In American society today, it is not uncommon to see nearly everyone sporting a tattoo or piercing. Young teenagers, professional business men and even senior citizens use their bodies to make a personal statement. Over 40% of working Americans have a tattoo, according to STAPAW, and 83% have piercings.

There are already antidiscrimination laws which prevent employers from discriminating against people for things such as gender, race, skin color, etc. These laws don’t apply to body modifications. Legally you can discriminate someone for their altered appearances, even if it has no effect on their performance in the work environment.

Professionalism is important in the work place. Professionalism doesn’t need to be based on appearance, but rather it’s based on how you interacted and treat others. Being professional and treating people with professionalism is imperative. The employee is the one doing the job, not their clothes or appearances, and the productiveness of a career is based on the skill of the employees.

The main reason that businesses lose customers is poor customer service, not the physical presentation of the employees. According to Fox News, 97% of American adults wouldn’t change their current shopping habits if employees had visible tattoos and piercings, as long as they felt they received quality customer service and reasonable prices. It also said that patrons prefer companies that allow staff members to freely display tattoos and piercings.

The only reason piercings should be prohibited is if they interfere with work. If the employer can prove that an employee’s piercings or tattoos are hazardous to themselves or the people around them, then they should be prohibited with a valid justification.

Allowing tattoos and piercings in the work place doesn’t include crude, salacious or racy tattoos and piercings, but these cases are rare. We do have the freedom of expression, and it is impossible to please everyone everywhere, especially in a generation that is offended by everything. The right to freedom of expression, thought, political affiliation, and religious practices should be protected.

A majority of Americans have some form of bodily alteration, so the idea that it is ugly, or puts a negative connation on a certain business or company is arbitrary.

If your work place has a set in stone dress code that is not biased to you, that covers your tattoos or piercings, it is not discriminatory, and should be respected. There should not be a special dress code for anyone with tattoos or piercings unless they are legitimately offensive.

Americans should be able to express themselves in a respectful way while maintain a successful job without worrying about being discriminated by employers.

“My body is not my resume”

-shapaw.com