Discriminated against for tattoos, piercings hair or weight?

grrrlface

I'm afraid those things aren't covered by anti-discrimination legislation as they are choice. I have loads of tattoos, one very visible, and I have found this to be true but its image and any employer wants to portray a good one. Since tattoos have a stigma within the older generation if a company has them as their main customers I've found I haven't got a job there. I'm more lucky in places with a younger customer base.

My boyfriend says I'd never make a manager or supervisor role even though I'm more than capable. It is disappointing but I made the choice to have tattoos so I have to live with that.

andypandy1109

yes i was leaving my job and by boss asked if i could recommend someone...i said yes mantioned the name of the lady whome i thought would do a stonking job...he said her no way im not having that sat at the front desk...she was approx 17st...i was astounded....he replaced me with a bimbo and then had toi get her some help...so 2 x people replaced me...

i was alos a ww leader for 8 years and heard stories of people not getting jobs because of their weight:mad:

shame some good talent out their.

tats no dont personally like them...but that said its the wearers personal choice like my hair and style is my personal choice

FearAnLoathingJ

I used to be anorexic and people would treat me way better. I'd get amazing service in shops, especially clothing ones and if I brought a block of chocolate (which I rarely did) no one would bat an eye. Now people ignore me, especially in clothing shop and if I buy chocolate I can feel the judgement from the cashier / other people around. What I've found is other overweight people are the best sales people because they don't tend to judge either so I now try to find them.

I have pierced ears and am considering getting a tattoo but as long as its tasteful or can be covered for work I see no need for not hiring people because of it.

Yeah like the overweight salesgirl in a shop once that told me I needed to eat a cheeseburger. Or the one in torrid that asked me if I was in there to make the other customers feel bad. Feeling your being judged is not the same as out right being judged

Thewatcher_66

This is why I try to teach my young nephews/nieces about marking up their bodies and excessive piercings. Fair or unfair, hiring managers in corporate America will not take you seriously if your body is decorated like a Christmas tree. Now, if your goals are to be an entertainer or to work in an artsy kind of environment, that's a different story.

sassyann45

I work in the educational field and employee with a tattoo are required to keep it covered. I was hired at my job when I was heavier but since losing weight and looking better I feel like I am treated better or noticed more by others.

ThinLizzie0802

I went into my interview for my current job with my lip ring and nose ring in, tattoos covered. I went through the interview stunningly then told her I was more than happy to take our the nose and lip ring for the job. I also pulled back my hair and rolled up my sleeves and said you wouldn't have guessed that. It was for a front desk job in a very professional environment. I was hired and I took out my piercings and kept my tattoos covered when we had clients in the building. I would roll up my sleeves when no one but the employees were around. I was offered a promotion after 4 months which came with my own office and a lot more responsibility. I got a raise, and no longer have to cover up my tattoos. Clients see me in my office or walking around, but no one says a word. Some of my very conservative coworkers always like to discuss my tattoos but not in an insulting fashion. Our corporate employees and president are at our office every few months and were surprised by the number of tattoos I had, but never said one word. So yes, I work in a professional environment, hold an important position in our branch of my company, and let my arm, throat, feet, and leg tattoos out in all their glory. I would have been fine having to continue covering them up, though. Prior to this job, I had several interviews where I knew the minute they saw me they weren't going to hire me. I'm great in interviews and very well spoken, but it didn't bother me. It is what it is. I made the choice to have my beautiful artwork and I fully accept that it changes first impressions of me. But my tattoos are part of me forever and they don not inhibit my ability to work in a professional environment.

ice1200s

Not too long ago, I read about a woman that successfully sued a company, because she was not hired because of her weight. Good for her. Apparently, she was more qualified than the person that was hired. That's what made me think it MIGHT possibly be illegal to not hire someone because of being overweight.
Don't get hung up on my use of the word "discriminate". I meant it in the sense of making a choice over something else, not in the illegal sense. That's something we all do every day. We discriminate against foods, clothes, colors, the cars we drive and many other things. Carry on!

