this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2025
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Seems like every time I see a US police officer on video they have full arm sleeves.

Is getting tattooed a bragging right in US police circles?

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[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 75 points 1 day ago (7 children)

Everyone in the us these days is heavily tattooed. The stigma around it has faded and you even regularly see face tattoos now. Even pop stars are tatted up- something you never saw 20 years ago. There’s like a generation of guys walking around looking like post Malone now.

[–] RedSeries@lemmy.blahaj.zone 40 points 1 day ago

As someone not tatted in the US: I'm happy the stigma is reduced or gone. I want people to get tats if they want them. But there's plenty of people without!

[–] Bgugi@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago

Even then, "tough guy" culture includes "tough guy" tattoos, and cop is one of the top "tough guy" jobs, so there's a strong correlation there.

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 8 points 23 hours ago

Yep not that long ago employers wouldn't hire people with tattoos or piercings or wild colors of hair, but I guess it became so popular they had to change their standards.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 6 points 19 hours ago

Yeah this is another of those things that are so surprising to me. I got tattoos almost 40 years ago, and back then it was so countercultural, if another woman with tattoos saw mine, she would talk to me, it was a small club. I never would have dreamed that 25 years later my boss would be getting a shitty tattoo at the mall.

[–] Beacon@fedia.io 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah it seems like at least half of people age 30 to 60 have tattoos in the the us

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 5 points 21 hours ago

I just don't get it, either. I can't even handle getting my blood drawn; fuck getting stabbed thousands of times a second, just for something that's going to fade and look like shit after 10 years but I'm stuck with for a lifetime. I can't think of a single image or phrase I like so much that I'd want it permanently embedded in my skin, regardless.

[–] gilokee@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

I have a face tattoo! It's just a cute little tiny star on my cheekbone, but still.

[–] itztalal@lemmings.world -2 points 12 hours ago

The stigma hasn't faded in the upper class.

It's just the lower classes that value that sort of thing at a high rate.

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 52 points 1 day ago

Gang tattoos.

[–] IndigoMoontrue@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day ago

They are gang members. Next! But seriously they are a cult. Look up blue badges or fraternity of police

[–] andrewta@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A lot of it comes from the fact that there’s a lot of retired military personnel that trying to police force. And a lot of military personnel have tattoos.

[–] curbstickle@anarchist.nexus 39 points 1 day ago

And many of those who haven't been in the military but want to be cops fetishize the military, and then go get tattoos like the veterans they wish they were.

[–] Deflated0ne@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Tats aren't a problem these days.

[–] IndridCold@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] BossDj@piefed.social 18 points 1 day ago

Point is they used to be, which is more likely why you saw less.

Against dress codes, especially for public workers

[–] Perspectivist@feddit.uk 17 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Isn't everyone? I feel like nowdays I'm the rebel for not having any tattoos.

[–] Aganim@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

Well, hello fellow rebel!

[–] darreninthenet@piefed.social 16 points 23 hours ago

It's an interesting question... until not many years ago, you couldn't even be a police officer in the UK if you had visible tattoos.

I believe the rule now is they can't be "inappropriate" if visible.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I'd bet they own far more Tapout shirts than average per-capita. Possibly the majority of all Tapout shirts, if you include all cops.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 8 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

I never noticed because they usually have long sleeves on their uniform and they don't usually have neck or face tats.

[–] porcoesphino@mander.xyz 4 points 1 day ago

I honestly hadn't noticed this. I see it in ICE though

[–] Blackout@fedia.io 2 points 1 day ago

You see there was a lot of acid in the 90s and tattoos were cheap...

[–] Triumph@fedia.io -4 points 1 day ago

Body dysmorphia.