Interview #1
Me: Do you have a tattoo? If so describe it. Where is it located? Meaningful or
elaborate/artistic?
‘Description’
Interviewee 1: Yes I do. My tattoo is on my right shoulder blade it is a tattoo of 3 birds on a
tree branch with my sister’s nickname, Bella written on it. It does have personal meaning to
me. My sister and I have a Bob Marley joke that’s why I have the three birds. My sister’s
name is a representation of our family. A branch so that in the future I can make it into more
of a family tree one day and add more names.
Me: What influenced you to get this tattoo? Why did you pick right shoulder blade?
‘Covering’
Placement
Interviewee 1: This was quite the process. I went through so many different potential places
for it. I talked to so many different people where I should get it. I wanted in a place I could
easily conceal for a working environment. I also could easily display in an appropriate
setting, like working out, or swimming or at the beach in the summer or casually in a tank top
I could just as easily conceal it as I can display it. The right shoulder blade was easiest to put
a jacket on in the workplace or taking it off if I want my tattoo to show.
Me: What is people’s first reaction when you tell them you have a tattoo? What if someone
tells you that they have a tattoo (what is your reaction now that you have one)? Do you
believe that your reaction changes based on placement? Size?
‘Must have
Meaning’
‘Artistic design’
Meaning
‘Tramp-stamp”
Placement
Interviewee 1: That ranges a lot because people don’t realize I have it (I just got it in
December) so until they get to know me then they find out I have a tattoo later it really
startles a lot of people. They originally weren’t expecting that from me which goes to show
tattoos have a certain stigma attached to them. Apparently my personality doesn’t match the
stigma. Most of my immediate friends were surprised when I told them. Some of them were
like “oh that kind of makes sense” again that must mean there is a stigma to have one a tattoo
that it can be startling to have one so. I get mixed reactions from people. My friend, S, who is
one of my closets friends, is very very very against tattoos. Other people are like tattoos are
fine as long as it has meaning and is not something random. Other people say good for you it
is a way to express yourself regardless of what you get. Definitely a mixed crowd. Now that I
have a tattoo, I am interested to know if there is a personal story behind it (someone else’s
tattoo) or if not why they chose to get what they did. Is it an artistic design, did they design it
themselves or did someone else design it. Just what does it mean to them because it is
something permanent you are putting on your body forever so why. Yes certain places on the
body have a certain stigma to them. For example, the whole tramp stamp concept. Things like
that is unfortunate because it would be convenient to conceal it as well as showing it off. That
was another thing I considered carefully was where I should get it and how big I want it.
Certain areas are tied to certain meanings and bigger tattoos are harder to conceal. I have had
people question or heard people questioning that people who want to enter the workforce
with a really big tattoos (in places not well seen) it doesn’t seem to be as much of a road
block. People with elaborate tattoos there tends to be negative feedback for that.
Interviewee 1: Absolutely. That was something I considered carefully. You can see men
getting sleeves more often and men can do that because they can easily cover it as long as
the tattoo doesn’t creep on to their faces or neck then no one would no. Unlike women. I
worked in a professional environment where I had to wear a dress and it shows that women
seem to have a lot more skin exposed at work and so that was huge. It narrowed down
where I would get my tattoo because tattoos should be covered in professional situations.
Unless, you are in an artistic professional situation, like a dancer or performer or even
tattoo artist, where a profession allows for artistic expression but I don’t know if I feel
comfortable to a doctor and be operated on if he or she had a tattoo on his face.
‘covering’
Me: Do your close friends have tattoos? Do your family members? How did your
immediate family and extended family react when you told them you got a tattoo?
Interviewee 1: Uh no. My parents. My dad was supportive and my mom is completely
against it. She is still adjusting to the idea that I have one. My sister already has one and
plans to have three others. My uncle has a tattoo. My cousin, J, who is a few years older
than me has a few tattoos. I was not the first to get a tattoo, J was. Their raw reaction
happened to her. They almost kind of expected it because she fits into the category of
someone who would have a tattoo. So it didn’t invoke too much reaction. When my uncle
got his, my grandparents were wondering. He got his in is mid 40s so a lot of people have
this vision that tattoos happen when you are young and rebellious age phase and then have a
middle age man get it done was a shock and this shock definitely surprised my family. And
then when I got it, they recovered from the previous tattoos and viewed mine not as bad.
