Chris Stevens

Chris Stevens looks out his office window as he shows off his one and only tattoo. Stevens' wife gave him a gift certificate to "Living Canvas" because she did not think she'd be able to get a second tattoo until he got his first. "I didn't tell my wife when I got it (the tattoo). I thought it'd be fun to wait and see if she noticed," Stevens said.   ¦  KATHLEEN BUHRMANN/Missourian

For Stevens, the decision to get tattooed was years in the making. “I thought long and hard about it,” he says. He finally went under the needle less than a year ago at the urging of his tattooed wife, who bought him a gift certificate to a local studio.

The basic black design Stevens chose represents his ties to Louisiana and St. Louis; both incorporate the fleur de lis into their cultural symbology. “I wanted something simple,” he says.

Stevens’ job requires dress attire, so covering up the tattoo on his shoulder isn’t a problem.

He understands the need for such discretion. “There’s a certain expectation that people have of a banker,” Stevens says. “Like it or not, there are stereotypes associated with tattoos. ... The bank has a certain image to uphold.”

Although his body art surprises some, Stevens doesn’t see himself as unusual in the professional world.

Steven also sees widespread acceptance of body art, at work and beyond, as a distinct possibility: “I think we’re on our way there now ... It’s more common than people think,” he says. “As this generation gets older, it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”