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Personal experiences with tattoos in the workplace
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There are various types of different body modifications such as piercing, injecting, scarring, tattooing, etc. Tattoos and piercings are more commonly associated with the term “modification” and can be seen on a majority of young people nowadays. Being employed while having exposed tattoos is becoming more accepted in the United States. Work ethic is finally becoming more important than outside appearance. Scarification and body suspension are considered some of the most extreme forms of body modification and are rare depending on culture. Plastic surgery is considered a form of body modification and is viewed positively compared to other forms. In Korea, plastic surgery is pushed on people at an early age. Tattoos are also outlawed and those …show more content…
Originally, a majority of employers claimed that individuals with tattoos and/or piercings presented themselves as unprofessional and unreliable; however, in recent years, employers’ opinions have changed drastically. Statistics state, 73% of today’s employers would hire anyone that seemed applicable, despite him or her having body modifications (STAPAW 2012). With professional careers becoming more lenient on hiring those with body modifications, it establishes a diverse community of employees in the workplace. Unfortunately, problems still arise when it comes to the employers who still strongly …show more content…
Dating back to the mid-16th century, tattoos have given individuals the opportunity to transform their body into a living canvas. Shortly after tattoos hit the scene, piercings were sure to follow. Piercings varied in usage, whether it was spiritual, self-expressional, or sexual. With modifications, come repercussions. There’s been an enormous social stigma that those with body modifications are unfit for certain jobs, leaving thousands of Americans without a stable source of income. However, some employers are slowly, but surely beginning to change their opinions and viewpoints on the matter. An extreme cousin of tattoos and piercings would be scarification and body suspension. Scarification is the action of cutting or burning images into the skin, whereas body suspension is piercing large hooks through your appendages and dangling by thick, sturdy ropes. South Korea is a country known for their vast amount of body modifications given per year – plastic surgery. Beauty ideals are set on conformity and K-pop stars, leaving tattoos outlawed and given a negative connotation. Many cultures share similar customs involving the human body, making body modifications an important part of today’s society when in terms of self-expression and spiritual
Plastic surgery is an interesting cultural phenomenon. It is a very controversial subject that many people are fascinated by. Sociologists today use the three theoretical perspectives, conflict, functionalist, and interactionist theory to understand the range of issues and phenomenon in societies. In this paper I will present a sociological analysis of plastic surgery with a brief history on the subject matter.
Someone with body modifications does not care if others do not have body modifications; however it seems that people without body modifications care a lot more about the people that do. According to the article “The Modern Primitives” by John Leo, Leo confirms my statement by saying that body modifications are a sign of a crisis. In reality, these are people's chosen lifestyles that have absolutely no effect on his everyday life. Within his commentary, Leo discusses the many different forms of body modification such as piercing, tattoos, corsetry, branding, scarring, and S&M. A nose piercing might be on the more “innocent” side of body modification, but scarring by a knife would be on the “more extreme” side, showing the various stages of adversity.
In today’s world there are several occupations one may choose from once receiving an education. Whether a person wants to be a doctor, a teacher, or a business person, one should be able to use their education to gain access to that job. Getting a job is no easy task, for there are many people who are also searching for that same job. Employers will interview many people just to find the right one and often times will have many stand-out applications to evaluate. When it comes down to making a decision, something as simple as having a tattoo could ruin every hope one has of getting the job. One may ask, “why does having a tattoo ruin ones chance of getting a job?” A tattoo would ruin one’s chances at getting a job simply because it is wrongly viewed as unprofessional.
As well as heavy drinkers, sexually promiscuous and less attractive. Also compared to self-ratings, non-modified individual’s rated tattooed participants more negatively on personality (Forbes, 2001; Martin, 1997, Jefferys, 2000, Swami & Furnham, 2007). Undergraduates rated tattoo wearers lower on credibility, competence, character, and sociability (Seiter & Hatch, 2005). Women are likewise rated as more sexually uninhibited and less motivated, honest, religious, intelligent, and possibly less healthy compared to non-tattooed women (Dengelman and Price 2002)
Even though tattoos are becoming part of culture and socially acceptable, the negative and prejudiced attitudes towards those with body art are still present. Not all tattoos are gang related, and one must note that they have historically been a symbol of someone’s culture or religion. Other tattoos may have just a personal meaning to its owner and was not intended to be offensive. People also do not understand that a tattoo may impede them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their qualifications. Employers realize that the need to recruit workers from different backgrounds are important in such a competitive workforce, so they provide accommodation by having reasonable dress code policies.
