In today’s world, children are constantly bombarded by their elders with the notion that having any tattoo where someone could see it means they would never obtain respect from employers, let alone a part-time job. This is an archaic ideology that does nothing but cause unnecessary issues and hate.
Recently, first-year Western University student Kadince Ball, 18, was unjustly denied tenancy in London, Ont. after signing a rental agreement and making the two-day trip from her home in Saskatchewan. The reason? Her landlord didn’t like her tattoos.
According to Ipsos, as of 2010, two in ten Canadians have at least one tattoo. They also found that tattoos are becoming something of a rite of passage to adulthood. While employers have the right to set rules for their workplace, they must at least maintain the balance between legitimate business interests and the personal rights of those they employ.
Tattoos are seen as a form of self-expression and often have rich cultural, religious and personal meaning behind them. An example of this would be Inuit facial tattoos among Indigenous communities in Canada and Greenland. The history of these tattoos dates back 3500 years. The unfortunate history of these tattoos, however, is that they were forbidden by Catholic missionaries for most of the twentieth century, as they were a part of Indigenous culture colonized by the west.
Western society perpetuates a stigma around tattoos that associates them with criminals and lower-class individuals. This in itself is problematic because it demonizes people with tattoos and the groups they are immediately associated with. We cannot break down colonial, patriarchal Westernized norms if society isn’t willing to change.
Western culture doesn’t seem to grasp that if it isn’t acceptable to discriminate against someone for religious dress, it is not acceptable to discriminate against someone for anything else on their body.
How can western society, known to actively name themselves as global leaders and selfishly proclaim to be the best countries in the world, call themselves progressive and inclusive if 18-year-old students are denied tenancy, after signing legal documents, paying deposits and communicating on various occasions, because of how they look? It feels more like regression, akin to judging a book by its cover.
There is no way to determine the character or professionalism of a person based on the art that they decide to put on their bodies. This narrative is outdated and tired, and young people are ready for it to be thrown out. Tattoos are personal; it’s unnecessary to judge a person based on their chosen method of expression. No one should be faced with the decision to either express themselves or be denied basic personal rights.
Instances like the one in London perpetuate a tired mindset that the aging population has set in place. The new generation is writing its own rulebook, it’s time to leave the old one in the past and begin to practice the acceptance we preach.
Featured image by Lucas Lenzi via Unsplash.
