Tattoos in the Military

The military is known for its professionalism, status and discipline. Tattoos are a very taboo topic for the military. For a long time one could not enlist in the military if you had tattoos. There have been amendments to the original rules concerning tattoos in the military, however, there is still a strong restraint on them and what is allowed. Even among the different branches there are different rules concerning tattoos. While the Army is becoming more relaxed with their regulations, the Marine Corps is becoming more restrictive. Reprimanding tattoos in the military is a way for them to eliminate the sense of “individuality” and incorporate the idea of a “unit”.

When you join the military you are signing away your rights to be an individual for a certain amount of time. The military controls many aspects of your life when you are in it, which is why tattoos are so controversial in the military. When reading the article “Before Joining the Military”, I found it very interesting that the Marine Corps added in 2010 to their rules and regulations that no tattoos that are on the head, neck, hands, wrists or fingers are permitted as well as half, full or quarter sleeve tattoos. In addition, I read that no tattoos on the inside of the mouth are allowed either, which caught my attention because I have a tattoo on the inside of my bottom lip. This hit very close to home with me because I feel as though the military is trying to make people with tattoos feel like a lesser person or that they are not good enough to serve our country. This is the same country that gave us the right to freedom of speech and expression, including tattoos.

When interviewing a coworker and friend of mine, Tyler Callahan, who recently joined the Army Special Forces, he described what the rules and regulations are for tattoos in the military through his knowledge and experience. Callahan explained how many of the original rules on the topic have changed, specifically in the Army. They have become less restrictive on the size of tattoos and how many you are allowed to show. Both of the articles listed below also shed some new light on the subject matter. In addition, no tattoos demonstrating sexist, racist, indecent or extremist ideas are permitted in any branch of the military.

Callahan also explains that if an enlisting person has a tattoo in a place that is considered restricted, there is a waiver you can file to see if your tattoo can be approved to join the military. In general, if the tattoo can be easily covered up then it will not pose a problem. It is when the tattoos are visible that it becomes a problem. I found this very interesting because if the general conceived notion that tattoos are “bad” and people who get them are “bad” and “less of a person”, then why are tattoos allowed or not allowed at all? The person still decided to get a tattoo, despite the fact that it is in a place that can be easily covered. They are still the same individual who felt compelled to get a tattoo and permanently mark their body. Whether it is visible or not does not change the fact that people have tattoos, and people in the military have tattoos. So, why is it such a huge epidemic that you can’t have visible tattoos upon enlisting, however you can get tattoos anywhere on your body so long as your job in the military allows it?

Here are a few pictures of males and females in the military who have exposed tattoos:

http://images.military.com/pics/SA_tattoo_022412_3m.jpg

http://a.abcnews.com/images/International/ht_roberts_sleeve_100511_ssh.jpg

Once they have decided to make a career with the military and their job allows it, they are allowed to get tattoos anywhere, as long as they are not offensive. It seems as though tattoos allowed after enlisting and completing boot camp violates the original rules and traditions set out in the military. So again, why should they be allowed or prohibited in the first place?

In this YouTube video former drill instructor, Marine and actor R. Lee Ermey shares his insight on tattoos in the military:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5NfWgSXIf4

Articles about tattoos in the military:

http://www.beforejoiningthemilitary.com/military-tattoo-policy-and-joining-the-military/

http://www.stripes.com/news/army-revamps-appearance-regulations-after-controversy-1.303415 

Tattoos in the Professional Setting

Not only are tattoos controversial in a general sense, but they are also controversial in the workplace/professional setting. One common belief is that if you are going to tattoo your body at least make it so that you can still work a 9 to 5 job, meaning that they can be easily hidden. It is illegal for an employer to not hire someone because of visible tattoos. With that said, however, it is still done in the professional world based on some biases or opinions towards the topic.

For this section of tattoos in the professional setting, I interviewed Chris Youngie, principal at Colvin Run Elementary School located in Wolf Trappe, Virginia. Principal Youngie has experience with interviewing teachers who have tattoos. When asked about how he would go about bringing such a controversial topic up in an interview or meeting he said that it was protocol and that although it is an elementary school, they hire teachers based on their professionalism and skill level as opposed to their appearance. This goes to show how open the professional world is becoming to things such as tattoos. However, Principal Youngie did state that if an interviewee had vulgar or inappropriate visible tattoos then that would be cause to not hire.

