TATTOOS

[fauxtog]

and now for something completely different...

TATTOOS. some of us have them, some of us don't. some of us want them and some of us want to get rid of them.

if you have them, how are you going to handle it in your program? or the job market? cover up? or let it all hang out?

anyone have experiences, positive or negative, that they'd like to share?

i'll start: i'm inked all effing over the place. i can always cover them up with long sleeves and pants. i'm also nervous about how i will be perceived, but at the same time they're very well done and i get nothing but positive feedback on them (except from mom, but hey, go figure).

and for those of you who are wondering: do i regret them? hell no.

[Sarah S.]

I've got six. Two on my hip which are never visible, one on my shoulder blade (rarely visible) one on my shoulder/upper arm (sometimes visible) and one on each wrist (always visible.) I've been lucky in life so far. They've never once been an issue. Among the anthro students at my school, I am probably one of the more "normal" looking ones so I'm not too concerned!

[Encomendero]

I have a handlebar moustache on my index finger. When I teach or speak in public I hold my middle and index together so that it is always hidden.

[kobe36]

i have four tattoos: back of my neck, shoulder blade, back, and stomach. Fortunately I can hide most of them except the one on the back of my neck, which you can see if i tied my hair up. But I work in non profit which at my current job, I probably have less tattoos than half of the people here (including my director!!) . I want to get another one on my wrist and am not too worried about having to cover it up except maybe when I do job interviews and then I will be wearing a blazer anyway. I think in my line of work, it is more acceptable to have tattoos than if say you work in a law firm. So I think its really important in which type of work you do. Definitely if I work in a law firm I would not have gotten one on the back of my neck because I would never be able to tie my hair up. The only negative experience I have (thus far) is when I have to cover it up for my sister's wedding (she didn't want me to show my tats at her wedding, understandable, it is her day after all) and I have to put on this coverup that ended up smearing all over the shawl I was wearing. yuck but I think thats it. Tattoos are so much more acceptable nowadays that I don't think its a big deal if you have some when you look for a job imo.

[grendel]

I wasn't too hopeful about getting into any programs this year (I received only rejections last year) so I made a bet with my fiancée: If I would get into any of the programs, I'd get a tattoo.

Now that I've been accepted I have to decide on what to get and where (much harder than picking the Ph.D. program!)

[Thanks4Downvoting]

I've got a fairly large on that takes up my left shoulder blade. Not a problem to cover up, but I have to watch thin white dress shirts as it shows through.

[jacib]

I've got a fairly large on that takes up my left shoulder blade. Not a problem to cover up, but I have to watch thin white dress shirts as it shows through.

Two older topics:

[wahineilikea]

I have three tattoos on my back but am seriously getting a visible one on my arm. I am studying a Polynesian culture and it is like a mark of solidarity and community that I feel with these people.

I was hesitant because of the whole "OMG she has a tattoo" in professional situations, BUT -

1) Polynesian academics often have tattoos with a tribal/cultural association and no one says boo

2) Academics are supposed to be open-minded to ideas and there are infinite ways cultures decorate their bodies, this is just one of them

3) Tattoos are more acceptable these days, as are nose piercings. I actually won an argument at a school I was working when I told them my nose stud was in solidarity with the Chhetri caste of Nepalese that I used to work with, and if I was from subcontinental Asia would they still ask me to remove it?

So don't worry too much. Maybe to play it safe, cover up the first day, make your first impression, then after that reveal your gorgeous ink in all its glory.

[fauxtog]

thanks for all the perspectives!

[killerbees]

I've got a fairly large on that takes up my left shoulder blade. Not a problem to cover up, but I have to watch thin white dress shirts as it shows through.

Mine are on my ribs and upper arms. I had to be careful at my last job because if I didn't wear an undershirt the tattoos on my arms were visible through the shitty uniform I had to wear. It didn't really matter, but I would rather keep them under wraps just the same. I plan to get more in the future but for my intended line of work (politics or gov't work or whatever...), I think visible tatts on hands or forearms or neck would be a no-go. I'll save those for retirement.

[rogue]

I have half sleeves, work on my upper and lower back, sides, wrists and random other places, some easily (and often) covered, some not so much. Also have stretched lobes and a tongue piercing that I don't intend to take out. I figure I'll cover the ink for first impressions, then stop worrying about it. At an academic conference I attended last summer, I ended up wearing short sleeves one day toward the end of the week, and the only people who gave my arms a second look complimented the work. So, I'm not overly concerned about reactions.

[m84y]

I have 6 tattoos. One on my foot, leg, lower back, neck, behind ear and bracelet around my wrist. Although I like my tattoos I feel that for the profession I am going into (Educational/School Psychology) they are not appropriate. If I wear a skirt and a t-shirt and wear my hair up I have 4 visible tattoos. I don't like the restraints of having to wear clothing to cover them up so I am in the process of getting those 4 removed. Horrible horrible experience to say the least. I am hoping most of them will be gone before I begin school/placements in the fall. I still love tattoos and will probably get another one in my lifetime! I will just think about the placement much harder than I did before and make sure it is easier to cover than these ones.

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

I just attended a conference where people (students, faculty, and government!) were asking me to take my shoe off so they could see my insect tattoo.

[mushpuddle]

I've got a tattoo of my face on my face, except slightly off-center.

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

I have three - a dolphin on my shoulder blade, an elf on a mushroom on my ankle, and a Native American lizard on my lower back. All three can easily be hidden, although I don't mind if people see them. I used to teach elementary school ESL, and the kids got a kick out of them.

No, I wouldn't consider removing them at all - in fact, I'm thinking of getting the one on my shoulder blade re-done (it's nearly 20 years old poor thing, and fading a bit).

I also have a nose ring that I got in India five years ago, and I'm not considering taking that out either. I'll be that cool prof that the undergrads love for her hippie attitude (while attempting to hammer Middle English into their brains LOL).

I really don't think it's as much of a taboo as it used to be. It's just body decoration, after all.

[Postbib Yeshuist]

I have a handlebar moustache on my index finger. When I teach or speak in public I hold my middle and index together so that it is always hidden.

This needs a picture...

[Postbib Yeshuist]

I've got a tattoo of my face on my face, except slightly off-center.

rofl

[mushpuddle]

This needs a picture...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3596/3350541520_28335682f6.jpg

put "handlebar moustache tattoo" in google images, and you'll get a ton of them. it's the hip new trend.

[clashingtime]

I'm an anthropology major, and many of the undergrads, graduate students and even professors at my school have several tattoos. However, they still cover them up. One of the profs writing me a letter of recommendation has some hardcore tats going on, and he always wears long sleeves to cover them up.

I plan on getting a few myself, but in places that can be covered up if need be. With all that said, it seems that tattoos are becoming generally more accepted overall. I know I've seen more and more folks with them.