To ask if people in professional roles should have visible tattoos?

[BanginChoons]

Nurses, midwives, doctors, social workers, teachers?

Does it depend on the role? The tattoo? The placement of the tattoo?

Doesn't it matter at all or should they not have them at all?

It's about bloody time people stopped worrying about what someone looked like, what clothes they wear, what car they drive or if they have tattoos and started thinking more about can they do the job you are asking them to do......

It's about bloody time people stopped worrying about what someone looked like, what clothes they wear, what car they drive or if they have tattoos and started thinking more about can they do the job you are asking them to do......

If they are a professional then I am using them because I want/need their intelligence, training and ability to apply that training - in a word I want them to have good judgement. I will think the less of them if their judgement, as evidenced by their personal choices, seems suspect.
'Personal choices' includes scribbling indelible inky pictures on their body and thinking that it is 'meaningful'. Nobody seems to think that choice of clothes,car or makeup is spiritual so I don't know where this nonsense in relation to tattoos has come from.

I don't care.
are they good at their job?

don't much care what they wear. Someone once asked me "so would you respect your son's teacher if they were in jeans and tshirt?"
well, I can't say I notice what they're wearing on any given day, so yeah, I probably would respect them.

Oh purits. So you think that someone that has tattoos has poor judgement. I bet if the surgeon who was about to perform life saving surgery on your child had a tattoo showing you wouldn't question them.

If you think that having a tattoo shows poor judgement then it looks like your judgement is even worse.

Oh. And purits. Tattoos have been a spiritual right of passage for some cultures for 1000's of years.

Tattoos have been a spiritual right of passage for some cultures for 1000's of years.

And you'll surely know that they're forbidden in others.

I think they're vile and yes it would put me off in a professional context

So long as they can do their job, what does it matter if they're tattooed, have purple hair or have fifty piercings in their ears? It doesn't change how talented (or not) they are.

Araminta. Does that mean you would refuse life saving treatment because your Dr has "Vile" tattoos. And why are they vile? Is it based on appearance alone?

Gloria. They are forbidden normally because of the interpretation of ancient writing that may or may not have been interpreted correctly, and were in many cases used to try and convert others to their way of thinking.

In either case, it has nothing to do with judgement and certainly nothing to do with ability. I find it hard to believe that we are supposed to be an enlightened society yet people base their views on some weird prejudice.

So long as they can do their job, what does it matter if they're tattooed, have purple hair or have fifty piercings in their ears? It doesn't change how talented (or not) they are.

That's certainly true, but it's not always obvious how talented a person is until you've worked with them for a long time. People will be forced to rely on their own private evaluations on the interim, many of which may not be kind or generous but that's life as a human being.

Does that mean you would refuse life saving treatment because your Dr has "Vile" tattoos.

She would hardly have a choice in that matter, so it's a silly measure of what Araminta means. A better question might be, if you were having elective surgery would you choose a surgeon with tattoos or without?

Doesn't bother me in the slightest but I work in the law and it is still a very conservative profession. I do think lawyers and accountants with visible tattoos may find it difficult to get jobs with some firms so they have the potential to be career limiting.

If no one thought that appearances mattered, then airline pilots would wear jeans to work. They wear suits for a reason. First impressions do matter.

Nobody seems to think that choice of clothes,car or makeup is spiritual so I don't know where this nonsense in relation to tattoos has come from.

Er, probably because, for the most part, tattoos are permanent, and something the person being tattooed thinks fairly seriously about (yes, I know some don't) and the other things you mentioned are all very temporary.

I would be proud to have something by this artist, for instance...

My ds teacher has tattoos ( a sleeve) on his arms and tattoos on his legs. He's the nicest, kindest teacher I've met in a long time. I have no issue whatsoever with it.

Doesn't bother me. (Assuming the tattoo is not offensive e.g. hate symbol, sweary)
I feel the same about piercings and hair - doesn't matter how many bits of metal you have through your body, or what colour your hair is. It matters that you can do your job.

I think tattoos are totally fine as long as they're not offensive.

A tattoo up your arm of nice intricate designs, lovely.

A naked lady... not so much when you work as a teacher etc

So purits your definition of "professional" is if you need them for their specialist knowledge but that doesn't include doctors or nurses...

Why not just ask the local barber to perform your heart surgery then? Or ask the cleaner to dispense your medication? After all, doctors and nurses do not have specialised knowledge. Which is the definition of a professional. Which they do. And they are.

I mean who hasn't dabbled in a bit of triple bypass surgery in their youth? Or knows the side effects of bisoprolol? It's common knowledge.

I couldn't care less. Who gives a fuck?

It shouldn't matter. We've probably been making creative mutilations on ourselves for as long as we've been around. Tattooing goes back as far as the Neolithic - at least! It's not new, it's not shocking, and it certainly isn't like the process sucks your brain out and makes you stupid or something.
If I had an important client meeting, I'd cover any tattoos I had - but that's really just the default of wearing long sleeves to look professional. Day to day in the office, nobody cares.

I do think that police officers with forearm tatoos look really unprofessional, as does calling a potential criminal 'mate' , it seems to be a thing on shows like police interceptors.
My DD is a teacher, has several tatoos but none are visible in her work clothes.
I know it's snobby but I was brought up to believe that tatoos are 'common' , well done tatoos can be lovely but the majority just look bloody awful.

I've just had my first tattoo at the age of 52. I've had it somewhere where I want people to see it and ask me about it. My husband died in February, and his ashes are mixed into the ink of my tattoo. My dd (22) had one at the same time, so did my ds1 (23) although he chose not to have his dad's ashes in his. I don't have a professional job at the minute. I have done in the past. I expect to in the future.

I don't care if people don't like it, it gives me enormous comfort to know that dh is with me all the time. I know this isn't really what this thread is about, but just thought I'd throw something else to think about into the mix.

I interviewed a candidate for a childcare role recently. All was ok until I looked at their hand and realised they had DILLIGAF tattooed on one hand and ACAB on the other. We had to turn them down

It totally depends on the tattoo and the person/ job role /service users etc.
I'm a nurse and used to work with another nurse who had skulls tattooed on his arms. It used to really upset some older patients. I always think in certain roles you've just got to be as non-offensive as possible, regardless of whether you see it as offensive or not yourself. If someone COULD be offended, I'd probably just avoid it.

but I was brought up to believe that tatoos are 'common'

That's a bit of a shame really. I was brought up to not judge people by how they look but how they act