Once someone decides to get a tattoo, one of the first aspects they'll think about is where they want their ink. The location can have a major impact on the impression a person's tatt gives to others, but it can also affect how well it lasts throughout the years. Moreover, as businesses devise policies about body art in the workplace, it's imperative for professionals to consider how obvious their ink is. Forbes reported that many major U.S. companies, like Starwood Hotels, Geico Insurance and even the U.S. Postal Service, refuse to hire those with visible tatts.
"I think it depends on the location of the tattoo and how easily it can be covered up," Ellan Tong of media agency 26 Dot Two explained to the news source, pointing out that a tatt on the back of the neck can be easily concealed if a girl wears her hair down. But what if she wants to get it cut, or pull it into an updo?
Moreover, many corporations offer casual Fridays, which allow employees to trade out their button-downs and suiting pants for T-shirts and dress shorts or even sandals, which can prove to be a problem for individuals with ink on their feet, ankles, calves or wrists.
The last thing anyone wants is for their body art to hinder their professional growth or limit them in any other way. That's why these locations – which can prove to be a major inconvenience, leading to tattoo regret – should be avoided at all costs.
Face and neck
It may sound obvious, but a tattoo on your forehead, cheek, neck or anywhere else near your face is not a good idea. As this is the first part of your body that people see, it's a major risk. Certainly, some people might be drawn to ink and find it to be a talking point. However, as tattoos still carry a stigma for some, particularly the older and more conservative generations, etchings in this location may also be a major turn-off. Especially if you aspire to a corporate or office job, getting hired will also be challenging with a facial tattoo. Hiring managers are often concerned with how clients will perceive employees, and they may be wary of bringing a candidate on board that could potentially alienate people.
Stomach
Just because Angelina Jolie got some oblique ink doesn't mean you should, too. Particularly for people who find the number on the scale fluctuates, the belly is one of the worst spots to get tatted up. The stomach stretches out when someone gains on a few pounds, and then shrinks when they lose weight. Even though a person might have a toned, taut mid-section in their 20s, they may find that they tend to pack on the weight in that area later in life as it's one of the first places that fat deposits. That means that whatever picture or phrase they got emblazoned on their belly will start to look drastically different with any weight fluctuation. In fact, a highly detailed design can eventually end up looking like a blob of ink with a dramatic shift in weight. Of course, at that point, laser tattoo removal is always an option.
Inner lip
Due to celebrities like Miley Cyrus and social media hype, it has become increasingly popular for people to get a small image or word emblazoned on the inside of their lip. Still, it's best not to give into this likely passing trend. Guyism explained that even though it isn't as visible as a face tattoo, the tissue on the inner lip is looser, which means the pigment could run or bleed. Moreover, constant exposure to moisture in your mouth means it's also more likely to fade with time. In fact, the source reported that a design could end up being an illegible or incomprehensible blotch by the end of one year.
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* Source: Harris Interactive, 2012
