jobs + peircings = don't mix?

[Morning Glory]

anyone ever have a problem getting/ keeping a job because of earings or facial peircings? if so, what did you do about it?

I just got a job and I'm supposed to start tommorrow. my manager that hired me, she has like 5 peircings in each ear, but the owner of the place is an asshole that thinks it's the 1950's and he won't allow men to have peirced ears. (which is gender discrimination and against the law, but he doesn't care and is involved in like 5 lawsuits allready for varius other shit he's done.) she told me that I could cover them up which looks ridiculous. I knew a guy that got part of his ear chopped off and had to wear a bandage on it, and that's what it looks like. I have 0g earings so it's not really an option to take them out because I have huge grisly holes in my ears that look kind of disgusting without anything in them. so basically because of thier stupid policy, they'd rather have me do shit that looks incredibly stupid and will attract ten times as much attention from people then if I just left my rings in. so I don't know what to do.

[killerkat]

no But i had a HELLLLL of a time getting work with my Dreads.....

i'm sure there's a Segway,there....


ohh,and congrats on the Job...


honestly i don't know what to tell you,these are shitty situations....

maybe try some different,more skin toned,plugs...

i got a few really good places that make natural quage stuff...

[Morning Glory]

yeah? it's pretty ridiculous, I don't think i'm that wierd looking, but I guess I am. I applied at hot topic because no other place would hire me, and they didn't hire me because they said I didn't have enough retail experience. no shit they don't hire freaky people in retail, that why i'm applying here assholes!

what's segway? that scooter company?

[malcolm]

I did. I used to work for sears in their warehouse in texas and it was no big deal but when i transferred to louissiana, I had to take my nostril stud (which I pierced myself)out so much that it ended up healing over. and even now I cannot even step foot into the building I work now without having to take my labrette out.Wish I could get an apprentaceship piercing or work at hottopic and make the same cash I make now if not more,they dont care about piercings. they encourage you to have em! lol

[killerkat]

!

what's segway? that scooter company?

the connection between my dread job parrels are your Guage job parrels=segway......


it's really a hard thing to get around i lost alot of jobs(accounts for baking) that i could of had,but i had my dreads so people didn't even look at my resume`......

[Evilbink]

I am my own boss, and I give myself shit over my peircings and tattoos all the time. I just might have to fire myself if I don't get my act together.

But seriously..yes In my line of work I deal with a lot of churches and elderly rich folk, and I do feel a lot of discrimination against my look.

[TheLegionnaire]

segway is a personal scooter, you're talking about a segue

[killerkat]

segway is a personal scooter, you're talking about a segue

yea that's it ......

[Pull~My~Hair]

I have a friend who is heavily pierced, he tells jobs its part of his spirituality, he actually is a member of a national recognized religion, ....but honestly, they can fire you for whatever they want, whether its a good reason or not.....damn the man

[Jax]

Employers do not recognize the Church of Body Modification as a religion just so everyone knows.

As much as I respect Steve and those who have put it together to try and gain equal rights for those of us who choose to partake in body modification as a lifestyle, I think the church kinda went off line and there just isnt a case there nor credibility. Its like me starting The Church of Boobs, and saying my religion requires me to work in a corporate setting topless (sure itd make for a much cooler workday, but theres always people with sticks up their asses).

Unfortuneately, unless they hire you with them and then try to fire you for having them them, you dont have a case. Most places its a right to work state, so if the boss doesnt like you that day after you being employed there for 5 years, he can let you go without any reason. It sucks, youd just have to find a different job. Ive been going through this as a tattooed and pierced female, when in the same job there are guys with tons of tats and piercings. Its unfair most certainly, as I could do the jobs I apply for 100% better than the people Ive seen. But we are still in a culture of conformity and mainstream, and until the bod mod community starts working together to change this, itll be this way for awhile.

Wish I had more positive words for you, but youre a realist. Id personally tell them to fuck off and find another job (in AZ aint so easy right now, so youre screwed either way). Gotta love the human race;]

[Morning Glory]

hey, thanks for the positive words all. I did get the job and they didn't say anything about it again after they hired me, so so far so good. but I don't know. oh well I guess I should be glad that I at least have the chance to make a little bit of money, and don't spend it all before I get paid (damn you ebay, taunting me with your rare vinyl records.)

so jax, how do I become a member of your church? haha

[Jax]

Thats good news! Id be super low profile for awhile, since you are now an employee, they cant do anything about it once youre on their books (cant remember what the lawyer called it). Kick butt and show them that those of us with mods are just as good at our jobs!

Hmm, as soon as I buy the permit for the church. Lol. Its spiritual, I swear!

