Over the past few weeks, I have been reluctantly looking for a second job to keep me busy and make some extra money. Like most people who job hunt, procrastination sometimes sets in, and I find myself doing everything but put in applications.
During these times of procrastination, I tend to do a little bit more research about the jobs that I really want to apply for. This is just what I was doing when I realized that I am always looking for one very specific piece of information. Does this job allow visible tattoos and piercings?
I know it sounds like such a ridiculous problem to have and that I am the one who chose to have body modifications, but it is something that I think about a lot every time I try to get a new job.
I have had some sort of visible body modification, be it a nose ring or my current tattoos, since I was 14 years old. This means that I have spent my whole working life, since the age of 16, being conscious of the fact that some jobs do not allow the art on my body that I am so passionate about.
Some people, granted much more mature than myself, tell me that employers do not want to hire tattooed people for a variety of reasons. Some think it is inappropriate to have any visible modifications.
Some even think it somehow shows something about the work ethic of an individual.
This has always amazed me. Now I, a 20-year-old college student who is looking for a second job on top of my already busy work load, am still subtly looked down upon, or thought of in a certain light because of the art I choose to have on my body.
I am a huge believer in people expressing themselves in whatever way they want to. I am also a believer in the fact that the way you choose to express yourself, even if it is out of the ordinary, should not make others think any less of you.
That is why it confuses me that some people believe that my body modifications have any sort of correlation to my work ethic. I consider myself a hard worker.
My appearance should not be used to determine any differently.
I know individuals who are heavily tattooed who are some of the most motivational and inspirational workers in the world. They put everything into their work like any other person should. So why should they be viewed any differently?
I am not sure if this kind of issue is just merely generational, seeing as how I know I am not alone in my views. I truly do not know why some people view body art in a negative way when I have always had a passion for it.
It is time to allow people to express themselves in the ways they choose.
HARLEE BOEHM
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