Judge a book by it's cover - ink and metal

[Saharapost]

Before traveling out of Africa, I viewed those covered in tattoos and piercings as prisoners- no thanks to western movies. Now that I am in Europe, I have mingled with and have had conversations with so many people who are covered in tattoos and piercings. I have come to understand that one should not judge a book by its cover, but by its contents. Contrary to my earlier held "belief," some "tattoo people" are as harmless as doves, intelligent, have PhDs, and are not prisoners... One of the nicest persons I met here has tattoo all over his body.

In Nigeria, we have something similar to tattoo- tribal marks (picture attached). My father has some. I wonder what westerners think about someone with a tribal mark.

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[TMW2010]

I would probably be in the realm of what people would call fairly heavy coverage. I've got almost one full sleeve, large parts of my other arm, one on the top area of my back that can peek out depending on the shirt I'm wearing, shoulder, lower back (Tramp stamp? No, it's a freakin tramp billboard, it's pretty big), one on the calf of one leg, and on the other leg, I have one that starts near the top of my thigh and ends at my ankle. I've had a few piercings but the only one you could see was the tongue, and that's if you looked for it (or I showed it to you). I prefer 'functional' piercings to aesthetic piercings. Right now I'm down to two, and neither are visible.

While having much of this artwork, I worked for one of the most prominent conservative think tanks in the world. They never knew except for those I showed by rolling up my sleeves. Suit and tie covers it all.. Even without the jacket, I got used to wearing long sleeve button ups. Shrug. I knew what I was getting into when I got them done and I knew what I'd have to do to operate in a professional environment. I've found that after I've been working at a place for a while, they tend to soften up and I can get away with wearing polos anywhere from occasionally to frequently. But if we have guests, I ensure I'm wearing long sleeves.

So, I'm pretty 'hip' I guess to tattoos. But for the love of all, I still cannot understand why people would tattoo someone else's name across their neck, or get facial or hand tattoos. (I guess there are still some pretty conservative parts to me ). Also, I'm not big on facial piercings, but I tend to shrug those off, EXCEPT for someone with a septum piercing. I've had students that have had them and it's so darn distracting when you're trying to talk to them with that little booger catcher waggling under their nose.

[mrs.b]

My tattoo is fully concealable; that was one of the requirements during design. I do HR for goodness sake; while I have no issues with tattoos - I have that one and most of my husband's upper body is covered with a couple on his legs - I work in an organization where coverage is expected. My artist was very considerate and took it into account, including me bringing in a handful of work shirts so she could get placement right (along with asking me each time if I was absolutely sure; I had one tiny tattoo about 2" x 2" that she incorporated to make one piece and she was worried I'd not return after the first sitting, heh).

On someone else's names tattooed... I used to wince when I saw those, then I met a man a few years ago with "Sonia" emblazoned across his neck. Eventually, I learned it was his daughter's name and his little girl was lost in an auto accident. He put it there partly because the rest of his body was covered, but also because he said he tried to offer his voice in memory of her since singing was so important to her, as was speaking up for others. I stopped making snap decisions on names at that point. It's not something I would do - at least I don't think so, but I pray I'll never face loss like that to be put in the same position - but unless or until I hear the story behind the tattoo, I tend to assume I don't have enough information to know whether it's a silly choice or an intentional and carefully-chosen decision.

As for tribal tattoos, I've seen some that are beautiful. I'd be curious to hear the story and meaning, mostly. It's not something I would do, but it's not something that holds significant meaning in my culture so I'd feel doing so myself would be more of a disrespect to those cultures.

[cookderosa]

]Do you? I'm speaking primarily where tattoos and piercings are concerned.

When you see someone covered in tattoos and piercings, do you make assumptions about their intelligence or personality? If I'm being honest, yes.

Conversely, if you meet someone that looks like they have uninterrupted skin, get to know them, and later find they have a tattoo or piercing in a reasonably coverable place, does it impact your opinion of that person? No, I have tons of friends with conservative or coverable tattoos.

[cookderosa]

We have a friend that I was on pretty good terms with that finally saw it after 3 or so years of friendship (I've had it the whole time) that has stopped hanging out because she disagrees with "ruining" one's body. On one hand, I'm of a mind that if someone would suddenly change opinions of a person after years without bothering to ask details over one carefully-placed and carefully-designed piece of art, that's not someone I need to associate with. On the other hand, I'm wondering how prevalent that mindset is.

This actually blows my mind. I think rational people understand that what you choose for yourself is different from what other people choose. I can say that I'm pro-this or anti-that for MYSELF and hold a different view if you'd ask me what I thought might be the best option for society, for instance. You probably got lucky, she was probably a crazy person deep down lol.

[burbuja0512]

I have a few tattoos, but chose the locations carefully so that they could easily be covered. The only one I actively regret is my ankle because I either have to use tattoo concealer or dark tights when I wear a skirt in a business setting.

Regarding what I think? When I see an adult, I don't think much other than "that person must not work in the corporate world." This isn't a good or bad thought.. it is just realistic. Unless you have an unusual company, you typically don't see anyone in the business world covered in tattoos. Sometimes when I see really cool body art, I even get a bit jealous that I don't have the option at all.

When I see a younger person, let's say 18-24 covered in tattoos, I do judge a bit more. Mostly I feel sorry for them that they're limiting their career choices. I NEVER wanted to be part of corporate America at age 18, but thank goodness I had the common sense to get easily hide-able tattoos or I might not be where I am today. I just wouldn't be a candidate for the position I hold if I had visible body markings.

Regarding tribal tats/markings, I think that's a whole different topic. They're fairly uncommon here and I would assume that someone who has them also probably has a fairly different accent, so everyone would understand that the person comes from a different country.