Support
‘Dad support’
‘Mom against’
Placement
Me: Do you believe in the workforce that is harder for females to get away with having
easily displayed tattoos than a male with the same easily displayed tattoo because he can
conceal it with a dress shirt?
‘Older judge’
Me: Do you believe that other people judge you for having a tattoo? Do older adults judge
you more than people your own age?
‘Older judge’
‘Young accept’
Gen.
Interviewee 1: Absolutely. When you tell people you have a tattoo for the first time
everyone has a thought about it. Some people are like “wow well done” while others want
to know the story behind it and then decided whether they are going to judge. Some people
are so against it like my previous mentioned friend. Something I knew when I got a tattoo
that I was opening myself up to judgment. Some that are very religious are very against it.
Those people believe that you don’t need to taint your body with ink because that’s not
what God gave you. People think tattoos are really unprofessional and that it’s a phase that
people do because they don’t have future thoughts. I know that these are all things people
think when they look at it but they also see art, meaning, and I knew that going in and I
have experienced all those wide ranges of reactions and I was little adamant about what
older me would think then I realized that 1. No and 2. Even if I do, I might regret the design
but I can’t look that far ahead because I do not know who I am going to be in fifty years. I
will not regret ever getting it. I look at it as a photo in a photo album. It is a moment in my
life that that was right. Kind of a mixed bag. First off, everyone has an opinion regardless of
their age and people my age are more open to it and a lot of people my age have tattoos.
When you look at my great grandmother and grandmother, not that I know many people
that age with a tattoo, but I know that if people their age got a tattoos when they were
young it would have had a bigger stigma. Whereas now a days tattoos on people my age the
older generation is more accepting because it’s a current thing. If they had done it, it would
‘Young accept’
‘Older judge’
Gen.
have caused a lot of problems. But this is the time where is this is the thing and it is
becoming more accepting.
Me: Do you believe there is a shift in our generation that is more accepting to having a
tattoo?
Interviewee 1: Acceptance for tattoos has grown. Like I said my great grandparents and
grandparents generation in their contemporary time saw people with tattoos and
automatically thought of it as a negative thing. Where now a days people have tattoos and its
more accepting. There are people still against tattoos and I don’t know if it is going to
change but I do think that tattoos have a sort of artsy aspect to them and it will always be
discussed and that’s what makes it an art itself.
‘Description’
Interview #2:
Me: Do you have a tattoo? If so describe it. Where is it located? Is it meaningful or
elaborate?
‘Mom support’
Support
Interviewee 2: I have two tattoos, one on my hipbone, which is a turtle that I got in May. It is
actually a logo for a sea turtle conservancy located down in Florida. I got it because I want
to major in biology and do marine biology in order to work with sea creatures because they
need more help than people realize. The second tattoo is on my ribcage. It is a little bigger
and more elaborate than the sea turtle. I got it for similar reasons to the turtle but it also has
other meaning. They represent the act of staying on course and moving forward, not letting
drama and distractions sway you from your journey.
Me: What influenced you to get your tattoos?
Interviewee 2: No particular influence. I have always wanted them but didn’t have the balls
really to ask my parents. My older brother got one, so then I felt I did. I didn’t get my first
tattoo till I turned 18. My mom went with me to get it done and she ended up getting one
done on her foot.
‘Tramp-stamp’
‘covering”
Interviewee 2: People are genuinely surprised when they find out that I have them. They
always ask to see them. I react similarly if I find out people have them. I ask to see them and
explain why they got it. I definitely think reactions change depending on the size/placement
because tattoos can easily look cheap or trashy.
Placement
Me: What is people’s first reaction when you tell them you have a tattoo? What if someone
tells you that they have a tattoo ( and what is your reaction now that you have one)? Do you
believe that your reaction changes based on placement? Size?
Me: Do you believe in the workforce that is harder for females to get away with having
easily displayed tattoos than a male with the same easily displayed tattoo because he can
conceal it with a dress shirt?
‘Mom support’
‘Dad against’
Me: So location mattered to you when you decided to get your tattoos?
Interviewee 2: Absolutely. I wanted to know I could conceal mine at any point if needed.
Plus I don’t want them seen on my wedding day.
Me: Do your close friends have tattoos? Do your family members? How did your immediate
family and extended family react when you told them you got a tattoo?
‘Young accept’
‘Older judge
Gen.
