Body Piercings and Tattoos in Health Care A controversial topic today is whether or not body piercings and tattoos should be accepted by professionals working in health care. Currently, tattoos and piercings are allowed in health care as long as they are not visible. According to one of the studies, “Body piercing is defined as a piercing of the body anywhere other than the earlobes” (Westerfield). Therefore, the only visible piercings allowed are small studs in the lobes of the ears for females. The reason body piercings and tattoos are not suggested in health care is that they keep someone from looking professional as well as making them look intimidating. Not everyone sees them that way. The opposing side is that they do not affect …show more content…
When having a job such as nursing, professionalism is key. Two studies concluded that patients perceived their health care provider to be less professional if they had body piercings and tattoos. Even more so, the older generation definitely considered it to look worst on a female professional rather than a male. It was said by different patients that, “Male practitioners with visible piercings were almost never deemed more professional or approachable, and women with visible piercings other than in the earlobe were viewed even less favorably…” (Pfeifer). Having the patients’ respect is vital and helps reach success in being a nurse. No matter the age of patients, they are going to look up to the person caring for them and will likely judge them on their appearance. Based on the expectations of our society today, professionalism does not include visible piercings or tattoos. To be a health care professional, one carries an image and that image can make or break ones …show more content…
This is not always the case, but depending on what type of environment the individuals are usually around, having their care provider covered in tattoos and piercings can be overwhelming. Surveys that were taken from the patients have shown that patients are more intimidated by their nurse if they have tattoos or body piercings. As a health care provider, it is ideal to not have the patient scared. When someone is intimidated, it is much harder for them to be trusting towards someone else. Working in health care, trust is needed from the patient. If there is no trust, a lot of issues can arise. For example, the patient could try to get a new nurse they feel is more trustworthy. If that were to happen, that would make the nurse that was replaced now have a bad reputation. However, not everyone feels the same way about body piercings and tattoos. Many people live by the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” It is true that just because someone is covered in tattoos and piercings it does not mean that he or she is a bad person. Often times, some of the most compassionate people have tattoos and piercings, but when a patients’ care provider has the title of “health care professional” they usually imagine them without tattoos and
...norms is tattoos. Today, it is normal that most young adults have tattoos or body piercings. In Kang and Jones article, “Why Do People Get Tattoos?”, 15% of young adults in 2003 had tattoos (42). It is a form of self-expression and art, and a way for young people to find their independence (42). Men and women have different norms at to what tattoos they get. Men tend to get more masculine tattoos, while women tend to get more feminine ones (44). Even though it is seen as normal to get a tattoo today, most employers still have a problem with them. Most employers want their employees who are tattooed to cover them up so they are not visible on the job (46). Others view people with tattoos to be stupid and trouble makers (46). Tattoos as a social norm, proves that in some cases they are acceptable and in other cases, they still cause problems like stereotyping.
Do you ever wonder why you never see tattoos and piercings in the medical or federal working fields? It’s because some people believe that a person with tattoos and/or piercings is linked to people with bad reputations, such as bikers, sailors, criminals, and gang members, but that is false. Piercings and tattoos have been popular for quite a long time now, but still get looked down upon and can even affect your daily life.
Newman AW, Wright SW, Wrenn KD, Bernard A. Should physicians have facial piercings? J Gen Intern Med. 2005;20(3):213–8.
Seeing how not accepting tattoos and piercings in the workplace can cause greater problems, employers need to start accommodating for individuals of all different backgrounds. Businesses need to start focusing on the important matters such as, education, work ethic, attitude, and the willingness to do their job successfully. Anything else is just an
Quotes, birds, and Chinese lettering are just a few tattoos that are seen in today’s society. Tattoo placement ranging from the wrists, feet, and back the possibility for where and what someone would want for a tattoo is endless. Tattoos are looked as ways to express yourself by either remembering a loved one, giving yourself a reminder to push forward in life, or just to get something that you really enjoy. When people get tattoos they probably don’t see anything wrong at the time, but people from a later generation than today’s can definitely disagree. Most are very un-accepting and against tattooing one’s skin. They are not the only ones who frown upon them, though; most work industries would not admit them either. A lot of businesses look down on people who have tattoos, either not allowing them to get a job or believing that they are not suitable for the position. Tattoos do not disrupt a person’s work ethics and take away one’s capability to get a job done.
...businesses should probably think twice about setting a stricter dress code when an employee gets a tattoo, and widen their view of what the new “norm” is in today’s culture.
