Marines Take Aim At "Excessive" Tattoos

Big body art banned below the elbow, knee
By Sarah Seltzer,  Newser User
Posted Mar 29, 2007 9:11 AM CDT
Marines Take Aim At 'Excessive' Tattoos
Tattoo artist Jerry Layton, right, inks a tattoo of the grim reaper on the arm of an unidentified Marine, Friday, March 23, 2007 in Oceanside, Calif. The Marines are banning any new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or the knee, saying such body art is harmful to the Corps   (Associated Press)

There's a run on tattoo parlors this weekend as U.S. Marines ink themselves up before a new ban on "excessive" body art in visible areas takes effect Sunday, says USA Today. Commanders are fighting back against the increasingly in-your-face tattoos favored by enlistees on biceps and forearms visible in short-sleeved uniforms, considering them a violation of the Corps' spit-and-polish image.

Other branches of the military have also engaged in the war on tattoos : in the Navy they can't be larger than the wearer's hand, and in the Air Force not bigger than one-quarter the size of the exposed body part. The Army, struggling to fill its ranks, actually relaxed its tattoo restrictions last year.
 
  (More military stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X