Denied a job because of body modifications?

That would all depend many factors. Where you looking to work. Where are your tattoos and what are they. In an office setting might be helpful if you cover them up even if you don't like it.

I'm 70, until the late 1960s tattoos and piercings were VERY unusual. they indicated a type of person who declared to the world they did NOT want to be a "team player"

women wore earrings but that was all.

if I were and employer I would pass up "odd" people

Protected classes are clearly defined and invariably address conditions the job seeker cannot control or is entitled to keep. For example, it is perfectly legal to refuse to hire you because you are a Lakers fan or because you bite your fingernails. Equal opportunity laws were written to prevent classes of people from being denied opportunity to work on the basis of things they can't change (like sex or skin color) or are specifically protected for, like religion or veteran status.

Cover your tats or look for a job that accepts them.

It isn't really discrimination, when you choose to get a tattoo (yes, you CHOOSE) you know the consequences of getting one in a visible location. To say that you hadn't anticipated that would imply that you're either impulsive or lying. My tattoos are visible on both arms and have faced no "discrimination" due to them. (I put that in quotations because it isn't discrimination in the same sense that racism is discrimination. To equate tattoo contempt with racism would be vastly incorrect.)