Taylor 1
Gina Taylor
Mr. DeJonge
English IV
10 February 2017
Permanent Artwork
In the amazing world of body art there are many versions to explore. A basis to body art
begins with traditional tattoos. Whether it be permanently made with professional ink or stamped
in with a needle, tattoos are extremely common today. Most of the world has some type of body
application though it is still surrounded with stereotypes. If something so popular has expanded
this much, why has it still been the cause of losing job opportunities? A lot of companies still do
not allow tattoos or body art to be shown. I understand this in some aspects because of what
could be represented on someone's body, but I believe that there should be less restriction.
First and foremost tattoos have been around for an amazing amount of time. For instance
Cate Lineberry with The Smithsonian writes:
In terms of tattoos on actual bodies, the earliest known examples were for a long time
Egyptian and were present on several female mummies dated to c. 2000 B.C. But
following the more recent discovery of the Iceman from the area of the Italian-Austrian
border in 1991 and his tattoo patterns, this date has been pushed back a further thousand
years when he was carbon-dated at around 5,200 years old.
The thing about tattoos is why should we continue to exile people for something so old? Tattoos
should be known as being common as they are today. The total number of Americans with at
least one tattoo is estimated around 45 million.
Taylor 2
Tattoos--in my opinion--are a form of artwork. Though I can understand the perspective
of some when considering those with tattoos as well. Some tattoos can be offensive and/or go
against another's religion. Heal The World, a website dedicated to allowing tattoos at work, gives
us an insight to the statistics, 76% of employees feel tattoos and piercings hurt your job
interview chances. However, 73% of people say they would hire staff that had visible tattoos. 6%
of tattooed people say they wouldnt hire someone with visible ink. Personally I want to get
tattoos in the future; I want to get full sleeves or arm tattoos. I also want to get various other
designs because I really enjoy tattoos.
I see tattoos as a form of artwork and personalization. Others may use tattoos for fun or
get them by drunk accidents. I dont mind if others dont want tattoos but if I can look past those
who dont want them, why cant they just get past those with tattoos? Katharine Schwab with
The Atlantic writes:
For a long time, tattoos would only be experienced by the artist and those close to the
person who wore them. However slowly or messily, the art world is beginning to
understand the special value tattoos have as aesthetic objects. More than just beautiful
designs, theyre reminders of the unique stories that can be told on human skin.
The thing about tattoos is that they are unique to each person. Even if someone chooses from an
artist's premade tattoos they will never make an exact replica. They may be placed differently, a
different color, or even another size.
Body art will continue to develop and rates for customers will grow, no matter who
dislikes them. Even though many people are left with lesser options for jobs I do not believe it
will stop people from expressing themselves. You cant tell an artist to stop making art because
Taylor 3
you disagree with it. To me tattoos are a true piece of art and I feel as though they should be
more widely accepted.
Taylor 4
Works Cited
Lineberry, Cate. "Tattoos." Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 1 Jan. 2007. Web. 08 Feb.
2017.
Schulten, Katherine. "Tattoos." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3 Feb. 2017. Web. 8
Feb. 2017.
Schwab, Katharine. "Highbrow Ink." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 3 Dec. 2015. Web.
08 Feb. 2017.
Seth. "Tattoo Statistics." Statistic Brain. Statistic Brain, 25 Aug. 2016. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
"Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work." Support Tattoos and Piercings at Work. Heal The
World, n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.
