It’s truly sad that many businesses won’t hire a person due to visible tattoos as if a person who has tattoos defaces the company’s value.

Those with tattoos are often intelligent and genuinely good people who just use bolder statements to express themselves creatively. Tattoos can tell stories and create vivid images of what a person has gone through. They can even provide a better idea of a person’s character than simply conversing with them might.

Tattoos are a form of art and many fail to realize that. Body art might not be everybody’s cup of tea but who is to say what type of art is to be appreciated and shouldn’t be of value?

Not everybody in the world has an appreciation for paintings and murals, yet nobody says that if you use them at your place of business it will scare off your customers. Meanwhile, many employers continue to discriminate against those with visible body art.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

This same quote applies to people who have body art. Tattoos are a personal choice to change the color on certain areas of the skin, so it stands to reason that Dr. King’s quote applies to all skin color, both natural and artistic.

Tattoos can be a way people define themselves or show milestones they have accomplished.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where people judge based on looks. If you’re fat, you’re a lazy person who eats too much. If you’re skinny you don’t eat enough. If you wear all black you worship the devil. If you have tattoos you are considered rebellious or an attention craver. But most of these beliefs aren’t anything more than unrealistic stereotypes.

Having employees with tattoos may even increase business for some employers. It could potentially demonstrate that an employer is open minded and not prejudiced. It would also make customers who share a love for body art feel more comfortable and welcome.

Now, if a person has inappropriate and offensive tattoos, you may want to reconsider hiring them, but to assume the worst or to even categorize those who have tattoos is a form of discrimination. It shouldn’t be a reason why that person isn’t a qualified candidate for the position for which he or she applied.

I hate clichés, but I’m a firm believer in equality for all and to never judge a book by its cover.