### Author:  [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/101 "2011-07-14T01:51:23Z")
It’s not a matter of being anti-tattoo, tat yourself into one big blob of ink for all I care. Hold on, I suppose I am anti-tattoo _on my own skin._
However, the OP was asking opinions about tattoos, many of which are suggestions not to get them. All of which are all based on perceptions and/or reactions to seeing someone who has tattoos.
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### Author:  [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/102 "2011-07-14T01:52:11Z")
Well, i have hired a person with tattoos that were visible in the interview and actually chose her over someone with no tattoos (not for that reason) and i can still understand why an older person or a person from a more conservative culture/background might object to having a tattoo visible during an interview. To me it’s a bit more like coming to the interview with a purple streak in your hair - i would probably think it was cool. Lots of people would probably think it was kind of out there and choose a more conservative candidate. i really don’t think there’s anything wrong with that although i do realize that the economy is in the toilet and the tattooed folks in the thread are going to get all up in my grill for pointing out that a style choice may be held against them by some employers.
All that aside, i have to agree that **Cat** does tend to be a bit like a dog with a bone about her certain pet subjects. Personally, i think it’s part of her charm. 😃
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/103 "2011-07-14T01:53:58Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> You know, I’d be willing to bet that a lot of you who are anti-tattoo and say, "well, I wouldn’t hire someone with one, probably know people with ink, and you HAVE hired people with them. You just aren’t aware of it, because it’s not where you can see it.
No shit. This is a thread about _visible_ tattoos.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/104 "2011-07-14T04:41:55Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> No shit. This is a thread about _visible_ tattoos.
I’m aware of that. I’m just pointing that out to those who are so convinced that tattoos make you a total degenerate.
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### Author:  [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/105 "2011-07-14T04:50:00Z")
> [@lukeinva](#):
>
> When I see someone with a tattoo I think to myself, that person made a bad decision. Unless they are a lifer in the military or the freak in a freak show.
Why? Probably 75-80% of the people I know with tattoos have good ones that they care for properly and still love after a decade or two. I refuse to accept that it’s a bad decision just on your say-so.
> [@](#):
>
> Another thing, when I hear someone defending tattoos they are tattooed. Never do I hear an un-tattooed person defend tattoos.
_raises hand_ Yo. Untattooed, hate needles and will never have one, defends 'em.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/106 "2011-07-14T04:57:30Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#):
>
> \
>
> All that aside, i have to agree that **Cat** does tend to be a bit like a dog with a bone about her certain pet subjects. Personally, i think it’s part of her charm. 😃
Well, hell, I thought that character trait was required here. 😃
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### Author:  [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/107 "2011-07-14T06:09:31Z")
I think it very much depends on your line of work and geographical location. Personally, I’d rather have mine on the less visible side. I have a very small one of my right shoulder blade. I will be changing it to something different on my 50th b-day. I would like to have a shark on my hip also, but tats are expensive. Think about it very carefully before you do it. Never make rash decisions about things that are permanent, or difficult to undo.
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### Author:  [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/108 "2011-07-14T11:31:01Z")
> [@lukeinva](#):
>
> When I see someone with a tattoo I think to myself, that person made a bad decision. Unless they are a lifer in the military or the freak in a freak show. Another thing, when I hear someone defending tattoos they are tattooed. Never do I hear an un-tattooed person defend tattoos.
I don’t have any tattoos myself, but I quite like them on other people and will defend them.
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/109 "2011-07-14T12:55:51Z")
I used to defend tattoos - ones you can hide, anyway - even before I had them.
But I have to say, _mullets_??? Now I would definitely hire Non-Mullet person over Mullet-person ( provided everything else was the same.)
BUSINESS IN THE FRONT, PARTY IN THE BACK! 😃
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### Author:  [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/110 "2011-07-14T13:22:28Z")
Another untatted defender of tats here.
Except for the one I saw today, a forearm tattoo that said “Born Barista”. I don’t know whether that’s a pop-cultural reference that Google and I are both missing, or whether that kid is just inordinately proud of his congenital coffee-making prowess, but either way I’m not defending it.
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/111 "2011-07-14T13:57:52Z")
> [@DianaG](#):
>
> Another untatted defender of tats here.
>
> Except for the one I saw today, a forearm tattoo that said “Born Barista”. I don’t know whether that’s a pop-cultural reference that Google and I are both missing, or whether that kid is just inordinately proud of his congenital coffee-making prowess, but either way I’m not defending it.
I saw one on the knuckles, across his right hand it said F U C K and then on the left hand it said Y O U !. So when you looked at his hands head on, of course it told you to go fuck yourself. Nice. I’d totally have those covered up into tattooed bands or something. The guy worked for a tax agency! (coughlibertytaxcough)
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### Author:  [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/112 "2011-07-14T15:31:32Z")
> [@runcible\_spoon](#):
>
> No, it’s like coming into a thread asking “Will serving only cauliflower for dinner make my dinner parties less popular” and saying “Yes, I will not eat cauliflower”.
No, it’s like saying, “Not only will I not eat cauliflower, but I find it so disgusting just knowing you cook with cauliflower that I’ll never allow anyone in my family to come to your house.”
> [@](#):
>
> It’s exactly what was asked for - in fact, to quote the OP: “What is your experience with visible tattoos? Do you have any yourself? **What is your opinion of them?** ”
Oh, certainly she’s entitled to her opinion. I’m also entitled to be seriously disappointed in her for holding it. Being asked for your opinion is no defense for offering a distasteful one.
In a thread where someone asks what kind of experiences they might have if they choose to date someone of a different race, there’s a big difference between being the person saying “you’re probably going to get harassed” and the one who says that if they owned a restaurant, they’d refuse to seat you.
