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MacKenzie Bower
Professor MGM
English 2089
5 March 2015
Tattoos: The Professional and Pop Culture Disconnect
Once thought of as a taboo practice that only sailors and delinquents participated in,
recent decades have shown a huge rise in the popularity of tattoos in America. In 2012, a study
conducted by a world leader in market research estimated that 21% of adults in the US have at
least one tattoo, which is a 5% increase in tattoos in the last decade alone (Braverman). This rise
in popularity and awareness of tattoos has been accompanied by stereotyping about the people
who choose to permanently mark themselves. Tattoos are common in mainstream/pop culture,
where they are portrayed as a sort of permanent fashion statement. But while tattoos are very
prevalent in pop culture discourse, the professional discourse surrounding tattoos is largely
negative, or else lacking entirely. The obvious disconnect in the attitudes of mainstream and
professional culture can be seen by looking at the difference in how each rhetor group portrays
tattoos.
Much of mainstream cultures discourse
about tattoos takes place on social media, where
tattoos are portrayed as perfectly acceptable fashion
statements that just happen to be permanent. If you
search tattoos on Pinterest, you will see that the
majority of posts are from teenage and young adult
females. The suggested tags that come up include
for women, small, bird, ideas, wrist,

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quotes, and placement (See Figure 1). Since the suggested tags represent popular terms that
are searched along with tattoos, it is evident that users of the site are interested in many of the
same types of designs and look to the internet for tattoo ideas. There are recurring themes of
flowers, birds, and small quotes in cursive lettering. Common tattoo placements include ribs,
feet, shoulders, wrists, and backs. The repetition of designs and placements of tattoos show that
in the eyes of popular culture, tattoos are a trend. If the exigence for getting a tattoo was in order
to stand out and be a unique individual, there would not be so many recurring themes and
Figure 1: The results of searching tattoos on
Pinterest (Pinterest).

searches for ideas on what tattoos to get. Small,

feminine designs and inspirational quotes are the most common and popular tattoos designs on
women. Many women explain reasons behind their tattoos, but the designs are not very original,
implying that they choose a tattoo that they think will be fashionable first, and decide on the
meaning behind it later.
Evidence that the tattoo trend that has become a popular fashion statement on men as
well as women can be found in the pages of popular magazines. Every year, Glamour magazine,
a womens lifestyle and fashion magazine that reaches millions of people in the US, makes a list
of the Top 100 Sexiest Men of the year, as voted on by readers. Of the 100 Sexiest Men of 2015,
over half had tattoos (See Figure 2). The men with tattoos spanned ages 20-55 and included
actors, musicians, and athletes (Sexiest). Since celebrities are often at the forefront of fashion
trends, the prevalence of tattoos on famous people adds to their appeal for the mainstream. The
presence of tattoos on the list is evidence that mainstream culture accepts them and even finds
them attractive. People magazines Sexiest Man of 2014, Chris Hemsworth, (Jordan) also has
multiple tattoos. Tattoos are no longer rare, but are instead a very common trend in popular

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culture. And according to mainstream magazines, they are a trend that many people find
attractive.
Online articles also portray tattoos as fashionable, outlining the most
popular and trendiest types of tattoos. Buzzfeed, a popular online news site
for young people, has an article entitled The 34 Kinds of
Tattoos that Look Insanely Hot on Guys (See Figure 3).
The tattoos featured in the article include large tribal tattoos,
bold lettering, and nature and animal inspired tattoos. The
placements of the tattoos are often very visible, on parts of
the body like the chest, arms, legs, and back (Buzzfeed.) The

Figure 2: Athlete David

Beckham, #43 on
Glamours Sexiest Men of
2015 (Sexiest).

article shows multiple images of the tattoos that are deemed

sexy on men, implying that there are certain types of
tattoos and trends that mainstream media finds socially

Figure 3: The heading of an article at

Buzzfeed.com (Wang).

