I was looking at the posts on a Facebook group called Tattoo Acceptance in the Workplace. It got me wondering and so I thought I’d pose some questions to you, dear ModBlog readers. Are you tattooed? If so, are any of them visible? Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? What industry do you work in? Where in the world do you live?
I thought it might be interesting to see where visible tattoos are more accepted and where they are completely frowned upon.
I’m throwing in this sick (I hear that’s what kids these days call cool) and totally unrelated tattoo of Davy Jones, submitted by Gotter and inked by Jade Campos out of Arte Sagrado in Peru.
BME/News and Modblog highlight only a small fraction of what
I work at the local supermarket, and when I started I signed a contract stating that I have not got any visible tattoos, and will not get any.
The policy is quite slack, as I have quite a few visible tattoos, and my piercings are always on show. This is due to the fact that I don’t really work with customers, so I’ve been told I won’t look ‘threatening’ to them.
working @ a factory in Sweden, noone cares about visible tattoos, neither piercings. Not anything very extreme tho, septums and pentagram tattoos are anyhow common here and nothing that anyone cares about. Approximate a 1/4 of everyone here is tattooed. OT “sick” tat, but what’s up with the hole in the nose?
I work as a body piercer at a local tattoo studio. My boss is my best friend and all modifications are welcome!
I’m also in the process of applying for psychology research assistant jobs at nearby universities. I’m doing it in hopes of gettin’ my ass to graduate school, and initially I was very worried that my visible modifications would be a problem. My earlobe, nostril, and labret piercings are all stretched. I also have some visible tattoo work on my arms. Surprisingly, I was told by a number of professors that my modifications wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Hell yeah!
I love this tattoo!
I’m a student so
I work at a body jewelry kiosk at a mall and have been breaking every single dress code rule as far as tattoos/piercings/hair goes for about a year with no consequences. I also work at a non-profit organization that facilitates huge community events and art workshops, everyone who works there/comes to workshops is pretty artsy and open-minded so I can look however I like. It’s awesome.
I’m Céline from France. I currently have 10 tattoos and 2 scarifications. Most of them are visible and i’m working in advertisement for Sci Fi TV channel. Having tattoos is not considered as a ‘problem’ but it’s obviously disturbing..
I’m an artist at a video game company. Tattoos on the hands, dermal anchors… Nooooooo problems at all. I’ve got co-workers with lots of ink and more piercings and whatnot, and there’s no problem with it. Good industry.
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I am a nursing student… they hate seeing them. When working at the hospital they cannot see them in the interview but if you have them while at work it is looked over. In New York it is more accepted, in Michigan it is less accepted.
I sure do love surveys, hahaha.
Are you tattooed? Why yes, I am. Thanks for asking.
If so, are any of them visible? Yes, depending on what I’m wearing some more than others.
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? No, not really. Per the dress code policy for my company it states: “Tattoos must be covered in a way to minimize their visibility.” I have a fairly large piece on the back of my arm, as well as a small one on the nape of my neck, diamonds behind my ears (although they’re more on my neck than behind the ear) and I have a chest piece. I do my best to keep them covered as much as possible, but it’s summer and it would be ridiculous for me to wear my hair down and a turtleneck year round. My argument most of the time is that I am minimizing to the best of my ability while keeping the weather in mind. Most of the people in my company could care less, however, some big-wigs are not fans of my tattoos at all. But I was hired with my tattoos showing and even asked if they were going to be an issue and I was told no. So they’re going to have to re-write the dress code or deal with it.
What industry do you work in? I work at the corporate headquarters for Ferguson Enterprises. I work in the Finance department.
Where in the world do you live? Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA
I work at a retail bakery in Philadelphia, and my modifications are a slight problem. Of my six facial piercings ( bridge, septum, both nostrils, doubled lip) I can only wear one nostril stud at work. After a bit of discussion, my stretched earlobes were accepted, and tattoos that ” won’t be considered offensive or threatening” are allowed.
I’m hoping to find something a little more flexible soon…
i work for HomeGoods (best store ever) while i only have one visible tattoo, i work with alot of people that have many, and everyone i work with, including management, is super artsy and open to the mods. they just feel as long as you dress well, and keep a big smile on they are happy.
I am a manager at the US’s largest corporate bookstore chain. Books on tattoos are a huge part of what our client base is looking for. Nearly all of the management team at my store have visible tattoos. They make for a good conversation piece. Customers, and the corporation, are more accepting of body art than most people think. The issue of tattoos being taboo has got to be a thing of the past by now, right?
Check out the book “Ties to Tattoos” by Sherri Elliott to see just how mainstream body modification has become. They are making business books about us for sh*t sake!
I live in LA and work for a law firm. My bosses are very conservative and I wear long sleeve sweaters and button-ups to cover my full sleeves. It’s like having an alter-ego, business woman by day, bad ass by night. 😉 I think visible tattoos will be accepted in the work place once younger, more open-minded people start to take over.
I work in a screenprinter (customer service/printing…all round everything) – I don’t have any tattoos but I do have quite a few visible piercings (stretched ears, microdermals etc) which my boss is super fine with. More than anything I just get customers curious about “how that stays in there”. I know if I did get tattoos it would be fine, as long as they weren’t deemed offensive and weren’t on my face/hands.
I currently work in a QC lab in the pharmaceutical/food industry, but have just been offered a job to train as a physiologist in the NHS [UK healthcare system], a position which will involve a lot of patient contact, as well as contact with other healthcare professionals.
I have a fair few tattoos, and these are mostly hidden under normal work clothes [V-neck, short-sleeve top and trousers] except the ones behind my ears which are usually [but not always!] hidden by my hair and one shoulder piece which occasionally peeks out from a wide neckline.
I also have stretched ear piercings in one ear and wear 8mm, 4mm and 2mm tunnels [0ga, 6ga, 12ga]. I never hide these during interviews but it has never been commented on by managers, and clearly didn’t stop me being hired by the hospital I’ll be working at in a few months! I have had a few people at work ask about them, but they’re more curious about why I only stretched one ear and not the other, than the stretchings themselves.
I’ve always wanted to work in a medical / patient-related setting so have been quite careful with modifications to be realistic about what will be acceptable. I used to have a series of microdermals in my forearm but removed these for work – having what amounts to open wounds whilst playing with E. coli isn’t the best idea.
I will admit it does annoy me somewhat that there’s still a stereotype that tattooed or modified people can’t have ‘professional’ jobs but must be tucked away somewhere where the public won’t be offended by them. I know plenty of highly educated, highly skilled professional people who have tattoos and/or piercings.
On the flip-side of that, I’ll admit to being more than a little frustrated by kids who refuse to go for a certain job or career because they won’t be allowed to wear their nose ring or whatever, who then have the cheek to moan that no one will hire them or they have no money.
It’s a piece of jewellery; get over it and grow up. If you can’t get a job you want with your visible mods, your options are: 1. take them out or cover them up and try again; 2. lower your job standards and put up with the ones you can get; 3. do neither of these things but shut the fuck up with your whining.
Yes, I realise there are a lot of variables and exceptions to the above, I’m only annoyed by people whining that their life choices has narrowed their options. You CHOSE to have the mod. Now put up with the consequences. Yes, people SHOULDN’T judge by appearances, but the fact is: they do.
I work at a small automotive repair shop in boise idaho. I have a chest piece that is visible through the top of my work shirts, 1/2″ lobes, and a 14g septum. I help customers occasionally, but not all day. My mods are acceptable to my boss, but sometimes frowned upon by older customers.
I’m a hairstylist at a salon in Connecticut, and I have visible tattoos almost covering my calves. I never thought having tattoos would be a problem in this profession, most people comment and say they love them, but my coworkers inform me that sometimes their clients would tell them they would not want to go to me to get their hair done because of them. I love proving them wrong. My boyfriend has a full sleeve that is visible and is an elementary school teacher and has no problems. Love that.
I work in Canada as a Social Woker and have stretched ears and a large chest piece. My modifications have never been an issue with clients and for the most part, not an issue at work since its a non-profit/community based organization I work with….On the other hand, I have had some issues with older professionals in the community and have worked hard to build a solid reputation based on the quality of my work, opposed to the way I look.
I work for Nikon (photography) in Perú, in the sales department, and it’s totally forbidden for me have visible tattoos, I’m working right now on my right arm full sleve, and I know that I have to cover it with my long sleeves shirts all the year, once I asked to my boss if I can get an ear lobe piercing, and she tells me that I can’t do that, because I work with the customers, but I get the ear lobe piercing without care that warning, and (As far as I know), they don’t know that I got my ear lobe piercing (I use a 14 Ga labret as a retainer)
Here in Perú, the piercings and/or tattoos stills being a tabu in our society.
P.S. I don’t know what happen with the nose of Davy Jones… I upload the picture just like JADE mailed me.
I work as a financial journalist, reporting on investment management, which is a very conservative industry. I cover my 2 half sleeves in the office but I show my large wrist tattoo and no-one seems to mind. I wear long sleeves to meetings and events although no-one has ever told me I have to because I think people do judge me on them and it is quite distracting and unprofessional to have tatts on show. It sucks in summer but hey, this is the choice I made. You just have to be creative with what you wear. The way I see it is that the men in my industry have to wear long sleeved shirts, ties and jackets every day o look professional, tattoos or not, heatwave or not, so I should do the same. However, I am looking forward to when my generation is in senior management positions and people are more relaxed about tattoos in the workplace.
I work in childcare. Most ear piercings are okay, but no facial piercings (unless you were “grandfathered” in before ’08 when the no facial piercing rule took effect). Tattoo’s aren’t allowed to be seen, but sometimes they are. Also no dyed hair.
I have nearly 2″ lobes, the back of my neck has been inked and I’m about to start work on my left sleeve.
I am a research student in applied math at the University of Waterloo. I stand out in class or in the hallways as most people in the building are quite conservatively dressed but I have never been discriminated by my professors. Sometimes I am greeted apprehensively as many of these people come from foreign countries and have many varying social acculturations.
All in all, the people which I have met in academia have been acceptant, curious, or most often unmoved by however I choose to present myself. Although I have been warned by many people that the workforce outside this realm which I have the training to enter is much less tolerant.
Currently I have only felt resistance when working at minimum wage exoteric jobs. This is has definitely left me somewhat unsettled a but I feel it is a consequence of certain feverish fragments of the society which we live in. I will always remember certain customers literally avoiding my service (some without the “stomach” to look at me) when I was much less modified than I am now. I have been downspoken between customers literally immediately in front of me and I have even been asked to be fired and removed from the store as to my appearance.
Bleak as this may sound, these incidents have been very few and far between. Moreover I have been greeted with warmth most often and well, all of the discrimination was from people who should be dead in a few years (old age) anyways.
I’m 21 and live out on Long Island, NY.
My first job I was at from the age of 14 to 20., a very well known fine dining restaurant on the water. I knew the place like back of my hand, and was highly respected. The one manager especially never liked though that being a guy I had long hair(and liberty spikes I’d wear down in high school). I slowly added 3 piercings to each ear, a septum, and a labret but they couldn’t say much because I would user retainers to heal them and then take them out for work. Also, I started getting tattooed on my arms but they were covered by long sleeve shirts. I got constant harassment about it all, but was ok until the day I decided to bifurcate my tongue. Even though I had taken the week of work so it wouldn’t affect me at all, the day I went in to get next weeks schedule they fired me for having done it without even asking to see it. It was “morally questionable” and they were “afraid of what was next”. I’ll never forget that day, good writtens to the food business forever anyway.
Now I work at Staples as the head resident easy technician, and the position is about 100x better. My ears can be pierced any which way, my tattoos anywhere are not a problem(sans if I ever decided the face, not that its something I’m interested in at the moment anyway). I’m still not allowed facial piercings, although there’s only one manager who actually cares enough to say anything about them anyway and thats when I have to take them out. The only thing about the dress code in it is offensive tattoos, although my arms are adorned with baphomet, lucifer, giger paintings, a pentagram over my elbow and the like so I wouldn’t say they’re too crazy with it. I’ve given presentations at district meetings, and even met with the CEO of Staples who was visiting our store for doing well with tech one day and had no issues.
