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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About tattoos?

142 replies

Morethanalittlebitconfused · 18/08/2014 07:59

Before I start I need to say I am quite heavily tattooed myself - albeit in places they can be hidden

I've read an article on Facebook today calling for a law to be passed stating people who are tattooed cannot be discriminated against in the world of work. AIBU to disagree with it?

People commenting on the article, and the article itself, say it's unfair people with neck, face and hand tattoos get turned down from jobs due to 'their expression of their personality' and think it's out dated and draconian that people who are capable of working get turned away

So AIBU to think if you want a professional job you either cover up or don't get tattooed in the first place?

OP posts:
coldwater1 · 19/08/2014 11:22

I agree. I have 6 tattoos but all in places that can be covered as it is frowned upon in the profession i'm going into. I will never get my face, hands or neck tattooed for this reason. Anywhere else on my body? Hell yeah! Grin

chubbyhez · 19/08/2014 11:26

You're assuming that everyone's motivation to get tattooed was to be edgy and controversial. That's not true.

DownstairsMixUp · 19/08/2014 11:35

Unless my family and kids go out of fashion (!!) My tattoos won't. Every piece is about a deceased family member, my children, my parents etc. I don't go into a shop and say ooh look at the pretty butterfly let's get that. Tribal sleeves and flowers on the lower back will be the type to date. I've not known anyone with tribal stuff on their arms get it for any specific reason.

Not wishful thinking either. You only need to read about it to understand how it works and what's changed. You educate yourself. There are a lot of 'scratchers' out there who have a terrible technique and these will definitely date and not age well. Also non tattooed people are literally the most judgemental people ever. Even if you think your so clever you know everything etc why let it bother you if you think someone will look like shit when they are old? I'm pretty sure you won't be Kate Moss when your older so some tattoos are hardly going to change that. I saw a woman in her must of been early 60 in Brighton with two full sleeves and she looked pretty good tbh. Was a change from the usual short curled hair and bon marche clothes you usually see on that age group...

Abloodybigmessinside · 19/08/2014 12:07

What is actually wrong with not caring about social conventions though?
I mean when I think about it, I think everyone should be free to live their own life as they wish and decorate their own body as they wish without fear of judgement.. It's just a form of expression.

Sometimes I think the whole world is bonkers.

DogCalledRudis · 19/08/2014 12:17

If i see an adult man with a tattoo of a Sponge Bob or Super Mario, it automatically screams LOSER. Employers don't have to hire every loser.

Suzannewithaplan · 19/08/2014 12:19

There's nothing wrong with not caring about convention but taking that approach will have certain consequences.
You pays yer money and takes yer choice Wink

(I speak as one with a contrarian bent)

owlborn · 19/08/2014 12:21

The article I read wasn't just talking about people with facial and hand tattoos - one example given was of a woman who got sacked over having a dolphin on her foot. Some employers are pretty harsh about that kind of thing - DH once got a reprimand at work (many years ago when he worked in a bank) because he wore a white shirt into work and you could make out the outline of the tattoo on his shoulder beneath the shirt.

Stuff like that, I think is unreasonable on the part of the employers.

Abloodybigmessinside · 19/08/2014 12:32

Suzanne - true.. I think, personally, a job that was really strict about tattoos or indeed my appearance down to the last detail isn't a job I would want anyway.. Guess that's why I'm self employedGrin

DownstairsMixUp · 19/08/2014 12:33

That's really sad that you think loser. And incredibly judgey. Someone I know has a tattoo of spongebob on their leg because it was his son's favourite cartoon (his son died aged 4) some tattoos might look silly to some people but a lot of people do get things done for a reason.

ChelsyHandy · 19/08/2014 12:44

Thank you FacebookWillEaiItself. I really was wondering if it was a signal to other men who were in the closet. Or not so in the closet. They do look awfully like womens' garter straps though. If I were single, id never date a nan with a tattoo. In the workplace, you are subject to all sorts of legislation, in our personal lives not so much. My heart sinks when I see yet another person who has succumbed to the tattoo trend. I agree with the poster upthread Tha its a very, albeit not exclusively, British thing.

Pipbin · 19/08/2014 12:49

Also non tattooed people are literally the most judgemental people ever.