Here is an elementary school art teacher from Tennessee showing her tattoos at work:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AqZZzbKFh_z1keuts246F9SaeBCjD3LzF_lEHPnFLWM-nY9CmmV6S7Bt1zUskJPa6ZN7a2rxYdGjmQ_zn_-lnoMWnmd00_5CgNDcmssmOuJT4m0D71y6n3gMfP4wEMu1ORE20-0ioWfg/s1600/art+teacher+clothes.jpg

Similar to the school environment, many other professional jobs view people with visible tattoos in a negative way. Unfortunately this is just the society that we live in. How can freedom of expression be frowned upon? Just because someone has tattoos on their body for whatever reason it does not make them any less capable of doing their job or responsibilities. This is another reason why I chose to focus on this topic because many people feel that their tattoos may thwart their chance at getting the job they want because they chose to express themselves in a certain way. This is the 21^st century and outlooks have changed. Tattoos no longer stand for something horrible or taboo but instead represent individuality and freedom of our rights.

Here is a picture of a young, business professional woman with tattoos:

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/forbeswomanfiles/files/2011/10/0723_tattoos-faux-pas_380x278.jpg

This link is to an article in the Economist about what it's like to have tattoos in the business world and statistics of business professionals with tattoos:

http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21610334-body-art-growing-more-popular-though-few-employers-are-keen-ink-blots

Here is a video from WPTV on the growing tattoo trend in the professional world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix52KLjrCq8

Artistic Expression

There is a lot of controversy that surrounds the idea of tattoos. Are they art or desecration? Are they taboo? Professional or unprofessional? These are a few of the many questions people ask about the topic. I will be discussing three different angles on the subject matter: tattoos in the workplace, tattoos in the military, and the controversy surrounding the idea of tattoos themselves.

Many people who have tattoos get them for personal and creative reasons. Although to many it does not seem that way, tattoos are a form of artistic expression, or at least they should be. There are the occasional "bad decisions" that are later regretted but in general tattoos are a way for people to express their views, opinions and ideologies to the world. Whether you have some small initials discretely placed or a mural going down your arm, it is still a form of art and expression of yourself. After all, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Although this topic is very subjective, controversy still surrounds the idea of tattoos. Why would someone get that? Why would you do that to your body? Doesn't it hurt? The idea that your body is your temple and you should not do anything to destroy it is subjective within itself. When interviewing George Mason student Jessica Macomber, who has three tattoos, she explained how each of her tattoos are a personal reflection of herself and those she cares about. She expresses herself through tattoos not for anyone else but for herself, regardless of how much pain she endures to get them. Each of them represents a member of her family so that she always has a piece of them with her. Macomber uses tattoos as a form of showing love and affection for the ones she cares about the most. Macomber and her sister, Amy, decided to get matching tattoos as their first tattoo, ironically in one of the most painful places on the body, the ribs. The premise of this was that even when they are away from one another they still have something from each other by their side, since their tattoos are on their sides. In the photo below, you can see Macomber has her sister's initials and vice versa.

So, tattoos can also be meaningful and not just a form of freedom of expression or because someone can get them. There isn't always a solid line between right and wrong or what should and shouldn't be allowed. Tattoos are becoming more prevalent in today's society which is why I chose to research this topic. Not everything is set in stone as society would like us to think. There is also a psychological element behind the act of getting tattoos, which more information is provided in the link below. Tattoos provide a sense of self comfort, increase self-esteem and how you perceive your image. There are many different reasons as to why people get tattoos, as discussed here, which is what makes them so unique.

Here are pictures of Macomber's two other tattoos. The left one represents her grandfather and the right one was for her grandmother, both who have passed.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/swim-in-denial/201310/if-tattoos-could-talk

Here is a video from YouTube of short clips of getting a tattoo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-n3_vhueMI