[Nudemuse]

I've gotten fired from a job because of a piercing. I worked in a bank vault processing commercial deposits. The funny thing is the company had no actual ban on facial piercings but, the dayshift manager saw me (I worked nights) and she bitched to my boss daily about it until I got laid off.

It's pretty unfortunate to me that so many people get so hung up on what really amounts to nothing. I've had issues with archaic dress codes and people making big deals out of relatively small things. I'm glad you got the job and they haven't hassled you about your ears. I hope they just forget about it.

[malcolm]

Wish I had more positive words for you, but youre a realist. Id personally tell them to fuck off and find another job (in AZ aint so easy right now, so youre screwed either way). Gotta love the human race;][/QUOTE]

aint that the fucking truth? It took me five long month of bomblasting the paper apps out here in apache junction and mormonville (mesa) to get a job and it still took them almost a month to even call me back for the interview and I only got the job cuz i asked if there were any other positions available. Arizona sux in the job depot and nothing's free.

[Morning Glory]

oh yeah malcom I forgot that your an arizonite too. haha. I didn't know that humans actually lived in apache junction, I thought you were from phoenix.

[TheDeathKnight]

My guess is that they would prefer not to have a lawsuit, even if they would win. So they will probably hassle you about it, to try to get you to take them out, but they won't fire you. I find that it has a lot to do with whether you are dealing with the public or not. If you are dealing with customers, and your look scares the old ladies away, then you are hurting their business, and they can ask you to dress or look a certain way, the same way they can make people wear uniforms. It's their right to determine the public image of their employees. But if you have a job behind the scenes, it's easier to assert that you are doing your job perfecty, regardless of how you look. But if your job is dealing with the public, they will say that you need to look professional.

[purplepixie]

Yeah well I get trouble at my job which I hate anyway my manager he hates me more and more extremly it seems every week so i just leave them in to wind him up fortunately his manager also hates him Tesco is just one big ball of hate i mean how smart do you have to look to stack shelfs for fucks sake!!! I take them out though when the other managers get on my back about them but there reasoning is stupid i think that it would be pretty impossible to get my nose ring caught around cage and damage my nose i would autally have to stand there and do it up so that it also goes around the thick wire of the cages (it wouldnt fit anyway) then get someoneto pull the cage away from me fast still wouldnt do nothing at all becasue the ring would just snap in half. And apparently my lip ring "is insulting to customers" most the time they ask to be insulted "im sorry love but its really not my fault if we dont stock something does it look like i choose what goes on the shelfs or does it look like i just stack them if sainsburys are so wonderful and do them why the fuck are you still stood here shouting at me". actually i got my lip pirceing after id been working there for ages "WHY DID YOU GET THAT DONE TAKE IT OUT NOW YOU KNEW YOU WERENT ALLOWED TO WEAR IT TO WORK SO WHY DID YOU DO IT" reply "because ive wanted it for ages and i really dont value my job"

rant over

[purplepixie]

.....................sorry as you can probably tell i dont like my job its the lowest part of my week and there is NO way im ever going to become a tesco lifer i've taken a vow if im still there when im 30 its time to blow my brains out

[malcolm]

sall good glory. yes, there are peole in apache junciton. unfortunately they all look like extras for a zombie flick. lol
I rarely go inot phoenix anymore but have been known to hang around central.

[Supraastra]

I have four facial piercings and I'm a waitress. I'm sure you can see where this is going...

Those fucking retainers are a serious pain: they fall out, they're expensive to replace, and usually the boss can still tell you have a piercing there.

When I had my first job ever--KFC--I had to wear a huge BLUE band-aid over my lip piercing. (If anyone's ever worked fast food, they're aware of the blue band-aid thing--apparently they want you to wear them because you're more likely to see them if they fall into somebody's food.) People ENDLESSLY bugged me about it. Like, "Hey, what's wrong with your face?" I eventually started telling people I had cancer. Of the face.

That shut them up.

[purplepixie]

I have four facial piercings and I'm a waitress. I'm sure you can see where this is going...

Those fucking retainers are a serious pain: they fall out, they're expensive to replace, and usually the boss can still tell you have a piercing there.

When I had my first job ever--KFC--I had to wear a huge BLUE band-aid over my lip piercing. (If anyone's ever worked fast food, they're aware of the blue band-aid thing--apparently they want you to wear them because you're more likely to see them if they fall into somebody's food.) People ENDLESSLY bugged me about it. Like, "Hey, what's wrong with your face?" I eventually started telling people I had cancer. Of the face.

