“You’ll never have a good job.”

“How will you be able to cover that up?”

“They’re stupid and pointless.”

“You don’t know what you want at this age! You’re too young!”

Most people with a tattoo have heard at least one of these phrases since they have been tattooed. Does it ever get less annoying? Absolutely not.

After talking about it nonstop for about three and a half years and endless amounts of begging, I finally got a tattoo on my left forearm this past summer. I was 16 years old.

Some of you are thinking, “Wow, that’s pretty young to get a tattoo,” and the rest of you are probably thinking, “Can her parents sign me off, too?”

In 1999, 21 percent of the U.S. population had tattoos. As of May 2014, that number nearly doubled, meaning 40 percent of America’s population has at least one tattoo.

Because tattoos have become more popular, they are more common in the workplace.

Although 76 percent of people believe that visible tattoos and piercings hurt your chances at job interviews, 73 percent of employers say they would hire someone with a visible tattoo. This year alone, 420,600 workers are now allowed to show their tattoos and piercings proudly at their workplace.

Sure, not everyone in the workplace will accept someone with a tattoo on their arm, but as the popularity is growing, tattoos are becoming more widely accepted and appreciated across the U.S.

Why are tattoos are looked down upon? Frequently, tattoos have a deep, personal meaning to the person, something so important that they want it written on their body for the rest of their life.

As tattoos are becoming more widely accepted across the U.S., we see more opportunities for and acceptance of those who have tattoos.