The Art of Permanent Underemployment

                There is a growing problem that is being ignored; teenagers and tattoos.  At an alarming rate more teenagers are getting tattoos.  What is concerning is teenagers are getting tattoos on their hands, the side of their necks ,their forearms and in some instances their face, areas on the body which are hard to cover up with clothing.  

                What is equally concerning is teenagers are getting tattoos prior to their 18^th birthday.  Unless they are given permission by a parent/guardian, a tattoo artists is not allowed to serve minors.  However, with the number of teenagers that have tattoos, one has to consider if teenagers are receiving tattoos illegally.  If teenagers are receiving tattoos illegally, the question becomes are teenagers being informed about the permanency of tattoos?  Are teenagers being informed that the tattoos they get as a teenager will be with them their adult life?  Do these teenagers understand the tattoos that reflect the popular culture of their time or their neighborhood affiliations will remain with them and become part of how they are perceived by rest of society?

Secondly, are teenagers who are getting tattoos informed about the sanitary and health protocols (use of new needles, sterilized work area, etc) during and after receiving a tattoo?  Without being informed, a teenager could catch a disease such as hepatitis or an infection.

Lastly, are teenagers being informed about the potential consequences to future employment opportunities due to the type(s) of tattoo they choose and where the tattoo is located?  When seeking employment, what the tattoo is and where a tattoo is located could cause an employer not to consider the teenage applicant as a viable candidate, especially if the position is in customer service.  As the “face” of the company, customer service employees work directly with the customers.  For teenagers with tattoos that can be seen by the customer, it may not be in the best interest of the company to hire them because of the negative perception tied to teenagers with tattoos.  

With the exception of the food service industry and some retail stores, most customer service oriented companies place heavy emphasize on appearance, personality and aptitude.  However, if the teenager doesn’t have the “right “appearance due to visible tattoos, it may not matter if the teenager has the personality or aptitude.  It is the negative perception by employers that may follow some teenager into adulthood. If this occurs, some teenagers may find themselves severely underemployed for the rest of their lives.

The consequences of underemployment from teenage to adulthood could severely hamper their overall earnings potential to access the American Dream.  The inability to buy a home or live independent from parents, the inability to build a savings, the inability to provide for a family are just some of the things that could occur due to the inability to earn a decent wage just because of visible tattoos. 

As a person who has a couple of “tats,” I got mine in my twenties, when I was mature enough to research the advantages and disadvantages of getting a tattoo.  I also spoke to individuals who have tattoos, and I spoke with a tattoo artist about health and sanitary protocols.  More importantly, I didn’t get my tattoos when it was fashionable and “everybody” was getting one to be popular or emulate an entertainer or sports figure.  My tattoos are strategically placed so my employer cannot see them, in fact my employer doesn’t even know I have them, which is the way it should be.  Unfortunately, many teenagers do not have the benefit of this wisdom and they may find themselves permanently underemployed for the rest of their lives because of an uninformed decision to get a tattoo.