Tattoos are not for everyone, and that is completely okay. If you don’t want ink on your own body, that is 100 percent your choice.

It is also your choice if you DO want ink on your body, just as it’s your choice to wear what you want, to wear makeup or not, or to have a certain haircut.

The amount of judgment that people still receive for having tattoos on their bodies is outdated and uncalled for. Of course, if the tattoos are obscene or offensive, then there is certainly reason that critics would have something to say.

What I am concerned with is the fact that people in this day and age who have a visible tattoo, or tattoos, cannot have the same opportunities as people that have no tattoos.

Numerous individuals cannot be accepted into certain branches of the military nor be hired for certain jobs because of their visible tattoos. My own brother had to write an essay about why he had a tattoo on his bicep commemorating our grandfather who passed away from cancer just to try to be in the U.S. Marines years ago; thankfully, they accepted his reasoning.

The Balance tells that “Surveys have shown that some 30% of people between the ages of 25 and 34 have at least one tattoo, and tattoos are nearly as popular among those younger than 25.”

This is a large number of young people that are trying to go out into the real world and make a living in some way. If they are denied because of the tattoos they sport on their bodies, then this is costing people their job opportunities and costing employers many willing and able-bodied workers.

In response, employers across America have decided to reform their rules a bit and be more accepting of those with visible tattoos. However, there are still many strict regulations out there, and some people even refrain from getting tattoos they really want because they are afraid it could cost them a job.

As an owner of two tattoos myself (that are not visible in clothing that I would wear to a job), I am running out of options of hidden places to place the other tattoos I plan to get. I should not have to hide the art that is on my body. It is a form of my creativity just as much as my hair color, outfit choices, and makeup. The fact that I am fearful of placing ink on my skin that has meaning to me because others might view it as “unprofessional” is just ridiculous, especially in this day and age.

Not only are us millennials being limited for jobs because we almost NEED a degree in order to get any decent-paying, entry-level job, but we are being heavily judged on our physical appearances still. A large number of employers need to recognize that tattoos have become a norm in our society and they must be more accepting of how people choose to express themselves if they want to have any employees at all.

The bottom line: tattoos are nothing more than a form of self-expression and should not be limiting those that have them. In the wise words of Johnny Depp, “My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.”