Scene Five: September 27, 2007:
Including and Engaging people with body modifications: What's the point?

The following is demographic information and data about people with body modifications living and working in the United States.

Demographic Information

US News & World Report reported that tattooing is 2nd only to the Internet in retail growth rate in America. July 2002 Lycos reported that "Tattoo" was the number two most searched terms on the internet.

A 2004 Harris poll found that 34 percent of Americans thought tattoos made them appear sexy and 29 percent thought they made them attractive.

A 2003 Harris Interactive poll found 36% of those between the ages of 25 to 29 have one or more tattoos. 28% of those 30 to 39 had one or more tattoos.

The American Academy of Dermatology reported in 2006 that 1 in 4 Americans between the ages of 18 to 50 have a tattoo.

44% of managers reported tattoos or piercing in places other than their ears (Career Builder and Vault.com)

The single fastest growing demographic group seeking tattoo services is middle-class suburban women. According to York University in 1997, 80% of the customers at Toronto's most popular tattoo studios were upper class white suburban women. Physician's Assistant Medical Journal in 2000 reported that tattooing in women has quadrupled, with almost half of all tattoos being done on women.

The Associated Press in 1997 reported 35.1% of all NBA players had tattoos.

WebMD reports that in 2004 Americans spent $12.4 billion on cosmetics. Women spend an average of 19 minutes per day treating and altering their faces. The average American uses 9 personal care products each day with 126 unique chemical ingredients.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that there were 11.5 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures performed in the US in 2006, at a cost of $12.2 billion. Women had over 10.5 million cosmetic procedures, 92% of the total. Men had nearly 1 million or 8 percent of the total. People ages 35-50 had the most procedures. Racial and ethnic minorities accounted for approximately 22% of those procedures.

Scene Five was the fifth session of the 2007 NW Diversity Learning Series, Life Theater - Inclusion and Engagement: Challenging and Expanding My Diversity Competency: Moving Beyond My Comfort Zone. The Series, held in Seattle, WA, is organized by The GilDeane Group, publishers of DiversityCentral.com.

Presenters were Donna Stringer, President, Executive Diversity Services, Seattle, WA, and Jamie Barber, corporate employee, Seattle, WA,