The #1 Thing People Get Wrong About Piercings in the Workplace

Piercings are professional too! Oh yeah, so are tattoos.

The #1 thing that jobs get wrong about piercings & tattoos is that they are placed on unqualified individuals.

I don’t who, what, or when it was decided that piercings & tattoos should be considered “unprofessional,” but clearly that person was a prude.

I’m willing to bet my church that it was an elderly lady that wore pearls & White Diamonds perfume. I can imagine the pearl-clutching every time she saw someone who participated in what she considered to be body degradation rather than body modification or self-expression.

(Dear Dr. Spencer Reids of Vocal, — don’t correct me if I’m wrong).

So, what is the real issue?

I need answers.

Is it the location of the piercing? Is it the size of it that determines its professionalism? Or is it the material or charms of the jewelry? Maybe, it’s just the fact that it’s visible that takes away professional points?

I don’t know the real answer. Perhaps, there isn’t even a real answer to consider, but I think what it all boils down to is the opinion of the person looking at it.

Regardless of the reason, my statement still stands — tattoos & piercings are professional too.

Although it’s not discussed much when someone is considered for a job, the word unprofessional is subjective. In reality, the word in itself is defined by the individual not necessarily the company or organization.

However, by textbook definition, unprofessional means “below or contrary to the standards expected in a particular profession.” This definition leaves me with the question, who determines what the standard is? Are the standards determined by the onlookers or by the one who has piercing?

What is considered in determining the “standard?”

Biased personal feelings? Pre-disposed thoughts? Religion? Culture? The list could be endless.

I guess I’m just full of questions.

If you can’t tell, the topic of piercings & tattoos is a sensitive subject for me, particularly because I have both.

In the healthcare field, it’s almost as if any form of self expression is forbidden. That includes hair color, nail art, but more specifically tattoos & piercings.

I’ve never been a rebel, but as I began to evolve as an individual, so did my interest; which resulted in “meaningless”piercings & meaningful tattoos.

Not long after my separation from my 1st husband some years ago, I made a personal decision to get my nose pierced; which shouldn’t have affected my professional life especially since:

1. I wasn’t on the clock using company time.

2. I wasn’t driving a company car.

3. I wasn’t spending the company’s money.

All valid points, right?

Needless to say, my job hated it, & it had to be covered due to its lack of “professionalism.” Imagine how crazy I looked walking around with a bandaid on my nose that was covered in foundation (in a failed attempt to “match” my skin) Btw, melanated bandaids weren’t a “thing” back then.

If you ask me, the unsightly bandaid brought more attention than the actual piercing itself.

After a while, I had to remove the unsightly foreign object, causing the hole to close. But guess what I did. Go on, guess.

That’s right! I marched my happy hips back to Urban Exchange & got it done again.

Yes, that small silver dot you see in the picture is my “unprofessional” nose piercing (pre-COVID).

And just in case you’re wondering — yes, I left that Jurassic aged job & their pre-historic nursing facility.

For my 30th birthday, I evolved again. I got my eyebrow pierced as a part of a spontaneous adventure to mark the beginning of my new journey.

Once again, after speaking with the CEO, I was informed that facial piercings are against company policy as the Board of Directors prohibits them.

Apparently, the policy about facial piercings is in writing . I swear I’ve never read it.

After showing her my harmless piercing, it was approved. She determined the location & jewelry was tasteful & classy.

As aforementioned, the healthcare field frowns upon visible tattoos & piercings of any body part other than the ears (& you better not have too many holes there either) as if my piercings & tattoos take away from patient care…

Because of genuine curiosity, I researched why piercings & tattoos presented such a problem in the workplace.

It turns out that during the hiring process, employers view individuals as being a misfit for the job or perceived as having negative traits.

I’m aware that most companies are at-will & don’t need a “real” reason to terminate an employee or a reason to skip over them when positions are passed out. I’m just convinced that those with piercings & tattoos face unspoken & undisclosed discrimination during the hiring process.

It’s my belief that tatted & pierced people are more likely passed over for jobs with the excuse that the company is looking for someone that’s a “better fit for the company.”

Better fit. Those 2 words seem to hide a lot of silent biased beliefs & discreet discrimination.

An important question was raised: is the hiring process based on a beauty contest or based on talent and qualifications?

More research led me to a bogus list of Why Tattoos Shouldn’t be allowed in the workplace. Nothing on this list makes sense.

While I had no rhyme or reason as to why I wanted to get my nose pierced, there are some who are pierced & “tatted” for a cause.

Ornamentations do not devalue the person nor do they take away from their level of expertise, competency, or work ethic. Tattoos & piercings do not change the qualifications or the ability to complete a job.

I’ve come across a plethora of clean-shaven, untatted, unpierced, unqualified, unprofessional people in the workforce. These same people misrepresent the company, denounce company values, & mistreat consumers. But…that doesn’t truly matter because professionalism is only gauged & determined by physical appearance, right?

I still have not found any valid reasons as to why piercings or tattoos are unprofessional. What I did find was a bunch of biased BS opinions from people who made personal decisions to refrain from self-expression & body art & try to prevent others to do the same.

I said all of that to say this — employers don’t have a REAL reason as to why piercings & tattoos are unacceptable. For all we know, they could be against piercings & tattoos because they don’t have the balls to do it.

It’s 2022, the time & standards are changing. Your attire may be professional, but I don’t care what anyone says, tattoos & piercings are professional too.