Backward thinking

Jordan Zaslow’s opinion piece “Social etiquette for expression” not only expresses an opinion without any concrete evidence but is also filled with backward thinking.

Zaslow discusses a New York Times article that says employers are more accepting of tattoos, even those on the neck and hands. This, however, is the only concrete information Zaslow provides in the piece. She continues to claim that it’s “common sense” that tattoos and piercings are unprofessional, this being after a reliable source says otherwise.

She doubts that employers accept tattoos, although she is not an employer and it is apparent that employers are changing their minds.

Having tattoos is very different from having poor hygiene or social skills. I have met tattooed 60-year-old women. It is not a childish impulse. My tattoos were everything but rash decisions. I spent a long time in deep thought over my tattoos, and my tattoos are a fundamental scrapbook of my life.

As Zaslow condescendingly states, tattoos are permanent. However, I believe every person considering a tattoo is aware of this fact.

The thing Zaslow fails to realize is that change happens. It was only 60 years ago when it was unacceptable for a woman to have her ears pierced, but it is now fairly common. Yet, if no one pressed these boundaries at those times, these standards would still be in place.

A 2006 study by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24 percent of Americans between 18 and 50 are tattooed; that’s almost one in four.

If employers exclude the tattooed, they will be limiting their hiring pool extremely and missing out on competent workers. Yes, employees are the face of a company, but if things continue in this direction, the clientele will be tattooed also.

Although I do not feel anyone should have to cover their tattoos to be professional, I have found one thing true: there are very few tattoos that can’t be covered by a suit.

And I challenge Zaslow to argue that a suit is unprofessional.

Caroline Klein
IU junior