I just finished my bachelors in Network communications management, have my CCNA and other industry credentials and am looking forward to a successful career, with all my modifications. If you’re good enough at what you do( I aim to be the best), I don’t think even mods in many cases can hold you back.
I have been running my own pet care business for the last 5+ years in Toronto, ON Canada. I have very visible tattoos (over 50% coverage) and used to have a fair amount of facial piercings. None of this has effected new clients signing on and my current clients love my tattoos and always ask if I have any new ones. 🙂
Disney is going to want that back. Beware of a manic mouse with a knife yelling at you about copyright infringement.
yay arte sagrado got featured!! Did Enrique come back or is he still in Canada?
@ 11. yea Peru is still pretty traditional and i feel like they associate bod mods as lower class. I have a friend who works in a factory where no clientele sees him and they still make him take out his plugs, not for a safety issues but just because the bosses didn’t like it.
Im 27 and pretty much all of my tattoos are visible. I also have big earlobes and a few facial piercings. I work @ Torrid which is a sister store of Hot Topic. So it pretty much doesnt matter at all. I do stand out though, no one else has mods or tattoos!
Yeah, Quique is back, and he’s going to stay here in Perú for a long long time
I work in retail at a chain store. Tattoos are not to be shown at all (nor piercings, including “stretched ear loops” as they put it) but for the most part people, myself included, do show them.
I also volunteer at an addictions treatment center, with plans to be hired on after I finish school. They allow me to show my tattoos. As long as I have nothing offensive, or too controversial then I have no reason to cover them in their mind which I’m quite fine with.
PS – I live in Canada
I’m 25 and work at a call center. I have numerous visible tattoos and piercings, including 2 gauge nostril dermal punches and stretched ears as well as dreadlocks. Because I don’t deal with customers face to face at all, they’re fine with all of it.
One full sleeve. Commercial plumber. Most of the time no one pays attention accept to say nice tattoos. But doing service work in the big buildings downtown, mainly corporate banking office’s, I get mcrude stares from the women sometimes and the completely occasional ‘nice work man’ from men, who I expect have their tattoos hidden and a secret from their coworkers. But overall, no one really seems to pay attention. Or merely ignores my existence all together, which is fine by me.
I live in Sydney, Australia, and have no tats but a fair few body piercings, Inc stretched lobes, industrial, tongue and nose piercings. I work in a catholic high school, and haven’t had any problems since I started here, although I do work in IT as opposed to being a teacher. When I started I asked the principal if she wanted me to remove or cover up my piercings, or use flesh colored jewelry and she said it wasn’t nessecary, if the students complain about why I’m allowed to have piercings and they aren’t, the answer is ‘because she is an adult and you aren’t- when you’re an adult you can do whatever you like’. A lot of the students have piercings too, I think it’s becoming a lot more accepted these days, in Australia anyway
I was recently turned down for a position at a large guitar and instrument supply chain (take a guess which one) because my modifications would “potentially scare or disturb customers.” This really surprised me as I only have half-inch lobes, 6-guage conches and 6-guage flats visible especially because one of the employees had 3/4 inch lobes while working the floor. The hiring manager only new of my visible mods (all my other piercing work, and tattoo work is concealed by a short sleeve shirt) because I asked about the modification policy. Now I am currently living in a very conservative area where even best piercing shop in town only carries up to 3/4 of an inch plugs, but still, it amazes me how close minded Americans are about personal modification.
I have visible tattoo’s on both forearms and my neck, and a few facial piercings.
My first job (for 4 years) was working with the mentally and physically handicapped in a public community setting, and there were NO issues at all with them, and my second job has been working as a swing shift supervisor in a home that treats young men in a group home setting who are there for different reasons, all being Adjudicated youth in the legal system. I thought my mods would be a problem when i first showed up, but most of my coworkers are even more heavily modded than myself! a few dermals and scarification’s 🙂
So i feel blessed that more professional jobs are opening up to the idea that most of the people graduating school and coming into the workforce are modded, in one way or another.
I work at Target, and the main reason I sought a job there is because of their acceptance policy. Tattoos, piercings, gauges, and hair color are all completely accepted. It’s a great place to work if you’re modified 🙂
Finish Carpenter and part time Bartender.
The carpentry work varies. My boss doesnt mind the tattoos, but a lot of the customers have commented about them from acceptance to outright disdain.
Being a bartender, i think the tattoos actually help. Tattoos are great conversation starter and icebreaker. If the patrons can relate to you, they’ll pay more 😀
(Not to be confused as the “Shay” above me) I am tattooed. I only have two tattoos at the time being, but both are visible. I have an unfinished chest piece and also a far from finished sleeve. I work at Community General Hospital in Health Information Management in Central New York. Nowhere in the employee handbook reads anything about tattoos. I made sure to read through that section several times and thoroughly. It does, however, mention that there are to be no facial piercings (although, there is a small handful of employees who do have them and have not gotten in trouble), as well “no unnatural hair colors such as pink, purple, blue, etc.” That probably shouldn’t be within quotation marks because I doubt it’s exact to the handbook, but I do know it’s pretty damn close. Anyway, I have not had even one negative comment toward my tattoos. In fact, I have received only very postitive comments by both coworkers and patients. I also had stretched lobes when I first started working there. Over the past few months I have been letting my lobes downsize because, like a lot of people, I stretched way too fast and threw them all out of wack. I am currently saving money to have them recentered so I can start and continue the correct way. But, overall, I have had a really easy time getting along in my work environment with my [few, but still visible] mods.
I live in sweden, and work as the bar manager in a pub and restaurant in Stockholm. I have very visible tattoos, most of both my arms, my chest almost up tp my adams apple and since two months, on my hand aswell. Since i did my hand, i get 99% positive reactions on my tattoos, more than before actually 🙂
I’ve also helped out in the bar at a posh restaurant, where i worked in a long sleeve shirt (but my chest tattoo and hand tattoo was still visible). No problems at all! As #2 said, many people in sweden have tattoos, people are used to seeing them.
I work in the hotel industry, front desk to be specific. When I was hired I was told my only visible tattoo on my forearm would have to be hovered, 6 months later I have only covered it once and get daily comments and complements (in front of boss man lol) on it as well so I think its not as big a deal for us. I have yet to have anyone say anything negative in the past 5 years about my tats showing although they are very feme and not skulls or anything “upsetting” so I don’t know if that makes a difference.
i live in canada. I have a 3/4 sleeve and a calf piece as far as visible tattoos, and double nostril piercings and 2gauge piercings in my earlobes
I am a flight attendant and no visible tattoos are allowed so I wear the long sleeve shirt and opaque black stockings or the trousers. We are also only allowed one nostril piercing and no “stretchers”( their vocab, not mine)
So i take out my nose piercings as I have had them for around a decade they can stay out for at least a week, most people ask me why i have taken my jewelry out because the hole seems to be more distracting than any kind of jewelry. As for my stretched ears, i have a bob haircut so they are usually hidden, but i bought some really nice “diamond” plugs from anatometal that look like regular earrings. they are super nice and no one would ever be the wiser because my hair covers the back of them.
my other job is at a cafe and my boss is 100% fine with any mods, a bunch of my coworkers there have many tattoos and piercings. It doesn’t bother me to cover them for my fulltime job because then i don’t have to answer the same quations over and over every flight. hurrah uniformity! i’m also just lucky that my airline has a long sleeve option for our shirts or i would be hooped
I’m a paralegal for a small firm, and after 14 years with the same firm, my tattoos (chest, both legs, shoulders, reverse neck, back) are our little tee-hee. I’d never make it in the “big house” my bosses say – “big house” meaning corporate firm with timeclocks and lunch hours and requisite billing hours. I don’t try to hide anything. The quality of my work is not tied to the ink on my skin. Interesting question to pose here, thanks.
I am tattooed and most of my tattoos are visible at work (arms, legs, hands) plus I have quite a few facial piercings and unnatural hair colour.
I work in the live sound business (concerts) and have been a professional sound tech for over 7 years, all the while tattooed and pierced. being modified has never been an issue with my job because I work in the rock n roll business. if I wanted to do more corporate work, I would have to cover my tattoos and take out piercings. fortunately I have absolutely no desire to work in the corporate world. even though I work in a “fringe” industry, I am still generally the most visibly modified person on the tours I am on (anywhere from 25-250 person crews). I am also generally the only female which makes me stand out even more.
I live in Seattle, WA when I’m not on tour. Seattle is fairly mod friendly.
I’m 21 years old and have visible modifications at my job. I represent an American automotive manufacturer in Lemon Law arbitration hearings. I serve as one of 5 subject matter experts in consumer protection laws. I also oversee outbound legal correspondence and draft and present the manufacturer’s tesimony and position in writing when the plaintiff’s counsel requests a hearing in writing. I interface with legal staff and executives as part of this job.
I’m the youngest in this position and also the most heavily modified at the company. My visible modifications include 1 1/2″ ears, stretched philtrum, chest piece, and various microdermals on my face. I’ve found that people tend to treat me with apprehension when they’re first introduced to me at work. I feel that I have to act with more professionalism than the people around me to be taken seriously. Once they understand that my skills meet or exceed those of my associates, however, that usually passes. There are very few modified people in my profession.
Thanks for all the feedback so far!
I went to school for funeral service and mortuary science. during my education i constantly was asked by my teachers when i was going to take out my piercings and change my hair color. now that im graduated and looking for an apprenticeship i no longer have most of my facial piercings and constantly wrestle with the idea that the profession i love doesnt love me because of the way i look/want to look. a snail tattoo on the back of my neck caused a bit of a stir on my internship and i was warned to keep my hair over it. scars from snakebites and an obvious hole from the monroe i would remove every morning raised a few eyebrows.
i find myself looking at others tattoos and piercings and longing for the ability to get them. while i dont have the money for it at the time i wish i could get so much done. sometimes i flirt with the idea of simply giving up and tattooing myself up and down implanting several things under my skin, and putting more holes than ive ever had before in my skin. its frustrating that still so many people associate piercings and tattoos with people who arent worth knowing.
i think for now ill just have to get tattoos under the parameters of a suit. maybe one day i will be able to own my own funeral home and look the way i want. maybe one day all of us will be able to be who we want to and still work in the industries and companies that currently look down their noses at us.
I’m lightly tattooed, but the one that covers my neck and half of my scalp is pretty visible, esp. since I usually shave my head. I also have something like 30 piercings, and 11 of those are facial piercings, plus 7/8″ earlobes, a basic industrial, and notched tongue (it was split, but I had heavy regrowth). I also have branding and implants on my sternum. The implants will occasionally show up through lighter weight t-shirts, and people seem to assume that the part of the brand they can see was a tattoo that I removed with a scalpel (!).
I’m a recent grad in fashion design, and currently unemployed as I try to get a decent portfolio together, so my boss (me) doesn’t give a flying fuck what I look like. When I worked at a bike shop it wasn’t much of an issue, and when I worked at a litigation support firm they *definitely* didn’t care as long as I wore ‘business casual’ (loosest dress code ever); at least half of the people working there had either visible tattoos or facial piercings, including some of the lower-level managers.
I live on long island and work at a panera bread. I stared before I had an tattoos or my ears were very large now with 2 full sleeves the backs of my hands tattooed and 2inch lobes I still work there and. though I have to technically cover my sleeves i usually just pull them up and management says nothing bc I’m well respected and quit frankly they need me there. Though one time I got turned down fir a job at whole foods bc of my ears and me and my heavily pieced friend that wirks there thought it was rediculousbc t& dress code is very lax.
I did finish school recently and am trying to find a job with a Wuh maker which really only seems to not be working out bc of the economy.
