Tattoos and piercings are not unprofessional
Being forced to hide or cover your tattoos or piercings in work environments is discrimination (photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Body modifying and inking in professional settings has been a controversial topic for far too long. It is already enough that workers must advocate for a liveable wage, but the idea that some people are denied that opportunity because they choose to decorate their bodies how they see fit is, honestly, embarrassing.
The belief that people with visible tattoos and piercings are not deserving of employment only prolongs the belief that those people are delinquents. It perpetuates a stereotype that those groups of people may be dangerous or uneducated, making them easy targets for employers to enforce company policies like dress codes. Professionalism within a business requires employees to encase themselves into a shell for the sake and comfort of their employers. Treating employees and customers with respect and tact is much more crucial than the attire they wear during work. A doctor covered in tattoos is the least of my worries, my main concern is whether or not they can conduct the correct procedures or correctly diagnose me!
Instead of providing a safe environment for workers, companies and employers are more worried about “offensive” tattoos that may dissuade customers from supporting businesses. Companies are worried that a Medusa piercing will frighten customers, requiring workers to hide or remove their piercings and/or tattoos. Piercings and tattoos are costly for this. Prices range widely depending on artists' demand and the kind of services they offer. Workers should not be required to hide parts of their bodies for the comfort and sanctity of their customers who may be offended by the physical appearance of someone they will probably never see again when those people have put a degree of thought and their own money into presenting themselves that way.
Western culture and ideology have associated modifying and inking with deviant behavior, mental health issues, and unhygienic behavior, with these ideas causing people to question their self-worth in Western society. Contrary to this belief, I find tattoos and piercings to be a beautiful form of self-expression. It isn’t just an expression of art, but it can also be culturally significant. It’s important for jobs to understand that some workers may come from different backgrounds as different designs hold an amount of significance to the individual's identity and culture. In Maori culture, for instance, the indigenous people of New Zealand, Tā moko is a historical expression of cultural heritage and identity through tattoos. Tā Moko reflects the history, identity, social status, and skill of an individual. It is also essential to note that it is illegal for your employer to fire you because of your tattoo, and can even be filed as a discrimination lawsuit.
Jobs have become much more lenient over time with tattoos and piercings. I would say that our generation is fortunate enough to work in a time when a large number of employers allow tattoos and piercings in the workplace. There are still people, though, who are being targeted by their employers for other factors like unnatural hair colors, unique hairstyles, visible body piercings, extreme body modifications, and more—especially in fields such as education, business, STEM, and healthcare. These people deserve to be protected when seeking jobs, especially corporate-level jobs.
Seeing people embrace their art, identity, culture, and reverence inspires me to save up pennies and nickels and get that tattoo that has been mocking me on my Pinterest board for years. Whether someone decides to have a silly tattoo of a cow or a navel piercing is none of my business, and it isn’t any of your business either. If a customer or employer is distracted by my septum piercing to the point of disdain, that sounds like a problem they need to work out with themself.