The atmosphere is tense between the three of you in the waiting room, all of you dressed in your best business attire. This job has everything you ever imagined: dental, paid vacation, and a hefty salary. During an earlier phone interview, the manager said you definitely had potential to go far in the company. The secretary calls you into the room for the final interview with board members and assistant managers. They take one look at you and decide immediately you’re not right for the job. It might have had something to do with your pierced septum or the tattoos peeking out from under your dress shirt.
While the above is a common story for tattoo and piercing aficionados, the days when eccentric body jewelry and wild ink were only found in freak shows are long gone. According to a survey from Northwestern University, almost a fourth of men and women between 18 and 50 sport a tattoo, and almost 15 percent have at least one body piercing. With popular television shows like Miami Ink on TLC and Inked on A&E, the art form is brought to your home. But, even as stereotypes unravel, those who choose body modification still fight an uphill battle in the work world.
Beth Hemingway, a senior social work major at the University at Buffalo, felt bittersweet about getting her job at Denny’s. Their dress code included a no facial piercings or visible tattoos policy. Unfortunately for her, that meant taking out her eyebrow ring, nose stud, nose horseshoe, and lip ring; all she had left was her tongue ring. “I felt discriminated against with my facial piercings because workers could wear long, dangling earrings,” she said.
After a few months at Denny’s, the holes closed up. “It was disappointing because I had them for so many years,” said Hemingway. “I got sick of taking them out before work and putting them back in after work. It became too time-consuming and started to cost me money after losing balls for some of my piercings.”
Luckily, Hemingway’s seven tattoos, from the Celtic tattoo on her ankle to the galaxy of stars on her back, are concealed, a choice she made knowing that some dress codes require the hiding of tattoos.
Tikia Bryant, a junior chemistry major at UB, is a former Wegmans employee with a visible star tattoo on her elbow and her daiths, tongue, and navel pierced. Wegmans had never had a problem with her body modifications, though she had to take out her lobe piercings when working with food.
She says the possibility of losing out on a job doesn’t bother her. “Judging a person on anything aside from ability and functionality is discrimination,” she said, “and if an employer freely uses discriminatory tactics, I don’t think I’d want to work there anyway.”
“My piercings do not affect my job performance,” Bryant continued. “Piercings and tattoos are a part of some people’s cultures, and to deny that right is to deny many of their traditions and values.”
“Tattoo” is derived from the Tahitian word tatu, which means “to hit or strike.” They were originally done for religious purposes, to ward off demonic possession, or for protection against enemies. Piercings and tattoos were once a privilege for a select few. Now they have evolved into universal, but often misunderstood, attire for the masses.
In a survey of 500 employees and managers from Vault.com, 49.8 percent of employers said their opinion of someone they worked with was not affected by visible tattoos and piercings, but 58.3 percent said they would be less likely to hire someone with visible tattoos and piercings, demonstrating the often duplicitous ground body modification in the workplace stands on.
According to some, not hiring modified people can be detrimental to the company itself. Lauren Mirro, owner of H.O.D. Custom Tattoo on Elmwood Avenue, said, “You could lose out on serious talent by discriminating against them.” She explained that some employers are hesitant to hire people with visible tattoos or piercings because of stereotypes—“They assume it makes an impact on the type of person they are...It’s just not relevant.”
The Mansion on Delaware Avenue, an upscale hotel, has a no visible tattoo and no body piercing policy. Manager Kent Sciandara is responsible for making sure his employees follow the code, but is more concerned with work performance. “I don’t personally care about [the codes];” he said, “the service is what counts.” He even admitted to allowing some girls get away with more than their ears pierced. “I have a couple girls with nose studs and one guy who has tattoo sleeves, but keeps them covered.” In a few years he thinks “nose rings could be acceptable for all female employees.” The Mansion isn’t the only business relaxing its stance—even the U.S. Military has revised its position on visible tattoos.
Complete acceptance is far from the rule, however. Jacob Lang is a graduate sociology major and a Teaching Assistant for Dr. St. Jean in UB’s Department of Sociology. With a metal exterior of 34 piercings, eight tattoos, a shaved head, and a rust-colored goatee, many can be put off by his appearance. “Most people are taken aback, shocked, disgusted, curious, and unsettled,” he said. He works hard as a TA and a graduate student, but in appearance-obsessed America, it’s hard for people not to judge him on his appearance.
One early evening last year, Lang was pulled over for suspected drunk driving. He was harassed by police for four hours, the canine unit searched his car, and he was breathalyzed numerous times. “What do you want me to think?” one officer told Lang, “It’s how you look.” Not only did eight patrol cars rush to the scene with guns drawn, but Lang was asked to roll up his sleeves so they could look for track marks. “I am marginalizing myself to a point,” said Lang, “but the world should learn to stop being so shallow and superficial.”
H.O.D.’s Mirro urges those suffering from discrimination to “try and educate people.” One cannot change the color of their skin. Some modified people feel the same way about their appearances. “Everything should be merit-based anyway,” Lang said. “I wouldn’t change myself for the world.”
