Pondering the ink

This is not my tattoo.

Here's my thing today...I have a job interview today. It's the first one I've been offered since losing my job in February. It's the first one I've had since the late 80s I think actually. I've mostly just fell into jobs or worked for myself, so this will be interesting.

I put the question out on my Facebook, "hide or reveal the tattoos?" The overwhelming response is to hide them. I'd like to think that in this day and age, people are more open minded than caring if you have body ink or not, but I know that would be naive.

This in no way represents me.

In my last 16 years, I've pretty much been free to wear, mostly, whatever I've wanted. I mean, I had my own daycare (I call those my frumpy days. I wore sweats and birkenstocks all the time. It was not a pretty time for me.), then I was a stay at home mom, then a writer doing writing visits and crap. Even my job as marketing coordinator at the law firm allowed me a certain freedom. I didn't have a lot of contact with the outside world. If I was meeting with a vendor, I'd step up the outfit a little, but I still openly displayed any tattoos that were not covered by sleeves or pants/tights. No one seemed put out by it. Even when I worked for the government, while the dress code was stricter, it was still pretty loose.

I'm just not a pants person. Actually, I think I can say with all honesty that I loathe pants. While I do own a coupe pairs of jeans, I do not own a pair of slacks. I wear skirts just about every day. Also, since I run about ten hotter degrees than the average human, you rarely see me in long sleeves. Maybe in winter, but our winters here on the left coast have been pretty mild the last couple years.

There are three tattoos that would be showing. One on my forearm, one on my bicep, one on my calf. I think I know what shirt I'm going to wear, but honestly, all my skirts are short. I'm short; I just think I look better in above the knee skirts. I do have a couple that are little longer, but they won't hide the tattoo on my calf. So I'll have to wear boots. Don't get me wrong, I love my boots, but if the temperature gets up in the 70s or 80s, I'm going to be miserable.

I don't like the idea of hiding part of who I am to please people. I would hope that I would be judged on my character, my intelligence, and my skill when being looked at for a job. Maybe that will actually be the case, but you never know. I know some people place a lot of import on appearances, and that's fine. If I have to conform to get a job, I will. I need it. But then, I may have to wonder if I really want a job where people aren't accepting. I mean, if they're not accepting of tattoos, what else do they not accept in life. Whatever happens today, I hope that if I get this job, and once they get to know me, they will realize that I'm a quality person, tattoos or not.