By Josh Couillard
4/29/10
The corporate world and the tattoo world are two strikingly different areas. But with the popularity of tattooing on the rise in recent years, the two worlds are starting to collide.
Though Equal Opportunity laws make it illegal to discriminate against an applicant or employee, some individuals say there is still stereotyping against the tattooed going on in the workplace.
Jason Gardner (pictured right), a manager at a bookstore in Burlington, has 16 tattoos. He said that being asked to fully cover his tattoos while working is an act of discrimination.
"I think it is a form of profiling to be told I have to suffer on 100-degree days in the summertime, wearing long-sleeve shirts, because they have a personal opinion that if say an elderly person sees that I have a tattoo they're going to lose that customer base."
Gardner, 27, has been getting tattooed since he turned 18. All his tattoos have deep personal meaning to him. The rosary running down his right arm commemorates the love for his son. The flags on the inside of his left forearm represent his family heritage, and the quotes in various places on his body are sayings he lives by.
"I honestly don't think anyone would be offended by any one of those things," said Gardner. "The fact that I have tattoos doesn't change who I am as a person. It doesn't reflect my character. It doesn't reflect my management techniques and it doesn't reflect my professionalism."
However, Gardner said he is hopeful for the future. "Nowadays there are more people I find that are accepting of tattoos. It's not as taboo as it used to be, but I don't quite think it's where it should be yet."
Kelly Doty, a tattoo artist from Off The Map Tattoo in East Hampton, Mass. has similar feelings. She said the stereotypes about tattooing are slowly starting to change, especially in the corporate world.
"It's still on the outskirts," she said, "but what's going to start happening is that within 20 years when the people who are in their 20s and 30s now are at the top of the corporate ladder, there's going to be such a high percentage of tattooed individuals that it's not really going to matter as much."
However, a question of professionalism does arise when it comes to having a tattoo. In other words, when and where is it acceptable to let one's tattoos show in the corporate world?
Brad Kinne, a heavily inked ex-therapist turned owner of the used sci-fi bookstore Seek Books in West Roxbury, said that in some workplaces keeping a tattoo covered is a necessity.
"If you're a psychiatrist and you have tattoos you're maybe going to generate some conversation from your clients that becomes a more personal thing, and you don't want to be going there with that," said Kinne.
In fact, he added that his wife is a psychiatrist who does just that. "Some people need to keep it professional, but not everybody does."
Gardner agreed stating that the nature of his retail position should not come between him and his tattoos. "I can understand covering up any artwork you might have in some professions," he said, "but in retail it's a little more lax. Most companies I've worked for really don't have a problem."
But, the way Gardner sees it, neither the stereotyping of the business world nor being asked to cover up is going to keep him from adding to his extensive art collection.
"I do not feel like I am yet finished," he said. "I've got a lot of space left on my body to work with. I still have other things I'd like to express through artwork, in the form of ink. My epic journey is going to continue."