Tattoo Interview

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Alex likes to talk a lot about his family with me. During his interview, he stated that his parents were not keen on the idea of him getting a tattoo. He pursued this statement by saying “My parents technically didn't want me to get any till I was totally out of the house but I was able to convince them otherwise” He claims that because his parents are older, they do not agree with the idea that tattoos are likeable. They, like many older folks look down upon tattoos. Alex explained that his parents grew up in an age where tattoos were not common and therefore not condoned. His parents fought with his decision to get a tattoo until he finally convinced them to let him have one. Alex’s parents are not alone on this stigma of tattooing. In …show more content…

A recent article in 2014 by Alan Greenblatt debates if job seekers still have to hide their tattoos or not. His subject Deanna Mullennax spent six months trying to find a job and she honestly believes that it was because of her tattoos. A Pew Research Center Study that was talked about in the article states that 21 percent of the United States population has at least one tattoo and among these people, 40 percent are ages 18-20 (http://www.npr.org/2014/02/21/280213268/job-seekers-still-have-to-hide-tattoos-from-the-neck-up) The study went on to say that even out of this percentage of people the vast majority of them keep them hidden. In my interview with Alex, I asked him if he thought his tattoos would affect his social standing, especially if he was pursuing a medical career. He answered “Not at all. As I said, because so many people have them, they have become more of a norm than anything. I don't have as many as some people though because whatever is going to be on my body for the rest of my life must be something that is crucially important to me. Mine are more symbolic than cosmetic, whereas I feel most people it is the opposite.” I asked him even if his tattoos were in a more visible place would he have a problem. He, like the article, agreed that if a tattoo is more obscene than, …show more content…

I asked Alex, there are some people that say tattoos are somewhat dangerous for your health and as an individual in the medical field, how does that apply to you? He stated that “not at all, completely irrelevant. Some people might be allergic to some of the stuff in tattoos, but I've never met anyone who that applies to. They used to use harmful metals in the ink, but that hasn't been since like... the 60s lol. So for most people there's no medical complications!” I asked him what about your professional status? He said, “as a new candidate in the medical field, it really does not matter, as I begin to climb the professional ladder, then there might be a problem, but I do not foresee that in my future. Not that I will not become more professional, but that by the time I am more successful I see the evolution of accepting tattoos to be more common”. In the article of “Tattoos in the Workplace” Alex’s statement was true, the population believe that the acceptance of tattoos has increased. As I kept researching tattoos in the medical field, “the two major reasons doctors and nurses and people from management may restrain from excessive or visible tattoos are: the belief that body ink is not professional and the negative stigma of being associated with criminal activity” (https://www.aimseducation.edu/blog/tattoos-in-the-workplace-healthcare-jobs-appearance-policies/) Bottom line its important to dress for the job you

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