Navigating the boundaries between technology and social change—evaluating acceptance of visible tattoos in the workplace: the French exception?

Abstract

This article examines how tattoos are challenging and renegotiating social norms in the French workplace—from hiring to everyday work life—and the role of social media technology. The workplace reflects the complex interplay of relational and social processes that form societal attitudes. France remains a highly conservative and centralized national context traditionally resistant, due to its republican values, to external markers of identity, such as, for example, religious artifacts. The motivation for the present article is an exploration of how the nuanced interplay between technology, social factors, and organizational attitudes, impact on the gradually changing perceptions and acceptance of visible tattoos in Gallic work contexts. Using theories of socio-technical systems and identity-driven consumption framed by the postmodern concepts of liminality and communitas, we employ a mixed-methods approach to examine tattoo consumption and acceptance across a range of workplaces in France. Findings suggest that social norms, interacting with social media peer pressure, continue to push cultural boundaries, with online consumer behavior frequently shaping offline consumer behavior and employee/employer attitudes. These processes are often informed by the pursuit of “self” and reflect several “tribalistic” aspects of society. Through analysis, we articulate and contribute six interpretations of how tattooing is partially accepted by recruiters in the workplace in France. We also contribute to the understanding of liminality and communitas as applied to socio-technical spaces. Overall, we reveal insights that can inform researchers, managers, and practitioners in anticipating future changes and preparing for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.