Can Employers Discriminate Against Tattoos in 2025? Your Workplace Rights Explained

In 2025, tattoo art is more widespread, acceptable, and popular around the world than ever before. While previously only the most prominent individuals who didn’t care about what others thought of them wore tattoos, today tattooists represent a wide range of groups in society. You can find teachers, nannies, tech workers, and CEOs with tattoos. People of all backgrounds and character are wearing tattoos today. They can be very large and elaborate, or they can include just one word or a phrase. In any case, despite the fact that the boundaries of tattoo art have expanded so much, there is one question that continues to interest many. Can an employers still discriminate against tattoos?

We suggest that you analyze your rights at work. Our article will help you understand what rights an employer has in this matter. Knowing these rights will, of course, help you defend yourself if necessary.

Can Employers Discriminate Based on Tattoos in 2025?

It may come as a surprise to many, but yes, employers still have the legal right to place restrictions on an employee’s appearance and to discriminate against tattoos too. That’s because tattoos are not considered a protected characteristic under U.S. federal law։ According to current EEOC guidelines tattoos are not a protected category: You can read more about federal laws prohibiting job discrimination here.

As for tattoos that have religious or cultural significance, the approach is different. In this case, you may have legal protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act։ You can ask your employer to make an exception because your tattoo has religious significance and covering it is against your religion. This request is called a “religious accommodation.” As we mentioned earlier, U.S. law Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects the rights of an employee in such cases. In turn, the employer must try to satisfy your request, unless, of course, it will seriously harm his business.

Tattoo Discrimination in Different States and Cities

US federal law, of course, does not protect tattoos, but individual US states and cities have a special approach to this issue. In 2025, states and cities such as California, New York, Washington, and Oregon have labor laws that are more lenient when it comes to issues related to an employee’s appearance. Some local ordinances even prevent employers from punishing an employee for a tattoo, if the tattoo does not contain any offensive notes.

In general, an employer has the right to impose restrictions on an employee’s appearance, especially when it comes to areas such as healthcare, hospitality, law enforcement, corporate and client-facing roles. However, the employer must be fair and apply the tattoo ban equally to employees.

In many US states, an employer even has the right to fire an employee for a visible tattoo. So if you work in a conservative industry with a no-visible-tattoo policy, it’s best to avoid getting a tattoo in a visible place so as not to lose your job. Learn more about legal rights when applying to job here.

Tips for Tattoo Lovers

You should be well aware of the company’s policy regarding employee appearance before getting a tattoo.

If you are looking for accommodations, you should be familiar with religious or cultural tattoos.

When discussing appearance issues with HR or management, you should be very respectful.

And if you feel that you have been treated unfairly, document everything.

Tattoo-Friendly Careers on the Rise

In 2025, there are already quite a few industries where having a tattoo is not a barrier to employment. Industries such as Tech companies, Creative industries, Startups, Health & wellness, Retail and food service do not see a problem if an employee wants to wear visible tattoos. Moreover, many companies representing these industries, in anticipation of the public’s interest in tattoos, highlight their inclusive tattoo policies as part of their brand image.

Summary

Although the prevalence of tattoos is increasing day by day in the world, there are still laws that allow employers to set rules regarding the appearance of employees. These rules, however, must apply equally to everyone, without discrimination, and must provide special treatment for religious tattoos. Your tattoos are your history, and in order for everyone to treat them with respect, you need to know your rights. However, if you believe that you have been discriminated against in the workplace because of your tattoo, you should file a complaint with the EEOC, consult a labour attorney in your state and also review your employer’s policy in detail.