Tattoo and Taboos

[shai]

Does anyone have any bad experience about tattoos in grad school ? I have two tattoo on my legs, which are seldom seen by anyone but me. However I'm thinking of getting a tattoo in a more visible part of my body.

What do you think ?

[rising_star]

Two thoughts:

1) We had a discussion on body modifications in graduate school before. See

2) This post isn't really appropriate for "Waiting It Out" so I'm moving it to "The Lobby".

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

I'll add my reply to this thread instead of the old one...maybe enliven the conversation again.

The PhD student in the lab I work in has a prominent leg tattoo (of our lab's study organism, of course) and our PI doesn't care. In fact, I also have an insect tattoo and he loves it. Granted, I think entomologists are a different breed of academics.

I think it really depends on what your field is, but to me the sciences seem quite lenient when it comes to things like dress, body modifications, or hell, even personal hygiene. As long as you dress appropriately for formal meetings, interviews, conferences, etc. you should have no problem during your regular day-to-day.

[rising_star]

I probably wrote this on the old post but I might as well contribute here too. Granted, my discipline is really outdoorsy and stuff so keep that in mind. Many of my colleagues have tattoos, though I've never seen any on faculty. These tattoos include: Virgin Mary, butterfly, bird, weird symbols I don't recognize, etc. Most are on arms and legs, though some are on people's backs.

[tskinner]

Just wait until you get tenured. The tat up everything.

[rogue]

I know this is a few days old, but I've been offline for a while; sorry. Anyway, I have a bunch of tattoos and piercings, many of which are visible in my regular, everyday clothes. I'll probably try to cover or downplay (e.g., solid plugs instead of tunnels in the stretched lobes) the majority of them until I make that all-important first impression, but then all bets are off. I had some of these when I was in my master's program 10 years ago. Had it not been an MBA program, I doubt anyone would've given them a second look, but since business types can be a little more conservative, they did raise a few eyebrows. Meh. Whatever. I'm going to be there because of my brain, not my skin--and anyway, there's not much I can do about it.

[JerryLandis]

Do most departments have regulations about what you are allowed to wear [on your actual skin] when teaching, either as a TA or an actual faculty member? I would assume that people teaching are held to a higher standard of formality than everyone else, as it was in my high school, but then again I have been to some lectures where the professor looked like he or she had just come back from a hike. Not sure, though, how old and respected you would have to be to get away with that.

Personally, I'm a bit mad at my teenage self for getting a rather large tattoo on my ankle, because the thought of having to wear "slacks" or opaque tights every day for the next 40+ years is not very appealing! (I know my name here is "Jerry," but I'm actually a female and that is not my real name)

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

Do most departments have regulations about what you are allowed to wear [on your actual skin] when teaching, either as a TA or an actual faculty member? I would assume that people teaching are held to a higher standard of formality than everyone else, as it was in my high school, but then again I have been to some lectures where the professor looked like he or she had just come back from a hike. Not sure, though, how old and respected you would have to be to get away with that.

Personally, I'm a bit mad at my teenage self for getting a rather large tattoo on my ankle, because the thought of having to wear "slacks" or opaque tights every day for the next 40+ years is not very appealing! (I know my name here is "Jerry," but I'm actually a female and that is not my real name)

My bet is business casual if you're teaching, not really because of regulations but because you want to seem somewhat more professional than your students.

I really think body modifications are becoming the norm (or a large minority) and people just don't care as much anymore.

[rising_star]

Do most departments have regulations about what you are allowed to wear [on your actual skin] when teaching, either as a TA or an actual faculty member? I would assume that people teaching are held to a higher standard of formality than everyone else, as it was in my high school, but then again I have been to some lectures where the professor looked like he or she had just come back from a hike.

This really varies from one department, and one university, to the next. My discipline (as I've already said) is really laidback. BUT, my former department, at a Southern school, was quite conservative particularly in terms of how grad students dressed when teaching. We were specifically told at the meeting for TAs not to have strappy shirts, anything short, or any midriff showing while teaching. Moreover, guys were told not to wear hats or shorts while teaching.

[JerryLandis]

That sounds like a relaxed version of my high school dress code! I dress quite formally so if anything I tend to worry about overdressing, but it's just the tattoo - it's definitely noticeable.

[twocosmicfish]

I would remember that the more visible tattoos and piercings are, the more they will impact your career. Many universities do not like to see it, many companies do not like to see it, and most government agencies do not like to see it. How much this affects you depends a lot on your field - I can tell you personally that anything on my face or hands would completely change my desired career path.

Please note that if you can cover it without appearing odd (for example, by wearing gloves) then you are probably fine. Otherwise, are you strong enough to pass up 20-80% of your potential employers? If there are 10 spots for people with your qualifications, and 5 will reject you because of your visible body art, are you a top 5 candidate?

[Ferrero]

A little intimidation of your cohort is *probably* not a bad thing. E.g., I am a very intimidating person. When I approach the computer lab and it's full, someone always gets up, and there is little doubt that it is for my sake. Ergo, I say go for the tattoo, and good luck in graduate school.

[_alyssaryan_]

I have one visible tattoo (on my chest/collarbones) and I haven't had any problems thus far (I am finishing up my Masters in May). It can only be seen when I am wearing a tank top, and I usually wear a sweater when I teach. In all honesty, it has taken a good year for my professors/colleagues to even notice that I have a tattoo - and no one has said anything negative about it. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[itsmelsucka]

I agree with many of you it is becoming some what of a norm. Unfortunately many people still hold on to tradition and can/will judge you on your choice of body modification. I have multiple tattoos myself and have encountered a few problems professionally. Luckily a few professors (undergrad) have had visible tattoos and I feel comfortable applying to grad school knowing many professors have tattoos. Kind of a boost of confidence and hope that the world may be changing! Like many of you have said it depends on the program and the kind of school you are applying to. More people should learn to judge more important things, but we all know that this is not always the case.

[delphi]

Pretty much everyone in my department has tattoos. In fact, we all go to the same guy, faculty and grad students alike. We might be a strange department though. One of the professors has a huge tattoo of Dante on his forearm.