Mark Richards was created by, Ethan Van Sciver and Geoff Johns and first appeared in Green Lantern Vol.4 #9, 2006. In the nation of Modora he learned the art of “sin grafting” which allows him to take all the evil and wrong that someone has done and remove it in the form of a tattoo that grafts itself to his own skin. These Tattoos can then be turned into three-dimension objects much like the constructs of a green lantern ring and used to assist him in battle or enhance his physical powers.
I always found this character fascinating and it got me thinking…
Let’s talk about!? Tattoos…
I love tattoos. I think a well-placed tattoo on the right body part is just about the sexiest thing on earth. I also am well aware of the issues that a not-so-well-thought-out and placed tattoo can have on how one is perceived and how it affects your job prospects. As an educator, I’m here to let you know that while tattoos are a pleasing aesthetic they can hinder your job prospects, even today.
Tattoos date back many thousands of years. In fact, we have firm evidence that tattooing is an ancient art form after discoveries of tattoos on mummified skin were found. The oldest evidence of human tattoos is believed to be from between 3370 BC and 3100 BC.
[W. B. 2021]
My friend, who is about twenty-one years old, visited me yesterday pretty damn depressed because he had just been ejected from the pool of candidates for a potential post in the police force because of a visible tattoo on his right inner tricep. This got me thinking, what prospects exist for those with visible tattoos. I have a few tattoos myself but with an educator as a parent, I was always too aware of the prejudice and judgment meted out to those with visible tattoos.
First up is that having a tattoo is more commonplace than say twenty years ago. “In 2014, 40% of Americans said someone in their household had a tattoo – up from 21% in 1999, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found” (Thomas, 2019). In the Caribbean, I would argue that percentage is higher but I have yet to run such a survey.
With more people having tattoos one would hope for less stigmatization…but… it persists...
On being hired with a tattoo I found:
“Sometimes it depends where the tattoo is on the body, If you are targeting younger customers who may have tattoos themselves there is usually no problem. But if you are targeting older customers you may still be told to cover up” (Thomas, 2019). It’s interesting as 76% of respondents feel tattoos and piercings hurt an applicant’s chances of being hired during a job interview.
(Honeycutt, 2019)
39% of those surveyed – believe employees with tattoos and piercings reflect poorly on their employers (Honeycutt, 2019). 42% feel visible tattoos are always inappropriate at work (Honeycutt, 2019).
Employers associate tattoos with being a “thug” or “rough” and get nervous about hiring you (Thomas, 2019). 77% of employers will or might be less likely to hire you if you have tattoos (Workopolis, 2017).
These numbers also lead to another trail of thought, that of perception. Does your visible tattoo make people think you’re less educated, less competent or even lack the skills necessary to competently carry out your task:
20% of people with tattoos are high school graduates. That number drops slightly to 19% for those with associates’ degrees but falls to 10% for recipients of bachelor’s degrees. People with advanced degrees are even less likely to have tattoos, as 8% of those with masters and just 3% of Ph.D. recipients have ink (Honeycutt, 2019).
Wow!
The big takeaway from all this is the perception problem for those with visible tattoos. My advice is simple if you must tattoo your skin do it in a place that can be covered at work especially during the interview phase. While tattoos are sexy and aesthetically pleasing they can affect your job prospects significantly.
When in doubt don’t tattoo your face, neck, tricep, lower arms, hands, fingers, lower ankle, etc. If it can’t be covered my recommendation is to think it over carefully or just don’t do it. You may think it’s cool now but 20 years from now when you want to enter politics and it’s a deal-breaker that will potentially cost you millions to remove.
#thinkaboutit
Perhaps these are just a few of the reasons why the most popular comic book characters with tattoo’s are the supervillains Daken, son of Wolverine and DC’s Tattooed man. Have the writers and artists internalized that tattoos are inherently bad.
Reference
Honeycutt, W. (2019, March 18). Tattoos and Jobs: How Tattoos/Piercings Can Limit Your Career. Retrieved from https://www.salary.com/passages/tattoos-hurt-chances-getting-job/2/
Thomas, D. (2019, June 16). Tattoos at work: Are they still an issue? Retrieved February 11, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48620528
W. B. (2021, January 09). History of Tattoos: A Complete Timeline. Retrieved from https://authoritytattoo.com/history-of-tattoos/
Workopolis. (2017, October 26). Research reveals how your tattoos affect your chances of getting the job. Retrieved from https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/research-reveals-how-your-tattoos-affect-your-chances-of-getting-the-job/