Editing Article Page
Title
Content
<div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/tattoos.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Could a Tattoo Cost You a Job?' data-article-id='409'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='10208'>In the 1960s U.S., a tattoo was usually a sign of anti-social or illegal activity. </span> <span data-start-time='10208' data-end-time='12500'>Few people had them. </span> <span data-start-time='12500' data-end-time='24646'>Today, at least one in five Americans has a tattoo, including sports stars, actors and young professionals.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='24646' data-end-time='30021'>But some people say tattoos still have no place at work. </span> <span data-start-time='30021' data-end-time='36417'>Many well-known companies have “no visible tattoo” policies.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='36417' data-end-time='42083'>However, some industries are not so strict when it comes to tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='42083' data-end-time='47979'>And some are changing to reflect a more “tat-friendly” culture.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='47979' data-end-time='66042'>During any workday commute in Washington, D.C., you will see people dressed in different kinds of business clothes -- suits, brown khaki pants and collared shirts, modest dresses and skirts. </span> <span data-start-time='66042' data-end-time='74000'>D.C. has a large government workforce along with many politicians and lawyers.</span> <span data-start-time='74000' data-end-time='80417'>As a result, most people dress in a conservative way.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='80417' data-end-time='86208'>On a crowded subway train one morning, a young woman stands out. </span> <span data-start-time='86208' data-end-time='89667'>She is wearing shorts and a tank top.</span> <span data-start-time='89667' data-end-time='96250'>However, it is not her clothes that make her look different from her fellow commuters. </span> <span data-start-time='96250' data-end-time='98271'>It’s her arm.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='98271' data-end-time='108208'>She has a large, brightly colored tattoo of a beautiful woman with long dark hair, wearing a red scarf and jewels. </span> <span data-start-time='108208' data-end-time='112729'>The tattoo covers the top of her left arm.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='112729' data-end-time='115667'>Her name is Erin DeRosa. </span> <span data-start-time='115667' data-end-time='118917'>She is a 26-year-old hair stylist.</span> <span data-start-time='118917' data-end-time='126729'>Ms. DeRosa says her college friends warned her to not get such large tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='126729' data-end-time='135271'>They told her the tattoos -- or “tats” for short -- would make it hard for her to get a job.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='135271' data-end-time='137896'>Not so, says Ms. DeRosa. </span> <span data-start-time='137896' data-end-time='145875'>She says the hair industry puts importance on creativity and individuality.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='145875' data-end-time='151250'>So, showing her tattoos actually helps her career. </span> <span data-start-time='151250' data-end-time='158688'>She says that her clients do not get “freaked out” or are not upset by her tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='158688' data-end-time='171354'>She says that her salon is a modern one, suggesting that perhaps in a more conservative salon, customers might be freaked out by her tattoos.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='171354' data-end-time='174896'>Her mother, however, is a different story. </span> <span data-start-time='174896' data-end-time='178271'>Her mother does not like tattoos.</span> <span data-start-time='178271' data-end-time='186438'>Ms. DeRosa says when her mom came to DC for a visit she had to wear long sleeves the entire time.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='186438' data-end-time='193354'>Erin DeRosa belongs to a creative industry that accepts tattoos in the workplace. </span> <span data-start-time='193354' data-end-time='203688'>Fashion, graphic design and technology industries are also lax, or not strict, about workers having tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='203688' data-end-time='211646'>But industries such as medical and financial are more traditional about workers’ appearance.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='211646' data-end-time='219438'>These observations are from Natasha Olinger, a human resource, or hiring, specialist. </span> <span data-start-time='219438' data-end-time='226208'>Ms. Olinger has been an HR specialist in Washington, D.C. for the past decade.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='226208' data-end-time='236000'>“So, I think the ... the industries that are more lax now are the tech and creative industries. </span> <span data-start-time='236000' data-end-time='244333'>But the ones that are still kind of strict are the medical professions, the legal professions and banks.”</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='244333' data-end-time='252396'>The stricter industries, explains Ms. Olinger, are mostly what she calls, “customer-facing.” </span> <span data-start-time='252396' data-end-time='259917'>People in medicine, law and finance must deal with the public face-to-face.