Coast Guard limiting tattoos and piercings

SEATTLE – For the first time in 30 years – in response to the increased popularity of permanent body art – the Coast Guard is tightening its rules for tattoos, branding and piercing.

The goal is a more professional appearance for the military branch that has the most contact with the public.

“The 1940s, party-hard sailor is not the image we’re going for,” said Chief Petty Officer Keith Alholm, a spokesman in the Coast Guard’s Seattle-based 13th District.

There won’t be repercussions for most already tattooed Coast Guardsmen and women, but the new regulations do mean more scrutiny for prospective recruits.

Recruiters have found an increasing number of applicants with “near 100 percent coverage on their arms and/or legs,” the new policy said.

Now, those whose tattoos cover more than 25 percent of an exposed limb will be turned away.

So far, at least 26 applicants have been rejected under the policy, a “nominal figure,” according to Coast Guard officials. They told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer they’d recruited 1,600 applicants and interviewed thousands nationally since the policy went into effect this summer.

“Our standards dated back to a time when tattooing was restricted to a very small portion of society, branding was almost unheard of and piercing was limited to earlobes. Consequently, there was little need to spell out, in detail, the dos and don’ts of body art,” said Cmdr. Wayne Muilenburg, the chief of the Coast Guard’s Policy & Standards Division.

“Clearly, times have changed. Tattooing and piercing have exploded in popularity and now touch nearly every segment of society. Branding is far less popular but remains common in some social circles. These trends have gradually eased their way into the military work force, with would-be applicants increasingly showing up at recruiters’ offices with tattoos and piercings that ‘pushed the envelope,’ ” Muilenberg said.

“As a service, we eventually reached the point where it became clear that more specific standards would have to be developed.”

The new rules also affirm the Coast Guard’s longstanding ban on offensive tattoo content, which applies even if the tattoo is not usually visible.