That shut them up.

ha yeah they tried to make me wear one of those on my lip aswell it was huge i told them it was far more noticable than the pirceing fortunately for me however as the pirceing is to the side the plaster just kept sliding off my face

[Bad Mojo]

Well, this is all total bullshit. Piercings this, tattoos that. I'm not sure if people even care anymore. I have a tattoo on my neck, and a single time I've gotten flack, and that ammounted to a woman pointing and talking with her son and then prolitely asking if it was real when I said "what?"

I know McDonalds frowns upon it, but strangely enough Taco Bell doesn't seem to care. I think old people should be used to this shite by now. And besides, who the fuck cares of some 80 yearold bitch is gonna care? It's not like they eat a lot at their age anyway, so who cares if they're down one 6 piece McNuggets and a small Coke.

I'm going to get enough tattoos that people will wonder what the hell my skin pigmentation really is.. that should be oodles of fun. Plus more people need to shut the fuck up---oh wait, we'ver covered this. Have a pleasant evening.

[TheDeathKnight]

People just have to start getting used to it.

They are slowly starting to realize that not all people with tattoos are criminals, bikers, etc...

Once they get over their old perceptions, it will start to be acceptable.
It has a lot to do with your boss. If you have an old, uptight, religious boss,
you may have a lot more problems than if you have a cool boss. So if your
current job gives you a lot of shit, just look for another one. As Bad Mojo
said, if McDonalds doesn't like it, then go work at Taco Bell. Like it's a
big difference in pay... Not...

[Bad Mojo]

People just have to start getting used to it.

They are slowly starting to realize that not all people with tattoos are criminals, bikers, etc...

Once they get over their old perceptions, it will start to be acceptable.
It has a lot to do with your boss. If you have an old, uptight, religious boss,
you may have a lot more problems than if you have a cool boss. So if your
current job gives you a lot of shit, just look for another one. As Bad Mojo
said, if McDonalds doesn't like it, then go work at Taco Bell. Like it's a
big difference in pay... Not...

Totally. The idea that tattoos and piercings are bad is going out with the old school psychiatrists and devout christian businessmen of yesterday. My shrink actually told me tattoos and piercings were pathological. One even told me "a person's IQ is inversely proportionate to the number of tattoos he has" which was pretty stupid to say.

Well, kids, go for Taco Bell and don't worry about the McDonalds' managers of the world. I think within the next few years it'll all be normative anyway. Have a good one, lads and lasses.

Bad Mojo

[TheDeathKnight]

My friend's mom works as a nurse.
Back when she was going to school, in her training class,
they told her that if someone comes into the ER with tattoos,
treat them as if they may be crazy. Be prepared for the worst!
Hahaha!

[Bad Mojo]

My friend's mom works as a nurse.
Back when she was going to school, in her training class,
they told her that if someone comes into the ER with tattoos,
treat them as if they may be crazy. Be prepared for the worst!
Hahaha!

People with tattoos ARE crazy. Where the fuck have you been, paco?

Bad Mojo

[Morning Glory]

sadly I think the public perception of tatoos is never going to change, because you give people far too much credit by assuming they can make logical assesments. It's the same reason why there will never be a black woman for president. we all know that race and gender have absolutly nothing to do with a persons qualifications, look at opra winfrey she's more independently successful, smarter and more qualified in every single way then the guy who is our president. but it doesn't change the fact. everyone is conditioned in our society to believe that they should fit a certain mold- one of which is to be rich and succesful. however, if you're personal intrests are centered around something other than your occupation, and that's most people because there are way more people in this instance that have tatoos and peircings than the number of jobs in tattooing and peircings; then you are breaking away from that mold. and every single other person on the rung (who's never going to be able to fit that mold either) will notice it and the shit rolls down hill. that's how the system is self-sustaining. it preaches the "if you aren't with us, then you are against us" mantra, and it turns everyone against each other insuring that they will always strive for the unatainable goal, keeping everyone right where they are (especially the one's that made the mold in the first place)

[malcolm]

it's not just about a sociatal thing. it's more about conformity. even in the ilitary-you are not allowed to get tattoos once you've joined. there's several reasons for it but I -and a few other people i knew when Iw as in the service-still got em.
it all goes with the concept of uniforms. if everone looks the same then everyone is the same. unfortunately, that concept is about as facist as all hell but it is what most work places go by.