Interviewee 2: None of my really close friends have tattoos, but all my friends like them and
think they suit my personality well. As I said before my brother has one on his arm, which
he got after completing boot camp. My mom got the same turtle with me but on her foot
because she thought it would be cute. My dad absolutely hates them. I didn’t tell him about
the turtle I got for two weeks and he didn’t talk to me for a few days when he found out. I
do not believe my extended family knows I even have them.
‘Young accept’
Me: Do you believe that other people judge you for having a tattoo? What about older
adults? Do older adults judge you more than people your own age?
Interviewee 2: I haven’t really received too much negativity on my tattoos. Most people
think they are really cool honestly. Adults also don’t really see them because of where they
are. I have shown my swim coach, who is an adult, and she thinks that they are cool. But
some people my own age have not liked them and told me straight up but I don’t care too
much what they think. Its my body.
‘Description’
Me: Do you believe there is a shift in our generation that is more accepting to having a
tattoo?
Interviewee 2: I definitely think there is a generation shift in acceptance of tattoos. When I
was younger I didn’t like them. I never thought in a million years I would get one and now
look at me I have two!
Interview #3
Support
Interviewee 2: I definitely think females get more heat for their tattoo placement and it must
be hard in the professional workplace. Some people think my turtle is in a “slutty” location
because it is on my hip bone but I have it their for specific reasons. One being that it only
shows if I’m wearing a bikini, which is when I would be working with marine life. Two
being that it can easily be concealed.
‘Description’
Me:Do you have a tattoo(s)? If so, please describe it (what it is, location, is it meaningful or
elaborate?).
‘Mom against’
‘Dad against’
Support
Interviewee 3: I have 2 tattoos. I have a small yellow rose bud on the right side of my chest
and a yellow rose with stem piercing a heart on my left shoulder. I don’t think either one are
really elaborate, but a little different due to the color of the rose (my favorite color rose, by
the way)
Me:What influenced you to get the tattoo?
‘Must have Meaning’
Meaning
Interviewee 3: I didn’t get my first tattoo until I was almost 40 years old. At the time, my
(now ex) husband were having troubles and I thought a tattoo would help “spice things up”.
The 2nd one was for me, I had gotten hooked…..still want more, but need to channel my
finances elsewhere at this stage in my life.
Me: Do any of your family members have tattoo? Do your family members and friends
know about your tattoo? If so, what was their reaction when you told them you had it? Do
they still approve of it today?
Interviewee 3: One of my nieces is the only other family member to have a tattoo. My
family and friends do know about my tattoos. My family (especially my parents), were not
pleased with my tattoo. (They even said “nice girls don’t get tattoos”) A lot of my friends
also have tattoos, so it’s not a big deal, though I think a few were surprised to find out I had
2.
Me:What is your initial reaction when someone tells you they have a tattoo? Has it changed
because you have a tattoo?
‘Young accept’
‘Older judge’
Interviewee 3: My initial reaction when I find out someone has a tattoo is “I want to see it !”
. I also want to know if it means anything to them .
Gen.
Me: Do you believe there is a negative stigma against those with tattoos? Do you believe
society has negative connotations surrounding tattoos?
Interviewee 3: There is definitely a negative stigma against tattoos….”women with tattoos
are trashy,…..men must be in a biker gang”, etc
Me: Do you believe others (either those your age or younger/older) judge you for having a
tattoo?
Interviewee 3: I don’t believe younger people judge me, and I don’t think most people my
age judge me, but I’m more inclined to believe those older than me judge slightly. The
‘Older judge’
popularity of tattoos has risen in the last 20 years or so, so those that are older than me, just
really didn’t get them unless they were in the service or a “motorcycle gang”.
Me:Do you believe there is a shift in generations that is more accepting to having a tattoo
(meaning: do you believe tattoos are more accepted in younger generations compared to
yours)?
Interviewee 3:Oh definitely !!
Me:Can you remember a time where someone explicitly did not approve of your tattoo? If
so, could you please explain?
Interviewee 3: Hahaha yes, actually, just this weekend. Went on a date (first date with this
man) and when he found out I had 2 tattoos (keep in mind, you can’t see them unless I have
on a bathing suit), he said it was a ‘deal breaker’. First time I’ve been told my tattoos were
a ‘deal breaker’.
Me: In terms of the work force, do you believe that is harder for females to get away with
having easily displayed tattoos than a male with the same easily displayed tattoo because
they can conceal it with a dress shirt?