</span> <span data-start-time='259917' data-end-time='269292'>If an employee represents a company, that company usually has a right to say how their employees should look. </span> </p><p><span data-start-time='269292' data-end-time='274375'>Many jobs in the technology industry are not customer-facing. </span> <span data-start-time='274375' data-end-time='280188'>They are back-end jobs and have little face-to-face time with customers. </span> <span data-start-time='280188' data-end-time='283646'>So, appearance is not as important.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='283646' data-end-time='291979'>The tech industry is where a woman named Melissa Thomas has worked for the past 20 years. </span> <span data-start-time='291979' data-end-time='298104'>Ms. Thomas is a 47-year-old self-employed technology expert. </span> <span data-start-time='298104' data-end-time='304146'>She mainly works with the federal government supporting its software needs.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='304146' data-end-time='312771'>Ms. Thomas got a small tattoo when she was in her 20s, even though her father opposed the idea. </span> <span data-start-time='312771' data-end-time='322083'>But when Ms. Thomas turned 40, she decided it was time to get the tattoos she has always wanted a lot of them.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='322083' data-end-time='329750'>Ms. Thomas explains she chose tattoo designs that are important to her in some way. </span> <span data-start-time='329750' data-end-time='333542'>She says she loves Japanese culture. </span> <span data-start-time='333542' data-end-time='341792'>So, one of her arms has a full sleeve of brightly colored Japanese-looking tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='341792' data-end-time='349750'>A bright blue fish swimming upstream shows determination, something in which she believes.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='349750' data-end-time='352729'>Ms. Thomas says she loves water. </span> <span data-start-time='352729' data-end-time='356583'>So, a waterfall flows down her arm. </span> <span data-start-time='356583' data-end-time='360521'>Washington, D.C. is known for cherry blossoms.</span> <span data-start-time='360521' data-end-time='367813'>So, she chose some cherry blossom tattoos to celebrate the city where her son was born.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='367813' data-end-time='370938'>Her other arm is a work-in-progress. </span> <span data-start-time='370938' data-end-time='378792'>She says the tattoos are incomplete because her favorite artist started taking drugs again.</span> <span data-start-time='378792' data-end-time='385208'>She did not want drugs connected to her body art so she stopped going to him. </span> <span data-start-time='385208' data-end-time='396250'>This is actually one of the common opinions people have about tattoos that the people who have them take drugs. </span> </p><p><span data-start-time='396250' data-end-time='404604'>Ms. Thomas was thoughtful, not only about the content, but also the location of her tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='404604' data-end-time='414688'>She explains that she stopped the tattoos at her wrists so she can hide them, all of them, when she needs to or wants to. </span> <span data-start-time='414688' data-end-time='423417'>Speaking at a crowded private swimming pool near Washington, D.C., Ms. Thomas shows her tattoos proudly.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='423417' data-end-time='430479'>“For me, because I respect my clients, there are situations where I call it buttoning down. </span> <span data-start-time='430479' data-end-time='437542'>For the professional part of it, I stopped at my wrists, knowing that I could button down and I’d be fine.”</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='437542' data-end-time='445500'>Ms. Thomas is realistic about the effect her tattoos can have on others and on her career. </span> <span data-start-time='445500' data-end-time='458229'>The word she uses is “nave,” or innocently unaware, to describe people with tattoos who think any work situation will accept their body art. </span> </p><p><span data-start-time='458229' data-end-time='482063'>“I think that’s somewhat nave, I do, because we’re still in a time where if you weren’t working at a tattoo shop, if you weren’t working in a salon, if maybe you were going for a job in the financial district or at one of our banking centers in this country you probably wouldn’t get the job if you had a t-shirt on and you were tattooed. </span> <span data-start-time='482063' data-end-time='490896'>Right? But you would get the job if you were dressed appropriate and you kept it (tattoos) to yourself.” </span> </p><p><span data-start-time='490896' data-end-time='498479'>In 2011, the career advice website, CareerBuilder.com, conducted a survey. </span> <span data-start-time='498479' data-end-time='507208'>They hired the company Harris Interactive to poll nearly 3,000 hiring managers across the U.S. </span> <span data-start-time='507208' data-end-time='514604'>These managers were asked to list the factors that kept them from promoting their employees.</span> <span data-start-time='514604' data-end-time='522563'>The top three were piercings, bad breath and visible tattoos.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='522563' data-end-time='533708'>As HR expert Natasha Olinger points out, employers do not have to care about an employee’s right to express oneself through body art.