Kailyn Thompson| Windber
Tattoos and piercings are becoming progressively more popular within the upcoming generations, and although they are becoming more normalized, many still view these as unprofessional.
It is easy to judge or categorize someone based on their looks, especially when they have piercings on their face and ink on their skin, but these quick thoughts are rarely entirely accurate.
Tattoos and piercings do not define a person’s ability to carry out a successful life, nor do they hinder the person’s intelligence.
Particular ways of expression have been made taboo by previous generations, and as baby boomers are the usual employers who are looking to hire, it can be difficult to avoid an uncomfortable situation for young people with piercings and tattoos who are looking to gain employment.
While tattoos or piercings may seem unprofessional, the ink and body jewelry do not do the job —the person does.
Which would be more unprofessional — someone expressing themselves through body art or an employer judging someone based solely on their appearance? It may seem normal or regular to just instinctively judge someone based on their looks, but as times become more progressive, indirect discrimination against self expression will slowly fade away.
I do not believe that tattoos and piercings, within reasonable limits, are unprofessional. In my opinion, society’s perception of an employee based on outward appearance is not as important as his or her skill.
But, in reality, humans, including myself, are judgmental, and it wouldn’t exactly be a wise career move to show up for a job interview for a surgeon position with 10 face tattoos.
However, just as there is room for various styles in professional dress — pencil skirts versus slacks, blazers versus cardigans, and suits versus khakis — there is room, or at least we should make room, for tattoos which are either small or large and easily concealable as well as piercings that are tastefully placed.
And for any employer considering not hiring someone because of their artwork, a Fox News report found that 97 percent of American adult consumers wouldn’t change current product shopping habits if employees had visible tattoos and piercings.
Maybe we should take a cue from the group that matters most to businesses: consumers.
I don’t believe that all tattoos or piercings are unprofessional. They are simply a way that people choose to decorate themselves as they see fit.
The only time I would think that a piercing or tattoo would not be professional would be the extremes of these art forms.
This would include face tattoos, something explicit in an easily visible place, or piercings that displace excessive amounts of body tissue.
Simple tattoos or piercings are perfectly OK, and often mean a lot to the people who get them.
I’ve noticed that most people get these for an emotional connection to some special event that they want to remember forever.
So if somebody wishes to permanently alter their body to their preferences, I believe that it should not be deemed as unprofessional unless they take it to the extreme.
I don’t believe that tattoos and piercings are unprofessional.
I feel like if the person is well-trained in what he or she does, or if he has a good personality, it doesn’t matter if they have tattoos and piercings.
I think it is time to stop judging people on how they look because we aren’t taking their abilities into consideration and/or getting to know them before we make assumptions about them.
I also feel like tattoos and piercings are becoming more accepted in this day and age.
To me, it is normal to see someone with a piece of art on their arm or a ring in their nose.
It is their way of expressing themselves and I believe they deserve the right to do so.
Tattoos and piercings are becoming more and more common in the younger generations.
In addition to clothing, these body alterations are ways to express one’s personality and style as well as showing admiration towards family, friends, and some hobbies.
Some of these young adults receiving tattoos and piercings are worried about their chances of finding jobs and whether they would be considered appropriate by others.
Depending on the employer, tattoo policies may be stricter if the job consists of face-to-face communication with customers.
The employee may be asked to cover their tattoos with clothing or make-up.
This, however, does not make it unprofessional. Employers who are trying to find eligible workers without tattoos or piercings may have a harder time.
According to Meredith Newman in “Report: More young people have a tattoo than ever before and it needs to be discussed,” 38 percent of 18- to 29-year-old Americans have at least one tattoo on their body, but 72 percent of those do have it in an area not normally visible. Statistics taken from “United States: Amount of piercings in 2017, by age,” state that of 18 to 29-year olds, 29 percent have only one piercing and 37 percent have two to three piercings with 33 percent of 30- to 59-year-olds have only one piercing and 32 percent have two to three piercings.
Many perceive these alterations as amateurish, which is not the case at all.
With these numbers expected to increase, future employers might need to alter their current stances on whether or not to hire people with tattoos and/or piercings.
Tattoos and piercings have become increasingly common among young people who are just recently joining the workforce and because of this, I don’t believe that tattoos or piercings should be looked upon as unprofessional.
Ten years ago, yes, they might have looked unprofessional because they weren’t nearly as common as they are today.
Now, so many people have tattoos or piercings that it’s no longer shocking or distracting.
People argue that having piercings in their face is unprofessional but yet no one takes exception to an ear piercing.
Where do we draw the line between what body art is professional and what is unprofessional?
False stigmas attached to facial piercings bias people into believing that someone who has piercings is less likely to do well in a work environment than someone without.
However the core of this issue is the fact that physical appearance has no bearing on people’s abilities to work and be competent employees.
Someone with a tattoo or piercing can work just as hard as someone without and if that person has a problem with meeting deadlines or showing up to work, it isn’t their tattoo or piercing, it is they and their own work ethic.
I feel that, in order to say whether piercings and tattoos are unprofessional, the word “professional” needs to be defined.
According to the MacMillan Dictionary, a professional is someone who has a lot of skill or training, so professional businesses are places like hospitals, banks, schools, and where employees are required to have formal training.
In these settings, most employers require their staff to dress formally. Because of this requirement, I find excessive tattoos and piercings in professional businesses to be improper.
If employees are supposed to be representing a reputable business, their appearance should match the more demanding and formal qualifications of that business, and excessive tattoos and piercings do not always display the image of a professional individual.
Ultimately, it is up to the business to decide what image their employees will display in the workplace.