Interviewee 3:I don’t think it makes much difference anymore, however, I still think
women need to try to keep their tattoos classy. No neck tattoos, for either sex, actually, not
classy. Even though I have 2 tattoos of my own, I still find myself “judging” women for
their visible tattoos, more specifically, tribal armbands, large tattoos on their chest, that
kind of thing. Keep it classy !
Interview #4
Interviewee 4 is 21 years old.
Me: How many tattoos do you have?
Interviewee 4: “Three.”
Me: “And where are they located?”
Interviewee 4: “I have one across the top of my foot, and then I have one on my left
shoulder that goes down to my side rib cage, and I have another one on my right shoulder.”
Me: “At what ages did you get your tattoos?”
Interviewee 4: “I got one on my foot when I was 14, the big one on my left shoulder and my
right shoulder when I was 17, and the one on my right shoulder when I was 18.”
‘Tramp-stamp’
Interviewee 4: “I told my mom when I got my foot one and I told her because I had ugly feet
and I wanted to make them look at least halfway decent. And I had mentioned that I was going
to get the big one, but I ended up getting it and then showing it to her after. And I was telling
people around the time when I was getting my third one, so more people new about that one.
Placement
Me: “And so did you tell anyone before you got your tattoos that you were going to get them?”
Me “So how did they respond when you told them?”
Interviewee 4: “The only negative response I got was from my boyfriend when I was getting
my third one on my shoulder. I had another friend Omar who was really cool about it and
actually went with me to get his own tattoo at the same time. But everyone else thought it was
really cool and really supportive.”
‘Description’
Me: “So do your close friends, family members, or others close to you have tattoos?”
Interviewee 4: “ Yes, my sister just got her first tattoo. It’s two elephants just on her foot, my
cousin has an elephant on her side. I’m supposed to be getting an elephant soon because the
elephant represents my nana on my Dad’s side of the family.
‘Description’
Me: “So what is typically someone’s reaction when you tell them you have a tattoo or when
they see them?”
Interviewee 4: “Well when I tell them I have tattoos, I feel like their kind of surprised, mostly
bc they’re all hidden by clothes unless I’m wearing flip flops or in a bathing suit or a shirt that
shows off my shoulders. Then they’re really intrigued by them, and ask me what they
mean.Especially the one on my back that’s in Arabic. They ask, ‘Can I read your tattoo?’ So,
just more an intrigued response from that.
‘Mom support’
Support
Me: “ When someone tells you that they have a tattoo what is typically your reaction? Does
that change based on size or placement?”
Interviewee 4: “When someone tells me they have a tattoo, I’m always intrigued as well, and
I’m always like, ‘Oh what do you have?’ Because tattoos are a choice and they’re kind of
painful and not all people have them, so it’s kind of cool to see what people come up with,
because I believe tattoos are your designs and it’s your body that you can do what you want
with. So it’s interesting to see how people see their body as a canvas and what they want to put
on it.”
‘Young judge’
‘Young accept’
Gen.
Me: “Have you ever been judged by another person on your tattoo?”
Interviewee 4: “Yes of course.”
Me: “Can you tell me more about a time when that happened?”
Interviewee 4: “I get a lot of ‘Well what do your tattoos mean?’ My first two, I have stars on
my feet and then my left shoulder I have starts that come down to a flower on the side. And I
tell them, well that doesn’t mean anything, and I get the ‘How could you look.’ They tell me
how could you put something on your body that doesn’t mean anything? And I respond with,
‘I don’t have to.’ As I said, you know, my body is my canvas, so I wanted to design it. And
some tattoos mean things and others don’t have to, I feel like. So my third tattoo is my
Arabic one, and I always thought Arabic was beautiful and I wanted to coincide with my
other tattoos, and my other tattoos being designs, I wanted a language that was beautiful and
more of a design. So I got it in Arabic, and I got a lot of crap from people asking if I was
Arabic. I well no, I’m not, and they will judge me on that. It does bother me a little bit, but
then I realize it doesn’t matter, I don’t care what they think, it’s not theirs it’s mine.
Me: “With these experiences, do you receive more judgement from older adults, those your
own age or younger, or is it pretty much an even spread?”
“Artistic design’
Interviewee 4: “I feel like it’s an even spread in my experience. If they’re going to judge me
in a negative way, it could be anyone, it could be my peers or anyone.”
Me: “Do you think that there is a shift in the younger generation that is more accepting of
tattoos?”
