When the topic of tattoos comes up in conversation, what's the first thing that you think about? For some, they think about a form of artistic expression or even meaningful symbolism in a person's life, but for the majority of the population, there still remains a negative stigma attached to the idea of tattoos. Not too long ago, tattoos were frequently and many times, wrongly associated with criminals, or with people involved in rebellious activities. Today, however, tattoos are becoming more and more common. It doesn't make sense why we continue to worry about the prospect of getting hired, argue whether one's future stability is still secure, or consider whether or not we should approach a person with tattoos.

The harsh reality is that even if we preach acceptance in today's society, we continue to judge a person based on his or her outward appearance, rather than what he or she is capable of doing or being.

When people get tattoos, this may be seen as irresponsible, but sometimes they don't necessarily think about their future. One doesn't think to herself, "I may not be able to get my 9 to 5 high ranking manager position that I've always dreamt of if I get this word permanently inked on my wrist." They're absorbed by the meaning behind their tattoo. It could be someone or something that they value so much, an event that completely changed their perspective on life, or even just something that they enjoy looking at. In college, of course, our number one goal as students is to get our degree, and it's disappointing to think that our character is devalued due to this social standard or because a company would "rather be safe than sorry."

I thought we were fighting to praise individuality, and creativity today. Or are these promises merely just a "trend" and not something we can permanently set in stone?

It's understandable that companies would be afraid of compromising their reputation, but by living in fear of breaking society's standards, they are missing out on hiring some pretty amazing fresh out of college students who have so much to offer. This applies to relationships in life as well. My tattoo artists were truly some of the nicest and warmest people I've met. One of them I've met named Jason was so welcoming and authentic that I could just tell he views people not just as clients, but tries to develop real friendships with them as well. He shared some of his life story, explained his passion for art and told me how he had painted a picture for one of his clients who had just lost her son. It was such a touching story, and it made me ashamed that I had been intimidated by him when we first met just because of what was tattooed on his arms.

This just serves as a reminder that we don't need to love a person's tattoos, but we also don't need to listen to stereotypes either. Making excuses such as "this is how the world works" or "we still need to wait for society to progress" isn't sufficient anymore. Everyone deserves a chance to shine. You don't know someone's story if you just look at the front cover. You have to take the time to not only flip through the pages but read in between the lines as well.