PEOPLE WITH BODY ART

ONE HAS TO WONDER ABOUT HOW THESE AGE WITH AGING SKIN.

Tattoos have a curious history

• 1850 - 1900 - Tattoos used to be the bastion of carnival freak shows, with people flocking to the circus to see the amazing tattooed Lady.
   
• 1900 - 1950 - Tattoos in the early 20th century indicated a Sailor or Marine.  In these cases, they did not have any social stigma, except that tattoos were generally indicative of enlisted men.  Few Navy or Marine officers dared to draw on their body.
   
• 1950 - 1960 - In the early 1950's, tattoos became popular with the criminal element, mostly outlaw bikers, social outcasts and the mentally ill.  It was during this time tattoos took on a more ominous reputation.
   
• 1960 - 1990 - This was the age of "prison tats" where having a tattoo indicated to some people that you were a tough, ignorant, convicted felon.
   
• 1990-2008 - Today we see hordes of low-class young people drawing on themselves with free abandon, (almost 30% of people in the 1980's).  These people do not understand that a tattoo may effectively prohibit them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their other qualifications.

Today, a prejudice still exists within corporate America about tattoos, especially since there is a clear and direct correlation between income, education and the percentage of those populations who have tattoos.  It's no surprise that tattoos are more popular among the poor and under educated.

Don't kid yourself about the importance of hiding or removing tattoos.  If you look at middle management and above in any of the Fortune 50 companies, you will hard pressed to find managers that have tattoos, hidden or otherwise.