[Bad Mojo]

sadly I think the public perception of tatoos is never going to change, because you give people far too much credit by assuming they can make logical assesments. It's the same reason why there will never be a black woman for president. we all know that race and gender have absolutly nothing to do with a persons qualifications, look at opra winfrey she's more independently successful, smarter and more qualified in every single way then the guy who is our president. but it doesn't change the fact. everyone is conditioned in our society to believe that they should fit a certain mold- one of which is to be rich and succesful. however, if you're personal intrests are centered around something other than your occupation, and that's most people because there are way more people in this instance that have tatoos and peircings than the number of jobs in tattooing and peircings; then you are breaking away from that mold. and every single other person on the rung (who's never going to be able to fit that mold either) will notice it and the shit rolls down hill. that's how the system is self-sustaining. it preaches the "if you aren't with us, then you are against us" mantra, and it turns everyone against each other insuring that they will always strive for the unatainable goal, keeping everyone right where they are (especially the one's that made the mold in the first place)

The pemise here seems to be that tattoos are radically different from the norm. I think this has become marginal in recent years. The "mold" is cracking just a lot more each day. One of these days it will crumble and the vines with encompass the table where we rest the laurels of our idealic society. I doubt that people are, on the whole, all that stupid---but surely some of them need a kick in the head. I think what we want to look towards finding positions (social and occupational) where we are on the same wavelength as the people we are interacting with. I'd rather be with one person than alone in a group.

Bad Mojo

[malcolm]

individuality is a great thing but I personally do not want to go to a burger shack and have some snotball without glvoes (cuz out here,. it's not mandatory to wear gloves in the food service biz which is jsut sick) with dreads down to their ass in a motorhead t shirt to be making my burger just as I am to assume a person would prefer not to have some shaved headed guy with a hook hanging out of his lip wearing a tshirt of jessice alba half naked (me) to deliver their furniture or paintings.

you have to have a work life and a personal life and they should be total seperate entities. including demeanor.

[Bad Mojo]

individuality is a great thing but I personally do not want to go to a burger shack and have some snotball without glvoes (cuz out here,. it's not mandatory to wear gloves in the food service biz which is jsut sick) with dreads down to their ass in a motorhead t shirt to be making my burger just as I am to assume a person would prefer not to have some shaved headed guy with a hook hanging out of his lip wearing a tshirt of jessice alba half naked (me) to deliver their furniture or paintings.

you have to have a work life and a personal life and they should be total seperate entities. including demeanor.

I dunno, dude. You make some sense, but at times i question your logic. I think someone can have a pleasant demeanor aside from how they are in a social situation. I think it's more important if these people are friendly and courteous rather than what they have hanging from their lip.

Bad Mojo

[Evilbink]

you have to have a work life and a personal life and they should be total seperate entities. including demeanor.

I couldn't disagree more with that statement. your work and personal life should be as one, or at the very least be compatable with each other. To even suggest that a person with tattoos and piercings cant be accepted as a (doctor/example) is crazy. Dressing down for a professional workplace is a choice you make. Just the opposite is true as well. Would you get a tattoo from a qualified artist, even if he didn't have one himself? Or should he, just for the customers, get inked to be accepted?

People choose to be who and how they want to be. The same for their career choices, if you wanna be a tattooed, pierced freak (said with love) then by all means. But if you expect to be working for the government or something "respectable", than dont be said freak.

I'm sure that most people would agree that, with or without their "unique" style of dress or decorations, they would still be the same person inside. The true "freaks" are freaks on the inside and no ammout, or lack there of "decoration" dosent change that.

Too many times even in a supposed "sub-culture" we tear each other down, and if we cant even hold ourselves to a higher standard of understanding. Then how dare we expect the "normal" people to.

[Jax]

I think its rediculous that even in this subculture things are said like "if you expect to work for the government, dont be a freak on the outside". That right there is whats holding us back. I WANT to work for the govt. I was told to even go to school for forensics, I couldnt have tats and piercings. THAT is redicuslous, I was denied an education because of the way I look. Well, if the damn FBI doesnt want to hire me because of who I am, screw them, someone will...because of my QUALIFICATIONS.

*sigh* someday the world will change. But not until most of the human race is wiped out.

[killerkat]

i'm with E.BINK, sorry but i do what i love,and it IS my personal life...

you can either have a good job and hate it,or a job you love but bad income,ect....

of course there's exeptions,but that's the General thought...

[TheDeathKnight]

My answer to that problem was to rise up to a position where I am needed and qualified, and in demand, and *then* get tats and dreads and piercings, etc... When I was in high school/college, I had long hair, rocker look, etc... But when I went looking for a job, I got a haircut, dressed nice, etc... Until I worked myself up to a high enough position that people don't give me shit about what I look like... In some ways it's selling out, but paying the bills and putting food on the table comes before personal creativity on the exterior. I was still the same person inside, and on the weekends, as I always was. But I looked the part for work, in order to move up in the world... Now I can do whatever I want, and no one gives me shit about it. A perfect example would be working a regular job for 10 years, in order to save money to open your own business. Once you open your own business, you are the boss, and you can look however you want... But sometimes you have to play the game to put the money together to have the life you want...