About a tattoo

There are a lot of mixed feelings about tattoos among my acquaintances and especially among the Crew.

Well just to start with Cabin Crew should generally go careful with tattoos, but that doesn't mean it is not allowed having them at all. It is not allowed having them visible in uniform. That means that I have seen colleagues all covered in genuine tattoos at the pool during the layover and couldn't even imagine there were so many, because in uniform you could see none. 

This is the question that every airline will ask you at the recruitment day because their image depend on your appearance, so it is important for them to know how you present yourself. After all you will become the brand ambassador, right? How to answer? Just be honest, they will discover the truth later on during the initial week of training anyway: that is when you will have all the medical checks.

I have declared mine straight away at both airlines I have worked for and got recruited at the first shot in both cases. Because they are not visible in uniform. I know there are some extremely strict airlines that would allow none even in those spots of your body that never see the light of the day, but that is too extreme for me: if rules are so silly for such a secondary matter, how are you gonna be treated on more serous questions, starting from your own freedom of movement?! Thanks, but no thanks.

In my opinion a tattoo is a normal human behavior that is old as the human race and it is found in many different civilizations in history. Having them today doesn't mean we are less civilized (than those who are against it). It's about esthetics (both for the supporters and opposed). There is some kind of sex appeal to it, some primal instinct of attraction. But beware: once you start, you will want to go on and on! 

Bottom line, when you decide to go for a tattoo: 

• think not twice, but multiple times over a long period of time. Before doing my first, I taught about it for 2 years (ok, that's also because I was in high school, my mother didn't want me to have it and I didn't have enough money. So I had to wait to go out of home and earn for it). 

• You want something significant that you will never get bored of. Because it is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. Don't even start talking about the laser, I don't conceive that in my universe. What's the point of deleting (and paying for it, even though you're gonna be left with the scar) something from your body that you put it there yourself in a first place?! If you are not sure DO NOT DO IT. But you do want a story behind the tattoo, something that made you passionate about it and will make the others understand or like it too.

• Then I have a golden rule about the tattoos: NO numbers, NO names, NO zodiac, NO family/pet portraits (you have a photo album for that). And nothing dedicated to someone else. It is your body, you should do it just for yourself. This way you will avoid unpredictable future endless possibilities, but regretting won't be one of them.

• Choose the spot by imagining yourself in a business attire. Whatever is covered can be your playground. This way your personal passion will never close any doors for your professional future. In your current job tattoos might be allowed, but you never know where you will end up in life and you don't want to miss some fantastic opportunities just because you have a tattoo! Why business attire? Because 90% of the office jobs will require you to dress in the similar way (that includes Cabin Crew job) and for girls, please take into consideration skirt rather then pants (its easy to cover more, but tattoos on legs mean no skirt and that is a closed door).

Luckily enough I subconsciously followed all these rules from the very beginning, but now that I have observed over the years some mistakes from friends and colleagues, it is like set in stone for me. I might get curious to see what ridiculous tattoos can people invent by watching an episode of "How far is tattoo far", but that is pretty much against all my rules about tattoos. What on earth do that people think about?! Is it for a moment of glory on TV? I will never understand. Anyways... Even though BLINDSPOT is one of my favorite shows and I do think that Jaimie Alexander aka Jane Doe is extremely sexy with all those tattoos, well...that's fiction. And a very fantastic one!

I have asked myself often how will it all look when I get old (insha'Allah)?! And then I remembered...at least 50% of my generation have tattoos as well, so when WE get old, it will be normal for grannies to have tattoos. Simple as that! 😅

Do you like tattoos? Tell me about the meaning behind yours!