Tattooing in the United States started in the late 1890s, but was frowned upon. It was something that illiterate, vulgar people would do, and most of the time, they were shunned from the socialites, according to The Tattoo Museum.

Many people who had tattoos were in the army. Between sailors and soldiers, the Civil War and World War I started the progression of traditional style tattoos. Most of the tattoos were representations of their sweethearts so they had a keepsake during war, but the men covered the tattoos in order to join the military.

As time progressed, tattoos have become more socially acceptable —to an extent. A 2002 National Geographic article, “Tattoos — From Taboo to Mainstream,” cited that tattoos were not only for “rowdy sailors or prisoners” anymore, but normal people.

From the article Erin Fauble from the Alliance of Professional Tattooists, “It’s not specific to one group of people; it’s everybody now. You see a lot of celebrities, rock stars, athletes with tattoos — and that kind of media really can drive our society.”

Although tattoos have become more acceptable in daily society, they are not always accepted in the workplace. The art adorning your body could potentially hinder your chance of getting your dream career.

According to Statistics Brain, a recent poll shows that 36 percent of 18 to 25 year olds have a tattoo. That has increased by 23 percent from 2002, which shows young adults are especially more apt to getting a tattoo these days.

The dilemma with our generation getting tattoos before finding a career is that they may be judged on their appearance and not their work ethic when going to an interview. As someone who has a tattoo and plans to have more, I personally plan to wait until I find my career to get a tattoo that cannot be covered easily.

Your body art does not define your work ethic, and most employers should not be allowed to tell you that it does. In some circumstances, like if you were an elementary teacher or working at a nursing home, I can understand why an employer may not want you to have a large, offensive tattoo. But if the piece is not offensive or derogatory in any way, then you should not be judged for your appearance.

Although tattoos and body art in general tends to be a touchy subject in some places of employment, it should be a celebrated art form. It should not be viewed as vulgar and should not hinder your employment chances.

As our generation continues to become a part of the working force, I believe that tattoos will be more widely accepted. But until then, we must be smart about what we get and where we get it because you never know how your tattoo could affect your chances at a job.