
The Identity Crisis Under the Ink - bootload
http://theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/11/the-identity-crisis-under-the-ink/382785/?single_page=true
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bootload
_" Tattoos give people, Millennials in particular, a way to prove to
themselves and to others that a changing world is no match for them."_

Being inked comes with consequences. Trying to seek work in health or retail
sales? ... want to enlist, re-inlist in US armed services? ~
[http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/06/27/100-army-
recru...](http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/06/27/100-army-recruits-
turned-away-due-to-tattoo-policy.html)

~~~
sageabilly
_" Being inked comes with consequences."_

Not nearly as many as it used to. While there are definitely employers who
discriminate against tattoos it's becoming much more likely that no one under
the age of 50 is going to care or bat an eye unless an individual has tattoos
above the neck, on the face, or all over the hands. I live and work in DC and
see tattoos in all locations on all genders of all ages in business dress on
my daily commute. It's an anecdote and not data, obviously, however I think
that it's an accurate reflection of changing employer attitudes towards
tattoos as a whole.

As for the article you linked, while it's true that the military does have
strict tattoo standards you'd think that someone "who wanted to join since
they were a child" would have thought about their potential eligibility to
join _before_ they got a tattoo. It smacks more of poor planning on the part
of the person being tattooed rather than an overall indication that society
just can't deal with tattoos.

~~~
jcadam
I've never considered getting a tattoo. I don't even put bumper stickers on my
car. Some say I'm boring.

~~~
pcmaffey
But do you have a sticker on your Macbook?

~~~
jcadam
I have a Dell Latitude, with no stickers. Like I said, I'm boring.

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lucasnemeth
another think piece about "Millenials". I wonder if they're all written by
Millenials.

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Terr_
> In 1960, there were approximately 500 professional tattoo artists operating
> in the United States. By 1995, that number had risen to over 10,000.

Note that when adjusted for population growth, that's only a ~12.7x increase
rather than a 20x one.

> What’s more, 40 percent of the people in that group are Millennials, which
> some academics argue isn’t a coincidence.

Compared to the people who get tattoos today, the people who got tattoos 40
years ago are more likely to either have (A) had it removed or (B) died.

In other shocking news, 100% of the people who are 25 years old today were
born in in the range 1989-1990... which some academics argue isn't a
coincidence :P

