What do you think of ink?
Tattoos growing in popularity, acceptance
You’re at a staff meeting at your new company in a stuffy office and your boss unbuttons his cuffs and rolls up the sleeves of his neatly pressed dress shirt to reveal the boldest tattoo you’ve ever seen.
You suppress a gasp at the sight of the colourful, mystical artwork snaking down the arm of the high-ranking manager.
But in this day and age, when people have many modes of self-expression and some workplaces are relaxing the rules, getting inked is becoming more prevalent among people of all walks of life.
“It’s not so much the tattoos and notions of tattooing that’s changing, it’s the social stigma around tattooing and what its representation means,” said prominent St. John’s tattoo artist Dave Munro.
Sitting in his Trouble Bound studio in a historic building on Water Street inking a tattoo on a client’s arm, Munro talks extensively about the history of tattoos, their evolution and how the diversity of his clients has grown over the years.
“As the groupings of peoples dynamically change and as you watch what was once considered youth culture would now be middle-age, people’s views on a lot of pre-existing social notions have completely changed …,” Munro said.
“Nowadays, you can go into a lot of offices and encounter people who have quite extensive tattoo collections.”
Craig Rogers, who lies still as Munro works to fill in an already elaborate sleeve, said he got his first tattoo on his back 15 years ago, when it was more frowned upon.
“I was young and it wasn’t really acceptable back then,” said Rogers, whose left arm has a design based around his birth sign, while his right arm has a half sleeve that includes a Chinese dragon.
“It was always in my head to get more, but I could never really pull the trigger because I was worried how people would see me.
“But now, it’s so popular and acceptable, so I said let’s do it.”
Whether it’s police officers, lawyers, business CEOS or even doctors, it seems more and more people are getting tattoos.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has a tattoo of a Haida raven on his left shoulder.
According to Forbes Magazine, citing a 2013 study, tattoos are “no longer a kiss of death in the workplace.”
“So, while workplace concealment policies differ, having a tattoo … certainly doesn’t ruin one’s chance at having a successful career…,” the article stated.
Some of the province’s largest employers are relaxing their policies when it comes employees having tattoos.
The province’s biggest health authority, Eastern Health, once forbid employees from having tattoos. These days, it’s less strict.
“Visible tattoos and body art with wording and images that do not comply with this policy or are perceived as offensive (e.g.: racial slurs, profanity, revealing body parts, symbols of death, etc.) must be covered,” the policy states.
Memorial University of Newfoundland has no policy at all on tattoos, according to manager of communications Dave Sorensen.
Still, there’s still some stigma associated with getting inked. For many, tattoos conjure up visions of criminals, rugged bikers or rebellious hoodlums.
That same Forbes article noted, “Still, a 2011 study by Careerbuilder shows that 31 per cent of surveyed employers ranked ‘having a visible tattoo’ as the top personal attribute that would dissuade them from promoting an employee. Although companies across many fields are increasingly focused on diversity and inclusion, tattoo flaunting is still probably best reserved for post-work hours.”
It’s a sentiment shared by some people around these parts.
“Oh, I hate tattoos! They’re so dirty and hard looking,” 55-yearold Donna, who wouldn’t give her last name, told The Telegram earlier this week when stopped on Water Street and asked her thoughts about tattoos.
“They’re awful and ugly.
“I can understand it if you’re covering up a scar, but why would anyone do that to their body? I certainly wouldn’t want a doctor or nurse with a tattoo across their neck treating me.”
The stigma seems to be worse for women.
“A guy with a full sleeve of tattoos is not treated the same as a woman with a full sleeve of tattoos. There’s definitely more social pressure on women who have tattoos or how they’re viewed by other people in society, depending on the tattoo,” said Munro, adding women make up more of his clientele than ever before.
“Within that reality, a fair amount of women who are doing it would find it much more of a liberating process or a self-proclamation than men — personally making more of a statement about herself and her individuality.”
Natasha Watkins, who works at a gym and dabbles parttime as a DJ, had no qualms about showing her tattoo when stopped on Water Street.
The 20-year-old was proud to pull up her sleeve to reveal a Cambodian saying on the inside of her left arm, inked in honour of her late best friend, DJ Sina, who died last spring.
“It’s for him. (It translates to) ‘Starve the ego, feed the soul,’” Watkins said. “It just has a lot of meaning for me.”
Watkins gets plenty of comments about her tattoo, with most of the negative ones coming from older people.
But don’t tell that to 60-yearold Margaret Jordan.
“Oh, I love tattoos! Tattoos these days are so artistic and they often have special meaning or tell a story,” said Jordan, whose son, Thomas Jordan is a body artist who paints people in non-permanent paint. “They’re just beautiful.” When asked if she has a tattoo, she laughed and said, “I’m a coward. I can’t handle the pain.”
With the advent of the internet, accessibility to more skilled artists, safer techniques and more social acceptance, lots of people these days are opting in.
“Tattoos have always been an expression … representational,” Munro said.
It seems people’s opinions about tattoos differ depending on the design and where it’s located.
A “tasteful” rose or butterfly on a forearm in memory of a loved one is often deemed more acceptable than a skull and bones on the neck or hands.
Munro warns his clients of the negative stigma they may face if they decide to get more visible ones.
“You always want to forewarn people that there is a conscientious reality to bearing marks …,” he said.
“I was very conscious when I tattooed my hands and my neck. I was very aware that this was going to change how I was going to interact with people in society.
“But this is also 20 years ago. When I first tattooed my neck, I never thought I’d be sitting down in a meeting with a bank official discussing a mortgage, never mind sitting with ministers of health discussing policy.
“So, what someone is willing to consider can also be based off of where they see themselves, how they’ll handle themselves…”
Munro tells people to take their time, do their research and meet with their tattoo artist before making what is a long-term decision.
It’s one of the reasons he suggests people wait until they’re older before getting their first tattoo. Munro’s youngest clients are 18, but he advises people to get more life experience before deciding on a tattoo.
Scott Coffey was in his late teens/early 20s when he got his first tattoos. His right arm has an anchor with his name in it, while his forearm has a ribbon with his late grandfather’s name. His left arm has an eagle with “Freedom” below it, while on his chest he has two smaller tattoos signifying his birth signs.
“It’s not so much the tattoos and notions of tattooing that’s changing, it’s the social stigma around tattooing and what its representation means.” St. John’s tattoo artist Dave Munro
“Ah, it was just a stage — the thing to do. If I had my time back, I wouldn’t have gotten them,” said Coffey, while waiting for the bus on Water Street. “I look at them now and they’re dirty looking. I would’ve gotten something nicer.”
Munro, who has been a tattoo artist for more than 20 years, says people who collect tattoos must remember, “the reality is, space is finite. So, you have to start looking at a bigger picture of how things are displayed on your body over time, because you run out of space.”
Tattoo regrets often result in coverups, which keep Munro busy.
It can be the result of shoddy work — either homemade ones you got in your buddy’s kitchen all those years ago or from less talented tattoo artists — or wanting your current ink gone because it interferes with a larger design concept.
As for people getting their girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s name etched permanently on their bodies, Munro said he doesn’t see it as much these days.
“It’s an attempt to try and prove that you care for someone. Unfortunately, you’re usually showing them you’re crazy…,” he said with a chuckle.
“But it’s documenting a part of your life. … You could be marking an aspect of your life that’s been changed by that person, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”