acceptable and common on men. Statements from the article like people with tattoos are so
much more fun to see naked (Wang) reinforce mainstream cultures opinion that tattoos can
make someone more attractive. Popular culture has picked them up just as it would any other
trend.
Stock photos and images are widely used by corporations and businesses for commercial
purposes, and the lack of tattoos in any stock photos that portray professional or corporate
culture shows that while tattoos may have been picked up by popular culture, they are not widely
accepted attire for professionals. Can Stock Photo is one of the worlds largest and oldest stock
photography agencies. They have over 450,000 members, from small businesses to government
agencies that use their site (About Can). A search of the word professional or business

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offers many photographs of clean-cut, suited individuals, not one of which has a visible tattoo
(See Figure 4). Since these stock images are
meant to portray what a professional looks
like, the absence of tattoos speaks volumes
about the attitude towards tattoos in the
corporate environment.
A search for the word tattoos on the
Figure 4: (CanStockPhoto Search Results Page business people.)

stock photo website displays results that are

in stark contrast from those found on mainstream

social media sites like Pinterest (See Figure 5). The
results show pictures of demonic heads and skulls,
nearly naked women, and angry-faced men.
Because the stock photo website is mainly for
professional business use and meant to portray

Figure 5: (CanStockPhoto Search Results Page tattoos.)

generic images, the photos offer a good representation of what comes to mind when a
professional rhetor pictures someone with tattoos. Unlike the search results for professional on
the same site, the results of searching tattoos look almost frightening, with grimaces and
seductive poses instead of the smiling faces seen in the professional results.
Images of what a professional looks like can also be found on the corporate websites of
many companies. Some of the top companies on the 2014 Fortune 500 list include Wal-Mart,
General Electric, and Apple (Fortune). The corporate websites of these companies display
photos of employees and what the people working at the company look like (see Figure 6). As
with the stock images, none of the employees shown have any visible tattoos and they are all

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portrayed as clean-cut, smiling, and responsible. These companies wanted to create an image of
what a professional at their company looks like, and a tattoo was not part of that image.
Aside from a lack of tattoos in many
professional discourses, the professional
Figure 6: The corporate homepage of Walmart (WalMart).

discourses that do involve tattoos are negative and

critical of those with ink. Many professional
rhetors portray people with tattoos as

unprofessional, and therefore unfit to hire. The Economist is a prominent business magazine that
offers authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance,
science and technology (About Us). Over half of its readers are in senior management and
68% work in the head office of their company (Demographics). The magazine presents tattoos
as a sign of immaturity and unreliability: Empirical studies have long linked tattoos with
deviant behaviour. People with inked skin are more likely to carry weapons, use illegal drugs and
get arrested, (Ink). The image that this professional publication presents of people with tattoos
is very generalized, with a statistic that implies that tattoos are a sign of criminality that
employers should be aware of. Because of the way that the discussion around tattoos is framed,
the professionals that read The Economist are exposed to negative discourse that contradicts
popular cultures view of tattoos.
The discourse that professional rhetors have around tattoos is often intertwined with
discussions and articles about hiring potential employees and how employers choose employees.
About.com, one of the most visited sites in the United States (Our), has a site dedicated to
careers, with lots of articles written by job search experts. In an article about how to dress for an
interview, the job search expert at about.com reminds job seekers to Cover tattoos (Doyle).

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Another professional rhetor, a hiring manager at a prominent career magazine, agrees that
While it may not be fair to discriminate against a tattooed or pierced person, it does happen
(Haddaway). As a hiring manager, she has seen potential employees with stellar qualifications be
passed over because of their body art and advises against any visible tattoos when searching for a
job. The fact that professional rhetors advise against visible tattoos in interviews implies that
tattoos are still seen as unacceptable, outcast behavior in the professional world.
Some individuals with tattoos have taken to the internet to defend their permanent ink
against what they perceive to be a discriminatory professional culture. Memes accusing those
without tattoos of being judgmental toward those with tattoos can be easily found on social
media sites and search engines. The meme in Figure 7 shows a man wearing business attire who
also has sleeves of tattoos. The caption is a parody of a well-known beer commercial and is
clearly trying to place blame on those without tattoos for the judging of those with tattoos: I
dont always talk to non-tattooed people. But when I do I dont judge them (I). The meme
claims that tattooed people are not the problem, those without tattoos are. The meme in Figure 8
shows an image of what seems to be a responsible-looking mother caring for her child: Yes, I
have tattoos. No, that does not make me irresponsible or untrustworthy (Yes). The meme
implies that this mother has a tattoo but that it makes her no less responsible than someone
without a tattoo. These memes illustrate the ways in which people with tattoos feel discriminated
against and stereotyped. The prevalence of the memes also convey that people with tattoos feel
the need to prove their worth to society and discredit the rebellious image that professionals have
of them. However, while memes about tattoos have become a popular outlet for mainstream
rhetors, they are not the type of discourse that is reaching the professional audience that they are
meant for. Because most professional discourse does not take place on social media sites like