Also I want yo apologise for typos my phones being a jerk
I work in the horticulture/landscape department of my local zoo. They stress the importance of appearance on the job and they have quite a lot of rules and regulations of what you can and cannot wear. I have never been told to cover the fairly large piece on the back of my leg or my facial piercings. They acknowledged them, both my boss and the CEO/President, but they have no problems with it. I have gotten many comments about them since I am working out in the public constantly, but mostly positive. My boss is a very accepting guy and he understands that even though I have a rough exterior, he looks past that and realizes that I do my job, and I do it very well.
I’ve worked as a barista for 5 years in Australia, and I’ve noticed a huge shift in tattoo/piercing acceptance in the workplace.
My first tattoo (a black star on my inner forearm) caused quite a stir with the management at the place I worked, but they weren’t willing to lose a good worker over it!!! I also got quite a bit of crap from older customers about it (eg: “why would you do that to your lovely skin?”).
I recently had a skin diver on my neck which didn’t cause many problems, mostly just curiosity from customers (which became annoying after a while).
My latest mod, a tiny side labret bar, is so cute. Currently I’m applying for jobs (more coffee making) and have had no negative feedback about it.
I think Australians are beginning to feel less “threatened” by modifications, and are starting to accept that people with tattoos and piercings can still be awesome workers!!!
I am in new orleans, louisiana own a tattoo and piercing shop, i do the piercing for more than 15 years and still have no piercing no tattoo on me but my artists are cover with tattoos. I have nothing against tattoos and piercings. After doing piercings 15 years still enjoy doing it. I hired people with or without bod mod, because it doesnot matter to me. I think it is cool to have tattoos and piercings.
I do have visible tattoos. On my forearms and under my bicep. It is accepted where I work. I work at a headshop/urban wear store — Not those retarded shops that sell bejewelled t-shirts with gangsters and potleaves. More like an Urban Outfitter. The owner has tattoos and when he was younger he had several facial piercings so luckily he’s not prejudiced against body mods at all. Needless to say I love my job and I’ve been happy with the perks that come with working there for the past 4 years 🙂
From Israel and work in a movie theater.
I only have 1 tattoo so far, a huge reaper skull tattooed on my shin (ankle to knee). I wear shorts whenever i’m not obligated to wear jeans (depending on where in the movie theater i work that day) and I have received a few comments about wearing longer jeans but i ignored them with no consequences.
i live in Eagle river alaska and manage a dog daycare and boarding facility I have a, full sleeve, septum pierced and 1 1/4 lobes. My boss is totally cool with it, and the good majority of clients dont seem to judge me on it.
I have both arms sleeved several piercing . I work in a chemical factory. They don’t care as long as it don’t effect safety I had a red mohawk for a few years. I live in a small town so o still get the looks when I go to town but for the most part I see people changing to be more excepting.
I live in Alberta, Canada. I work in retail, and I have an eyebrow, septum, labret and 5/8 lobes as well as a large tattoo on my neck. My boss has no problems with them though, she just wants reliable workers.
I have a 3/4 sleeve on my left arm and small finger tattoos on my right hand. No one even seems to notice. I work at a major record label in NYC. If it matters, I’m female.
American working at a large, urban, research-1 university in the Midwest.
No tattoos, but 1″ lobes, visible piercings, and split tongue.
Though my previous office in the same division of the university was very mod-friendly, one staff member with a usually visible tattoo and I are the only modified people left in our division. I truly believe that were it not for my well-known successes throughout the university in other areas of the university I would not have been hired into my current position.
I think that the nature of my work – social justice education – also causes me to get some slack on appearance.
The biggest daily impact is constantly being asked if I’m a student, though I’m 10-12 years older than most of our students. It’s doubly frustrating because I see how poorly many staff treat students.
My biggest argument for why they should keep allowing me to appear as I please is that many of our students are modified and it’s beneficial to have staff that are relatable. We look at many areas of diversity to ensure that we have staff that represent our students – I feel I just represent another potential difference/identity students can relate to.
Plus, most of my colleagues are clean cut and pretty “preppy” – I balance things out. 🙂
I live in Australia and work for an adult website. I have a 3/4 sleeve and a tattoo on the right side of my chest, which I guess you could call visible tattoos as they are always out in the warm weather. My boss has no issue with my tattoos and I guess one would expect that working in the adult industry.
However, my last job was in a corpoate CBD environment. The dress code was smart casual, the atmosphere was pretty professional and international clients were always dropping by the office. My tattoos and piercings were totally accepted there for some reason. I started out wearing retainers in my piercings until one day my boss looked at me and said, “why dont you wear your piercings to work?” So after that day, I did. I guess the company was going for a young, progressive attitude and it was great. I started gettign my sleeve while worked there and the only thing I heard about it was how awesome it was coming along.
I think the whole workplace acceptance thing is coming along, slowly, and I guess my good experiences with it are equal doeses of this progression and also some luck!
I’m a User Interface Developer at a well known company in Australia.
I have 2 full sleeves, a split tongue and stretched lobes…. my hair has been many colours…. I wear whatever clothing I like (including a zentai suit one day ahah). Being non-customer-facing does have it’s advantages.
Instead of squashing this particular body exploration and expression, the people and company I work for either don’t talk about it, ask about processes taken to get such mods, or even celebrate it! It’s well accepted around the workplace, but I do think they’d request me to be more … modest if I were going out to meet clients.
I work at McDonalds in NZ, I have 3/4 sleeve, and an arm band below my elbow.
These are all visible, and were eventually accepted… Eventually. They had way more of a problem with my surface piercings and stretched earlobes.. It’s harder to get jobs with piercings, than tattoos.
Are you tattooed? Why yes,
If so, are any of them visible? Just one one on my upper arm.
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? I was afraid they weren’t at first. But I was wrong.
What industry do you work in? I’m a nurse aide. I work in a nursing home. My first day I took out my monroe and wore clear tunnels in my ears. They’re 1 inch. But my boss said I could keep them in and she had no problem with them. But when I start working at a hospital I’m scared they won’t be accepted.
Where in the world do you live? Princeton, WV
Oh, and I also Nanny for 2 families, I’ve never exploded my tattoos to the parents, but I do to the kids, because kids are so accepting and curious. It’s a shame parents aren’t as accepting as children..
I have six tattoos, only one of which is mildly visible, as well as four facial piercings and stretched lobes.
I work for AT&T in a retail store in Houston Texas, and tattoos (ANY type of modifications at that) are NOT acceptable!!! I seem to not be able to ‘get away’ with much, although I do frequently see co-workers in trainings etc. with visible tattoos on their wrists and the occasional eyebrow / nostril piercing. I frequently get asked by my customers about my ears, which only got me into trouble once or twice, but I have since decided to wear Kaos skin tone plugs to work almost on a daily basis.
I believe body modification should not be a hindrance in accomplishing a successful career… I am professional, I am polite and courteous, I work VERY hard, and I’m proud of how I do my job, but because I am visibly modified, I will never climb up the corporate ladder, I will never achieve career goals that my peers will one day achieve, and I think it’s absolutely absurd!!! I will not stop pursuing my career goals, nor will I stop getting new tattoos. It’s eat or be eaten in todays world, and I won’t give up!
I work in a iron ore mine operating the electric shovels and LeTourneau loaders. I am tattooed, but not visibly. My work doesn’t care about what tattoos you may have or what they are of, but they don’t allow us wearing any jewelry of any kind.
They claim for saftey reasons, which I suppose I can see, but think about it….really….if your that careless and you are that stupid to have your lip or ear, that happens to be pierced, that close to a moving piece of machinery, you deserve to have it ripped off or to get caught up. Don’t ya think? haha
I am 30 and currently live in Ohio although I just moved here from Washington DC where I had varying experiences with my piercings and tattoos. I worked in the corporate headquarters of a bank where I had to wear long sleeves and put retainers in my facial piercings. Before that I worked as an administrative assistant at my local library and surprisingly they were totally fine with all my modifications even though it was a government job. I also worked at Tower Records which had an anything goes attitude. My worst experience was at an exotic veterinary clinic. They told me no facial piercings because a bird might try to peck at them and I was reprimanded once for wearing my hair in a ponytail which exposed a lower neck tattoo and multiple ear piercings. I didn’t have to cover my tattoos however. I have definitely noticed that piercings and tattoos have become more acceptable in the retail setting and always take note when I have cashiers with facial piercings. I may have to go back to retail soon so it’s of great interest to me. Based on another post I hope they have a HomeGoods where I am moving!
Just starting college and being a Target team member means dealing with a few people that find my stretched lobes and facial piercings a little ‘disturbing’. Even though it’s only two lip piercings, one septum, a vertical industrial and 1/2 inch lobes. At my store there are many co-workers that have tattoos however they ask that anything that could be remotely offensive or explicit, like the half naked cowgirl on one cashiers arm, be covered. I was told to keep studs in during work and try to wear plugs that don’t make the size noticeable. Being out on the floor helping guests I’ve only had one incident that made my employers worry about the piercings. He had been yelling about how in his day only delinquents had that many holes in their faces and it was a sure sign that I was an idiot and couldn’t perform my job right. Why was he even yelling in the first place? I couldn’t find his specific brand of shaving cream that isn’t even made anymore.
Plus we have every color of the rainbow found in someone’s hair. I cover orange!
Name’s Heather, I live in Texas I’m 23, I have 2 of 4 tattoos that are fully visible and one facial piercing. I work in a hospital closely with several military officials, not to mention the commanding general of the hospital. However, because I work so closely with different branches of the military I don’t get the 3rd degree with my subtle tattoos because most of the military individuals have very visible tattoos and some even dawn piercings with retainers. I don’t think that it’s accepted but it’s something that has become the norm so it’s been forced on the general population. At the same time I get plenty of compliments on my tattoos and my piercings, although for fear of losing my job I took out my other 13 piercings that I had when i was hired. I have considered getting them again but not at my current job.
Oh and my older patients always ask where I get my work done because they hVe finally decided to get mods done and like what inhale thus far…. Since I’m going to join the military I can’t continue on getting tattoos, when I get out band open my own practice I’m going to continue with the art work o. My body! I LOVE TATTOOS & PIERCINGS!!!
I am a stay at home mom now to my little munchkins, but before that (about 3 years, ending a year ago) I worked in a Salon as a Hair Stylist. Fortunately the salon I was at did not mind Tattoos or piercings.
I live in NC however, and when I was first applying for Stylist positions I had a lot of owners ask if I could “Tone it down a bit”. I’ve noticed that here in most workplace settings, mods are frowned upon. I guess it is largely to do with it being the south!
My tattoos are defiantly visible, and so are my piercings lol. Most of the people I work with have excessive mods, ( I work in retail management in Florida). I haven’t had any issues concerning my modifications and I hope I won’t in the future. I’m just grateful that I work in such a expressive environment.
I work two jobs… as a music teacher and in retail for Banana Republic in Massachusetts. Officially, I’m allowed to have visible piercings and tattoos teaching, as long as the tattoos are not offensive or of a sexual nature. However, I get a lot of complaints from parents, though their issue is mostly with the piercings. (I have one visible tattoo on my right wrist.) According to the employee handbook at Banana Republic, non-offensive tattoos are permissible, but any piercings aside from two standard lobes on females only are “forbidden”… But I have several different types of piercings in my ears, as well as a couple rather common facial piercings. I wore them all to my interview, was hired despite the handbook’s policy and have never been asked to remove them.
Are you tattooed? Yep
If so, are any of them visible? One almost always the rest depending on what I’m wearing. However I work in scrubs so the one on my inner forearm is always visible.
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? Technically no, however I’ve been told that as long as my ink isn’t offensive or lewd then its okay.
What industry do you work in? Veterinary Technician.
Where in the world do you live? Missouri.
Are you tattooed? Yes, medium heavily.
If so, are any of them visible? Most all are.
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? Yes, so long as they’re tasteful. (no naked chicks humping flaming devil skulls while eating each other’s feces, that kinda thing.)
