Piercings, tattoos and dyed hair. Is it strange that I find it unreal for people to still exist who have any moral hang-ups against these activities? I don’t really even know how I’m going to write out an entire post on this subject. I can sum it all up by simply saying ‘if you don’t like it, get over it’.
Since when does someone’s decisions to modify their own person, temporary or permanent, have any impact on another person? Yet, it’s still so commonly rejected that most employers will reject, suspend or terminate a person for modifying their own body under the pretense that it’s unprofessional. Ignoring the fact that ‘professionalism’ is simply a made up concept that holds no bearing on reality, it’s strange to be so put off by these actions.
I don’t mean this in the philosophical sense that a body modification doesn’t mean anything to any person other than the inflicted. I mean it in the truest and most intense sense of the phrase. It’s strange to me. I’ve been exposed to piercings, tattoos, dyed hair and other body modifications for my entire life. I’ve never experienced any substantive difference in the actions, personalities or professionalism of those with body modifications versus those without.
To me, it’s as though the criticism may be levied against a person who chooses to own a white cat over a black cat. It makes no sense to judge a person’s entire personality by which color pet they own. I would wager that it would be strange to other people if their boss would reject, suspend or terminate an employee because they owned a calico cat. You would probably be put off by that boss’s actions. You might even seek new employment.
These are weird superstitions that extend outside the workplace. People will outright reject you on a social level due to your body modifications. I have many piercings and tattoos. I’ve dyed my hair vibrant colors in the past. I’m not saying this out of ignorance, I’ve literally experienced the dirty looks, judgment and rejection. I’m not bitter about it (I say in a post about it), but I truly find it confusing.
My piercings and tattoos have literally never affected anyone outside of myself. As a salesman, my sales percentages have never dipped or raised depending on if I removed my piercings and covered my tattoos (they did peak when I dyed my hair, but I’m fairly sure those were unrelated).
The location, style or purpose of certain modifications also don’t have any great influence on external experience. A person is just a person, regardless of what they are born to look like or what they choose to look like. If you think there is any merrit to the argument that a person is unprofessional or that they aren’t capable of certain things, then I would challenge you to reevaluate your priorities.
Let’s shed the veils. The judgment over body modifications Isn’t really about professionalism or capabilities. It’s about control. A person who is forced to be someone they aren’t, forced to not express themselves, is a person under control. If you can keep someone under control for long enough, you can break them. If you break them, you can have them perform however you desire. This is a result of elitism. The people who want to dominate you, be that your employer or a consumer who believes they deserve special treatment, will have a better chance to do so if you have already been broken.
But if you can look the way you want, if you can express yourself, that gives you the most terrifying power imaginable: confidence. With confidence, you can stand up for yourself. You can tell your boss to shove it if they try to do something unethical. With confidence, you can demand better treatment, better pay and a more satisfying work environment. You can refuse service to a customer or stand up to an authority figure.
So, if your employer or someone else is trying to restrict your expression, understand that what they are really trying to do is control you. It’s up to you whether you want to be controlled, but I would encourage you not to. Life is far more satisfying when you recognize that you are in control.
Galvanic Ink 