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='533708' data-end-time='540063'>“Yeah, so right now there is no federal law or anything against tattoo discrimination. </span> <span data-start-time='540063' data-end-time='551104'>It’s considered an employee’s First Amendment right to get one and an employer’s right to say, ‘Yeah, we don’t care about your self-expression.’ ”</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='551104' data-end-time='556750'>In other words, no U.S. law restricts someone from getting a tattoo. </span> <span data-start-time='556750' data-end-time='563667'>But no U.S. law requires a business to hire a person with a tattoo, either. </span> <span data-start-time='563667' data-end-time='569063'>So yes, having a tattoo may cost you a job.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='569063' data-end-time='578000'>On the other hand, deciding not to hire people with tattoos may increasingly cost employers workers. </span> <span data-start-time='578000' data-end-time='584229'>Surveys show that more and more young people have tattoos or, “ink.” </span> <span data-start-time='584229' data-end-time='598542'>In fact, according to the Pew Research Center, in the U.S. nearly four in ten Millennials, people aged 18 29, have at least one tattoo.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='598542' data-end-time='609979'>Ms. Olinger says employers are finding that if they want to attract young talent they may have to become more tolerant of tattoos.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='609979' data-end-time='625333'>“I think in general employers are realizing that it’s dangerous to value appearance over professional skill, especially with kind of the younger crowd of employees. </span> <span data-start-time='625333' data-end-time='631000'>And I think they are just getting more and more tolerant of tattoos, which I think, is a good thing.”</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='631000' data-end-time='643750'>Hiring people with tattoos may soon become an issue of staying relevant, or having a meaningful connection to the current way of doing things, says Ms. Olinger.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='643750' data-end-time='656521'>“Organizations across the board are finding that they need to embrace all forms of diversity including tattoos if they want to stay relevant.”</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='656521' data-end-time='661500'>There are some industries where tattoos have become the norm. </span> <span data-start-time='661500' data-end-time='668750'>It is difficult to find professional basketball players in the U.S. without tattoos. </span> <span data-start-time='668750' data-end-time='675188'>But in many other industries the appearance of the employee is important. </span> <span data-start-time='675188' data-end-time='681083'>Tattoos represent personal expression and individuality. </span> <span data-start-time='681083' data-end-time='688000'>This may not go along with the company’s image that the employees are to represent.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='688000' data-end-time='695583'>One organization that is not becoming more lax with tattoos is the U.S. military. </span> <span data-start-time='695583' data-end-time='699521'>Soldiers getting tattoos is quite common. </span> <span data-start-time='699521' data-end-time='709771'>But in 2014, the U.S. Army angered many of its young soldiers when it banned tattoos below the knee and elbow. </span> </p><p><span data-start-time='709771' data-end-time='715833'>The new policy also affected some young people who sought to join the Army. </span> <span data-start-time='715833' data-end-time='734021'>The U.S. Army Recruiting Command told VOA that since April 1, 2014 more than 3,100 people have been disqualified from entering the Army because of their tattoos.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='734021' data-end-time='743333'>On the other hand, in 2014 Starbucks announced that its employees could show their body art to a point. </span> <span data-start-time='743333' data-end-time='752063'>Employees are still not allowed to have tattoos on the neck and face, according to the company’s guidelines.</span> </p><p><span data-start-time='752063' data-end-time='753583'>I’m Anna Matteo.</span> <span data-start-time='753583' data-end-time='756042'>And I’m Mario Ritter.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/tattoo_image.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=2423 data-hint-location='675188' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/what_does_individuality_mean.m4a'>What does <strong>individuality</strong> mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='the quality that makes a person different'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/to_relocate.m4a'><span>to relocate</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/the_quality_that_makes_a_person_different.m4a'><span>the quality that makes a person different</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/innocent.m4a'><span>innocent</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/new_ideas.m4a'><span>new ideas</span></div></div></div><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=2424 data-hint-location='445500' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/what_does_relevant_mean.m4a'>What does <strong>relevant</strong> mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='having a meaningful connection to the current way of doing