What industry do you work in? I work in market research, calling people and doing surveys.
Where in the world do you live? Born and raised in Seattle, Washington USA, but current residence is Logan, Utah USA.
I’ve found that so long as your tattoos are well executed and nice to look at, people are more accepting. At an old job, a guy in another department had to have his two full sleeve tattoos fully covered at all times, while I was allowed to have my one sleeve visible most times. I figure that was so because his were pretty poorly done naked demon girls and other “demonic” images, all terrible execution, while mine is just a water landscape with bright “water-color” looking colors, as some have described it.
So again, I’ve noticed that so long as you’re tattoos are pretty to look at and well done, people tend to be more accepting.
I’m Caleigh. I live in Montreal, Canada. I work for Capital One. I have bright green hair, visible tattoos, (face, neck blahblahblah) implants and scarification. No one says shit! My boss’ are generally curious and ask a lot of questions though 🙂 So far, the biggest issue has been my hair.
I don’t think I’m heavily modified, but it’s all relative.
I have several tattoos, but only one behind my ear that’s “permanently visible” as it were. The others can be hidden with long sleeves.
I worked at a supermarket as a kid, where they bosses almost got arsey when my tattoos were visible through the uniform, but backed down when I demanded they provide shirts that weren’t such shit quality. They also refused ear piercings in males. Eventually the Human Rights commission stepped in, as they had blatant discriminatory hiring practices as well.
Working in bars & restaraunts, I only had one place object to my mods, two piercings in my left lobe. They hired me without seeing me, so couldn’t moan about the tattoo behind my ear, but their uniform included long sleeves, so my forearm wasn’t a problem. Most of the customers were, as almost everyone else has reported, intrigued for the most part. I was working in Scotland, and when people would ask where I was, I’d tease them by saying “I’m not going to tell you, I’ll just wait & see how observant you are”. Despite the silver fern (represents New Zealand) plastered down the inside of my right forearm, many of them still insisted that I was Australian.
I’ve been working in the electrical industry of late, where tattoos are almost the norm. Piercings less so, mostly because exposed metal creates something of an inherent shock hazard. Not all the urban myth crap about electricity jumping (if the voltage was high enough to jump, you’re already pretty fucked) but the resistance of skin is actually rather high, titanium, or especially silver however… I took out my nipple piercings because I would catch them with monotonous regularity when wriggling through tight spots, or carrying heavy, irregularly shaped items. Luckily my PA has only caused problems when on a hot day I’d stripped down under my overalls to my boxers. I jumped into the seat of a digger, and the resulting “flappage” of the motion resulted in the weight of a 12mm (000g I think) circular barbell crashing into a metal bulkhead, pinching my foreskin quite excruciatingly. One of my colleagues was aware of what was happening, and pissed herself. Bitch.
The reality is this. We all have the right to do what we want to our bodies. That’s nice and fluffy. The real world isn’t fluffy, and is rarely nice. You will be judged. We judge each other. How many of us with mods look at someone else and either think their placement is shit, the tattoo is poorly executed, the work is too “vanilla” etc. I personally think that ink rubbings tend to look like shit. I haven’t seen one good enough yet to change my mind. Doesn’t mean I won’t hire someone, but imagine how confronting it must be to the unmodified to see a forked tongue, or stretched ears.
Luckily New Zealand has one of the most modified populations anywhere. I’ve just moved across the ditch to Sydney, and I’ve already noticed that modified people are still somewhat on the fringe. Thing is, most of them put themselves there. If you want facial tattoos, or hand work, even neck tattoos, stretched piercings of a visible nature, then that’s your right. Just be prepared for the consequences. Life isn’t fair, odds are that yes, you do look like a bit of a dick, build a bridge, grow up, and accept that actions have consequences. ESPECIALLY permanent mods.
I work at papa john’s, and my only visible tattoo is on the nape of my neck. It is just a small peacock feather, for the memory of my late grandfather since he raised them. However, even though it is not a “gang related tattoo”, I am required to cover it with a turtleneck. I think its ridiculous, because I’m by ovens all day long.
i work at Target as well! i have double monroe piercings, most of a chest piece, forearm and hand tattoos. And hardly anyone gives a damn. Probably 80% of the people higher up on the food chain from me at my location have visible mods. The real kicker? i live in the Flathead Valley area of Montana, USA and hardly anyone cares that i have ink, metal in my face and drawn on eyebrows.
I work in for the Canadian Army, where tattoos are somewhere between accepted and encouraged. Just another reason to love my job.
Working as a baker in a France, farly higher end bakery.
I have a black half sleeve, that they do not really like. When the big boss commes to visit I have been told to hide it. Piercings are forbiddent due to the risk of falling into the bread… and the risk of annoying the old farts buying our bread.
Big/visible tattoos are not super well accepted in France generally, it is quite a “bad-boys/girls” thing although things are getting slightly better.
I work at a small trendy hair salon in Canada as a Stylist… There’s 3 other stylists and all 4 of us have tattoos (one of them has a small tattoo on her ankle, the other two have almost always visible arm tattoos – boss has a full sleeve and a partial half sleeve… other stylist has 2 wrist tattoos) and some sort of piercings(various ear piercings, 1 stylist has double stretched lobes, nose & lip piericngs). I personally have tattoos that are almost always visible as they are on my forearms… and 2 behind my ears which are visibile depending on my haircut.. Only mods I have are various ear piercings and stretched ears…
My boss – the salon owner… is a pretty hardcore badass though
Bo yah mot reyd
i was recently fired from my job in a freezer because of my visible piercing and tattoo
working in a foul smelling chicken factory the smell of y septum was sometimes a sexalent getaway from the smell of rotten chicken but thats a dif story
id recently added to my chest piece due to the fact that when out side i had a singlet on and you could see the tattoo and i was in public view they fired me on the spot
personaly i was out raged but i think it was because they didnt like me
now im not heavily modded in any way shape or form ive got 3 tattoo’s and a septum ring
through reading some of the other comments from australia ive come to the idea that some places are more accepting than others
i think this is pathetic …ima complain to jules about how shes runnin the country
I’m 25 and lucky to have worked for very good, reputable tattoo/piercing studios for the past 4 years, so i’m definitely heavily tattooed and have numerous piercings including 3/4″ lobes, 4g second holes, 6g conches, 8g nostrils, and a few others. i’ve been lucky in that all the jobs i had throughout college-before i started working in the body mod industry-were completely fine with visible tattoos, piercings, etc. i worked campus jobs, including at a convenience store and a glorified A/V club, and as i started adding more tattoos, getting more/larger piercings, no one seemed to care, and as far as i know i’ve never had a client complaint lodged against me. i’m originally from Oregon but now live in San Francisco. i waited till i’d graduated college to get my knuckles tattooed, and then when i moved here to SF i finally got my hands and throat done. i think the only way these more “extreme” tattoos would’ve affected my life had i not waited till after graduating, is that my small college town residents would’ve treated me even more like a zoo animal than they already did. i’m a very humorous person, a lot of my tattoos are of funny, random, not so serious things, which tend to be a good ice breaker, and i think if people are intimidated when first approaching me, they see that really just a big ol nerd and are more comfortable interacting with me. it also helps that i’m educated and very articulate and knowledgeable when speaking with customers. i like proving people wrong when i can tell their first impression of me is that i’m going to be some sort of bumble-headed heathen, and i’m able to speak clearly, intelligently, and it’s obvious i love and know my job very well. if anything, i’d say mods can motivate people to work harder, to prove that their appearance doesn’t need to reflect their skills or how they should be treated. it does kind of bum me out when i see some of the younger generation being so nonchalant about how mods can affect their job/life opportunities. i’ve met many younger kids that have that mind set of “oh, well by the time i enter the work force tattoos and piercings will be totally accepted”, or “well, i’m gonna work in such-a-such industry and they totally don’t care how you look”. well, reading some of the others’ stories above, you’d be surprised by what workplaces make a big deal out of how you look, and also, yeah, maybe one day you will a “special effects makeup artist”, but until that day you may have to work some minimum wage jobs, and they do tend to care about your appearance. i’m proud that i’ve worked my ass off my entire life, i’ve earned the respect of my peers, and i’ve done so while not letting my appearance do all my talking for me.
some of the best advice i ever got was when i was first getting tattooed; i was speaking to a friend i’d grown up with about when people kinda gave me the eye because of my tattoos, i’d just glare at them. he said “no way man, you’ve got to kill em with kindness; they give you that look, and you just give them the biggest grin back” i’ve kept that advice in mind everyday since then, and i tell you, nothing knocks a close-minded person on their ass like proving you’re the exact opposite of what they expected you to be.
I work in PR for a video games publisher.
I’ve got plenty of visible tattoos, microdermals, piercings and a scarification which is visible if I wear skirts. I’ve never had a problem with them. I did, however, have issues at previous workplaces with piercings – mainly retail based jobs. I was told they looked “too threatening” in one role. I generally ignored the rules since they hired me with the piercings and customers never complained.
I work in a small independent video game shop in the UK. I have a centred labret, a medusa, my tongue pierced, twinned nostril piercings, a septum piercing and five piercings in each ear including 12mm stretched lobes. None of my tattoos are visible so far. I haven’t had any problems from customers or colleagues; the deputy manager has a half sleeve and another of my coworkers has his dimples pierced, so I’m not the only one with visible modifications. I get more comments from customers about my gender than about my piercings….
I clean privately for a disabled lady and her daughter- they dont care what i look like its all about having compassion and how well i do the job.
I live in Australia and work for one of the major 4 banks in the country as a specialist with a portfolio of 200 personal and business customers.
I wear a suit (scarf and all) everyday regardless of how hot it is to hide my 2 full sleeves and tattoo on the back of my neck. I do have my 22mm lobes and ear points showing but most customers think my plugs are clip ons and that i was born with naturally pointed ears.
I would love nothing more than to wear a short sleeved top whenever i feel like it but i can imagine it would put customers off dealing with me as tattoos are still considered something only rough people have in the particular area my branch is located.
Sometimes customers see my wrists and comment but it’s usually after i have dealt with them for a period of time and they’re already comfortable with my ability to deal with their finances.
also.. i have tried Dermablend to wear short sleeve but can’t yet find the right tint to match my skin tone and it looks a little too obvious that i’m hiding somthing.
Well when I WAS working…I worked for Royal Mail in the UK and I was on the processing side so they didnt give a toss what I looked like…and at that time I had the beginnings of my facial work….I had just had my chin tattooed then….now I have the whole left side, part scalp and a little round my right eye….I reckon they still wouldnt worry at all..
and my last ‘job’ well work experiance was in a tattoo studio…so..well….I THINK it was ok for me to have visible work then…hahahaha
I work in a factory in Anoka, MN, where I do metal fabrication stuff (welding, grinding, forming, spot-welding, shearing etc.). I have visible tattoos and 1 3/4″ lobes, also a 5/8″ lip plug. Tattoos are totally accepted, and someone in semi-upper management has full sleeves with work visible on his neck. My job does prefer that I wear solid plugs as opposed to eyelets; just in case I catch them on something. My co-workers think it’s hilarious that my lobes stick out past my welding mask, so I taped cardboard wings on the sides of the mask!
I work at Whole Foods Market in the bakery. Both of my forearms are pretty heavily tattooed and very visible.
Whole Foods policy is it’s basically up to the Store Manager as to what’s allowed and what’s not. The only thing we aren’t supposed to have is facial mods of any sort. But plenty of people who work there have nose rings an that sort of thing. There are even a few neck tattoos around. Really great company to work for in general but especially if you are modded!!
I am currently doing an internship in china as a marketing assistant in a consulting/recruiting company that helps chinese students find post secondary schools over seas (and writes/submits all their applications).
As i’m the only foreigner, and they want to maintain a positive relationship with my school they say nothing about my visible tattoos (full sleeve, large nape tattoo, chest piece, various leg tattoos amongst others). I can tell it bothers management, but due to the language barrier and customs no one has said anything yet.