In today’s society a lot of tattoos are misinterpreted or judged. Mainly by those who are against them, or teenagers who use them to rebel. They are also a good way to challenge the traditional gender norms. Such as a deep and tangible commitment to alternative gender definitions, and other women use tattoos to conform mainstream forms of feminism. A classic example would be a man dressed in a doctor’s coat, and then revealed to have full sleeves and drives a Harley. Or a U.S. Marine goes to a diner and is covered from shoulders down in tattoos and gets treated like poop because individuals assume something about this Marine that is untrue by their assumptions
Individuals that have tattoos in the workplace should be judged based on their work ethic, not body art. Conduct should count more than appearance. The image brings emotion to the reader, for example; on both sides the individual has a serious face, making the viewer feel sympathy with that certain individual. Overall, we see the same person on both sides with the same problem of discrimination for individuals that have body art. Having a tattoo is not a crime is a way to
Many people say that depending on what part of your body you get pierced it is very painful. If you are one of the few that thinks that it doesn’t hurt then your choice is a little easier. Do people really want to be in style so much that they are willing to deal with this pain? Pain is not the only consequence that comes from it. Infection is another risk involved with body piercing. An employer might see the piercings as looking unprofessional and may think the person looks irresponsible. The majority of people getting piercings are the younger generation that probably do not care what their employer thinks. They are doing it to express their individuality and showing that they are on the cutting edge of trends.
Even though tattoos are becoming part of culture and socially acceptable, the negative and prejudiced attitudes towards those with body art are still present. Not all tattoos are gang related, and one must note that they have historically been a symbol of someone’s culture or religion. Other tattoos may have just a personal meaning to its owner and was not intended to be offensive. People also do not understand that a tattoo may impede them from pursuing a professional career, regardless of their qualifications. Employers realize that the need to recruit workers from different backgrounds are important in such a competitive workforce, so they provide accommodation by having reasonable dress code policies.
Tattooing has increased widespread from all ages, careers, and social classes (Westerfield, Stafford, Speroni, & Daniel, 2012). Tattoos’ usual meaning is “to stain the skin with colorings” (Goldstein, 2007). With the growing the populations, who have tattoos and/or body piercings in the work environment, there is requiring decision about what policies to establish forward associates a professional atmosphere. Thus, there assesses patients’ perceptions of health care workers with tattoos and/or body piercing (Westerfield, Stafford, Speroni, & Daniel, 2012).
A persons’ image is vital when meeting someone for the first time. Our peers, employers, family, superiors, even strangers that you walk past can automatically judge someone, and imagine how they present themselves to the world. Tattoos have been predominantly linked with a rebellious attitude and pictured on out of control stereotypes such as rock starts, bikers, sailors, and disobedient teenagers who want nothing more than to hack off their parents. With a new coming of age generation and a step into a more lenient and liberal society these types of patrons still participate in body art but so do doctors, lawyers, or just the run of the mill house mom. Tattoos signify religious beliefs, cultural influence, or each individual’s sole style. Body art is no longer socially offensive, employers are more apt to hiring tatted hopeful applicants, parents are warming up to the idea of their children inking their body and no longer a stranger on the street with a tattoo is necessarily prejudged as a criminal or safety hazard. Tattoos have become more evolved over the years because they have become more of a socially accepted element of the general public.
A great number of teenagers and young adults have a body piercing. These can range anywhere from your belly button to your tongue. There are many effects it can have on you socially, or physically. This essay will describe the social aspects of body piercing, this includes first impressions, types of friends, and job prospects. First impressions are important to many people. To some individuals body piercing may seem frightening or intimidating. The person with the piercing may be treated differently in a store. They might be watched more carefully to prevent shoplifting just because of this piercing. Some sales clerks might do this because they got the impression the customer was dangerous or suspicious. These presumptions come along with other physical traits such as race or dress. Soci...
Are tattoos a kiss of death at a workplace? According to Student Research Center, nearly 4 out of every 10 Americans in their 30s have been inked. ''In April 2000 15% of Americans were tattooed (which is roughly around 40 million people) (The National Geographic).'There are different types of tattoos, from color to black and white, even glow in the dark. Number of tattoo paralos in the U.S. is 21,000'' (Tattoo Statistics 1) and more is being added every single day. People spend about $1.6 billion on tattoos once a year. ''In the U.S. more women than men are tattooed, 36% of the ages is between 18-25 and 40% of those ages are 26-40 that have at least one tattoo.''(Random facts 1) People have been getting tattoos for a while now. It has been said that ''tattoos date back as far as the Neolithic era or around the fourth to fifth millennium BC.''(skinsight.com 1) Tattoos should be acceptable at a place of business because people get tattoos for significant purposes, tattoos can tell stories and build confidence, body art is a way for someone to express themselves, make up, and tattoos are reminders of life time experiences.
“You’ll never get a job with that.” It is said time and time again to individuals who have chosen to decorate their bodies with tattoos or piercings. For years, there was a negative connotation attached to such things as body art. However, attitudes are changing as the latest generations grow up and begin pursuing careers. What does this mean for the field of medicine? Medical students will waltz through hospital doors challenging long-held beliefs before they even have a chance to work with a patient. Do these colorful kids represent a breakdown of class and respect in the professional community, or are they a long-overdue update to the way we see body art in hospitals and other healthcare centers? Stigma against body art has no place in the field in medicine and is holding the medical community back.