Skin deep: Body art gains greater acceptance

AALIYAH BOWDEN | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Mark Russo (left) and Kevin Mew at Blaq Lyte Tattoos in Charlotte.

Shakiri Patrick’s nine tattoos weren’t a problem on the job except for when she worked at Zaxby’s when she was 16.

Patrick, now 25, had a henna tattoo painted on her hand at the Renaissance Festival. Unlike ink-based tattoos, hennas are temporary and fade after two weeks. The day after the festival, her manager noticed the design.

“I was like, ‘oh, it's not permanent. Don't worry. It's temporary, it’ll come off in two weeks,’” Patrick recalled explaining to her manager. “She told me that she would have to write me up because I was going against their dress code policy of having a visible tattoo.”

The manager threatened to fire Patrick if she didn’t have the tattoo removed, and Patrick and her co-workers tried to scrub off the ink, It didn’t work.

“I had to go in the next day with my washed uniform,” she said. “I handed it over, I handed my hat over and I said I quit.”

Patrick now works for a Charlotte law firm as a copy operator where she is not required to cover her tats.

About 32% of adults are tatted with 22% of adults having more than one, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Even people who work for Congress have them.
But what about in the medical field?

How would you feel if your doctor or nurse came into the room with a sleeve of tattoos? Would you still trust them to treat you?

Healthcare facilities in Charlotte are becoming more accepting of employees with body art as long as it is not offensive.

“Our culture at Atrium Health encourages our teammates – at all levels of the organization – to bring their whole, authentic self to work,” the hospital company said in an email. “For some of our teammates, part of that includes their tattoos. We do require any visible tattoos be tasteful, with no profanity or offensive content of any sort. That would include those perceived to be violent, threatening or sexual, or that denigrate religious symbols.”
Some workplaces are rolling back their tattoo policies and allowing employees to show off their ink, while others are reluctant to change.

Tattoos can be a form of self-expression, a way of healing from past trauma, or remember the dead. For instance, a semicolon signifies combatting thoughts of suicide or mental health awareness to remind someone that they are stronger than anxiety or depression.

“We've played therapist [to] plenty of customers,” said Mark Russo, a tattoo artist at Blaq Lyte Tattoos located on University City Boulevard. “I think when people experience hardships, traumas, things like that they do kind of see that as like reclaiming a piece [of themselves] or, I guess having control.”

About 30% of Americans who don’t have tattoos said seeing someone with body art gave them a more negative perception of the person, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Of these people, 40% of the participants aged 65 or older said that seeing a person with at least one tattoo gave them a negative rather than positive impression of them.

Younger people are less likely to hold that view, the study found.

Some employers may deem it unprofessional in a workplace setting or job interview.

“I think because historically speaking it's almost directly associated with certain subcultures, mostly criminal activity,” Russo said.

Visible pictures on the skin are an obvious way to express yourself emotionally.

“I think it's just another form of self-expression,” Russo said. “It's being able to set yourself apart from everyone else by picking designs or artwork that is unique to your taste.”
Kevin Mew, an artist at Blaq Lyte Tattoos, also works at FedEx, where he is not required to cover tats.

“I'm heavily tattooed – having not full body tattoos but on my hands and my arms,” said Mew, who has more than 40. “So no, I don't think it matters. I think now, as far as a lot of businesses are not really caring, as long as it's not disgraceful.”

Body ink is a form of therapy, often referred to as tattoo therapy.

“You quickly forget about the pain because you have something that's lasting beyond that,” Russo said. “You see it in the mirror and you're like, Oh, that's cool.”
Body art does come at a price.

According to LaserAway, a small tattoo can range from $50 to several hundred dollars depending on size and detail. Charlotte ranks eighth among the top 10 U.S. cities where people spend the most on tattoos at an average of $575. Chicago is number one at an average of about $970.

Although complications are rare, there are still risks associated with these procedures, according to Medical News Today.

“Red ink is the most common tattoo ink that can have an allergic reaction, but people can be allergic to any color ink,” said Dr. Tonya McLeod, a Charlotte dermatologist.

Overall, eight in 10 Americans said society has become more accepting of people with tattoos, according to the Pew Research Center.

Patrick is happy she works for a company that does.

“I'm grateful enough to have a job that isn't taboo about tattoos,” she said. “I don't feel like people having tattoos hinders anybody's work ethic.”

Patrick added that most of her tattoos have meaning and is a reminder of how to carry herself.

Two of her favorites are her birthday written in Roman numerals and a quote located on her left forearm that reads “when people see good they expect good.”

“That is a quote from one of my favorite TV shows,” she said. “I don't want to have to live up to anybody's expectations.”

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