I’m in my 20′s, and I live in a fairly small town in Sweden (around 20,000 inhabitants). I have visible tattoos on my neck and hands, several scarification pieces, soon go be 2″ lobes, and 10 facial piercings.
I’m currently in the food industry, I’ve worked at several restaurants as well as having different apprenticeships. It’s never really been an issue for me, it’s more of a problem with first impression. People get the idea you have to be some kind of rebel to look like this, but they soon realize I’m just your average nice, hard working young girl.
However, I plan on getting into the piercing industry fairly soon, sometime next year.
I have several friends with facial piercings,stretched lobes and heavy tattoos that work as teachers. For some reason, this is very common. (Come to think of it, almost all my high school teachers had visible tattoos). Many of my friends are working at a university level, even. It’s never been an issue.
I get discriminated against more on the street than in the working field, for sure.
I have stretched ears, facial piercings and a large tattoo on my upper arm. I actually decided to get the tattoo only on my upper arm so it would be easier to cover, seeing as I always push up my sleeves. I am a vet tech student and no one seems to care. I have worked as a kennel assistant for 3 years now and have never had a problem. Scrubs tend to negat the tattoos and animals don’t mind at all.
oops I forgot to say I’m from the Hudson River Valley in NY which probably has a lot to do with acceptance because it’s NY and a very liberal artsy community
Wow! How many answers))) Tattoo is great, by the way)))
Yes, I’m tattoed) My tattoos are not so visible.
Piercings are visible. Stretched earlobes, septum, industrial.
Anyway I can pierce or tatto any part of my body. I work in car tuning industry. I’m a major sales manager. I work directly with customers, but ther’re almost always ok with my mods. My managing direktor is ok too. I work good, so nobody cares how many mods I have)))
But my situation is rare fo Russia where I live)))
Are you tattooed? If so, are any of them visible? Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? What industry do you work in? Where in the world do you live?
I am tattooed, reasonably heavilly so far. My chest/arm piece is the only one visible so far. My coworkers have all made comments about how much they love my tattoos, and the clients (that have seen them) mostly agree. I choose to keep mine almost entirely covered, though, because of the nature of where I’m working: I help run the emergency shelter for a domestic violence and sexual assault agency. I never know when I will have to go to court, to the police station, or to the emergency room, so I wear button-down, long-sleeves just to be on the safe side. I live in a small, rural town in North Carolina.
i have scarification on my fore arms and i was told to wear long sleeves and that “tattoos are allowed” when i asked why i had to wear long sleeves but people could have tattoos on there arms. :/
I live in Missouri, in the midst of the Bible Belt. I work in the local Wal-Mart pharmacy (3 years) and I only have trouble with my piercings. I have a full sleeve, my chest, and the inside of my other arm that are visible at all times. I was hired with all of them and they are acceptable. Now, if I hadn’t known someone who could put in a good word I don’t know what my chances would have been. Several people in the store have visible work, but not nearly the coverage. I am required to “take out” my piercings, which include 6 nostril piercings, labret ,bridge, eyebrows, and cheeks, most of which I actually did retire, but I refused to remove my cheek piercings because they took so much time to heal! Instead I leave the barbells in and just keep them pulled inside a bit. They still show, but everyone KNOWS I have piercings and nobody has said anything since aout my second week. I did have one lady employee out in the store complain to management about me wearing more than my alotted 2 piercings per ear. She had ear piercings all around the helix and took them out because of the dress code. I took them out for 3 days then put them back in and nobody has said anything in a year and a half.
I work in the energy business as a customer contact person. I answer their letters (yes, in Belgium people write letters) via phone.
Nobody ever made any comment about my back and ankle tattoo. In summer, people are surprised a normal looking woman like me has such large pieces, but they tend to like the work.
I do notice, however, that you need to work twice as hard for them to realise you’re a good employee.
People still believe tattood people are lazy, dumb creatures, which I am the exact opposite of, since I am home sick now from working too hard (and still I can’t sit still) and I am very intelligent.
In the past I used to give in to that image they had and dumb it down, but not anymore!
I’ve been thinking of getting a sleeve and I must admit that I don’t know yet how far down it will go.
I want to change careers and don’t know whether tattoos will be allowed.
But then again… I’m planning to work with prisoners, so I don’t think they’ll mind. 😉
I admit that I want the whole package (hands, knuckles, throat, sleeves, chest,…) but am holding back because of ‘other people’.
Wish it weren’t so…
I work at a home improvement store handling freight overnights, but I’ve worked during the day as well. The management has no issues with tattoos and the rulebook actually says all piercings and visible tattoos are acceptable, minus any vulgarities and if there are vulgarities they should remain covered or obscured throughout work. Uh, and I live in Connecticut, USA, but my friend is an EMT here and they cannot have any visible tattoos or any piercings (If you’re male, but females can have piercings.) Go figure! Sexist bullshit.
I’m Daniela from São Paulo, Brazil. I’m 17 years and 363 days old and I still have no tattoos, but this month I’m getting my first… Kind of visible. I also have facial piercings… I work at a high level brazilian handcraft and art store and I do take off/hide my piercings when I’m working.
But I don’t have plans of working there too much longer… I want to find a job at a tattoo shop… Hopefully I will. As a art student and BME lover, it’s my dream to become a tattoo artist.
I am a photographer and photographer’s assistant in Miami (I wont name any clients but I mainly work on advertisements and magazine assignments) and I’m quite heavily modded. As far as visible stuff goes, I have a sleeve (including my hand,) and my chest which comes up onto my neck a little, stretched ears, a septum, and a tongue split. I have no plans to stop, I’ll probably start my other sleeve and my neck this year.
In my line of work, people usually hire you for the work that you do, without every meeting you face to face first. Alot of times, I never actually meet the client. Sometimes I do get some strange looks at first, but people tend to get over it pretty quickly once I start working.
I live in Norway and work as an assistant at a kindergarden. I’ve got four tattoos(/a half finished sleeve) on my right hand. My most visible tattoo is a clowns head with a banner underneath it. It is placed on my wrist with the banner ending at the top of my hand. The kids at the kindergarden love and is fascinated by my tattoos and my co-workers seems interested and them too fascinated in my love for bodymodification.
I’ve also got 1″ stretched lobes wich the kids loves to pull and the grown ups loves to get grosed out of 😛
I don’t have any tattoos, but I have quite a few visible piercings (ear lobes are stretched, snake bites and microdermals). My current job has no problem with the modifications, and there are a few other employees that have tattoos. I work at a public library so I do get a lot of patrons asking “Did that hurt?” “How’s it go in there?” “Do those go all the way through your chest and out your back?” (I actually got that last question once.)
For the most part, they are just curious. I’ve had some parents give me dirty looks, and one even tried to lecture me once. But the library is much better than my last job at Starbucks. I had to take out my lip piercings and my microdermals could not show. I really hope all these “dress code” rules change soon!
I am a shift manager at a McDonald’s. I have several visible tattoos, and several ear piercings, and a lip piercing. When we were owned by the corporation, officially, I was not supposed to have visible tattoos or piercings, but no one really cared at my store. I was met with quite a bit of hostility from management at other stores, who told me that they would fire me on the spot if I worked for them. When our store was purchased by a private owner, his stance on modifications was a lot more strict than the corporation’s. I was told I would have to cover all of my visible tattoos, and remove all jewelry from my piercings. I have never done so. I take out the jewelry in my lip and my lobes on a daily basis, but that is it. Oddly enough, my store owner complains more about me violating the makeup and jewelry policies, with comments like, “It says in the handbook you are allowed to wear neutral colored makeup. Lime green isn’t neutral.” or “The health department says the only jewelry that doesn’t pose a contamination risk is a wedding ring. Unless you are married to six different men, a couple of which couldn’t afford good jewelry, you’ll need to take off those rings”.
I worked at a summer camp for girls a couple years ago, and I was given very conflicting messages about my mods then. When I got hired, I asked the camp director if I had to cover up my tattoos and piercings. Her exact words were “We empower girls, not oppress them. this includes our staff. You can look however you want.” My direct supervisor, however, has a different feeling. I did not cover my tattoos or piercings, and sometimes, the children would ask about them. Since the organization I worked for was a Christian organization, and many of the parents were very conservative, instead of answering, I carried a waterproof marker, and I’d ask the kid if they wanted me to draw them one. My direct supervisor told me that I was to tell all the children that “I can’t tell you about that, because tattoos and piercings are bad and wrong.” Mind you, I worked with children from the ages of 4 to 17. Some of my campers had tattoos and piercings, and I had several who were the children of tattoo artists, or otherwise heavily modded parents. I refused to say what my supervisor asked me to, and I only worked three sessions. The camp director asked me to work winter sessions during holiday break, but I declined.
I live in Ohio and work part-time at both Burger King and Travel Centers of America (truck stop/gas station).
Burger King (as far as i can tell) some of them ask you to wear long sleeves but generally as long as you arent tattoo’d on your hands/neck/face you’re fine… actually I know a lot of people with facial tattoos who cover them with bandaids. as far as piercings they arent accepted…. unfortunately. so also retainers or bandaids.
the TA has a rule about facial or dangling earings, but large lobes are accepted and many of my co-workers have hand/neck tattoos.
at both jobs I keep a 0g septum plug in (it goes unnoticed) I have to take out my liprings but that’s fine as they’re 5 years old and i can go 6mo easily without them in.
I am currently trying to join the navy though and I had to let my 3/4″ earlobes close small enough that no light is visible through them, that only took 3 days or so (if i had to guess they’re about a 4ga now but nobody even has a clue they were stretched.) I’m hoping that my septum wont be an issue when it comes to enlisting since it’s a fairly large size and I’m not sure it will ever be completely closed…. not that i want it to be. I was told to keep my face, neck, hands and forearms clear for the navy, quite a disappointment since the military has such deep roots in the tattoo industry.
^ forgot to mention, scarification and any kind of heavy mod is strictly forbidden, i’m not allowed to have any scars larger than an inch or i’m ineligible for the service. ugh.
i live in vancouver, bc and have a bunch of visible tattoos. my knuckles, the sides of my hands, my wrists, my forearm, my neck and ears, and they’re accepted in most places.
I live in Calgary, AB and I worked as IT for a downtown consulting company. I worked at the same company for 6 years and was constantly called the top consultant by all our clients. After getting a lip ring, my boss quit calling me in for work, and effectively let me go. Needless to say the company tanked within months of me leaving. Since then I will only work at places that I feel have accepting environments, as negativity doesn’t help either party. I have since worked in publishing and healthcare (both as IT) and when my tattoos do show (leg, shoulder) I get compliments.
Work for a large food production company.
Have a tattoo, but not visible in work attire. A few piercings.
Visible piercings are not welcome. I work in the UK head office, certain roles would not be very forthcoming with visible piercings and tattoos, but for the most part accepted.
🙂
(I should clarify, visible piercings not welcome in production environment)
I have several tattoos, some of them more visible than others. I run my own business as a Kosher caterer. I was asked by my clients to take out some of the more out there piercings I had (vert. labret and a medusa) but they don’t mind the tattoos or crazy colored hair or other piercings I have. I live in St. Cloud MN and work mostly in St. Lewis Park, MN.
I have tattoos. The stars on my forearms are all blatantly visible and I have never had an issue with them at work. I work in the UK, at a supermarket. Many of the managers have the odd tattoo, and most are OK, again, as long as the tatts are non offensive and ‘non intrusive’ whatever that means.
However they do get snippy about piercings sometimes, particularly anything facial, under the guise of health and safety, although I do not handle raw food or anything like that.
A few years ago, I was given hell about my stretched ears, and I have since shrunk my lobes down to 16mm, almost 2/3 what they were, simply due to irritated ears. No other reason.
