Piercings and tattoos at work

I do have a couple tattoos but where I have them I can cover very easily. One on my shoulder and one on my calf. The places I have worked had no problem with me having them uncovered though. So I have been lucky.

But yes, even today there are lots of places that do not like it if you have tattoos. I have heard of stories of people not getting a job simply because they have tattoos. I guess it is just an older way of thinking, prevailing in the work place.

It is much more accepted in society today, but business is often old fashioned and so are the dress code rules. They want to appear as professional as possible but fail to realize just how many professional people actually have tattoos hidden under their suits.

Presidents with tattoos

I do think it is time for the business world to become more accepting of such things. Society in general does not frown upon tattoos. It is no longer weird to see a guy with a piercing....I would like to see the business world change to also accept what society has begun to accept.

When I had my business I had strict rules regarding tats and piercings. No visible piercings and no visible tats. Even though I have them myself. My customers would not have approved of it and I knew it. I wanted to project a professional image.

I had some teenagers that worked for me, and another rule was no baggy pants. They would complain about it and how people didn't respect them, and judged them before knowing them. I told them that if they wanted to be respected, then they should dress and act respectful. The got three chances, and if they violated any one of those rules three times, they were canned. I had a business to run, and your personal feelings are the least of my concerns.

if you go against the matrix, you should be prepared to be treated as though you don't belong in the matrix.

seriously. tattoos are meant to be very sacred and very personal. they should be used as a way to stand out...to distinguish yourself from the herd. they're horses...you're a zebra. expect the horses to treat you like a zebra.

me...my tattoos tell a story. they tell my story. they are just as much a part of me as my skin. they are my skin. i always said i would never do my hands or my neck/face so i could keep a "respectable" job. know what? work is cutting hours...lotta spare time on my hands. know what i'm about to do? get both of my hands tattooed.

why, would i, in this horrible economy, with my job cutting hours and possible unemployment in my future, decide to tattoo my hands? why you ask? because i want to make myself try harder. this might sound retarded to some but to those of us who are slaves to the needle (talking about tattoos), standing out is a big part of it. now...i will always have to try harder. from most people's point of view, i sound crazy. but if you're in it for the ink..you give the man the middle finger and go balls deep...get covered up. all or nothing, right? i don't half-arse anything! when i do something, i put my all into it. so when i give myself to something, i give all of myself to something.

so from the point of view of someone who is REALLY into tattoos, your complaint is trivial. yes...i hate that it's the way it is but you know what? no one remembers the fish who swam downstream...they remember the fish who swam upstream. don't be afraid to stand out...history books are filled with wave makers!

i'm sure you didn't want to hear that but it's just my prospective on it. tattoos are a part of me and my life. if you really care about your artwork, you won't work somewhere that would repress your sense of self in this way. so quit and go work for someone who will let you be you. or...bend and give in. or...be a man and blaze your own path.

while your argument is valid and based in truth, the truth of the matter is tattoos were originally created as a way to stand out. a way for a man/woman to distinguish themselves. so...don't complain about standing out when you're doing stuff that makes you stand out.

do you complain about how cold it is outside when you're standing outside in your underwear in the middle of winter? no...you go the hell inside. and you think really long and hard about it before you go out there in your underwear again. in fact...you probably don't do it again...or else you're crazy.

I have my lip pierced and a few tattoos. I take my lip ring out before I go to work, but I have to cover the one on my arm and I can't wear my hair up because I have one on the side of my neck. I really don't like doing that because my tattoos are a part of me, and they make me feel like I'm unworthy of just being me.

I would venture to say that you are a part of the 20 somethings. I would also venture to bet that you have never voted, or been involved with the political process. You are probably one who also complains about it anyways even though you have never taken steps to change it. Am I right so far?

So here is the problem with the younger generation. Lot's of complaints. Yet I would bet that only about 20% of that generation actually give a damn about their country to get involved. You see, what you are going through is also a direct reflection of that mentality. You want change, you want your voice to be heard, and yet you are too scared to voice up. You are too consumed with your own little world to realize that you need to actually do something to change things. now that might mean changing employers. It might be having a direct dialog with whomever sets the policies. But sitting back and whining about it changes nothing.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


They are still offensive to a certain part of the population (mostly older folks). In some instances they can be down right scary. I see no problem in forcing an employee to cover them up, and in fact, I am often disappointed in people with fairly professional positions displaying them brazenly.

My agreement with my ex-wife and mother: No Tattoos that aren't covered up by shorts and short sleeve T-shirt. It was a great agreement, because I can wear any professional attire without displaying tattoos, but I can wear a tank top or biker vest and look as rough and rugged as anybody out there. It was a great compromise that has served me well.

