Nowadays, a tattoo allows you to showcase who you are; it’s your own billboard that represents what you’ve done and the values you hold.

With the arrival of summer comes the return of bikinis, tank tops, sundresses, and sandals. Less clothing means more skin — and more skin means more visible tattoos.

The age-old negative connotation surrounding tattoos has largely dissipated among newer generations, with Millennials, Gen Z, and even Gen X not only getting more tattoos but also displaying them more openly in public. The reasons behind this shift reflect a broader societal transformation, one that goes far beyond mere acceptance of body art — to the art of storytelling.

The numbers speak for themselves. According to IBISWorld, a global research firm, the number of tattoo artists in the United States grew at an average annual rate of 2.8 percent between 2018 and 2023. In Rhode Island, data from Joseph Wendelken, public information officer at the Rhode Island Department of Health, shows the same result. Though his data shows that between 2022 and 2024 there has been a slight decrease in tattoo parlors, the number of tattoo artists has increased exponentially, jumping from 506 to 548 — suggesting there are more people getting tattoos. The question is, who is getting them?

“My mom, a conservative catholic, cried when she found out about my first tattoo. She thought I had joined a gang,” said Jesus Rios, tattoo artist and owner of Memento Tattoo in East Providence. Rios, who is (ironically) often known as the “OG,” or “original gangster,” of tattoo artists, is not in a gang. He got this nickname from being in the tattoo artist business for more than 25 years and he has been around long enough to see a shift in perspective — even in his own mother.

“A lot has changed. Even the testing has changed. I remember when I first started out they would come to the shop and hover over you asking question after question while you were trying to keep the needle steady. If you touched part of the glove the wrong way, you would fail. Your whole career was literally in the palm of your hands,” said Rios.

Before becoming a tattoo artist, Rios worked in a professional setting as a manager at a call center. His arms were already covered in tattoos, but since he kept them hidden, no one knew. Still, he quietly challenged the norms by hiring people with visible tattoos — even when it went against company policy. “I thought and still think work ethic speaks more than what’s on your skin,” he said

He also understood that tattooing his hands (at that time — more than 25 years ago) would end his ability to work in a professional setting. So when the time came, he committed fully to leaving his professional career, pursing the idea of becoming a “professional” tattoo artist instead, and he tattooed both of his hands. His mom, she cried again.

Rios, who has tattooed many doctors, lawyers, and teachers and on more visible body parts over the years, says things have shifted in perspective for younger generations, partly because the industry has changed. There are cleaner tools, improved techniques, and most importantly better artwork. “It used to be someone would go into a street shop, look up at the wall, and pick out a tattoo. Now, people come in with their own story and design in mind that they want tattooed; there’s more meaning, you know. A lot of people want to be the main character of their story, and tattoos help them tell that story,” said Rios. 

A decade changes everything

Steve Schreiner, a 49-year-old track coach and middle school art teacher in Tiverton who began his teaching career in 2000, said it was important to hide his tattoos when he first started interviewing for jobs as an educator. But he noted there has been a huge shift in the perception of tattoos since then. 

“When I interviewed for my current job in Tiverton in 2013, with tattoos visible down both of my arms, the interviewer thought it was cool that I had tattoos,” said Schreiner. 

All of his tattoos have specific meanings, which he said actually helps build conversations with families. “It definitely helps with the ‘cool factor’ with the kids; I’m one of the cool teachers. Even the parents (who he shared also have tattoos) zero in on my tattoos as a talking point.” He also noted that his wife (also a teacher) wears visible tattoos, suggesting that tattoo visibility is commonplace in schools now.

Another school employee, Tammy Lafreniere, the school nurse at Barrington High School, commented on the change in perception. Reflecting back 10 years, to when she was a nurse at Rhode Island Hospital, she said there was a mandate that required tattoos to be fully covered. “They had a very hard time enforcing it, and did away with it rather quickly. It was meant to protect a generation of people (older people) that only exists in the past,” she said.

In light of such policies like the attempted one at Rhode Island Hospital, Rebecca Champagne, a registered nurse in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, who has visible tattoos covering most of her body, makes it a point to request to see an employee handbook before accepting any job in her field. She will not accept a job that requires her to keep her tattoos hidden.

She said institutions like hospitals and nursing homes have been the most restrictive when it comes to policies, but that patients don’t seem to care at all. She commented, “In the last 10 years I have seen policies become more relaxed in my field. The patients don’t care if you have them; they just care that you take care of them as patients.” She even noted that having tattoos when working in a psychiatric hospital is a benefit, because the patients are more likely to trust you, as they find people with tattoos more “human,” with their own stories to tell.

A generational presumption dies off

In 2014, just over a decade ago, the first tattoo shop in Warren opened its doors. At the time, the owners had to seek special permission from the town fathers, as there were no existing rules or regulations to permit such an establishment. Today, the town is home to four tattoo shops.

“Within the last 10 years I’ve seen a new trend of parents getting tattoos with their children, embracing the experience together and really amped to share it,” said Michelle Carter, tattoo artist and part owner of 1001 Troubles Tattoos in Warren (the first shop in town). According to Carter, it’s more acceptable in younger generations because tattoos are used as a way of connection — the way kids and parents are connecting with each other through their shared experience of getting tattooed together.

And as far as work ethic, she said, “As the older generations die out, the younger generation isn’t going to care about rules and regulations. It will be more about ‘Do you know how to do the job?’ ”

Carter, who has tattooed her fair share of doctors, police officers, teachers, guidance counselors, and other professionals working in the public sphere, shared a story about a music teacher who had two full sleeves. “His tattoos helped him connect with students because the tattoos made him human — a real person with a personality, and a story of his own,” she said. 

Joel Saccoccio, Barrington’s school resource officer, is one of those “real people.” He has a full sleeve tattoo on his right arm depicting Saint Michael stepping on the devil. Before taking on his current role, Saccoccio spent 20 years as a police officer in Pawtucket, and prior to that, served as a military police officer and a corrections officer at the ACI. In many ways, his career has shaped who he is — and his tattoo tells that story in vivid detail.

While noting that sometimes tattoos can signify gang involvement or incitement of violence, Saccoccio also went into detail about why the overall perception and acceptance of them has changed over the years. “Nowadays, a tattoo allows you to showcase who you are; it’s your own billboard that represents what you’ve done and the values you hold,” he said.

According to Saccoccio, Saint Michael stands for protection and justice. “In Rhode Island general law, we are actually called peace officers, and I like that better because police is often associated with being told what to do; the title of peace officer makes us more human and that’s represented in my tattoo,” he said.

Still, when he got his full sleeve tattoo for his 50th birthday he was worried about the perception of the youth at the school. “But they love it; the story behind the tattoo humanizes the badge in a way, allows for a positive impact on social interactions in uniform,” he said.

He also noted it is a generational thing. “It is a testament to society that this generation is less judgmental about everything — they are embracing being a humanitarian and showing human empathy,” he said. Another insight of Saccoccio’s from working at a school is noticing that a lot more teachers seem to wear visible tattoos that have stories behind them too. “Not many just get it to get it. It’s meaningful — there is a story to tell behind the tattoo,” he said.

As for Jesus Rios’ mother, she no longer cries. She’s proud of him and all he has accomplished as a tattoo artist and successful business owner. The tattoos on his hands, which he got more than 25 years ago, reflect the evolving timeline of tattoo visibility and acceptance in society — a time when they were once taboo, but are now commonly seen on people in public-facing professions without judgment — including teachers, nurses, police officers, doctors …