‘Must have Meaning’
Interview #5
‘Artistic design’
Interviewee 5 is 21 years old
Me: How many tattoos do you have? and where are they located?”
Meaning
Interviewee 4: “I definitely think there’s a shift becoming more accepting of it. You see a lot
of younger people getting them. A lot of them are getting it later in life, but it is still an
intriguing thing. I feel like now if you see a tattoo it doesn’t have as bad of a connotation to
it. I feel like in the past, tattoos were related to being in jail or doing drugs and everything,
but I feel like now you see them on all different types of people, not just one specific group
of people. I think it’s going towards a more accepting, and becoming just part of a human
culture rather than a specific group of people.
Interviewee 5: “ Five. I have two on my wrists, one on hip, one on arm, and one on the back
of my shoulder.”
Me: “At what ages did you get your tattoos?”
‘Young accept”
Gen.
Interviewee 5: “I got my first when I was 18. Then I got one every year after that so 19, 20,
and 21.”
Me: “And so did you tell anyone before you got your tattoos that you were going to get
them?”
Interviewee 5: “Umm yeah, not really. I told whoever was going with me. And I told people
that I was thinking about it. I did not tell my parents! They are very conservative and do not
approve. Most people were friends so they were like yeah thats really cool, hope it goes
well.”
Me: “So do your close friends, family members, or others close to you have tattoos?”
Interviewee 5: “ Yes. My sister has three tattoos, and a lot of my friends have tattoos.”
‘Description’
Me: “So what is typically someone’s reaction when you tell them you have a tattoo or when
they see them?”
Interviewee 5: “They usually want to know what it is, the meaning, and why I got it. There’s
always a lot of questions.”
Me: “ When someone tells you that they have a tattoo what is typically your reaction? Does
that change based on size or placement?”
Me: “Have you ever been judged by another person on your tattoo?”
Interviewee 5: “Oh yeah! I had quite an experience at an airport in customs. I was leaving
Greece to come back to the U.S, and customs randomly selected to search me twice
throughout the process. So they go through all of my stuff again, and do a body check. At the
end of the search, they said you have a really beautiful tattoo but it’s the reason we had to
pull you out of line. I immediately was shocked. The tattoo she was referring to was the one
on my shoulder because it’s in Arabic. I didn’t feel like the language was interpreted
Support
Interviewee 5: “I just go oh cool what is it? Let me see. I always curious about people’s
tattoos and think they are all unique. But tattoos like neck and hand tattoos really bother me.
I don’t think they look good, and they are still associated with bad behavior to me.”
‘Mom against’
‘Dad against’
appropriately. I put this on my body because it is a beautiful language, and I don’t think it’s
fair to use it as the sole reason to double search me.”
Me: “Wow, have you had experiences with your other tattoos?”
Me: “With these experiences, do you receive more judgement from older adults, those your
own age or younger, or is it pretty much an even spread?”
‘Must have Meaning’
‘Artistic design’
Me: “Do you think that there is a shift in the younger generation that is more accepting of
tattoos?”
Interviewee 5: “I absolutely think that. It’s normal and people our age, so early/mid 20’s,
aren’t going to be surprised by it, where the older generation thinks it’s still this sketchy,
scandalous thing.”
‘Must have Meaning’
Meaning
Interviewee 5: “Older adults. My parents and people the age of my parents definitely verbally
express that they don’t approve. I also work as a waitress, and because not all of my tattoos
are able to be hidden, I typically see older people staring at them more than younger people.
‘Tramp-stamp’
Placement
Interviewee 5: “I feel judged all the time, so don’t even think about it anymore. I have a quote
of a country song and the Browning symbol on my body, so people assume that I an ‘redneck’
and don’t understand. I have an arrow on my forearm and when people ask me what it means,
and I respond with nothing, they always just say ‘oh that’s nice, and awkwardly smile.’”
Interview #6
‘Older judge’
Interviewee 6 is 29 years old.
Me: How many tattoos do you have? and where are they located?”
Me: “At what age did you get your tattoo?”
Interviewee 6: “I got this tattoo with my brother when I was 25.”
‘Young accept’
‘Older judge’
Gen.
Interviewee 6: “I have one tattoo on my shoulder. It is a design of a bear scratch.”
Me: “And so did you tell anyone before you got your tattoos that you were going to get
them?”
