Tattoos & Physics: Will Visible Ink Affect My Career?

[Felix Gonzales]

I couldn't find an appropriate area for this so I figured general was my best bet. My question, to be more specific than my header, is will visible tattoos affect me if I choose to pursue some type of research job in physics? I love tattoos and Physics but I don't want to ruin my chances of my dream job because I wanted some ink. I wouldn't tattoo my face. Probably, at most, my neck and down. I just wanted experienced opinions because I've formulated my own but it's not an experienced one or educated one. Thanks!

 

[fresh_42]

My bet is, it will lower your chances although I doubt that anyone will ever admit this.
In former times tattoos had been the equivalent to either a seaman or a jailbird. Since approximately two decades tattoos have become a fashion. However, the first ones who established this trend weren't the brightest stars in the sky, so this entire history will probably play a role in people's mind and judgement - told or not.

 

[Smith777]

I don't think that tattoos are not professional. If employers have their own prejudies it doesn't mean that a person with tats will work worse than the one without them.

I was also thinking of getting something like this one below, but I was applying for a job that time and expected the employer to reject my candidature. Noe I'm still thinking of getting it. What do you think?
https://tattoozza.com/3d-tattoos

 

[Choppy]

My question, to be more specific than my header, is will visible tattoos affect me if I choose to pursue some type of research job in physics?

It's highly unlikely that the presence of tattoos will play any role in your getting hired in academia with a couple of possible exceptions. Tattoos are pretty popular these days and I don't think anyone wants to miss out on the right candidate because of something so superficial. And at the end of the day, the decisive factors for research positions tend to come down to the skill set that you bring to the table, evidence of past success, and how well you would fit in with the established team and the direction the group wants to go in. Even if there was some kind of effect statistically, it would be so far down the list that it wouldn't be worth worrying about.

The exceptions would be if the tattoo is overly offensive or derogatory in nature. Hiring committees would likely think twice about hiring someone with racist tattoos for example. In other cases the line between what's offensive or not can be somewhat subjective.

 

[dlgoff]

I love tattoos and Physics ...

 

[kith]

View attachment 205886

Nice, but the tattoo artist should have used \left( and \right) ;-)

 

[dlgoff]

Nice, but the tattoo artist should have used \left( and \right) ;-)

Yep.

 

[Orodruin]

Nice, but the tattoo artist should have used \left( and \right) ;-)

This was my first reaction too!

 

[Orodruin]

To stay on topic, I would agree that it probably will not affect you much as long as it is not racist or offensive. In comparison to other professions, I believe academics in general are more tolerant to "odd" quirks and personal expression.

 

[WWGD]

I don't think that tattoos are not professional. If employers have their own prejudies it doesn't mean that a person with tats will work worse than the one without them.

I was also thinking of getting something like this one below, but I was applying for a job that time and expected the employer to reject my candidature. Noe I'm still thinking of getting it. What do you think?
https://tattoozza.com/3d-tattoos
View attachment 205696

You got to deal with things as they are; of course a person with tattoo can be professional , but what matters is not whether this is true, but what your potential employer believes/wants. Or maybe you want to live on your terms and get a tattoo, but there is a price to pay for this choice. I would think business types would be less tolerant than academic types about it.

 

[hutchphd]

I would be less likely to hire someone with extensive tattoos. I associate them with an unappealing level of narcissism. My prejudice.