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twitter and Pinterest, the memes have little effect on changing the view of professional rhetors
and are further evidence of a lack of overlap between pop and professional culture.
Although memes may not reach a professional audience, there are some professional
rhetors with tattoos that use the internet to try to discredit the stereotypes and myths that they
perceive. On the Blog The Tattooed Engineer, an engineer with tattoos sarcastically describes
himself on his About Me page as a low-class, poorly educated, jobless, narcissistic criminal
who has chosen to mutilate my own body in order to fill a gaping hole in [his] life which was
caused by a terribly tragic childhood before giving an accurate description of himself as
college educated, with a great job as an Electrical Engineer for a very large healthcare
corporation (Paul, About). In his posts, the tattooed engineer answers many common
arguments against tattoos, like Tattoos are a Waste of Time and Money and You wont be able
to find a job. (Paul, 10). He defends tattoos with rebuttals against arguments that he deems
old-fashioned and fights against stereotypes that he feels are unfair and unfounded. The name of
the blog, The Tattooed Engineer, shows that it was very important for the blogger to establish his
credibility by announcing that he is an engineer, in the hope that people
would take him seriously because of his education. The fact that he feels
the need to use his job title to establish credibility shows that he doubts that
Figure 7: (I).

others will take him seriously as just a guy with tattoos, implying that those
with tattoos are not generally taken seriously by those without.
Right now, the discourse surrounding tattoos shows a clear divide
between mainstream and professional culture. Tattoos may be
seen as a harmless fashion trend by millions, but they could still

Figure 8: (Yes).

cost you a job if not hidden during an interview. However, just

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as fashion trends like khaki pants and jeans gained mainstream acceptance long before they
appeared in professional contexts, tattoos will soon be a norm in the workplace. There is already
discourse that suggests that tattoos are slowly becoming more accepted in the professional world.
Prominent business magazines like Forbes have
come out with articles like Tattoos No Longer A
Kiss Of Death In The Workplace (Hennessey) and
top national news outlets like USA Today have
written about Workplace tattoo taboos fading
(Monty). A google search of tattoos in the
workplace produces results echoing a changing
attitude of acceptance and questioning of workplace
anti-tattoo discrimination (Google) (See Figure
9). Many of the search results are from business
publications and question whether the current view

Figure 9: Google search results for "tattoos

in the workplace" (Google).

of tattoos needs to change, paving the way for a dialogue between pop and professional rhetors.
Google also produces images that show doctors and other professionals wearing suits along with
visible tattoos. As more professional rhetors re-evaluate the way that they view tattoos, the gap
between pop and professional cultures views of tattoos will close.
Works Cited
About Can Stock Photo. Can Stock Photo. Can Stock Photo, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.canstockphoto.com/about.php>.
About Us. The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.economist.com/help/about-us>.

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Braverman, Samantha. One In Five U.S. Adults Now Has a Tattoo. Harris Interactive. Harris
Poll, 23 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/mid/1508/articleId/
970/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx>.
CanStockPhoto Search Results Page - business people. Can Stock Photo. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
CanStockPhoto Search Results Page - tattoos. Can Stock Photo. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Demographics. The Economist Group Media. The Economist Newspaper, 2013. Web. 15 Apr.
2015. <http://www.economistgroupmedia.com/research/audience-profile/demographics>.
Doyle, Alison. How to Dress for an Interview. About Careers. About.com, n.d. Web. 15 Apr.
2015. <http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewattire/a/interviewdress.htm>.
Fortune 500 2014. Fortune. Time, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://fortune.com/fortune500/>.
GE Careers. GE. General Electric, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. < http://www.ge.com/careers>.
Google Search Results Page - tattoos in the workplace. Google. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Haddaway, Amanda. "Hiring Discrimination Against Tattoos And Piercings." Carreerealism.
Carreerealism, 10 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015. <http://www.careerealism.com/hiringdiscrimination-tattoos-piercings/>.
Hennessey, Rachel. Tattoos No Longer a Kiss of Death in the Workplace. Forbes. Forbes, 27
Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelhennessey/2013/02/27/having-a-tattoo-and-a-job/>.
I dont always talk to non-tattooed people. But when I do I dont judge them. Meme.
FunniestMemes.com. Funniestmemes.com, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

