For a long time, it’s been a commonly held belief that having a visible tattoo will keep you out of a good carreer and hurt your long-term earning potential. A new study from the journal Human Relations is showing that the times they are a changin and that the taboos that had previously surrounded tattoos are fading like a bad tramp stamp in the sun.
In a study of 2,000 tattooed people from all fifty states, it was found that there was virtually no difference in the earnings of tattoed and non-tattooed employees. It was also found that tattoos were no longer considered a deal-breaker in the hiring process. In fact, having a tattoo is considered by some companies as a sign that you are aligned with a company’s forward-looking brand image.
Unfortunately, these stats aren’t seemingly as true in other countries where some business are still a lot more close-minded about ink. This has generally been tied to historical associations between people who have tattoos and things like crime, poverty, and drug use.
The good news is, that no matter where you live, younger management doesn’t hold these archaic views and tattoos are moving from a scarlet letter to a badge of honor.