I have to wear a second shirt under my scrubs to cover the chest tattoo....the department manager says its because some patients think that everyone with tattoos are gang members...HA! ...really, I am not making this up. That is what she said. Normally its not a big deal but the last few weeks have been very hot, and the air condition on the top floor of our hospital isnt the best. For the longest time, I had a male coworker that had visible forearm tattoos. I notice that he is covering them with bandages now. I think it is ridiculous but I gotta pay my mortgage so I do what I'm told like a good little worker bee.

I am going to play Devil's Advocate for a moment here.

As a business professional I have had to juggle my personal interests with my career interests for many years. With such I keep a general rule for piercing and tattoos:

If I can not wear shorts or short sleeved shirts and cover up my ink then I am not getting it.
If the piercing is going to attract attention away from my eyes, where I want people to focus when I speak with them, then I don't get it.

Yes I will agree that corporate America has come a long way towards accepting alternative lifestyle behavior over the years however if you are going to work within corporate America then you need to follow their rules and expectations. Appearance is everything within a fortune 500 or better company and honestly someone with full tattoo sleeves representing still is not going to work.

I have tattoos on my shoulders and across my back; during my normal work day you can not tell this. My nipples are pierce and my ear is pierced; as far as my co-workers are aware my ear is the only place I have metal. I am a biker and and a wanna be burner but I can merge into a three piece suit affair without anyone seeing anything amiss.

Bottom line is when you sit down to figure out what ink you are going to get you need to decide if it is considered appropriate for the work environment you are planning on making a career in. Honestly I am getting real tired of the whole discrimination angle since we are talking about personal body art that is not a requirement or wired into our systems as a must.

Apply for a job and be turned down because you are gay = discrimination
Apply for a job and be turned down because you are Hispanic = discrimination
Apply for a job and be turned down because you are too old = discrimination
Hell apply for a job and be turned down because you are not christian = discrimination

But apply for a job and be turned down because your tribal face tattoo does not impress the interviewer or fit the corporate image = Avoidable and caused by personal choice

It is great that people seek self expression with body art but please keep in mind that it is still considered a radical approach. I doubt that it will be highly accepted within corporate America any time soon and bitching about it is not going to remove the fact that you are the one who made the choice of how visible your ink was going to be and you knew when you got it that it could possibly limit your career choices.

Bottom line is that if you have head spikes or a full suit you are going to be limited on where you can work and the responsibility for that falls squarely at your feet. People are all about being rebels and bucking the system by radical self expression and behavior but let mainstream society put a damper on their fun then suddenly the system they have been railing against and screaming to abolish should suddenly work for them too.

You can not have it both ways my friends. Make your choices wisely and look at the big picture when you do. What you do today could impact you years down the line.

Flame away now.

my hubby (law enforcement) can't have any visible ones. they can't even have a neat goatee. its strictly clean cut on the outside.
he had to get rid of his nipple piercings because of his vest.
one time he was out with a piercer friend of his, who is moderate to slight extreme pierced herself, with his own tats showing when another guy he worked with who he didnt get along with saw him. within the next day or two he was called for a drug screen.

i always think of cover up when i got tat, and when i'm planning a new one. ")

Maybe it's living in California, but they seem pretty accepted and common here.

I'M A PRESCHOOL TEACHER AND I HAVE TATS ON MY ARMS AND LEGS. I DON'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE FROM THE SCHOOL WHEN I WEAR SHORTS OR T-SHIRTS. I GUESS I'M LUCKY. CAN'T WAIT TILL I RETIRE SO I CAN GET A FACE TATTOO!!!