One exception though. I think the little nose ring, and little lip ring are less obtrusive than the giant bandaid that covers them up! I think it looks nasty to have a waittress with a giant bandaid on her nose and another on her lip. I'd rather just see the piercing.

reply to post by haarvik


Had a business. What happened to it?

reply to post by getreadyalready


Older folks typically have problems where ever they go. Case in point, my grandma cussed out the manager of a local grocery store because they were having a fund raiser for a children's hospital. She was angry that they "bothered" her about a donation. The manager told her, "I'm sorry you feel like that ma'm, perhaps you would enjoy Bloom instead of my Farm Fresh?" There comes a point where old folks need to be recognized as the minority party poopers that they are, and ignored.

Party poopers!

reply to post by Evolutionsend


I didn't get a government bailout! It's a long story, but basically it was a franchise, and the franchise owner was trying to extort more money from me, so I closed it. I could have wasted a ton of money and went to court, but I wasn't ready for that. To do over, yes I would.

My next statement is not meant as an attack on anybody.

I have noticed that people have some confusion about "their rights". When you agree to work for an employer, you agree to give up some of "your rights" as a condition of employment. There are certain areas where your rights are protected, discrimination, safety, etc, but, there are rights that you have to given up or restricted, such as freedom of speech/ expression. Something else that is usually left out is that your employer, has, rights as well.

reply to post by JIMC5499


You also have a right to stand up and say you can't take this right, we as a society will not allow it. We as a society need to start thinking like that again. The term solidarity comes to mind here. The corporate world has tons of solidarity, a common goal and they all work towards that end. We as a society have lost sight of our common goal, which is freedom and equality.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


Sure, you can stand up, but you can also be let go.

I think it is highly dependent upon the position. I think a sales person, executive, professional should look professional. I think a mechanic has the right to look like a mechanic. Some mechanics choose to look like professionals, and that is fine as long as it doesn't impend upon their work quality. Some sales people choose to look like mechanics, that is not fine if it reflects poorly on my location, or if it affects their ability, which it will.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but it doesn't matter. I would require long sleeves to be worn if someone had a full sleeve of tattoos and wanted to work for me in the public eye. I would require any piercings to be small and subtle, no guages or giant spikes. I would not hire someone if they had weird implants, looked like a Kling-On, or refused to abide by some simple requirements up front.

Like it or not, I would even have a hard time hiring someone if they were shockingly unattractive. If my business depends on the public, I want to put my best face forward.

reply to post by getreadyalready


How would you feel if you were denied a job based on your looks?

Do you not understand the idea of solidarity? They can't let everyone go. You seem far too anxious to let others dictate what you consider right. WAKE UP! You're sleeping.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


You also have the right to look for employment elsewhere.

reply to post by yeahright


You have a right to stand against it if you feel it in no way impedes anything. It doesn't cause any harm. The people that are the minority, would get over their complaints and move on to complaining about something else if tomorrow everyone in America was pierced and tattooed.

Originally posted by Evolutionsend
Do you not understand the idea of solidarity? They can't let everyone go. You seem far too anxious to let others dictate what you consider right.

Sounds like Socialism to me and I am not interested.

reply to post by Evolutionsend


I know for a fact I have been denied jobs based on my looks alone. Don't wear a nice suit to an interview for a factory job. I was passed over twice that way. Showed up the 3rd time in jeans and cowboy boots, and I was hired on the spot.

I also know I was once discriminated against. A Walmart with an all-black staff interviewed me, with a stellar resume, references, and work history, and they interviewed my buddy who was fired from every previous job. He was black, and he got the job. I was happy for him, and I found another job, although after the fact, I did constantly start causing trouble when shopping in that store. I can PM you some of my favorite hijinks. They wouldn't be very popular on the main boards, but they were funny as hell to me and my friend.

I also know I've been hired for jobs based on my looks, especially my smile. The job I have now is one example. I was hired over the much more qualified internal folks, simply because of my professional appearance, embracing personality, and nice smile. They told me so, and they told me they wanted me to bring that to the existing staff. Everything else I could learn on the job.

It seems you are the one asleep. Western kids grow up thinking they can be anything they want to be, but it isn't true. You have the right, and the opportunity to be anything you want to be, but you aren't necessarily going to be good at everything. You might make mistakes such as tattooing your cheek or your neck along the way, you might commit a crime that precludes you from certain jobs. We should stop lying to our kids, and start trying to develop the things they are good at, at an early age, instead of grooming them all to be accountants and lawyers and doctors. We need some engineers, mechanics, cooks, and dishwashers as well, and they might as well get good at it!

reply to post by getreadyalready


I've been denied a job because I'm a veteran. I have been denied a job because I am male. I have also been denied a job because I didn't have political connections. (I was the only qualified applicant).