Last week, they hired a girl as a Team Leader (my role) with full sleeves and the same size ears as me! I am amazed and pleased that they have seen past her tatts, however also a little pissed that they made my life so hard over the ears, to the point where they put a letter on my file and threatened further disciplinary action.
Funny old world
(By the way the new girl is really good, so they did the right thing!!)
Yes i am tattooed, im currently a student at Stockholm university but i have been working at a home for the elderly in the past (among other things). having written an essay on the topic of discrimination due to modifications i can seriously say that its about 50/50 in sweden. most of the bans against modifications are due to personal preferences from managers etc. certain occupations have limitations due to risks associated with modifications and the work environment, this mostly covers bodypiercing and not tattoos.
my tattoos are pretty much all visible, i tattooed my face twice before i started working with the elderly, i have several piercings in my facial area, all stretched.
I work for a Multinational Insurance company, in the UK, which has a relatively conservative smart/casual dress code, in our office at least. No comments are made on a day to day basis but when Shareholders visit we are encouraged to cover-up and smarten-up. On Fridays we can ‘dress down but not down-and-out’.
Though my tattoos are not visible, there are several (some quite heavily tattooed) people in the office who do have theirs on show. I and several others have facial, surface and micro dermal piercings and stretched lobes. Again, never commented on except for innocent curiosity and aesthetic appreciation.
Obviously none of this has stopped anyone getting a job in my department and no one is openly disrespected or disciplined due to their mods. However, despite being mostly 25+ (and some well/very well educated) we all pretty much fall into the ‘Monkey Work’ roles and so far, no one has progressed to Management roles. None of us have never been invited to meet clients or higher Management. Potentially this is circumstantial only.
There has been recent suggestion of upcoming client meets for the relevant teams but whether I and my modded colleagues will be invited to attend and/or cover-up remains to be seen. I am hopeful for a positive and non-prejudiced outcome but I’m certainly not holding my breath.
i am tattooed, i have stars like Kat Von D on my left temple and i also have two large roses covering the backs of my hands, i also have finger tattoos…. i am not employed because tattoo’s “are not part of a work uniform”.
my search continues!
Widely accepted in my workplace: a hotrod shop. My boss has more tattoos than I have, and all are visible. Every single employee has at least one tattoo.
I live in Ohio, and , yes, I am tattooed and one is visible nearly every day because it is on my inner left wrist. I work in the property preservation industry and am in the office all day behind a computer, never seeing our clients (the major banks). Tattoos and piercings are shockingly accepted without question. Then again, our company doesn’t drug test either, so, yeah. For a company that profits nearly $800 mil + a year, I’m really surprised that they don’t care. Even when we have clients making special visits, they tell us to wear business dress, but they have never mentioned anything about removing piercings. This is probably one of the few things I actually like about my job! I definitely need to get my nose pierced prior to leaving so that it can heal, in case I need to wear a retainer at whatever job I end up working next..
I work as an account manager at a health insurance company in The Netherlands. They’re quite acceptant of my tattoos. I have 4 of them. Added 3 while working there, including a 3/4 sleeve on my right arm (completed in feb this year). 2 of them are never visible due to their placement (abdomen and between shoulder). In the 5 years I’ve worked there I’ve never had 1 bad reaction. Of course I get curious or surprised looks, especially when the 3/4 sleeve is showing. The only comments I get are very positive. People want to see it, are genuinely interested.
I do acknowledge that tattoos are still not 100% accepted in business and when I have meetings with my suppliers (is that the correct word?) my tattoos are never visible. It’s a tad ignorant to think that tattoos are acceptable at all times. That’s not how it works in the business world, unfortunately. As first impressions often count, I, for instance, can’t run the risk of losing a contract for my company.
The funny thing is that I’ve heard from colleagues that other colleagues hold me as a positive example. They felt they had to hide their tattoos at all times and seeing me sporting my sleeve made them feel assured they don’t have to (while working in the office). Even a guy who felt pressed to wear suits at his department said he shouldn’t worry about that if I’m brave enough to show my tattoos, haha. I don’t feel brave, I just do it. 🙂
Nice to read everyone’s experiences!
I have too largish tattoos, about 20 hrs of work in total, but i can cover them up if needed. I work part time as a waitress and the tats aren’t allowed to show, but the bosses didn’t mind them in any way. However i study a bit of this and that in university, and to gain experience have had different types of desk jobs as well, and though my bosses might’ve been ok with me having tattoos or showing them in workplace (they were really old fashion corporate types though so i didn’t test my luck 😀 ), but it didn’t even cross my mind to come to an interview with them showing. As far as other people i know, i think pretty various mods are accepted, if you already have the job, no matter what type, but mods still have a stigma as far as first impressions go, at least to a degree.
I teach outdoor science at a nature center in California. I have a small dung beetle tattoo on the inside of my wrist. It is my only tattoo and it is always visible, since I seem to have lost my watch. My nostril is also pierced. All pretty vanilla stuff, and nobody seems to care. I have coworkers with far more visible ink, and they’re not bothered either. When I worked for the Department of Education, though, it was a problem.
The only time it ever comes up is when students (aged 5 to 12) notice the mods. “Is that a REAL tattoo?” “Yup.” “Did it hurt?” “Yup.” “Why did you do that?” “Because I really like dung beetles.” and that’s the end of it. A few years ago, the kids noticed the nostril, but I think it’s become so mainstream that they’ve stopped caring.
I’m a chick, by the way, and I’m fairly sure that if my tattoo was of a flower or something else traditionally girly, the kids wouldn’t even blink at it. But it’s a dung beetle, which usually requires some explaining.
I’m currently a Computer Engineering Technician student, where almost all of the guys (I’m the only girl) are tattooed, a few have piercings, and a couple prof’s have visible tattoos and so do some of the co-ops that work in one lab.
I’m visibly tattooed, full sleeves, knuckles, behind my ears, and my one other heavily tattooed guy asked if they cared about tattoos in this industry. Our prof said nobody really gives a fuck, we’ll be working behind the scenes. (Out of my class of 30 technicians, only 8 of us are Computer Engineers, the rest are Electrical). We do have to wear pants (no shorts, skirts, etc) and eye protection in labs because of the equipment we use. When I did call center work, nobody cared as long as you were business casual. For food service, I wore long sleeves, more to cover (self injury) scars than tattoos. Behind the scenes work at factories and stuff, nobody cared, as long as you had certified steel toe boots.
Are you tattooed? Yes, I have one tattoo. I also have visible dermal anchors at my clavicles.
If so, are any of them visible? Yes, unless I wear long sleeves or a large bracelet.
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? Somewhat, other coworkers at the office I’m a summer intern at have visible tattoos. They aren’t approved of but aren’t forbidden.
What industry do you work in? I’m a summer intern at a mortgage insurance company [corporate office building]
Where in the world do you live? Philadelphia, PA.
I plan on eventually working in psychology research and potentially as a psych professor once I attain my Ph.D, and so far as I know as long as my mods are somewhat concealable they should not prevent me from that.
I work in PHX and it’s hot as balls right now. Unfortunately for me I have to wear long pants because my legs are about 70% covered. I work in banking, and though my company has no official policy on visible tattoos, I realize that wearing a skirt and showing my heavily tattooed legs really isn’t appropriate right now for working with older, high profile customers. But it was a decision I made knowing that tattoos are not 100% acceptable still in most workplaces. I have my ears stretched to a 0 right now, and most people don’t notice it at all and the ones who do usually just comment about how pretty my jewelry is 🙂
There are a few people with visible tattoos, such as a small wrist or ankle tattoo, and it’s not really looked down upon, but I do realize what I have is much different than that, so I keep it covered up in order to avoid any possible conflict.
I’m tattooed, the only thing I have visible at the moment is a small tattoo on my wrist, no one seems to care, I’ve just been asked about it before out of curiosity. I also have an inner conch piercing I keep in everyday and no one says anything about it either.
I have seen people at work with sleeves but they’re in a very different line of work. I work as a software engineer at a nuclear facility in the southeast.
I think in general technical fields are more lenient on such things, but I’d probably still wear a long sleeve shirt if I was meeting with a customer just to avoid culture clash.
I have a full (unfinished) sleeve on my right arm, 1/2″ stretched lobes and my lip and nostril pierced. I show them off at work, but I’m employed as the opinion editor of a campus newspaper. I’m the only person on staff with piercings or tattoos, but it’s not a big deal at all. The “joke question” at my job interview was what member of staff I would get tattooed on my body in order to represent the paper.
I’m not sure how accepting the journalism industry as a whole will be when I get there, but we’ll see what happens when I get there.
yes im visibly pierced, though not at all heavily so, and my tattoos are easily hidden by normal clothing (purposely). i have 7/8″ lobes, 4ga lobes, and 8ga tragus piercings in both ears, along with nostril piercings (which i wear hand made jewelry in, that is rather large and obvious), and a 4ga septum i currently wear a plug in. i currently work at Value Village, where our dress code (black or khaki pants/shorts/skits, no thin strapped shirts) covers all but my small white ink wrist tattoos (which NO ONE has ever noticed, unless i point them out). no one has ever complained about my piercings, and i sometimes get asked curious questions, or get compliments while on the sales floor. pretty much they dont care, as long as you look ‘clean and groomed’ and follow the dress code (which was not in place when i was hired). it might also help i live in a navy town, and tattoos arent unusual, and piercings arent that uncommon either.
my last two jobs were also totally fine with my mods, being one was a small company, and the other was a fine art bronze foundry, full of artists and creative types. im usually the oddest person wherever i work though, and pretty much the only modded person aside from a tattoo, or ear piercings.
ive tried to keep my mods limited as i dont know what direction my life may go, as far as work goes, and i dont want to be limited if i can help it. my nostrils are easy to minimize by wearing tiny gems, and my hair covers my ears, and people havent seemed to notice anything during job interviews. i have been to three interviews recently for jobs at the local shipyard, hoping to get in there, where i will be able to do whatever i want essentially, and learn a trade at the same time…but no luck so far, though not due to my mods, as far as i know. its just a really hard time for anyone to find a job. i dont think i would ever do well in a dressy ‘professional’ type environment, as my personality is just not very well suited for it, and i thrive in creative workplaces/jobs, but i try not to make things harder if i can help it.
it does seem like tattoos are more accepted than piercings, especially stretched ears. i get complimented on my tattoos when they happen to be visible, and the occasional question about my ‘gauges’, and nostrils. people dont seem to comment if they have negative opinions.
i live in WA state, across the puget sound from Seattle, in Bremerton…
I work at Ikea in the Netherlands, and as long as it’s clean it’s allowed. So visual tattoos, piercings, I even work there sometimes with a full mohawk (when i’m too lazy to shave my head for a couple of months that is).
A colleague of mine is a very religious Muslim, and has a pretty impressive beard. It’s all allowed as long as it’s clean and groomed. That’s the only rule there is.
AMAZINGLY today my new supervisor questioned me about a tattoo on my left arm, he thought it was “interesting” and that was all he said to me, the ENTIRE day.I know he’s super strict and religious so I hope I don’t get Harped on for things I’ve had for years now. I was hired with my tattoos and piercings I better not get the can because of them they’re not lewd by any means, the only word visible is “love” and the artwork consists of stars and doves so… Eh
Yay for Australia being (mostly) open:)
Have (almost) complete left leg, two scarrifications, brandings, facial piercings, stretched lobes, chest piece, left arm sleeve (ie, all very visable). I’ve worked in hospitality for the past 6 years now (mostly cafes), but also as a personal carer, fruit picking, sheering sheds…. and a nanny in Germany:)
I’m usually met with curiosity rather than hostility from customers, and employers have absolutely never asked me to change.
If I’ve ever been met with criticism, its usually been from drunk males when I’m out, if i head into the city for a night out I’ve come to expect at least a few nasty comments….
To be fair, I’ve never applied for jobs where I thought the employer would have problems with me, nor jobs that have dress codes- I just don’t enjoy closed work places.