> [@](#):
>
> Except that nobody is born with a tattoo. Not hiring someone because of a personal choice is a totally different issue. Much more akin to not hiring someone for their outfit, or hairstyle.
A name is much more mutable than a tattoo and suggests a great deal about the culture a person was brought up in. Someone can change their name much more easily than they can remove a tattoo; you can probably judge people at least as much on a non-Anglo name as you can on a visible tattoo. (Which is to say: it doesn’t say fuck-all about their ability to perform a job or blend into your office culture.)
Outfits and hairstyles can be easily adapted to suit a particular occasion. Not remotely comparable.
> [@](#):
>
> I think you’re extrapolating too much. There’s a huge difference between ‘I don’t want to hire you’ and ‘I think you’re a bad person’.
Except that’s exactly what she said. “All tattoos look like scribbling to me, and I think it’s silly to want to have permanent scribbling on yourself where other people can see it.”
> [@](#):
>
> Not hiring someone is not equivalent to punishing them.
When it’s for a personal choice that has to do with fashion/culture and not job performance, yes, it \*is \*punishment. “You dared to make a choice that I wouldn’t have made for myself, and I want to see you suffer for it, to prove that my choice was the right one and yours was wrong.”
> [@fluiddruid](#):
>
> So a personal aesthetic choice is not comparable to a different personal aesthetic choice, but is more comparable to one’s ethnicity and the name chosen for you at birth? Got it.
Not about their ethnicity per se, but to what extent they identify with non-mainstream cultures. You know, the same way that a \*tattoo \*exemplifies how people identify with non-mainstream cultures. And as I’ve already observed, it’s much easier to change your name if you don’t like the associations it has than it is to change a tattoo if you come to a similar conclusion.
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### Author:  [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/113 "2011-07-14T15:44:38Z")
> [@Anaamika](#):
>
> I used to defend tattoos - ones you can hide, anyway - even before I had them.
I didn’t start on getting tattoos until I was 25, and though I’ve seen a lot of ones that were not quality work, I was still in support of the ability to get them. It’s a more permanent form of self-expression/decoration, but it’s still a form of decoration. My usual response to “I don’t like tattoos” is “then don’t get one”. Why? Because your dislike of something does not mean you get to control what other people like.
I don’t like blonde hair and think that artificial blonde hair is unflattering on many folks, but I don’t go telling the ladies with [chunky blonde highlights](http://www.becomegorgeous.com/img/user/d/1/1/4/barbipixi/answers/48954.jpg) that they look trashy. I just don’t comment on it, as it makes them happy.
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### Author:  [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/114 "2011-07-14T15:51:28Z")
> [@lukeinva](#):
>
> Another thing, when I hear someone defending tattoos they are tattooed. Never do I hear an un-tattooed person defend tattoos.
Another untatted person defending. There are bad tattoos and there are good tattoos. There are also times you can tell a person made a bad decision and are now trying to change it (both of the people I worked with with visible tattoos).
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### Author:  [@ecseas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ecseas)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/115 "2011-07-14T16:12:21Z")
> [@lukeinva](#):
>
> When I see someone with a tattoo I think to myself, that person made a bad decision. Unless they are a lifer in the military or the freak in a freak show. Another thing, when I hear someone defending tattoos they are tattooed. Never do I hear an un-tattooed person defend tattoos.
>
> One summer at the beach I saw a guy in his 20’s with a bar-code the size of your hand tattooed across the back of his neck. That was a bad decision. Imo.
I don’t have any tattoos, yet I like the idea of tattoos.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/116 "2011-07-14T16:36:54Z")
> [@Zeriel](#):
>
> _raises hand_ Yo. Untattooed, hate needles and will never have one, defends 'em.
Neither do I, although I’d like to get one, when I can afford it.
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### Author:  [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/117 "2011-07-14T16:45:23Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> Neither do I, although I’d like to get one, when I can afford it.
They are really not expensive, at all. Of course it depends on what you get! But I was pleasantly surprised at how cheap mine was (and how quick it was to do).
Granted, mine is _very_ simple - one color, and it’s only about an inch square.
ETA: The funny thing is, too, I am literally the _last_ person anyone expects to get a tattoo. Yes, people have pre-judgments about tattoo people and I don’t fit any of the stereotypes. I always smile at people’s shock. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/118 "2011-07-14T16:55:12Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> Neither do I, although I’d like to get one, when I can afford it.
They’re not too bad–my wife has a piece on her ankle that’s goes all the way around and is about 6" high, and it was a little over $300 from a reputable shop.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/119 "2011-07-14T17:11:47Z")
That’s beyond my budget right now. Oh well, I can wait.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visible-tattoos-are-they-as-damaging-as-they-sound/588696/120 "2011-07-14T17:13:44Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#):
>
> \
> Oh, certainly she’s entitled to her opinion. I’m also entitled to be seriously disappointed in her for holding it. Being asked for your opinion is no defense for offering a distasteful one.
And now I’m seriously disappointed in you for being seriously disappointed in me. Whoa, meta!
> [@](#):
>
> In a thread where someone asks what kind of experiences they might have if they choose to date someone of a different race, there’s a big difference between being the person saying “you’re probably going to get harassed” and the one who says that if they owned a restaurant, they’d refuse to seat you.
> \
You think not liking tattoos is the same as being a racist? I can see why you think my opinion is distasteful if you have this big of a cognitive disconnect going on.
> [@nashiitashii](#):
>
> \ your dislike of something does not mean you get to control what other people like. \
Your liking something does not mean that you get to control what other people dislike.
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