
Ellie