Impulsive body art may be detrimental later on
Junior Joshua Suaverdez displays his prominent tattoos. | Olivia Blinn/THE CHIMES
Whether you are an art major, hipster or simply have a keen interest in body art, chances are good that you have come across a biblical argument which speaks out against the marking of your body. Arguing this issue from a biblical angle can be challenging. The Levitical law has no bearing on Christ-followers of today and the argument of keeping our temples pure and undefiled is subject to acute interpretation. The book of James encourages us to pray for wisdom and affirms that God will respond generously. With that I will approach the dispute of tattoos from a contemporary angle and hopefully present some new perspective for those considering getting “inked.”
The Bible does not directly condemn the issue, but that does not mean it’s wise. Young adults crave independence. For example, this movement of individualism that everyone is following is often coupled with an appearance of ingenious and decorative apparel. In an effort to break away from mainstream culture, many students have found comfort in creating their own image both physically and socially.
Tattoos not favorable to many businesses
But is the pursuit of temporary social acceptance worth the possibility of limiting your career options for the future? More and more companies are enacting strict regulations for body art — including tattoos and piercings — that are visible outside standard clothing and not limited to long sleeves only.
Knott’s Berry Farm would not hire male employees if they had any piercings that were visible, gauged or not, and any tattoos past a standard short sleeve would render employees unqualified as well, according to Knott’s Berry Farm human resources. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Bank of America strongly discourage visible piercings and tattoos for managerial positions and Bank of America has expressed that their agenda for completely restricting them is currently being drafted, according to their human resource offices respectively.
Now before one merely scratches Wal-Mart and Bank of America off of their potential employers, one must consider that these are only two of many corporations who have legislated their policies opposing this type of art.
For those who are pursuing a non-conventional vocation that will likely have more liberal parameters, I would encourage them to acknowledge the current economy. In our pre-recession days it was reasonable to assume that a degree could land you a decent job on the outside. However, our current economic state has made the job market unfavorable for recent college graduates. Therefore, it is imperative that we present ourselves to be beyond adequate in as many capacities as we can when being sought after by an employer.
An urge to think about the future
Am I suggesting that we consider our society when making personal decisions? Well, yes I am. I am not saying that we have to alter our identity to become more molded to our society, but rather I am challenging my readers to think about setting aside a small bit of self in concern for their future, and in most cases, the future of your beloveds. This is a season where we are supposed to be cultivating our careers and doing our part to ensure we can provide for our future families, but excessive body art is reducing the ability to do so.
I would argue that often times these decisions are a matter of impulsivity. The idea that we should be instantly gratified is unhealthy and unfortunately practiced too often. Men and women go through significant changes in ideologies between the ages of 18 and 22; if you think you have it figured out at 22, think again. What you desire now, whether a tattoo or career, may not be what you want later, and unfortunately the decisions we make now may incur heavy consequences in the future.
I understand this may be a strong drink for some, but better they drink it responsibly now then reap possible adversity later.
Your Turn. Post a Comment
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Kelsey Cruz
I was very intrigued when I first saw that the Chimes wrote an article about tattoos. After reading this article though I have very different feelings. Though it is true that when you get tattoos in a spot where they are visual you need to think about the future, many employers do not mind if you have them as long as you can cover them when you wear long sleeves. It may be true that you cannot work at Wal-Mart, Bank of America, or Knott’s berry farm but what you did not mention was that professors, firefighters, police, sheriffs and SWAT all allow their employees to have tattoos as long as they can cover them with long sleeve. I agree completely that you should think about getting a tattoo because it will stay with you for life but many people who do have tattoos have their family, their dreams, and their religious beliefs tattooed on them, and they do not regret it. In fact 1 out of 5 Americans have at least one tattoos, 38% of them are adults over the age of 30 and out of those 86% do not regret their tattoos , out of those who do regret it 20% said they got it too young, 12% say they picked the wrong location and 11 % say they picked the wrong tattoo. There are plenty of professionals in the career of their choice who have tattoos and you would never even know because they hide them. Having tattoos does not change your ability to do work and succeed in a career and does not put you at a disadvantage as long as you can dress professional and hide them if your job requires you to do so. I wish the Chimes article had more than one perspective about tattoos and mentioned some of the careers that do allow their employees to be tattooed instead of just the ones that did not. Overall I wish that the article had more of a balance of the pros and cons of tattoos instead of focusing purely on the negative.