Interviewee 6: “No. As I said I got this with my brother, so obviously he knew. We were
visiting a friend in California at the time, so we had to tell him so he could give us a ride to
the get them done.”
‘Description’
Me: “So do your close friends, family members, or others close to you have tattoos?”
Interviewee 6: “ Only two of my close friends. My Mom didn’t care that I got a tattoo, but
my Dad has repeatedly expressed how dumb he thinks it was.”
Me: “So what is typically someone’s reaction when you tell them you have a tattoo or when
they see them?”
Interviewee 6: “They usually want to know what it is, the meaning, and why I got it.
There’s always a lot of questions.”
Me: “ When someone tells you that they have a tattoo what is typically your reaction?
Does that change based on size or placement?”
‘Dad against’
Support
‘Must have Meaning’
Meaning
Interviewee 6: “I usually say cool. If they have a tattoo on their lower back I automatically
think they have a tramp stamp. I also don’t like it when people have hand, finger, and face
tattoos. I automatically think they’re dumb because it will affect them getting a job.”
Me: “Have you ever been judged by another person on your tattoo?”
Interviewee 6: “Yeah all the time! Every time I tell people, their initial reaction is cool,
then they start to ask questions. Once I tell them what it means, or rather what it doesn’t
mean, they usually make fun of it or just seem like they don’t care anymore.”
Me: “Do you think that there is a shift in the younger generation that is more accepting of
tattoos?”
Interviewee 6: “Yes. I still think that it can affect people when getting a job, because there
are still a lot of people in power from my parent’s generation. But when the college
age/younger generation are in power, it won’t matter as much, so yes.”
‘Must have Meaning’
Interview #7
Placement
‘Tramp-stamp”
‘Covering’
Meaning
Me: Do you have a tattoo(s)? If so, please describe it (what it is, location, is it meaningful or
elaborate?).
‘Young accept’
‘Old judge’
Gen.
Interviewee 7:I have several tattoos. My left arm and left chest is covered from my wrist to
the center of my chest. It’s somewhat detailed and elaborate. It has references to New York
City (my home) and music that I enjoy. It’s meaningful to me because I would get homesick
and listen to music a lot while I was in the service and traveling to all of these different
countries. The thoughts of home and the comfort of music gave me peace.
Me: What influenced you to get the tattoo?
Interviewee 7: My first tattoo was sort of a tribute to my best friend who passed away while
we were both in the service; it was a symbol of a music group we both enjoyed, everything
else just sort of spread on from there. Tattoos can be addictive.
Me: Do any of your family members have tattoo? Do your family members and friends know
about your tattoo? If so, what was their reaction when you told them you had it? Do they still
approve of it today?
‘Description’
Interviewee 7: No one else in my family has tattoos. My dad doesn’t really mind them. But
when I talk about the possibility of getting more he said don’t because then it would be too
much. My dad’s a smart guy and he might be right. My mother hates them. It’s pretty funny.
She can’t even look at them. My younger sister and brother of course think they’re cool.
Me:What is your initial reaction when someone tells you they have a tattoo? Has it changed
because you have a tattoo?
Me:Do you believe there is a negative stigma against those with tattoos? Do you believe
society has negative connotations surrounding tattoos? Please explain.
Interviewee 7: I think that society is starting to become very accepting of a lot of things now
at a very rapid pace. Social issues of the last presidential election that were taboo now are not
even spoken of as issues anymore. People with disabilities are becoming widely accepted and
understood now. Mental illness and sexual orientation are also starting to see equality. As far
as tattoos go, socially, I do not think there is a negative stigma. But that’s socially. In places
of business I can tell you from personal experience that outside of the military most
employers have a very unfair stigma towards people with “body art”. And I honestly
somewhat agree with them to a certain extent. People go to extremes, tattoos on the neck,
‘Mom against’
Support
Interviewee 7: My honest initial reaction for them is pity. Before I had a tattoo I used to think
that they were so cool. I thought it would be so cool to have one. However, when I first got
one I felt that I sort of became an instant statistic because I did have one. Nowadays more
people have them then don’t have them. If someone comes to me contemplating getting their
first tattoo I honestly try to deter them from it. I regret every single one of my tattoos.
Someone once told me if you really want a tattoo, get it after you’re 30 that way you wont
regret it. That guy was 100% right.
face or hands in my opinion are absurd. Those locations are always visible to others and
make the tattoos impersonal to me. It’s an advertisement rather than a personal necessity or
sense of self expression.
