My body, my art

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NEW YORK

Colleen Harris doesn't fit the stereotype of the buttoned-up librarian.

Her arms are covered with a pirate queen motif and black scrolling tattoos, which extend down the side of her body to her ankle. A black rose and the words "dangerous magic" adorn the back of her left hand and the words "anam cara," old Gaelic for "soul friend," letter her knuckles.

The 27-year-old, who has multiple masters degrees and a job at the University of Kentucky's research library, feels no pressure to cover up.

"It's not really possible at this point, unless I wore gloves," Miss Harris said, adding that she thinks academia has been more accepting of her body art than the corporate world would be. "I think my qualifications should speak for themselves."

The face of the young American worker is changing, and it's increasingly decorated with ink and metal.

About half of people in their 20s have either a tattoo or a body piercing other than traditional earrings, according to a study published in June in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. And that figure is growing, said Anne Laumann, the study's co-author and a dermatologist at Northwestern University.

Just three years ago, according to a Harris Interactive poll conducted at the time, 36 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds had tattoos, compared with 16 percent of Americans of all ages.

As a result, employers are finding that dress codes may need updating. In some cases, bosses are loosening up to attract young talent. In others, managers are adding new rules to keep body art covered up.

"In the past, there were very general dress codes. Now, I see dress codes that are five pages long," said David Barron, a lawyer with Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall PC. "Employers see a need to be very, very specific and draw lines very clearly."