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Shank Riley
Tattoos are a great form of self expression but there are some employers out there that are not cool with visible ink. My sister has to cover her tattoos at work with an Ink Armor sleeve: http://www.tat2x.com/ She's a nurse and well educated but her clinic doesn't think tattoos are professional.
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John Reid
Kelsey,
Thank you for your transparency. We at the Chimes always appreciate feedback on the articles that we publish.
To your first point about jobs that do v. do not allow tattoos. I have a word count of 650 per article so I chose to limit how many companies do allow tattoos so I could use more words for the message. There are many more who are discouraging tattoos/piercings at a rapid rate. Before I was at Biola I served in the United States Marine Corps. When I joined in January 2004 they were pretty lenient on tattoos. But in my time from 2004-2010 their policies changed so much to where you cannot have tattoos visible outside the "PT" uniform (shorts and a short sleeve shirt). Yes, there are careers out there that still allow it. The reason I didn't mention this is because it is a given. I never said that tattoos will restrict your ability to get hired, I said limit.
To your point about family, dreams, and religious beliefs tatted...I understand that many tattoos have meaning behind them in some capacity and I've heard some great stories behind some art. But do employers give a hoot behind the story? Unfortunately not. Remember, I'm arguing this from a career angle not a biblical or moral one.
Your statistics only hold so much weight. Who is going to actually say they regret their tattoos? And even if they don't regret them that doesn't mean that it hasn't limited their employment opportunities. Also, you said many are over the age of 30. Well, considering when we went into a recession and this issue became more prominent they were still in the clear to get tattoos...more so than now.
One point that hit hard was your comment that tattoos don't restrict your ability to perform. When I was in the Marines we saw a dramatic reform in policy regarding body art. Many Marines, including myself, rose the argument that writing a combative report, running an obstacle course, pulling a trigger, administering some physical negotiation on an enemy combatant, or showing the utmost in loyalty for your fellow Marine was in NO WAY restricted by having a tattoo...but the rules are the rules. -
Josh Suaverdez
For the record, I do NOT regret my tattoos. But I do agree with the point that one must consider what they are doing for occupational sake. If you are going for a corporate position, think twice. But hey! If you love tattoo art and understand tattoo culture, then go for it. Don't treat it like a fashion, know that there is a whole world behind tattooing.
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Austin Boyd
As a close friend of the student pictured, I was interested when I heard about this article. I was hesitant to read it, anticipating the content. Im a Biola alumni, a person that is heavily tattooed, a tattoo art enthusiast,someone that actually tattoos, AND someone that has a well paying office job, I was extremely disappointed when I read this article. I thought it was a huge misrepresentation of Josh himself, along with anyone that is involved in the tattoo community while simultaneously a Christian. Being as tattooed as I am, I constantly receive questions and comments because of my tattoos. While this article frankly portrays tattooing in a negative way whether it wants to be admitted or not, some of the most successful and meaningful gospel ministry I have had has come from my tattoos. I have had hours and hours of conversations with unbelievers concerning the gospel, due to my tattoos. So while some may argue they hinder Christian ministry, I would strongly disagree not only based on personal experience, but on biblical principle as well. You were right in saying that the Levitical law has no bearing on Christians now (even though that verse is generally used vastly out of historical context), but the New Testament is adamant not only about being culturally relative while proclaiming the gospel (hence through tattoos) (1 Cor. 9:21-23), but also about Christian liberty. While YES NO ONE SHOULD GET TATTOOED WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT ESPECIALLY AS A CHRISTIAN, it is the liberty of the Christian to be tattooed, as long as it reflects a holy purpose. While the theological principles behind the reasons Christians get tattooed are somewhat easily understood and settled, I was offended at the comments made concerning thoughts of the future in regards to work and family. First of all, knowing Josh and the desire he has to provide for a future wife and family, and being one of the hardest working dudes I know, I think those statements are unfounded and elementary at best. While YES it is true that a majority of jobs will not hire those who are visibly tattooed, this is not true of all professions, and even very well respected ones. The first interest I had in tattoos, came after I was exposed to someone who was fully sleeved, that person being my childhood doctor. Yes my doctor. The second exposure to someone heavily tattooed was the store director at the grocery store I worked at. The man was fully sleeved, had a wife and 3 kids, and made a hefty salary to provide for his family comfortably. So while yes there are plenty of jobs that wont hire a person due to body art, this is not true of all professions, and very respected ones of that.