How do you choose to describe yourself? Actions? Words? Or a little to a large image that permanently printed on your skin, does that say much about you? It could be. For someone whose secretive or gone through many rough present and past can be an “escape” Other than drugs, body modifications can be their way of speaking out and reaching for help from others. And last, but not least, what makes us different from other living things out there? A form of art or other modifications such as piercing, hair coloring, clothing, etc. Tattoo is a representation of a freedom of expression in which is a basic human rights according to Thomas Jefferson and those are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.
A controversial topic today is whether or not body piercings and tattoos should be accepted by professionals working in health care. Currently, tattoos and piercings are allowed in health care as long as they are not visible. According to one of the studies, “Body piercing is defined as a piercing of the body anywhere other than the earlobes” (Westerfield). Therefore, the only visible piercings allowed are small studs in the lobes of the ears for females. The reason body piercings and tattoos are not suggested in health care is that they keep someone from looking professional as well as making them look intimidating. Not everyone sees them that way. The opposing side is that they do not affect
A persons’ image is vital when meeting someone for the first time. Our peers, employers, family, superiors, even strangers that you walk past can automatically judge someone, and imagine how they present themselves to the world. Tattoos have been predominantly linked with a rebellious attitude and pictured on out of control stereotypes such as rock starts, bikers, sailors, and disobedient teenagers who want nothing more than to hack off their parents. With a new coming of age generation and a step into a more lenient and liberal society these types of patrons still participate in body art but so do doctors, lawyers, or just the run of the mill house mom. Tattoos signify religious beliefs, cultural influence, or each individual’s sole style. Body art is no longer socially offensive, employers are more apt to hiring tatted hopeful applicants, parents are warming up to the idea of their children inking their body and no longer a stranger on the street with a tattoo is necessarily prejudged as a criminal or safety hazard. Tattoos have become more evolved over the years because they have become more of a socially accepted element of the general public.
Body modification by definition is deliberating altering the human body. Most people at one point has altered his or her body at one point whether is to dye his or her hair or to get piercings or getting a tattoo. Since there are many different types of body modifications, most people do not think about extreme body modifications such as piercing in the genitals, splitting the genitals, horn implants, body suspensions, and many more. Body modifications can be deviant and they do lead people to perceive those individuals as criminals, and body modifications can effect on a person’s life.
Tattooing has increased widespread from all ages, careers, and social classes (Westerfield, Stafford, Speroni, & Daniel, 2012). Tattoos’ usual meaning is “to stain the skin with colorings” (Goldstein, 2007). With the growing the populations, who have tattoos and/or body piercings in the work environment, there is requiring decision about what policies to establish forward associates a professional atmosphere. Thus, there assesses patients’ perceptions of health care workers with tattoos and/or body piercing (Westerfield, Stafford, Speroni, & Daniel, 2012).
Workers love wearing what they want (including tattoos and nose piercings) and saying what they want. Nearly 80% of the workforce is under 25.” ("Fortune 100 best,"
Are tattoos a kiss of death at a workplace? According to Student Research Center, nearly 4 out of every 10 Americans in their 30s have been inked. ''In April 2000 15% of Americans were tattooed (which is roughly around 40 million people) (The National Geographic).'There are different types of tattoos, from color to black and white, even glow in the dark. Number of tattoo paralos in the U.S. is 21,000'' (Tattoo Statistics 1) and more is being added every single day. People spend about $1.6 billion on tattoos once a year. ''In the U.S. more women than men are tattooed, 36% of the ages is between 18-25 and 40% of those ages are 26-40 that have at least one tattoo.''(Random facts 1) People have been getting tattoos for a while now. It has been said that ''tattoos date back as far as the Neolithic era or around the fourth to fifth millennium BC.''(skinsight.com 1) Tattoos should be acceptable at a place of business because people get tattoos for significant purposes, tattoos can tell stories and build confidence, body art is a way for someone to express themselves, make up, and tattoos are reminders of life time experiences.
If a tattoo is on the face of the employee, I understand employers thinking that it is unprofessional. People still should not discriminate against someone in the workplace just because they have tattoos.
In some cases the tattoo policy is supposed to work as a compromise on both sides. Employees are allowed to have tattoos so long as they follow the rules set by the employer on covering them up for the sake of the clients. Jon Kelly says that words like “untidy,” “repugnant,” and “unsavory” have been used to describe body art not only by the employers but also the clients. People could find this as a hindrance on their freedom of expression, but there is a level of professionalism that all companies. Although this could seem like a loss for the employee, but they get to keep their tattoos, piercings, and jobs so it seems as though it is an overall win for both
In the global market place it is now very common to hire people from many different backgrounds, so should people who decide to get body art be treated any differently than the rest of the people in the company. In one article I read it states that there is still a dress code and policy so depending where the tattoo is visible at that can be a big determining factor because