And you aren't?

BackforGood · 19/08/2014 12:53

Another who agrees with you OP.
I am, however old and not "edgy" Wink so it's interesting to hear your thoughts as a person who is heavily tattooed.

expatinscotland · 19/08/2014 12:56

YANBU

DownstairsMixUp · 19/08/2014 13:01

OK pipbin bad way to word it but no, if someone doesn't have any tattoos or I speak to someone with a thousand tattoos, I see them as the same. :S I have friends with tons and friends without any. They are all equal to me but it seems some people without tattoos really seem to see themselves as "superior" to people who choose to make a different choice to them.

Eminybob · 19/08/2014 13:08

YABU because having tattoos has no bearing on how good you would be at a job, however no law will change peoples bigotry so they will find other reasons not to offer the job. It's sad but I can't see it changing in the near future.

pinkyredrose · 19/08/2014 13:10

Well facebook you've go it all sorted out haven't you given that you're so sure what's going to happen in the next 5/10 yrs!

normalishdude · 19/08/2014 13:46

If it's all about 'freedom of choice' then if it's someone's choice to have tattoos it should be someone else's choice to not employ them. I also have tattoos.

itsbetterthanabox · 19/08/2014 13:49

Normalish but is it fair to demonise someone for something they did in their youth that just happens to be permanent. They may not have considered it fully at 16 but now at 40 want to be in a proffesional job and we should exclude them because of this? Confused

Original poster
Morethanalittlebitconfused · 19/08/2014 13:55

Surely when you're younger and career planning you look into things like what appearance is expected and the general feel of that career path?

When I was a teen I wanted to go into law and did work experience in a solicitors firm and was told there that appearance matters, I had multiple piercings in my ears and was told they either need to be discrete or removed entirely during my placement. I was also told body art and piercings were frowned upon in that field.

I also knew, from talks at school we were given, body art and piercings were frowned upon in most professions - teaching, medicine, law, armed forces at officer rank, police etc. so delayed getting any body art til I knew what path I wanted to follow.

If you're desperate for a tattoo today you'll still want it in 5, 10, 20 years time and can wait, if not, then don't get it.

OP posts:
normalishdude · 19/08/2014 14:02

We make our choices in our lives and we have to live by the results. That's true for everything. I didn't take astrophysics in my youth so I wouldn't expect someone to employ me as an astronaut.

FyreFly · 19/08/2014 14:22

If you want to get a tattoo in memoriam of deceased family or friends, that's fine.

If you want to get one of butterflies / stars /dolphins like everyone else has just because you think it's pretty, that's also fine.

If you want to get a tattoo of a giant penis on your face, that's absolutely your choice and is fine too.

If you want to cover your entire body in tattoos and accompany them with a full suite of piercings and prosthetics, that's also fine.

In short, it's completely up to you what you do with your body and how you choose to decorate. But you shouldn't expect the rest of the world to validate and accept said choices without any question. It would be lovely if it did, but it doesn't.

I've thought often about getting one, but a) I'm terrified of needles and b) I do think that 99.99% of the time, they just look scruffy. To me, it's like permanently adorning yourself with trainers and sweatpants. If you can still see them when wearing the correct dress-code, then, to me, it just doesn't look professional.

Tattoos are a choice, often highly personal, sometimes bloody stupid, but still a choice. If you make a bad choice that affects your life in a negative way (i.e. getting a job in your desired sector) then you either have to live with it or have it removed.

DownstairsMixUp · 19/08/2014 14:29

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

WanderingTrolley1 · 19/08/2014 14:33

Yanbu.

itsbetterthanabox · 19/08/2014 14:43

That's completely different obviously Hmm.
If you aren't qualified for something then obviously you can't work as it until you do.
Again you may get something at 16 but not realise what you want to do until you are older. Or realise you have a talent or have now decided to take a different direction than you thought you would.
I really don't get why anyone is defending this. It's stupid and weirdly controlling to care so much what someone looks like that it means you think they shouldn't work!

ICanSeeTheSun · 19/08/2014 14:47

There is nothing stopping a person getting a tattoo once in their job.

If you needed life saving treatment you would dismiss an ambulance driver, nurse, doctor would a bit of ink on the skin make a difference

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