Post-college world less accepting of tattoos and body piercings
By Christiana Nelson, Daily Trojan (U. Southern California)

(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES - By choice and by necessity, Rebecca McIntyre bases her career goals on her 13 tattoos and 15 body piercings.

The University of Southern California sophomore English major has no desire to hold a typical job in the future nor does she believe she would be hired because of her uncommon appearance.

"It's just really sad that employers would hire someone much less educated and less qualified for the job just because they look normal," McIntyre said. "I just get overlooked because of my blue hair and my piercings."

With the current trend of tattoos and body piercings, Robin Pelkey, the office manager at Vaught Frye Architects, warned that tattoos and piercings may hinder an individual's ability to get a professional job in certain instances.

"If someone was qualified I wouldn't deny them the job because of tattoos, but it would also depend on the kind of job," Pelkey said. "If the job is one where they are meeting with clients, it would probably be negative."

Rachel Evans, a junior merchandising major, pierced her nose after high school graduation and said she is comfortable with the temporariness of piercings.

"Depending on where I go with my career, I'll most likely take it out," Evans said. "I'm sure I would look more professional without it."

Patrick Moran, owner of JP Moran Design, said that while the disapproval of tattoos and piercings depends on the career choice, students should realize that environment changes following graduation.

"Think hard about the placement of the tattoo," Moran said. "Just because you go to school in a relatively liberal and tolerant area doesn't mean you're always going to be there. When it comes to large scale businesses or teaching, it starts to become a bigger deal."

Judy Brobst, associate director at the Career Center, said students need to realize there are no legal ramifications to denying a person a job because of tattoos and body piercings. Therefore students should understand what is acceptable in their future career fields prior to pursuing a tattoo or piercing.

"Students need to look at where they want to go career-wise," Brobst said. "Evaluate where they are going and how piercings and tattoos will affect people that they are going to be interacting with in the future."
Brobst said she worked with a student who had gotten her nose pierced and wanted to go into education. Upon applying for an internship in the school system, school officials requested the student either remove her nose piercing or minimize the size of the stud.

The principal of O'Dea Core Knowledge Elementary, Ruth Herron, agreed that piercings and tattoos are a deterrent for potential teaching professionals.

"I'd have to take into consideration that it might be inappropriate for young kids and I'd have to take into consideration how the community and the parent community would feel about it," Herron said. "Whatever we would expect from our own students we also expect from others."

Jason Killip, a junior business finance major, has to remove his ear piercings for his job at Lithia of Fort Collins because of the company's dress code, but said he understands the rationale.

"I think that (tattoos and piercings) are kind of a distraction no matter what," Killip said. "If a customer is noticing a tattoo or piercing it could drive away business."

While visible piercings and tattoos may hinder certain professions, there are other areas in the professional world that do not view them as entirely negative.

"In my industry (graphic design) it doesn't give a negative or a positive impression," Moran said.

"Piercings are sort of the norm and with tattoos it would depend what the tattoo was: if it was politically charged or socially charged it may give me cause to investigate further about that person, but normally I wouldn't really even factor in the tattoos."

While McIntyre has aspirations to own a bookstore and become a tattoo artist rather than enter the business world, she believes businesses will need to become increasingly accepting of piercings and tattoos.

"It will get to the point that if a business is trying to hire someone it will be almost impossible to find a qualified person without tattoos or piercings," McIntyre said. "I think it will become more and more the norm."