Me:Do you believe others (either those your age or younger/older) judge you for having a
tattoo?
‘Young accept’
Interviewee 7: Absolutely, we live in a very superficial world now where within 5 seconds
we can have an instant idea of who someone is. I have personally experienced this after
someone seeing my arm.
Me: Do you believe there is a shift in generations that is more accepting to having a tattoo
(meaning: do you believe tattoos are more accepted in younger generations)?
Gen.
Interviewee 7:Well I think as far as generations go anything that is broadly used and fairly
“new” is accepted by younger generations. In previous generations tattoos were mainly
used for sailors and prisoners. It wasn’t used as a form of art as it is today. Younger
generations always want to stand out. In the 50’s it was poodle skirts, the 70’s it was
bellbottoms, and today its tattoos. Don’t even get me started on hipsters or skinny jeans.
Yuck.
Me:Can you remember a time where someone explicitly did not approve of your tattoo? If
so, could you please explain?
‘Young accept’
Interviewee 7: When I left the military, my first job was being a bartender at a sports bar
here in Miami. My boss made me wear a compression sleeve to hide my tattoos. He said it
was company policy. I didn’t mind as long as I was working but people would ask me as to
why I had to wear it because they didn’t mind it. Every employee that had ink had to wear
one and we all thought it was ridiculous.
Me: In terms of the work force, do you believe that is harder for females to get away with
having easily displayed tattoos than a male with the same easily displayed tattoo because
they can conceal it with a dress shirt or uniform?
Interview #8
‘Covering’
Placement
Interviewee 7: I actually believe it is easier for females to get away with tattoos then men.
A lot of females have subtle tattoos behind the ear or the back of the neck or something of
that nature. As long as their pretty and carry themselves well they will get work. If men
have these same tattoos in the same locations I can guarantee that they will not get work.
And that’s talking about tattoos that are not concealable. I’m actually starting to think that
women are replacing men in a lot of areas, and in the future things will get harder for men.
But that’s for another research study.
‘Covering’
Interviewee 8 is 25 years old
Me: “How many tattoos do you have? Located? Description?
Interviewee 8: “3, one on my back, one on my arm, and one on my chest.”
Me: “What ages did you get them?”
‘Description’
Interviewee 8: “I got my first when I was 18. And got my others when I was 22, 23.”
Me: “Did you tell anyone before you got the tattoo? If so who? How did they respond?”
Interviewee 8: “I told my friends but not really anyone else. They told me that as long as it
means something then that was cool.”
Me: “Do your close friends have tattoos? Do your family members? ”
Interviewee 8: “Yeah some of them. But my family members don’t.
Me: “How did your immediate family and extended family react when you told them you got
a tattoo?”
Interviewee 8: “Umm they said do whatever you want as long as it’s not offensive to
anyone.”
Me: “What is typically people’s first reaction when you tell them you have a tattoo? What if
someone tells you that they have a tattoo?
‘Must have Meaning’
Me:“Do you believe that your reaction changes based on placement? Size?”
Interviewee 8: “Not size maybe placement. Their face or on their private parts. I personally
don’t see anything wrong with a tramp stamp, but it’s unavoidable so I wouldn’t ever suggest
getting it.”
‘Must have Meaning’
Meaning
Interviewee 8: “They’re like oh cool, what is it, and what does it mean? If they tell me I ask
how come you got it?
‘Older judge’
‘Must have meaning’
Me: “Do you believe there is a shift in our generation that is more accepting to having a
tattoo?”
Interviewee 8: “Yes. I think our generation are more accepting of a lot of things like what
you believe in, how you present yourself, what you do, and tattoos in general.”
Gen. Meaning
Interviewee 8: “One of my friends just thought that tattoos were trashy and they told me
that to my face. I told them my belief that tattoos are personal and serve a different purpose
to each person. And I think older adults. Umm in my experience they tend to be more
conservative, but I think younger people are more accepting of it, because they know more
people that have tattoos. I get judgement on my fraternity tattoo from older people a lot
because they tell me that I won’t want that later in life. But my brothers have been there for
me and helped me through many milestones in my life, and that is something that will
always be a part of me.”
‘Tramp-stamp’
Placement
Me: “Can you tell me about a time (if any) where you have been judged by another person
on your tattoo. Do you receive more judgement from older adults, those your own age, or
an even spread?”
‘Young accept”
Gen.