The Importance Of Tattoos And Piercings

Most jobs require employers to follow a dress code. This can be something as simple as wearing a certain color shirt, or practically making the person unrecognizable with a complicated five page long dress code. Piercings and tattoos are another aspect of dress code that employers also struggle with. Most require their employees to cover these up. There has been much debate over the years on what tattoos and piercings are acceptable in the workplace and what are not. Employers believe that they have the power to say what their employees can show while employees believe the opposite, that they are able to decide. Employers should not have the right to dictate how an employee looks. The hiring process is very complicated; an employer must

“About half of people in their 20s have either a tattoo or a body piercing other than traditional earrings, according to a study published in June in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” (READ 1). This new generation will not be content with falling into the old dirt path that had been walked on for years; they want to forge their own way and bring about change for the better. One of these newly paved paths is the acceptance of tattoos and piercings. Seen as forms of self expression, these new trends are growing and will not be stopped anytime soon. The new generation has taken what used to be seen as a rebellious style and turned it into what is normal. This should not be any different in the workplace. What is considered normal and correct changes all the time, and this should not be considered any different; it must be accepted that things change. Employees should be able to bear their form of self expression with pride and not be worried about what others will think of them or whether or not they will lose their job. Jessica Cutler, a waitress at Highland’s Zuni’s Restaurant and Bar, feels she has to cover her tattoos at work even though it is not required because she does not want people to think she is not capable of doing her job. She even said “but if I thought I could, I’d definitely show them off” (Quinn 1). It is each individual 's choice about what they want to display on their body. It is, however, their