things'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/_having_a_meaningful_connection_to_the_current_way_of_doing_things.m4a'><span>having a meaningful connection to the current way of doing things</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/to_relocate.m4a'><span>to relocate</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/to_be_different.m4a'><span>to be different</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/new_ideas.m4a'><span>new ideas</span></div></div></div><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=2425 data-hint-location='158688' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/what_does_conservative_mean.m4a'>What does <strong>conservative</strong> mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='not liking or accepting changes or new ideas'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/to_relocate.m4a'><span>to relocate</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/to_be_different.m4a'><span>to be different</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/innocent.m4a'><span>innocent</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/not_liking_or_accepting_changes_or_new_ideas.m4a'><span>not liking or accepting changes or new ideas</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=2426 data-hint-location='734021' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/which_company_decided_to_let_its_employees_show_their_body_art_in_2014.m4a'>Which company decided to let its employees show their body art in 2014?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Starbucks'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/the_army.m4a'><span>the Army</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/nike.m4a'><span>Nike</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/starbucks.m4a'><span>Starbucks</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/facebook.m4a'><span>Facebook</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=2427 data-hint-location='193354' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/which_of_the_following_industries_is_not_lacks_when_it_comes_to_tattoos.m4a'>Which of the following industries is NOT lax when it comes to tattoos?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='financial'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/technology.m4a'><span>technology</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/financial.m4a'><span>financial</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/graphic_design.m4a'><span>graphic design</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/fashion.m4a'><span>fashion</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=2428 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/what_were_tattoos_usually_a_sign_of_in_the_1960s.m4a'>What were tattoos usually a sign of in the 1960s?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='illegal activity'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/professionalism.m4a'><span>professionalism</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/athleticism.m4a'><span>athleticism</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/military_duty.m4a'><span>military duty</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/illegal_activity.m4a'><span>illegal activity</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=2429 data-hint-location='244333' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/the_industries_that_are_still_strict_when_it_comes_to_tattoos_are_the__blank__industries.m4a'>The industries that are still strict when it comes to tattoos are the <span class='blank'>customer-facing</span> industries.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='customer-facing'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/customer_service.m4a'><span>customer service</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/customerfacing.m4a'><span>customer-facing</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/technology.m4a'><span>technology</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/backend.m4a'><span>back-end</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=2430 data-hint-location='186438' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/the__blank__industry_is_more_likely_to_accept_tattoos_in_the_workplace.m4a'>The <span class='blank'>creative</span> industry is more likely to accept tattoos in the workplace.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='creative'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/education.m4a'><span>education</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/medical.m4a'><span>medical</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/creative.m4a'><span>creative</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/financial.m4a'><span>financial</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=2431 data-hint-location='30021' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/many_companies_have_no__blank__policies.m4a'>Many companies have 'no <span class='blank'>visible tattoo</span>' policies.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='visible tattoo'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/visible_tattoo.m4a'><span>visible tattoo</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/texting.m4a'><span>texting</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/eating.m4a'><span>eating</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/smoking.m4a'><span>smoking</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
Sound name
https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/175/tattoos.m4a
Show
|
Back