Tattoo News Stories
Over the past two months, Russell Parrish has applied for more than 100 jobs. He didn't get any of them. In fact he was automatically rejected prior to the interview stage by more than half of the employers that he approached. He claims that his inability to gain employment is down to his choice of body art.
Parrish, 29, who lives in Lake Wales with his wife Victoria, has spent the last fifteen years covering his body with a network of colorful tattoos. The designs, which tell the story of his life, cover his torso, neck, hands and arms.
His collection of body art includes a spider in a web crawling up his neck. "It goes back to Sir Walter Scott, 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.'" he explains "It reminds me not to lie".
When he interlocks the fingers of his left and right hands, it spells out his nickname "Hound Dawg". His left arm is adorned by characters from his father's favorite horror movies, including Boris Karloff, Bela Legosi and Lon Cheny.
And on the inside of his elbow, the words "If thine eye offends thee, pluck it out" send a message to anyone who doesn't like his choice of body decoration. "It means if you can't stand to look at me, don't," explains Parrish.
At present Parrish works in his father-in-law's restaurant, but he wants a career with better job prospects so that he can support his wife and start a family. But despite his efforts, prospective employers won't even consider him. "You go for jobs and most times they won't give you an application. They tell you don't even bother, you have too many tattoos," he explains.
But Parrish is in no mood for blindly accepting what he considers to be blatant discrimination. With the help of his friends, local tattoo shop owners Shaun and Tiffany Blayer, he has formed "Tattoo", an advocacy group designed to fight for the employment rights of heavily tattooed people.
However, despite receiving strong support from members of the tattoo community, he admits that government officials and legislators still refuse to listen to his claims of discrimination. He has complained to the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission without any success, so now his hopes rest with local lawmakers.
Employment lawyers are sympathetic to his case and agree that many people with highly visible tattoos suffer employment related discrimination, but unfortunately it's perfectly legal.
At present, state and federal laws cover discrimination against certain groups of people including, women, people over 40, racial minorities and people with certain disabilities. But they don't protect people who choose to have their body covered by permanent tattoos.
And although the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recognizes that certain tattoos are worn for religious reasons, it must be a sincerely held religious belief, which is notoriously difficult to prove. Most tattoos are a form of self-expression rather than religious adherence, which means that the majority of claims collapse at an early stage.
Click here to read part 2 of Tattoo Discrimination
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Visible Tattoos Make People Unemployable
Parrish, 29, who lives in Lake Wales with his wife Victoria, has spent the last fifteen years covering his body with a network of colorful tattoos. The designs, which tell the story of his life, cover his torso, neck, hands and arms.
His collection of body art includes a spider in a web crawling up his neck. "It goes back to Sir Walter Scott, 'Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.'" he explains "It reminds me not to lie".
When he interlocks the fingers of his left and right hands, it spells out his nickname "Hound Dawg". His left arm is adorned by characters from his father's favorite horror movies, including Boris Karloff, Bela Legosi and Lon Cheny.
And on the inside of his elbow, the words "If thine eye offends thee, pluck it out" send a message to anyone who doesn't like his choice of body decoration. "It means if you can't stand to look at me, don't," explains Parrish.
At present Parrish works in his father-in-law's restaurant, but he wants a career with better job prospects so that he can support his wife and start a family. But despite his efforts, prospective employers won't even consider him. "You go for jobs and most times they won't give you an application. They tell you don't even bother, you have too many tattoos," he explains.
But Parrish is in no mood for blindly accepting what he considers to be blatant discrimination. With the help of his friends, local tattoo shop owners Shaun and Tiffany Blayer, he has formed "Tattoo", an advocacy group designed to fight for the employment rights of heavily tattooed people.
However, despite receiving strong support from members of the tattoo community, he admits that government officials and legislators still refuse to listen to his claims of discrimination. He has complained to the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission without any success, so now his hopes rest with local lawmakers.
Employment lawyers are sympathetic to his case and agree that many people with highly visible tattoos suffer employment related discrimination, but unfortunately it's perfectly legal.
At present, state and federal laws cover discrimination against certain groups of people including, women, people over 40, racial minorities and people with certain disabilities. But they don't protect people who choose to have their body covered by permanent tattoos.
And although the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recognizes that certain tattoos are worn for religious reasons, it must be a sincerely held religious belief, which is notoriously difficult to prove. Most tattoos are a form of self-expression rather than religious adherence, which means that the majority of claims collapse at an early stage.
Click here to read part 2 of Tattoo Discrimination
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