Around one in three Spaniards today have one or more tattoos on their body, being a common type of body modification that is often used as a method of expression. However, although today they are already common, until recently and even today some people link them with crime. And this also has an effect in the workplace.
Does finding a job with tattoos cost more? Let’s discuss it throughout this article.
Tattoos are called all those drawings, marks or texts that are made on the body of a person or animal through the injection of some type of pigment under or on the skin. It is a type of body modification that can be permanent or temporary depending on the method used to draw it.
Tattoos are used today mostly as an element of artistic expression, but their function and the consideration they have received throughout history has been very diverse and changing through time and culture: they have served to symbolize the passing to adulthood, as an element to frighten enemies, as magical protection, as a method of connection with spirits and in religious events, to identify social position or to mark criminals or prisoners.
Classic vision
Although tattoos have been used since ancient times in very different cultures and traditions and for various purposes, the truth is that in a large part of Western society they have initially been used by sailors and later adopted in sectors that have traditionally been associated with violent or marginal lifestyles
This type of thinking has remained throughout history until practically the present day, something that has permeated the mentality of more than one generation and the view of tattooed people as dangerous, even if currently the function of the tattoo is in almost all cases merely aesthetic and expressive. This has clearly affected tattooed people in multiple aspects, one of them being work.
In this sense, when presenting themselves as candidates for a job, many people have encountered a resounding refusal, largely due to being tattooed, especially in public-facing positions. Some of the reasons given for this are the image of the company for being considered rude, unprofessional and unserious or the consideration of which tattooed people are dangerous or set a bad example.
Many of them ask to have a specific image, associated with formality, that rejects body modifications. In fact, even if today it is not as marked a handicap as in the past, companies often require that if you have tattoos, they be covered with clothing or not visible.
Modern vision
The previous way of considering tattoos is still valid in some sectors of society, but the truth is that little by little it is being observed a change in the social consideration of these body modifications And the increase in their popularity and the fact that a large part of the population wears one makes prejudices towards tattoos decrease and their social consideration improves.
Nowadays, they are increasingly seen as a mechanism of expression, in many cases being linked to something meaningful for these people. Companies are becoming more permissive and They tend to put less and less objection to the candidates who have them given their great popularity In addition to this and given the high percentage of people with one or more tattoos, if this type of population were ignored now, companies would lose a large percentage of candidates.
However, it is a trend, and the belief that tattoos are something negative and pejorative for those who wear them still persists among part of the population.
Another aspect to take into account is the progressive development and increase and rise of less traditional and more alternative companies. Also companies with a more modern and younger mentality have greatly increased with greater adaptability and flexibility to current times and with an aesthetic and a profile that seeks to be fresher and more current, capable of having its own ideas and giving added value to the company.
Is it more difficult to find a job with one or more tattoos?
The answer to the question that gives its name to this article is the following: not always, It depends on the job and the company in question
Many of the companies that continue to require a specific image, such as banking or highly prestigious multinational companies in direct contact with the customer, continue to require tattoos (not piercings or other body modifications) or that they be hidden. Also in sectors such as medicine or education they tend to be less valued or its concealment is requested. Furthermore, in cultures such as Japan there is greater discrimination (given that tattoos are associated with local mafias), even preventing access to some civil servant positions in the public administration.
On the other hand, more and more companies do not give importance to having or not having tattoos, with less and less discrimination in this regard and some studies carried out in the United States even find that the possibility of finding employment in the generation born around the year 2000. This change can also be explained by the greater prevalence of younger and alternative companies, as we have indicated above.
In fact, in some cases having a tattoo can even help with recruitment, giving a more current appearance, close and natural. This is especially visible in the case of young men.
