I have many visible tattoos. I didn’t get them because I was young, or on drugs, or anything like that. I got my first one at 22 (not visible) and just got my 8th one last year. So far my tattoos have not hindered me in anyway. In my work they have actually allowed me to have an instant rapport with many clients. They see me, and know that I am not some puritanical authority figure that just wants them to conform.
I think the fact that I’m educated and a “productive member of society”, whatever that means and am tattooed has shaken, if not broken, many of the stereotypes people have about people with tattoos. If I wear a long sleeve shirt, there is no way to tell the freak I am inside.
Considering the amount of “normal” people who now have tattoos and piercings, I don’t think the taboo surrounding it will last much longer.