Funnily enough, I get more comments from customers about my bright hair colours than any body modification:P
I work at a benefits company in Canada that deals with businesses, however, client interaction is minimal. Visible I have stretched lobes, tattoo on my forearms and a dermal anchor on my arm. All of which weren’t noticed by co-workers for months! My boss and fellow workers are always curious about them. The company rule is that the only facial piercing allowed is the nostril, earrings should be ‘tasteful’ and that body art should be discreet. They are okay with my mods, especially in my department, however, they do prefer I wear plugs over tunnels so as to not see through them. My hair is long and worn down, so it won’t be a problem as I continue to stretch 🙂
I live in Austin, TX and currently, I work super-part time as a hairstylist, and the rest of the week am a stay at home mom. I’m fairly heavily tattooed; full sleeves, hand tattoos, heavy leg coverage, chest, etc. I’m not much for piercings, though. Just 0 gauge lobes and a standard nostril. I have worked a variety of jobs in Austin (law office, market research, admin), and have never had anything but positive experiences. I did have one job at a mgmt company where they asked that I cover some of my tattoos just to tone it down a bit. So I wore 3/4 length sleeves and long pants everyday. My tattooed feet, hands and lower part of arms were still visible…so I thought that was pretty reasonable. It was a professional job, so really slacks and a cardigan or button down were the correct attire anyway. Since becoming a hairstylist several years ago, I have obviously had no problems.
I think in any decent sized city, you will always see tons of heavily modded hairstylists. I have always found Austin to very mod-friendly city, however, I will say that since I had my daughter (she’s currently 6 months old), in certain conservative pockets of town, I do tend to get some looks when I’m out with her. You see LOTS of modded parents around the city, but there are some more suburban areas where apparently that is a bit of a sight.
Overall, I’ve been very lucky. I’ve always been surrounded (since childhood) by modified people, and my family and friends have always been down with mods.
I work as an office Manager in upscale jewelry store.
I started there with minimal visible mods, and now have facial piercings (septum and philtrum) and visible tattoos (forearm, leg, wrists). I work mostly behind the scenes, but do cover the sales floor when we are short staffed/busy. I have not been asked to cover or remove any of my modifications, and view it as having earned the respect for being there for 5 years. I don’t think I would have been hired as I am. Co-workers have mentioned that they don’t even think about the tattoos and the clientele, mostly because of how well I do my job- and therefore it isn’t an issue.
Although we are upscale, we are located in the Bay Area (Oakland, CA), which also may have something to do with it.
I’m 48, soon to be 49, and I have one tattoo, and I’ve had up to 30 piercings at one time, none of them particularly visible. I looked “normal” in my white collar (nursing) job. Even though I’m retired, I’m very active working with the “old ladies” at church, so I keep a plug in my septum, and I have a few ear cartilage piercings that can be seen. I live in Redondo Beach, Ca.
I wanted to add that my 55 y/o husband has no tattoos but his ears are stretched to 00g and they are very mod-friendly there
I’m about 40% covered but you couldn’t tell if I wear real clothes. Considering my job entitles me to wear a bathing suit 24/7, my body art is visible. Unless you couldn’t figure it out I am a lifeguard/pool supervisor. My tattoos and my lone piercing (nose stud) have not been a problem in my “work”. Patrons ask more questions then give me dirty looks though I have had someone pray for me due to tattoos while working. My summer job doesn’t condole visible piercings but I’ve gotten away with it so far.
I hope the world evolves faster.
But I do love it when old fashion-old people compliment my art, it makes me smile.
-Morgan from San Antonio,Texas
I’m 28 and a recruitment consultant in Sydney, Australia. I have 19mm lobes, 5mm seconds, a 3 point spiral, an industrial, four nostril piercings and a 4mm septum. I also have tattoos on both inner forearms, the front of both shoulders, the back of my neck, my lower back and my ankle.
While in the office, my mods aren’t a problem at all, and I get curious questions. However, when I’m meeting with candidates or clients, or otherwise representing the business, I make sure I’m covered up. I’ve taken such care with my appearance for this reason – my hair is dyed plain blue-black and cut so that it falls over my ears neatly, all my tattoos are covered by a trouser suit or a skirt suit and opaque stockings, I wear retainers in my nostrils and my septum flipped up, and I’ve retired every other piercing that was harder to obscure. I also think I provide a pretty positive example – it IS possible to be reasonably modded and still hold a serious corporate job, you just have to plan ahead and be prepared to compromise a bit. Some of my colleagues can be a bit sniffy about modded candidates, and I like to note that they wouldn’t even know I had mine but for the fact that I choose not to wear a jacket in the office. Some of my older colleagues still think a “tongue ring” is a sign of a personality deviance, but attitudes are changing. Very slowly.
So yeah, given the above I’m confident in going ahead with the rest of my planned tattoos. Presenting as highly corporate and professional in every other respect gets you a long way.
I’m a makeup artist in Los Angeles, so I mostly work on film sets and occasional photo shoots/live events. I have a few visible tattoos and my ears are stretched, but I’ve never had anybody say anything but nice things to me about them. Most of the time, I get compliments from people I work with. It’s commonplace to have tattoos in the film industry, it seems, since 99% of the time, you’re working entirely behind the camera and nobody really cares what you look like. For days when I first meet people, I always dress up slightly, but I generally still show my tattoos; I’ve never been turned down for a job, so I guess they’re not a problem 🙂
I’m a Sales Coordinator in the Oil & Gas Industry. I didn’t have visible mods when I started working there but got my wrist tattooed without asking their permission first. I did hide it for a couple of weeks before the weather got too hot and I started wearing short sleeved shirts. I don’t see customers on a daily basis but the ones I do see are very important people to our company. My bosses judge me for my capability and not what I look like. I’m always dressed professionally but like my 60 year old boss told me (who in his own words is an “old fuddy duddy”) “”Why pay all that money to get those tattoos done only to hide them?”
Graphic designer in australia. I work full time and free lance. Full time no worries may stop me from advancing into management past art director if I was there for 15 yes but I don’t want to… Want to work for myself which leads to freelance… In an art industry a little bit of eccentricism
goes a long way! My advice is do what you want in borh your job and your appearance if you hide behind long sleeves abs make up in fear you let people judge when they see stuff. If you treat it like it is just the way it is it doesn’t really make an impact past the initial first impressions, which is just social judgement and the 50s that lngers on
Amazing feedback guys. I daresay if someone wanted to write a paper on visible tattoos in the workforce they’d have some reference material right here. It’s really interesting to see all the different stories/situations.
I’m a professional fundraiser for national and community-based nonprofit organizations and work in the Washington, DC area. Some of my work has taken place on the infamous K St. (Yes, lobbyist central). I have a full sleeve on one arm and multiple tattoos on the other and, although I wear a suit for some business meetings, I do show my tattoos in the offices in which I work. I was recently hired as Development Director for a national organization with whom I’ve done consultant work. They’d only seen me in a suit so when I went in to discuss turning my freelance work into a fulltime position, I showed my tattoos. My new boss loves them!
I work at a locally owned grocery store. While they’re ok with visible tattoos they are not ok with facial piercings or dyed hair. None of the employees know why, that’s just what the owner told us and they don’t really explain past that.
I work at Lowe’s and am apprenticing at a local tattoo studio, Lowe’s doesn’t mind my somewhat visible tattoos, but no piercings for them. The studio, of course appreciates them. 🙂
here in mexico, if you have tattoos you are a 95% chance of being screwed for life, there is no such thing as a dress code here,even if your tattoos are not visible, they will not hire you, the prejudice against tattoos in here is huge,you can have, lets say… a smiley face in your foot, which obviously usually no one will see,but if they see it before they hire you,(e.g. they usually make you undergo a medical exam which involves being partially naked in some points of it) you will most likely end up losing that job opportunity… piercings are becoming a bit more accepted, but only “regular” piercings such as nostrils and labrets.
If you have tattoos you will likely end up working in a tattoo/piercing related place, or having a street business/store(i dont know how to call that).It is also very common to see people with awful scars caused by them trying to remove their tattoos with cigarettes or different types of acid. Having tattoos or piercings that are not so common, or shocking, can cost you thousands of opportunities, and ultimately leaving you with no chance of living a decent life.
I’m a non-customer facing, 30 sumthing, IT Contractor, living in Australia. I have a full sleeve in colour (L), a B&W half sleeve (R),and chest is dotted with individual ones….I always have shirt sleeves rolled up so my left arm is always visible. No-one says anything cos it seems to be that they won’t let you into oz if yr not inked… 😉 haha
When I first started i kept them hidden as best i could but now I don’t care and work doesn’t seem to mind. there are no others in the office of some 400 people who have any visible ones
Are you tattooed? Yes. I have 8 tattoos.
If so, are any of them visible? My thigh piece, toes, back (between my shoulder blades), back of my thighs (depending upon my wardrobe choices of course).
Are tattoos accepted in your workplace? definitely. There are a few people in my office with visible tattoos (and other modifications). At first I thought that my tattoos may be an issue but everyone that I work with accepts and appreciates me for me! If anything is ever said about them it’s either a question or a compliment. My manager reports directly to our GM and he also has tattoos (covered most of the time though). We are never asked to cover our tattoos, but we do when meeting a client or for a presentation etc.
What industry do you work in? I work for one of Australia’s top insurance companies. I’m a new business administration consultant.
Where in the world do you live? Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
I would also like to add that I love seeing that many of the other Aussies that have posted here work in a similar environment!
High school teacher in Sweden with a few visible tattoos and stretched lobes. No problem. In fact, my students seem to quite happy having an adult around to talk seriously to about body modification and ask questions that will not be sneered or laughed at.
I am tattooed and work as a cashier at WalMart. Only one of my tattoos is visible, the one on my leg, and even so, he’s just a tiny little guy who is only visible when I wear capri pants during the summer. But there are tons and tons of heavily tattooed people who work where I work, some in high-up positions; there’s a stocking manager who has full sleeves and has his neck tattooed, and there’s a customer service supervisor with several large pieces on her arms and legs. A fellow cashier has a half sleeve and a large chest piece, and she previously worked at McDonalds and was fired for refusing to cover up her tattoos.
Given, WalMart’s a pretty shitty place to work, and they throw a fit about piercings and unnatural hair color, but apparently tattoos are ok.
(Oh– I live in Ohio.)
I work in Michigan at a local computer store. Visible tattoos are allowed. Multiple employees have multiple tattoos up and down their arms. Piercings are not allowed, not even simple ear piercings, this is mainly because the owners of the store don’t like them. The owners of the store used to really look down on tattoos and they used to claim you couldn’t have any visible tattoos but they have since stopped caring, mainly because some of our best workers are the ones that are tattooed.
I work as a veterinary technician in Memphis, TN, USA while I’m home in the summers at both a day practice and veterinary emergency center and in a veterinary emergency center in Knoxville, TN, USA while in school. I don’t have any visible tattoos (yet), but I have multiple facial piercings and stretched lobes. In Memphis, you can’t find a clinic that doesn’t have at least one employee that is modified. It’s a lot more conservative in East TN, but I don’t have any problems really. Granted, I am very personable and have great references, but I think a big part of it how someone carries themselves. If you look/sound/act like an idiot, people will assume you are. But if you come off as intelligent and knowledgeable, 9 times out of 10, people will treat you that way, even if it does take a few minutes to warm up.
I work at a Chili’s here in the bay area, and I have my tattoo that is visible from my shirt sleeve down, and I get compliments on it all the time! My managers don’t mind it and my customers always have a question for me 🙂
I live in Philadelphia and I work for a small Real Estate office that specializes in bank foreclosures.
Since we don’t deal with the general public (mostly just contractors and some real estate investors) my boss doesn’t care. I have a half sleeve (elbow to wrist), some random ones on my other arm, my back heavily tattooed and my chest. I also have 2 nostril piercings and 1.5″ lobes.
Some people seem a little off put by them, but overall it’s been fine. My boss did say “no more tattoos” but I have no plans to stop.