ThinLizzie0802

Not too long ago, I read about a woman that successfully sued a company, because she was not hired because of her weight. Good for her. Apparently, she was more qualified than the person that was hired. That's what made me think it MIGHT possibly be illegal to not hire someone because of being overweight.

If your weight directly affects your ability to do your job, then you shouldn't be hired. You are an asset and an investment for a company. You cost them money while providing your skills. If your health is going to affect that, then you shouldn't be hired. I say this independently of her case but in general with the weight discussion.

RunWinterGarden

If I'm hiring it's for a job in corporate America and I am going to expect you to have good judgement. If you want to work for me and in the company I work for, but chose to get a visible tattoo that can't be covered up then you have, in my opinion, bad judgement so I would not hire you. It's just the way it is, I could never send one of my resources in to a client if he/she had a tattoo on his/her neck, that person would be kicked out of most office buildings just based on their look and I would lose a lot of respect from the client. It might not be right, but that's how it is.

As I stated, to me, visible tattoos are more of a judgement issue and they show me poor judgement for someone who wants to work and advance in a corporate environment. If you have no desire to do this, then go ahead and do whatever you want with your body, but don't get upset if you miss out on jobs because you can't cover up your ink.

Blitz_40

Happens to my beautiful sister all the time. Because of her tats & piercings she been really limited with work and she is not a professional. Is it wrong? I don't know because employers choose their employees to help uphold an image in their company, especially if they are customer-facing. Appearances are the first impression so they may not see the gem a person really is because our society today is highly focused on appearances.

How does your sister know that? Did anybody admit to it?

Nothing to admit to.....they hire who they want to pay. She was told if she could cover up the tats (pretty much impossible, she's covered head to toe) & remove her piercings to come back and try again. More than once.

CookNLift

I think it is all about how you are perceived. I would take my eyebrow piercing out when I went for job interviews, and they would hire me. When I put it back in during regular working shifts, I never got an issue. It's ridiculous to discriminate people for tattoos, piercings, or especially being overweight.

I understand it's an old fashioned thing to think of tattoos as classless or distasteful, but in my opinion its simply an expression of one's personalities or beliefs. Only way I would discriminate would be if someone had a gang tattoo / tears, or if it was something visible and completely inappropriate.

I was discriminated a few times because I was perfectly qualified for jobs, but would often lose them out to someone who did not have a spanish last name like I did.

ThinLizzie0802

If I'm hiring it's for a job in corporate America and I am going to expect you to have good judgement. If you want to work for me and in the company I work for, but chose to get a visible tattoo that can't be covered up then you have, in my opinion, bad judgement so I would not hire you. It's just the way it is, I could never send one of my resources in to a client if he/she had a tattoo on his/her neck, that person would be kicked out of most office buildings just based on their look and I would lose a lot of respect from the client. It might not be right, but that's how it is.

As I stated, to me, visible tattoos are more of a judgement issue and they show me poor judgement for someone who wants to work and advance in a corporate environment. If you have no desire to do this, then go ahead and do whatever you want with your body, but don't get upset if you miss out on jobs because you can't cover up your ink.

I guess I will continue to exercise "poor judgement" as I invest in high quality artwork from talented artists on my body. Also, while sitting in my office in my conventional job, all while still having the potential to move up into the corporate division at some point.

TabithaRose87

Alls I know..is when I was not fat...I was treated a lot better in public, by men anyway. Now that I'm fatter, more females are nicer to me. I guess I am no longer a threat to them? Go figure. As far as "visible" tattoos, most people like them, it's been a conversation starter. BTW, I have a corporate job so obviously my higher ups didn't think my tattoos affected my ability to do my job :-). Let's try to open our minds and try not to make so many judgements based on appearance. I respect whoever respects me.

