Tattoos, which were once considered taboo in society, have become a fast growing art for this generation.
Collectors of such body art share the meanings behind their creative ideas, expressing that each piece symbolizes anything from overcoming significant events in life to religious beliefs, heartache and simply sheer enjoyment.
Although tattoos have become popular and more acceptable, individuals with these works of art still face pretense from the public and within the workplace.
Displayed are five individuals that contrast their art with their jobs in a specific profession and have an educational background.
Ramil Garcia, 30, is a registered nurse currently working for a specialty unit in acute rehab at St. John’s Reginal Medical Center, where a he works close with patients with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, and strokes with a primary focus on rehabilitation of spinal cord injury patients. When not working at the hospital, Garcia works part-time as a nursing supervisor and director of an RNA program for a long-term care facility, Shoreline Care Center. All photos by Raelita Darag/ContributorWorking as an RN for seven years, Garcia is one of the few that follow dress code at work that require employees to cover visible tattoos. Garcia explains his own reasons for following through with the non-reinforced dress code. “Personally, I already know what the feedback on it is. I do it for my own because I just want people to just accept my service or my care without judgement…There are people that probably refuse me as their nurse, but I’ll probably end up saving their life later,” says Garcia.Christel Zelenka, 20, serving as a reserve in the Marine Corps for the past four years, is a Seregeant (E-5) stationed in Mira Mar. Zelenka is a Field Wireman and is attending school for criminal justice in hopes of becoming a police officer in the future.A new policy has been implemented, restricting Marines from receiving any new tattoos bigger than the size of their palm. “It doesn’t affect our jobs. Having a tattoo on my arm doesn’t make me program phones or run wire any different,” Zelenka said. “It’s frustrating to be worried about getting in trouble especially when I’m in the Marine Corp. Everyone’s argument is that we fight for freedom, we fight for all this stuff. We fight for everyone in America, but then you can’t have tattoos.”Ryan Dermody, 27, works as a senior systems engineer for PennyMac, where he has worked for the past nine months. Dermody finished a two-year program at ITT.Dermondy follows the dress code at work, but in when he shows his tattoos in public people will stare. Dermody explains, “No one ever expects to hear that I work, not only work at a technical industry, but at a well respected huge place. And that I’m a lead on it, not just some dude in the mail-room.”Registered dental assistant, Stephanie Daigre, 25, currently works for R. Craig Ford, a private dental practice in Woodland Hills. Daigre completed her eight month dental assistant program at Everest College located in Reseda and has been with the private practice for eight months.Assistant Daigre got her first tattoo at 18 and plans to continue adding to her current body art, describing tattoos as a way of expressing her feelings without having to say words. During company events that happen after work hours where employees are free to wearing any attire, Daigre chooses to continue to cover her tattoos to keep the perception her coworkers of her positive, ensuring sure that the possible judgement of her tattoos do not effect the way colleagues view her work.Freelance hair dresser, Sonia Salinas, 22, completed cosmetology school at Lu Ross and has been doing hair for almost six years. In her free time Salinas participates in events hosted by RAW Artists, an independent arts organization that supports local artists with talents in everything from photography, music, and fashion, where Salinas has had her own runway show displaying her works of makeup and hair on chosen models.Salinas describes her encounters with customers at her past job at Macy’s working the makeup counters before moving up to a vendor position. “They would look at me weird, then I would be the one helping them. It’s completely different once you get to know me…especially with my nose [ring], I barely take it out now because people do judge,” explains Salinas.
![Salinas describes her encounters with customers at her past job at Macy's working the makeup counters before moving up to a vendor position. "They would look at me weird, then I would be the one helping them. It's completely different once you get to know me...especially with my nose [ring], I barely take it out now because people do judge," explains Salinas.](https://sundial.csun.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Sonia-Salinas2.jpg)