I am a photographer and I also work at a restaurant part time as a cook.
I have one tattoo that is visible, the restaurant doesn’t like it but they deal, it is small and on my hand. To them the 20/23 piercings that are almost always visible are more of an issue.
As a photographer, I have a lot of questions asked by people about my mods, but unlike at the restaurant people are very rarely ever rude to me about how I like to look or what I enjoy doing to my body.
Hulllo- I be Zephyr Elf- I currently live in Adelaide, South Australia. And no, I can’t tell you HOW BADLY I want to get the hell out of here.
I currently have several visible tattoos- my fingers, chest, back of neck, half sleeves and forearms, thighs, ankles, lower back and shoulder etc, several facial piercings (two septums, medusa, snakebites, spiderbites, cheeks) my ears stretched to 20mm and have surgically pointed elf ears 😀 Not to mention a neon turquoise deathhawk >;D
I work as a body piercer and am hoping to undertake a scarification apprenticeship really soon, which means I have never really copped crap for my image. The day I recieved my first piercing- my septum- I realised that piercing people was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life, so I’m glad I ended up in that industry! I knew my image was never going to fit what society calls ‘normal’
What shits me the most though, especially about my city, is not the crap I cop in the workplace for the way I look- but most nightclubs and restuarants here have a NO VISIBLE TATTOO ban. I’m not even kidding- I have been thrown out of clubs because of the tiny UV reactive hearts I have tattooed on my pink finger knuckles. That being said, they’re not usually clubs I like to go to- but I feel bad for my non-tattooed friends not being able to go anywhere except goth/metal clubs with me v_v
I have not been let into places because of my tattoos, piercings and hair colour/cut. It’s actually fucking ridiculous- you’d think in a time like this, people would have more tolerance. I can’t wait to live in a city where I can party where I want! Haha :3
I’m 18 and a student in West Yorkshire (UK); my job is part time in a clothing chain at the moment. I have dyed hair, a 16ga septum and one quite large but not visible tattoo, planning to get more. Nobody at my work really minds about tattoos because we have supervisors and floor staff who have a lot of visible work, one guy i work with has two half sleeves and they’re gorgeous 🙂 We’ve recently got a whole new management team in so we’ll see if they change any rules, it’s got a bit draconian lately, but the only people i’ve had who complain about my septum piercing are older customers (who have said i’m not “feminine”) – most people like asking me about it. I’ve even been told that it’s good to see someone who can work with the public and have facial piercings 🙂
I want to be a teacher in the future, if all goes to plan, so I am trying to be realistic about what and where things will go as I get more work done. Most secondary schools won’t take on people who can’t cover up their mods, unless you teach in an independent college/sixth form with older students, so time will tell what the future’s got in store for me. I’m going to be sad to see my purple hair go 🙁
I live in Birmingham, UK.
I have a full sleeve, 1inch lobes and leg, back, feet and nape tattoos and ‘me ole medusa’ piercing.
I work for a large, national housing association which is fairly conservative. I work in a regional office at the moment but will be moving to the very posh head office soon. I have always had facial piercings and tattoos and was employed looking as such.
I get a mixed opinion on my mods. Most people are accepting and do not request I cover them up. I am not the only person with visible mods and I am generally not customer facing although I have been in the past.
I have been asked to wear long sleeves on very few occasions particularly when I was a ‘ visiting officer’ to a seniors housing complex and whilst we were being inspected by our governing body. I did so but I felt a little put out. Our customers do not abject or comment on my mods in any negative way and I do not believe our governing body would also be so unprofessional.
My company, being a charitable organisation which spends public funds, has to accept the needs and wants of all our customers and diversity and equal opps are major factors in our day to day work. I have even been touted as our ‘diverse’ team member by my most senior manager to the extant that he wanted me paraded for my ‘diversity’ to our external bodies. Something I dont mind but find a little odd, told to cover up in one day and paraded the next.
I have excelled in my time in the company and feel that if anything, my mods have allowed me to be noticed along with my excellent work and far too dedicated attitude.
I dont feel mods have to hold you back and luckily they are becoming more accepted however I do feel that people with visible tattoos shouldn’t complain about missed opportunities. We made our choices. I do think we should all try and try again to change opinion by being professional, covering up if required, and then slowing sliding up those long sleeves!
However being pissy about something with pretty piercings is just daft. No one moans about ugly faces do they?
I’m a doctor (female – I think that sometimes makes a difference as to what’s seen as acceptable). I have a full backpiece and one sleeve, will soon have second sleeve. Also have labret piercing, tongue piercing, ten ear piercings including one lobe stretched to 8mm.
I wear long sleeves to work, but sometimes have to roll them up in clinical areas and so far it’s been ok. And though I make an effort to keep the tats covered, inevitably corners of them show over bits of clothing here and there. No patient has ever commented. I cover up and take my piercings out for job interviews, but they are always in at work and no senior of mine has ever once passed negative comment. Actually, I find colleagues, particularly older ones, tend to be interested and fascinated and want to ask about the tats. It helps that I work in a branch of medicine that tends to attract more liberal-thinking types of people than some, and I know a number of my seniors who have tattoos and mods, though we all try to keep our appearance relatively neutral in the workplace.
I am respectful to everyone I work with, I have a good reputation, I work hard, and I find people see that first and foremost. Also, I am well-presented at work and whilst there might be unconventional things about me, I am always appropriate. Nobody could complain about the way I dress or behave at work, and these things are more important than my mods. I make an effort not to draw attention to any aspect of my appearance, not just my mods. I think these are reasons why I ‘get away with it’ in a traditionally pretty conservative environment.
I have multiple piercings (mostly in my ears) and some tattoos that show when I wear some clothing but not others. My company does not allow any visible tattoos, no facial piercings (including tounge) or visible body piercings, one earring per ear “of conservative size,” and “conservatively styled hair,” which means no hawks or any non-natural color. Crazy.
I work as a groomer for PetSmart, which is a lot like being a regular hairstylist (an artsy sort of position), and a lot of the girls that do it are modded and have to wear long sleeves or band-aids to cover their mods, along with retainers. It’s ridiculous.
I have one visible tattoo of a bird on the inside of my wrist. I’ve worked places where they asked me to cover it, I never held those jobs long. Now I am a receptionist for a state agency. The folks in my office like my tattoo, they think it’s cute. I hope they don’t mind the ones I plan to get in the future.
Forgot to say, I am in the UK.
I have four visible tattoos, three on my upper back/nape of my neck and one 3/4 sleeve in progress. I also have a vertical labret, pierced nose, and 00 guage lobes. I’m the only visibly modified person in my office, but no one seems to mind. I provide over-the-phone software support in advertising. It definitley helps that my clients never see me though.
forgot location: I’m in Chicago.
I have a chestpiece and the beginnings of a sleeve (which was started from the bottom up, so I have outline and shading from wrist to elbow), as well as 5/8″ lobes. I work for the Canadian government (in Ottawa), and I currently keep my tattoos covered. There isn’t an official dress code, and most people I work in the immediate vicinity of know I have tattoos, but because I only started a few months ago, it’s important to me that I build a reputation as a highly competent and professional individual before I end up labeled as a tattooed person. I’m planning on phasing them in slowly at the office, although I don’t plan on ever revealing them when meeting with clients.
That said, I haven’t had a single negative response from anyone at work, and most of my colleagues think I’m being way too paranoid about it. I have seen a few other people with sleeves in the building, but they were service guys.
I work in processing in a medical laboratory. When my lab coat sleeves are down and I’m in scrubs, all my tattoos are covered. My boss doesn’t care whether we’re tattooed or pierced.
I usually have one tattoo poking out of my coat sleeve, and when I wear capri’s/shorts I have quite a large tattoo up my calf. I imagine the expectations would be different if I were working directly with patients. I’m in Ontario Canada.
haha, easy for me…
working in a piercing and a tattoo shop. So, don’t have any problems for that. ( dozens of piercings on face, and the whole right arm tattooed + subdermal implants around the hand )… So it seems ok.
before tattoo and implants, i worked with my piercings in a supermarket, called Colruyt here in Belgium ( for them who knows )
never had a problem in three years.
I think, it’s not the way you look, but the way you act who’s making you acceptable for a job.
of course, better not use 3cm spikes on all your face and a gangbang scene’s tattoo on your arms :d hahahaha.
I work as an Addiction Counsellor in Ontario. My last job had no problems with my full sleeve, zero lobes & neck tattoo. When I went in for the job I made sure my sleeve was covered as I do with any interview & now have to cover my knuckles when going in. Once I am hired I ask them how they feel about tattoos.
Yes, I am tattooed and lightly pierced. I work in a distribution center for a high-end clothing company that I’m sure has a tighter policy in the actual stores. (we’re located in the US) But seeing as though we have no face-to-face contact with the customer, it would be silly to have such a policy in place for us. As long as we wear reasonable clothing (no cleavage or butt crack, etc) and shower regularly, they really don’t care how we look. In fact most of my superiors show interest in whatever I may have going on mod-wise. Generally I only have one small tattoo showing during the winter months, and a handful that are visible when I feel like wearing short-sleeves shirts and capris. No one minds. Hell, my good friend frequently shaves her head, has rather large lobes and a full sleeve and no one blinks an eye. It’s quite nice.
I’m in Jakarta, Indonesia currently and I’m a make-up artist and apprentice tattooist. I do all sorts of makeup for mainstream magazines as well as counter-culture art magazines, ranging from fashion spreads, beauty, creature, special fx and theatrical. I have a blue and purple star tattoos on my hand, side wrist, blue spirals on both my inner forearm and some more blue spirals and lotuses up my arms as an unfinished sleeve.
I also have a labret, side labret, and septum, 1-inch lobes and recently retired microdermals on my left arm and chest.
Nobody really cares about my mods here, if anything, it’s something that makes me more a character in this society, particularly the fact that i’m a female and the percentage of modded females in Jakarta are quite low. I thought before i moved here (from Sydney australia, where modifications are more common) i was going to be quite discriminated and frowned upon in this muslim country but after a year and a half, all the reactions are the contrary to what i expected. Especially since i work in the media/design industry, my modifications are quite praised upon as ‘different’ in a good way. Very happy indeed.
amazing.
I work at a small company in San Diego. I had my tattoos exposed (forearm pieces) until I was promoted to a new position. To get the promotion I needed to adjust my work attire, which included long sleeved shirts covering the pieces.
There’s no official stance on them, rather suggestions by an employees individual boss. There was another guy, who was let go for different reasons, who had complete sleeves on both arms. His wardrobe changed about the same time mine did, so it may have been made mention to him, but purely as a suggestion.
I work at Sears. Yes, Sears. The dress code is very strict: I am allowed to wear black, white, or khaki. Solid colors, no patterns, no off-white, no grey, but… I have a tattoo under my collarbone, a nostril piercing, 5 lobe piercings (two stretched), an inner conch piercing, and hot pink hair. For some reason, this is totally allowed! I was hired with all of it (except the hair color). Go figure.
I have seven tattoos including a large rib piece, my ears are stretched to 0 and nipple piercings along with a 5 piece navel project. Im a stripper so its no suprise that it wasn’t a problem to have my piercings and tattoos. Customer reaction varies from thats fuckin cool to holy shit are you crazy.
I’m quite heavily & visibly tattooed (sleeved, a few hand tattoos, my throat and the back of my head). I live in Illinois and am a member of the management team in the warranty office of THE top selling faucet company in the United States.
It’s funny that we have dress code that requires us to wear collared shirts or blouses and forbids jean or capris, but tattoos, piercings and “unusual hairstyles” (I swear the dress code actually says that!) are not a problem.
i have applied for a flight attendant position
i dont have a problem with taking my facial piercings out
but i do have pretty large gauges that even if i take them out then they will still look big
im wondering if anyone has seen or knows of any flight attendants with gauges?
i know airline policies are pretty strict and im wondering if its worth it to conform for the sake of making a little bit more money