Gage 1

Cameron Gage

ENG 1201

Professor Hellmers

27 October 2019

Annotated Bibliography

In the modern age tattoos are extremely common to come by. Yet individuals can still be

discriminated against for having them in work settings or during the hiring process. So it begs

the question, Why do some employers require their employees to cover up tattoos? The

following sources are intended to help research and analyze tattoos in the workplace to try and

understand the answer to the question at hand.

Brallier, Sara A., et al. "Visible tattoos and employment in the restaurant service

industry." International Journal of Business and Social Science 2.6 (2011): 72-76.

This source offers a study completed in 2011 to determine whether or not tattoos had an

effect on the application process with men and women. There was not only two different

hypothesis that were brought to the table but one was proven, and the data within the journal

proves that. This study was completed by staff and a grad student from Coastal Carolina

University, and while it may have taken place a few years prior it still provides valuable

information to the essay. I plan to incorporate this by using the data to provide a strong piece of

evidence to show that tattoos do have an effect on employees, especially in finding work.

Hilliker, Ashley. "Tattoos in the Workplace." IU South Bend Undergraduate Research

Journal 12 (2012): 62-66.

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This source also offers a study completed in 2012 with the intention of determining

whether tattoos have a negative effect in the workplace. While this study is somewhat similar to

the first one, it in a way provides a counterargument in that all that was determined was

individuals with tattoos may be deemed less attractive, their tattoos don’t affect their jobs. This

study was completed by Ashley Hilliker at Indiana University in South Bend, Indiana and was

published in the Undergrad Research Journal for the college. While this source too is a few years

old, it also offers a valuable counterargument to my paper to show that its unbiased.

March, Julian. “Tattoo Policies Evolving in the Workplace.” EBSCO Host, 23 Sept. 2013, web-

a-ebscohost-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=426b7db0-a7a1-472f-

a9cb-8aa7dfed7eaa%40sdc-v-

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This source is somewhat short but offers me real life people who do everyday jobs and

have tattoos, and it doesn’t affect how they do their job. Tattoos prove to be just a form of art, a

way to express yourself and the two people in this article will help me show my audience that

everyday life shouldn’t matter because of what’s on your skin.

McNeil, Timothy. Personal Interview. 21 Oct. 2019.

This source is a personal interview conducted by myself with Timothy McNeil, a general

manager at Americas Best Contacts and Eyeglasses. He provided me with solid reasoning behind

his hiring process and what he does and doesn’t allow, along with his reasonings. For the most

part he hires those with tattoos but he does draw a line at neck or face tattoos, as well as
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vulgarities. This interview offers my paper a modern day example of what its like to get a job

with tattoos as well as what its like to work with tattoos once you are past the hiring process.

Premack, Rachel. “Here's Why Experts Say You Still Need to Cover up Your Tattoos When

You're Interviewing.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 4 Oct. 2018,

www.businessinsider.com/tattoos-interview-hide-cover-expert-opinion-2018-10.

I wanted to incorporate this source because its offering up a detail that none of the others

do, that should be mentioned. Tattoos might be accepted in some work places that are more

mainstream and progressive with society but jobs that require you to be in more professional

attire are going to be less likely to offer you a position.

Thomas, Daniel. “Tattoos at Work: Are They Still an Issue?” BBC News, BBC, 16 June 2019,

www.bbc.com/news/business-48620528.

This source is the newest article I have to discuss and it shows that change is in the air

when it comes to tattoos. Other countries are making laws against discriminating against tattoos.

But that still being said, some people are still saying here in the states that while they don’t regret

their body art, they warn others against it. This source will likely be one of my final pieces in the

final paper.

Toops, Lucas. Personal Interview. 22 Oct. 2019.

The second personal interview I conducted was with Lucas Toops, a manager at Walmart

who deals with hiring applicants. He believes that if they have a professional attitude, skin

alterations don’t matter in his process, but he will occasionally draw the line if need be. This
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interview offers me a second modern day example of what its like to have tattoos in the

workplace, proving that our society is starting the process in moving forward.