Tattoos Body Piercings

Springfield police have very strict when it comes to the tattoo policy. If anyone has a tattoo that is visible after the point of being hired, they can be terminated. No tattoo can be visible as of November 15th, 2008. If you had a tattoo that was visible before this date, you are allowed to have it but you have to cover it with bandages or extra clothing. You must show them all your tattoos and you are not allowed to have any that are offensive or inappropriate, even if they are covered during business hours. These are just a few rules stated in the Springfield Police Department Addendum.

People must accept the fact that employees represent the public face of a company, so it is important that they follow the employer’s guidelines to respect their company image. Your tattoos may or may not be an issue to the employer but it all depends on the location and size. With visible body piercings, they can ask you to remove them when you’re at work. Although tattoos cannot be removed like piercings, your employer can request that visible tattoos be covered at work (Whickson). If the tattoo can be hidden, then it shouldn’t be burdensome for the employee to simply cover it up to comply with the guidelines. In a 2001 study done by Vault.com, a research and employment information services company that profiles U.S. companies, almost 60 percent of employers said they would be less likely to hire someone with visible tattoos or piercings (Dellavega). Consider yourself lucky if your tattoos can be covered, because having a job is better than being rejected due to visible body art. Some may feel that people with tattoos are treated differently, but the employer is avoiding discrimination by giving you a chance to conceal them, which is a way for them to accommodate tattooed employees.

Although tattoos represent a variety of things in a person’s life, it doesn’t necessarily dictate how well a person is able to perform their job. For the last few months there has been an ongoing debate about the troops in the Army that have tattoos and as a result their careers have been placed on the line. With this upcoming change it has been specifically said that the troops cannot have tattoos that extend below their knees and elbows and also ones that reach above their neckline. Sgt. Maj. Raymond Chandler also gave another stipulation which says that their tattoos cannot be racist, extremist, or sexist it also does not matter where there tattoo is located on the body if it violates those restrictions it will still have to be removed

There are regulations for a reason, which can be understood. But the way the world is becoming tattoo’s, are being acceptable for almost any job. According to the regulations the placement of tattoo’s is going off of the wear of the summer PT uniform which is a short sleeve shirt, and shorts, which is usually worn a few hours out of the day. The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) is worn 90 percent of a soldier’s time in the military, this has Long sleeves which cover your arms, and pants which cover your neck. The new revisions should tailor to the uniform that is worn the most. There has been word of AR 670-1, and DA PAM’s 670-1 Policy being revised for soldiers that may have tattoo’s on their arms or legs so they can go warrant officer, or officer if they so choose. This will not pertain to new soldiers enlisted or officer candidates that joined after the revision of the policy.

There are multiple reasons for individuals to tattoo their bodies and the reasons are usually individualistic and subjective. The experience of being tattooed is intricately bound up with one’s character,

As someone that has been in a position of a hiring manager, and someone with tattoos, I have been on both sides of this debate. While I do appreciate that my employer does not require it, I personally keep my tattoos covered most of the time. I want to be judged by my skills and not what someone thinks of my body art. When someone does notice my tattoos, I often get the “Wow, I would have never thought you would have tattoos” comment. I understood many perceptions of me could possibly change when I decided to get tattooed, therefore I chose to get them where they can be easily covered. This has been a personal choice on how to approach this subject. I would be much more comfortable with having them visible; I see them as much a part of me as I do my hair color.

The tattoo is a very old form of body modification, but in spite of that there is still a certain rejection towards those who carry them in a visible area of the body, for some it disfigures what has been created in the image and likeness of God while for others associates this with convicts or gang members mainly because they were one of the first groups to use tattoos to differentiate themselves from the rest of society. But also it is true that there is a very limited understanding about this corporal modification that could be one of the reasons why it can not be appreciated as for how it should be. However, modern society reflects the current popularity of tattooing because it has acquired an entirely artistic meaning to a social expression and a way of identity.

First, Many people choose to get a tattoo to commemorate a loved one who has passed or celebrate a special event in their lives. "Tattoos are a wonderful way to keep the memory alive of that special person". When getting a tattoo, people should take the reason into consideration and decide whether it is something they want for a lifetime. Tattoos are very personal and should be treated as such.

Tattoos might look cool but they can cause some difficulties later on in life. People automatically make assumptions about someone covered in body art. Not to mention, many employers do not want their customers to get the wrong idea about their company. Overall because body ink is not widely accepted people aiming to get one should really think about it.

Although tattoos are popular, they can make it hard for a person to find a job.

seekers find certain types of employment. If you already have a tattoo, my advice is to cover it

The art of tattoos has been prevalent in several ancient cultures and represented various meanings. Until around the mid-20th century, tattoos were seen in a very negative light; mainly associated with circus freak shows, bikers or outlaws. In more current times, tattoos are becoming more accepted overall. With this change there is a debate of body art in the workplace. If a person chooses to have visible tattoos, it should no longer be seen in such a negative view among assorted careers today. Tattoos are continuously becoming more popular with each generation and often have some personal meaning. Some companies that have recently started to accept appropriate body art in the workplace are seeing positive benefits related to their new policy changes. This debate has also led people to file discrimination lawsuits against their employer. There are occasions, however, that the subject matter or the placement of a tattoo on the body may not be professional for certain types of jobs. The discussion of visible tattoos needs to be evaluated by each company, and often each individual situation, to determine if body art can be accepted at that business.

Even though Tattoos and Piercings are methods of self-expression and are unique, your creativity on your skin should be covered at all times while you’re at work because some tattoos are gang related and doesn’t look good for a workplace and somethings on your body makes you look trashy and unprofessional.

Tattoos today are recognized as totally different than what they were pictured as in the past. “Tattooing is recognized by government agencies as both an art form and a profession and tattoo-related art work is the subject of museum, gallery and educational institution art shows across the United States.” [ (Levins,

Furthermore, as well as piercings, tattoos has also been around for a long time since dating back to the B.C. age back then it was used as a mark to tell social status, if the person is a criminal or not, etc. but in today 's world, we use them as a form of creativity.