The term "tat-friendly" is an abbreviation of "tattoo-friendly", and has come to refer to anything that is compatible with or has a positive attitude toward tattoos. History Tattoos have a long history of adorning the human body. For centuries, people have used tattoos for many purposes, including rites of passage, indications of status, religious purposes, identification with groups, cosmetic reasons, or to demonstrate love and affection. More nefariously, they have been used to identify convicts, slaves, or Jewish people during the Holocaust (see Tattoo). Due to these negative associations, stereotypes came to be associated with people with tattoos. Included in these are the notion that tattooed people must be convicts, gang members, sailors, prostitutes, or "tramps" (i.e., tattoos on women's lower backs have been referred to as "tramp stamps"). Since the 1970s, tattoos have been increasing in prevalence, though popularity of tattoos in public art and the media experienced its boom in the 1990s and into the 21st century. Now a wide variety of people have tattoos, though more people between 18 and 35 have them than other age groups. Even despite the recent popularity of tattoos, discrimination against those with tattoos persists, and such people and places are considered not tat-friendly. Most notably, many workplaces do not welcome tattoos, and those who have them are either not hired or must cover them up for work. Many believe that this attitude persists because of the stereotypes surrounding tattoos -- that they are unprofessional and those who have them are irresponsible. "Tat-friendly" can refer to a place or person that is welcoming of tattoos or an item that is not harmful to tattoos. It also references the community of people who support those with tattoos.
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