about tattoos

[kimbalabala]

Nobody wants to work in an environment that fosters and supports discrimination of any kind. That said - perception IS reality, and if you are perceived to be a poor fit for a particular dive shop/resort then you're not going to get the job. I don't know what the employment market looks like specifically in the dive community, but if it's like the rest of world then employers have more candidates than spots and can be as choosy as they'd like. Of course, you might find an employer who thinks the tats you want are fantastic ... but you can't predict either way. I'd be cautious.

 

[Kingpatzer]

I do want to congratulate the OP on thinking about this seriously. Lots of people simply complain that they find themselves discriminated against after the damage is done. It's nice to see someone choosing to be "eyes open" about the potential impacts.

 

[GrimSleeper]

Plenty of good answers. As a shop owner, for me it would be an entirely subjective decision based on two things:
1. How are my customers/potential customers likely to respond to your body art?
2. What do I think your choices of body decoration say about you as a person I'm potentially trusting my business's reputation to?

If you turn up looking for a job with me and you've got tats above the neck, enormous cliched tats, eyebrow piercings or dreadlocks (unless you actually come from a culture where growing dreads means something), sorry, my personal opinion is that those things indicate you're not an inventive, bright thinker and you're trying too hard to be different. Unfair? Almost certainly, but it's my shop. On the other hand, if the artwork's not dumb and not offensive sexually, politically, religiously - no problem.

If it's any indication, I've was once interviewed by phone for a job running a dive shop, and the first question was 'I just want to check - you're not covered in tattoos and piercings, are you?'...

 

[Magnolia3]

In my personal opinion, it's discrimination, and it's not so far away from "only white people need apply", and I'm not even going to bother working for a centre that discriminates in any way, shape or fashion, because clearly they are interested only in what you look like, and not how good an instructor you are. I don't want to work for these people, and I wouldn't want to dive at their centre as a customer.
C.

So what you are saying is that anyone with a DM card, no matter wha,t I should hire and IF I didn't hire them
because they had tattoos that were say, swastikas? or gang related tats? That is discrimination?

Having worked as a school nurse in inner city schools. I am quite familiar with gang tats that look innocent.
IF I were to get on a dive boat, and even so much as one person had that kind of tat. I would be outta there so fast
It would make the dive op have a nose bleed. That is NOT discrimination. It is self preservation.

There is no legal protection by law regarding not hiring someone with Tats.
A privately held business has the right to choose whom they do and do not hire.
By that your standards, Hooters had been hire some butt ugly flat chested grammas to work for them or
they are discriminating...

When that same privately held business caters to a certain clientele, not hiring someone
that is offensive to the majority of the clients makes good business sense.

 

[rmh84]

IMO - Only tasteful tatoos should be put on body parts that can be seen while you're on the job. I don't care what your job is. If you consider it "controversial" it probably should be in a place where it will be always covered - I missed if the OP is male or female, but on the ribcage might limit you to one-piece bathing suits and/or constant wear of a watershirt or something similar. Can you live with this?

A few of my favorite dive masters in Bonaire were "covered in tattoos" of a tasteful nature. I would not have been all that accepting if the tats were hateful or were of say genetalia. If you want tats like that, that's your buisness but cover them when you're at work (or in public if it's of an erotic nature - not for me, but because kids could see it).

I have a couple tats of my own by the way, so I'm not discriminatory, just wish for a little more "tastefulness" in my fellow tattoo wearers.

 

[cinemajunkie]

Hey everybody. Thank you all for the great feedback. To answer you questions, I am a male, and the tattoo is of a controversial nature because it is in part violent. It is based off a T-shirt design called "flowers in the attic." Google it and you'll definitely find it. It is of a girl shooting her self and the blood spatter turn into butterflies and fly off... it's a riff on that design. I'm inclined to get it simply because I actually aready have a tattoo on my back that I would have to cover... thanks to whoever suggested a swim shirt! I never thought of that!

 

[Magnolia3]

Hey everybody. Thank you all for the great feedback. To answer you questions, I am a male, and the tattoo is of a controversial nature because it is in part violent. It is based off a T-shirt design called "flowers in the attic." Google it and you'll definitely find it. It is of a girl shooting her self and the blood spatter turn into butterflies and fly off... it's a riff on that design. I'm inclined to get it simply because I actually aready have a tattoo on my back that I would have to cover... thanks to whoever suggested a swim shirt! I never thought of that!

1... you can have the tat you want to hide on your back removed you know.
2.... tats of what you suggest don't go over well with some crowds.. have you considered the effect 20 or 30 yrs from now with the tat you are considering.. its something to think about.
3. a swim shirt is fine... most of the time.. but good lord is this the tat?

 

[cinemajunkie]

1... you can have the tat you want to hide on your back removed you know.
2.... tats of what you suggest don't go over well with some crowds.. have you considered the effect 20 or 30 yrs from now with the tat you are considering.. its something to think about.
3. a swim shirt is fine... most of the time.. but good lord is this the tat?


Yessss, it is.

 

[blockfour]

I've seen pictures of that tattooed on people before. Not for me, but to each there own.

I'm not an employer so I can't speak from that perspective. I'll speak as a customer (I have three tattoos, fyi). If the sales person/teacher who I'm dealing with has tattoos or piercings (or dreads) it doesn't bother me. I'm only bothered if the tattoos are offensive. If it's done well by a great artist I enjoy it more as a piece of art and not care so much that I might otherwise be put off by the subject (does that make any since at all? lol). Unless we're talking blatant bigotry or something. That would make me walk away. So if you're going to get that tat, get it done realllly well and I'll forgive you. Just don't make it like everyone elses. Please. I want something interesting to look at.

I honestly don't think that one will be hard to cover... Am I missing something?

 

[cinemajunkie]

I've seen pictures of that tattooed on people before. Not for me, but to each there own.

I'm not an employer so I can't speak from that perspective. I'll speak as a customer (I have three tattoos, fyi). If the sales person/teacher who I'm dealing with has tattoos or piercings (or dreads) it doesn't bother me. I'm only bothered if the tattoos are offensive. If it's done well by a great artist I enjoy it more as a piece of art and not care so much that I might otherwise be put off by the subject (does that make any since at all? lol). Unless we're talking blatant bigotry or something. That would make me walk away. So if you're going to get that tat, get it done realllly well and I'll forgive you. Just don't make it like everyone elses. Please. I want something interesting to look at.

I honestly don't think that one will be hard to cover... Am I missing something?

... well it def won't be like everyone elses... it's going to be batman... and the butterflies will be bats... and I have a really good, and professional artist designing the tat.