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Austin Boyd
(continuing previous thought) While some people get tattoos impulsively, I can vouch for the majority of people I know who are tattooed, (MANY of which are Biola students), have NOT done it impulsively and think about it for an extended amount of time. I dont think this realistically depicts the culture as a whole, nor the opinion of the majority (not all) of the readers of this article.
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Jesse Lai
Although I respect and understand the merit of writing this opinion, I do not believe that this article will produce fruitful outcomes. As a person who has tattoos and has many friends outside the church within the tattoo community, I do not believe this is an article that produces good. Because this is a topic that is not even close to a biblical command or law as even you have implied, articles like this end up harming the gospel rather than progressing it. I have many unsaved friends with tattoos. Many of these individuals follow what christian universities write as a way to gain perspective on church culture. This would distract and even turn them away from the power and truth of the gospel. Please be more wise when choosing topics. Think about whether it will do good. Think about if it is based on concrete biblical principles and is worth discussing.
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Chase
Ha. "this movement of individualism that everyone is following" ...cheeky. :)
While I'm generally pro-tattoo, I don't personally have any for many of the reasons you wrote. I appreciate you opening the conversation. -
Elizabeth Sallie | editor-in-chief
Thanks for your feedback, everyone!
I'm hoping to run a viewpoint in favor of tattoos soon, to keep the conversation fair and open.
If anyone's interested in writing that, I'd love to provide a place for your thoughts. Shoot Shaefer Bagwell an email at: chimes.opinions.editor@biola.edu.
Blessings,
--elizabeth sallie | editor-in-chief -
John Reid
Josh,
Thanks for your honesty on the matter :)
Austin,
The contrast between the message of this article and the illustration (Josh) is obvious however before you attack the Chimes please understand that Josh was advised by myself and other Chimes staff that this article was not one to praise body art. That said we appreciated Josh's willingness to contribute regardless of opposing views.
I've stated before that this argument is regarding future careers. I never denied that some jobs allow tattoos but it is obvious that many do not allow them as well. See my above comment towards Kelsey for more.
I would be careful in using the I Corinthians passage. Tattoos are not necessary to share the Gospel. Do they work? Sure! You're a testament of this and as well I've heard other testimonies of how body art inspired conversation regarding our religion and with this, Austin, I rejoice with. However that does not mean that we should be flippant about the issue. One can just as easy choose not to get a tattoo and say that they'll share Christ with their behavior or Jesus fish.
Jesse,
Thank you for your concern.
No where in this article did I integrate the message of the Gospel. Opinion articles (or any article for that matter) will not always have a religious intent. The Chimes is a newspaper at a Christian university, yes, but we write on news, features, politics etc. Corporate decisions to condone or restrict body art is not a religious topic. I chose this topic because most college students find themselves here in order to pursue a particular career path so I was just giving them a heads up on how they can make themselves more competitive.
Friends,
Those most of the above topics are in opposition to my article (as I imagined they would be) I am encouraged to see that there is discussion among the Biola community. Thanks for your thoughts!