Tattoos and taboos

Haha I have a friend who did that. He has a portrait of Roseanne Barr on his left buttcheek. Luckily he's pretty serious about the "no regrets" mantra...

Yeah. I'm doin it. I'll get one before the start of the KWEST trip. I'm thinking 3rd week of Aug. I've got enough time so, I'm not actively on the lookout for artists. I still haven't yet finalized the design

Since you plan to get it done earlier, I'll probably get your feedback on which artist is good

Few things to think about...a lot of good artists have waits to get appointments, some are much longer than others. The guy who did my tattoos has an 18 month wait. Some don't even take on new clients without referrals or getting to do a very large custom piece.

Secondly you wont want to do it immediately before KWEST. The healing process is not the most comfortable thing and if you are being active it could be annoying. Also you dont want to get any sun on it at this stage so you unless you want to wear long sleeves everyday and deal with the discomfort I would wait. Oh yeah and you have to keep it sealed in and lubricated so pretty much will be constantly be applying lotion/AD ointment.

Holy ***t, 18 months!?!?

I don't know much about tattoos. But my friend has one - a 15cm X 10cm dragon on his arm. I think his wound healed in about 2 weeks.

He got it done in Thailand almost without any waiting period. Things may be different in U.S or the artist he got it done from might not be as famous as the one you're talking about. But his work is FANTASTIC though

Careful about tattoos overseas since in some countries the health standards are minimal...not worth the risk. Outside of Japan I dont think I would be getting tattooed in Asia, unless it was a shop that I researched heavily. There are definitely good artists you can get a tattoo from with no wait or almost no wait...but in the end its worth waiting for the right person to do it. Its not something that you can easily get rid of.

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I'm getting my masters at Cornell right now, and this semester I have seen a lot of Sage Hall because of a program I'm involved in. Taboos...smoking, unless you're Asian. I've seen a two girls with lower back tattoos, but they were only on public display by accident when they bent over. And to be honest with you, both girls were of the crunchy variety. I spend many hours at the johnson school, and I rarely see a visible tattoo, although I'm sure they exist. Nevertheless, if you go to a small school like Cornell/Johnson and you are engaged in something that is considered "taboo", everyone will know eventually This was the hardest part about the small town/small class thing that I had to deal with.

Visible tattoos will make you standout at any program...I know lots of people with them but most have one or two small ones that you dont ever see when they are in t-shirts. Our generation is becoming much more accepting but honestly MBA types are probably overly conservative and most are very career focused so wouldnt dream of getting loads of tattoos out of fear of what it may do, even if they would love to get them. Maybe in 20 years it wont be shocking to see more people with them but right now the people making hiring decisions are a from a generation where tattoos were for sailors, soldiers, bikers, and criminals. Getting a tattoo is a huge commitment, even more so when they drop below your elbow...and multiply that commitment every inch closer to your hands or neckline you get.

That said there are industries where tattoos wont hurt you and may infact be a benefit. If you are going into a creative area like advertising you can get away with 1000x more than you ever could at goldman.

Does anyone know the unspoken rules about guys with earrings? I have small studs in both ears and I don't mind taking them out for things like interviews, but taking them out everyday for class can become a bit tedious.

tattoos are perfectly acceptable for professionals as long as your chosen profession is basketball, football or baseball player (as long as your boss isn't George Steinbrenner).

The only tattoos that are a no go are "prison tattoos" -- you know, anything on the extremities (hands, knuckles, feet and toes, tribal face tattoos, teardrop on the cheek, gang signs). Also, if you've got grills, I'd keep them at home too.

If you're concerned about post-MBA work -- keep in mind that the dress code at most places is business casual or suits -- where no one is going to see a dragon on your arms (or even forearms unless you want to wear short sleeved collared shirts which is even more of a fashion faux pas at work), or the Nativity scene on your entire back. Your clothing will cover all the most likely places you'll get a tattoo.

And if you are working at an office where you're allowed to wear shorts and t-shirts, then it's not the kind of place that will care what kinds of tattoos you have -- unless they are swastikas or gang acronyms.

And your MBA classmates for the most part won't really care unless you are inked in gang affiliations.

Hard to say how it works from one school to the next (or even one year to the next) -- but when I was in school, those who had tats and displayed them, wore earrings, were 420 friendly, dyed their hair pink, kept a Taliban beard, etc. did it as a badge of honor so to speak - it was a sign that "I'm not interested in traditional careers" or "I've already had a job lined up." Actually, the 420 friendly crowd when I was in school tended to be the Euros and west coasters anyhow who were going to jobs where there was no drug testing.

I interned with a girl who had a full back tattoo but never had any problems due to it. As long as it is discrete and you can show that you are worth more than some ink on your body, you should be fine.

I have 3 tats on my body. Got them done in Malaysia, and 2 of my friends got their tats from Thailand. I don't know why would you generalize your statement, but personally I can vouch for these artists that they take exceptional care of their clients' health. As is obvious, this care comes at a price. The tattoo markets in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya are quite mature. Prices are lower than US / Western EU, may be because of minimum wage thing and how it affects the entire price ecosystem; but the professionalism is thoroughly maintained. At many places you'd even be given counseling before you sign the pact.
Further, if one is going for a piece of art, specially when the canvas is one's precious skin, I'd ask him/her to do proper research about the selected artist, tat design and the reason - 'why you want this tattoo?'. If price is an issue, then probably you'd want to postpone until you've saved enough or compromise on artist/design.
my 2 cents.

Re: Tattoos

I think you just need to understand your environment and use some common sense. I have many tattoos and have learned to read situations to determine if it's appropriate to let them breathe. I have been working at a major a corporation for over 4 years and generally keep them covered up, which hasn't limited my comfort or personal style in any way.

I'm a woman, so there are even more issues with respect to my appearance: skirt lengths, cut of the neckline, and overal tightness of clothing. In fact I just nixed a skirt this morning since it was too tight for my comfort zone in an office dominated by men.

The bottom line is that professional dress is intended to keep your appearance from being distracting in any way. That includes ill-fitting, mismatched, and worn clothing, and, depending on the context, tattoos. You want people to focus on what you're saying, not what you're wearing.

On the same token, your demeanor, professionalism, and good work will stand out more than a few lines of ink on your skin. Use good judgment, then don't worry too much about it.

I consider that if to close tattoos clothes, they can't prevent work in any way. If you are afraid, it is better not to show them simply.