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<http://www.funniestmemes.com/funniest-memes-i-dont-always-talk-to-non-tattooedpeople/>.
"Ink Blots." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 02 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21610334-body-art-growing-morepopular-though-few-employers-are-keen-ink-blots>.
Jobs at Apple. Apple. Apple, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<https://www.apple.com/jobs/us/corporate.html>.
Jordan, Julie and Antoinette Coulton. Chris Hemsworth Is People's Sexiest Man Alive. People.
Time, 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20315920_20873901,00.html>.
Monty, Lynn. Workplace Tattoo Taboos Fading. USA Today. USA Today, 11 Sept. 2014. Web.
15 Apr. 2015. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/11/tattoo-tabooworkplace/15449719/>.
Our Story. About.com. About.com, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015. <http://press.about.com/ourstory/>
Paul. "10 Irrational Arguments Against Tattoos and My Responses to Them." Web log post. The
Tattooed Engineer. The Tattooed Engineer, 12 June 2012. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
<http://thetattooedengineer.com/2012/06/12/irrational-arguments-against-tattoos-1/>.
Paul. About Me. The Tattooed Engineer. The Tattooed Engineer, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://thetattooedengineer.com/2012/06/12/irrational-arguments-against-tattoos-1/>.
Pinterest Search Results Page - tattoos. Pinterest. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.

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Sexiest Men of 2015. Glamour. Conde Nast UK, 6 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/celebrity-galleries/2014/08/sexiesthottest-men-of-2014>.
Wal-Mart Careers. Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart Stores, 2015. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://careers.walmart.com/>.

Wang, Peggy. "The 34 Kinds Of Tattoos That Look Insanely Hot On Guys." BuzzFeed.
Buzzfeed, Inc., 2 June 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/kinds-of-tattoos-that-look-insanely-hot-onguys#.euoPAvWMY>.
Yes, I have tattoos. No, that does not make me irresponsible or untrustworthy. Meme. Flickr.
Yahoo, 23 Mar. 2013. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/supporttattoosandpiercingsatwork/8583664065/>.

Reflection
This paper is very different from my first draft. In my original draft, I did not have clear
focus for the paper, was trying to analyze far too many rhetor groups, and could not come up
with a so what for my analysis. This final draft has a very clear focus and compares only two
rhetor groups. I think this final draft really focused on depth over breadth and turned out better
because of it. For the final draft, I also focused on referring to specific examples and referencing
the images in my paper more directly. I also did a lot of work on my conclusion in my final
stages of drafting and finally came up with a definitive so what (that professional culture will
eventually accept tattoos) that I could back up with evidence from the discourse.

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I am very pleased with the topic sentences of my paragraphs. I feel like they do a good
job of giving the reader an idea of what the point of the paragraph is. I am also very happy with
the flow of my paper, which is something I initially had trouble with. I rearranged paragraphs a
few times and finally feel like the organization is clear and easy to understand from a readers
perspective. The topic sentences definitely add to the flow of the paper because I think that, aside
from portraying the main idea of the paragraph, they also do a good job of connecting ideas and
transitioning the reader.
Initially, the most difficult part of this paper was finding a focus. My first draft had too
many discourses that were specifically about tattoos, making it difficult to analyze how tattoos
are portrayed in normal pop and professional culture discourses. This also made it hard to
identify a so what. Once I narrowed my focus, I was better able to compare discourses and find
a greater meaning in my analysis. I went to a lot of conferences and revised my paper quite a few
times. In the end, I feel very proud of this paper and the work that I put into it.