Ademar111

I make sure I keep all of my ink covered at work : (
It stinks no doubt but that is the way of the world right now. Hopefully someday it will change.

zeebruhgirl

In high school I was the girl with the hot pink hair, or red, orange, green, blue, purple etc... Also have my lip pierced twice.
I moved to Las Vegas and the public school in my district told me to dye my hair "normal" colors and take out my lip rings or I couldn't go to class due to their gang policy. I ended up doing distance education to maintain my style.

The I had dreadlocks, I still have my lip pierced twice and tattoos are in abundance.
I was going to college to be a high school English teacher, and the professor told me to lose the hair and the piercings or I'd never amount to anything.
I was so distraught I combed my hair out (taking about 36 hours of intense pain to comb out the dreads) and then I ended up dropping out of college because it had messed with me mentally about pursuing teaching.

Now I'm stuck in a dead end job, with pretty much no future, because I lost a part of myself.
I'm working on getting it back though :]

contingencyplan

If I were hiring someone for a job where maintaining a professional appearance would directly affect their ability to perform, such as a position in sales, then yes I would make those kinds of discriminations because it IS a fact that people push better sales numbers when they look more professional and attractive.

Also, I fully agree with the above poster who said that, in his opinion, getting tattoos in places that are not covered up by professional dress attire can be indicative of poor judgment. I wouldn't rule someone out for it entirely I don't think, but it would essentially be starting the process with one strike already against you.

usmcmp

I have a 3/4 sleeve and when I got it I knew I would need to cover it up in a corporate environment. After my company hired me they found out that I had it. I was made to sign an agreement that I would keep it covered. I'm sure if I had gone to the interview with tattoos showing they would have seen me differently, but I was hired because I looked the part and was the most qualified. I never had the intention of having my tattoos show at work because they aren't a cry for attention they are personal artwork.

adnamalegna

My fiancé is a three time world record holder for various body modifications. I myself, have not a spot of ink. He always has some crazy hair , and has had a 4 foot Mohawk in the past...LOL He has his own reasons, and though I'm sure he's missed out on some job opportunities, there's not much you CAN do about it. The employer has the right to not hire based on your CHOSEN physical appearance. Someone who is scarred or disfigured can't exactly help that. Being obese or drastically over weight is something that can be helped, though not easily. My fiancé has a job where he can pretty much look how he wants as he is not face to face with the public every day. He does get harassed by the police EVERYWHERE we go. Yet he doesn't drink, he doesn't do drugs, and he isn't a loud mouth, he's never been to prison. He is a very gentle soul and yet he gets discriminated against on a weekly basis by police.
Fair,shmair. Life isn't fair, you suck it up and keep truckin. Find a job where they WILL hire you. My personal opinion is you pretty much know when you go get any body modification that there will be consequences. You just have to be prepared for a few "slaps in the face" and to be persistent. It isn't any one's job to take care of YOU- it's yours. You have to make your own way in this world.

mmm_drop

I haven't for any of those things, but I have been for where I went to high school and growing up on the "wrong side of town".

A professor at college, openly discriminated against me and advised I would struggle in his class since my educational background wasn't as strong as most of my peers (my educational background was completely based on growing up in a lower income neighborhood). He also stated, once, in front of the entire class that any student without access to a computer and the internet at home would not be able to pass the class. (At the time I had neither.)

I proved him wrong on both points. What a jerk he was though.

OkieSunshine207

Although I am still heavy and am continuing to work on my weight, I was once over a 100 lbs heavier. As other people have stated, the difference in the way people in general treated me then compared to now is huge. Men almost always hold the door open now and almost always speak; before...well, let's say only the true southern gentlement held the door open. Same thing with clerks in stores, they are friendlier and more helpful (especially men) then they were before and as someone else said, I dont' feel as judged when eating out or buying groceries as I did before. So while I have never been told, "I'm not going to hire you because you are fat" you would have a hard time convincing me that potential employers were the only people who didn't descriminate against me because of my weight.