Personal Trainers with Facial Piercings??
paulduddy54
Posts: 12 Member
I am training to become a PT next year and I have a double lip piercing on one side.
Now to me piercings and tattoos do not in any way impact how I view or judge somebody. However I am aware that some people would be put off by them (for example my mum says and I quote, "that's disgusting") now she says that in a way I know she doesn't judge me BUT I want to know what the majority of people think?...
My question is, would you be be put off/not approach someone for personal training if they had facial piercings?
Now to me piercings and tattoos do not in any way impact how I view or judge somebody. However I am aware that some people would be put off by them (for example my mum says and I quote, "that's disgusting") now she says that in a way I know she doesn't judge me BUT I want to know what the majority of people think?...
My question is, would you be be put off/not approach someone for personal training if they had facial piercings?
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Replies
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As long as they are clean and hygienic it would not bother me in the slightest, that said I am heavily tattooed myself so I tend not to judge others by appearance.5
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I'm an old lady and I wouldn't judge you by your appearance/piercings...but I would judge you if you judged me for being old and inexperienced.
Example: I had a young male at the gym who I hired to teach me some things. He was condescending and acted bored all the way through the sessions. He lasted three sessions. If you are in it to help people, then help them. If you don't want to help overweight older ladies, well. Maybe work at different type of gym.
He was the reason I quit that gym. That's about $1500 per year that gym is out, between membership and classes/training sessions.35 -
I have zero tattoos and I couldn't care less what a trainer does with their look. As long as they have good communication skills and a training method that is a good fit for me, not much matters.14
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The popular answer to your question will be "no it shouldn't matter, I for one don't care how someone looks" or something similar to that.
I'm not one to judge either - live and let live I say - but I'm sorry bud, the reality is I'm afraid for some people your piercings will be a deciding factor.12 -
Frankly it depends on who you want to coach.
As a 31yo queer woman, I think lip piercings are hottt; however, I personally don't need a PT.
It's possible the market where you're physically located IS women like your mother. I don't think there's any shame in taking it out to meet a client so you have a cleaner appearance and then you can gauge their personality first.
I personally wouldn't want to coach people who would judge on piercings or tattoos, but sometimes a job's a job.4 -
I think it will serve more of an a**hole detector and keep away clients you don’t want to be around anyway.19
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I wouldn't be put off by them, no. But you probably would notice me looking at them. I'm a curious person, so I typically catch myself glancing/looking/staring at different piercings, tattoos, even print on tshirts and such. I'm not judging, I'm just trying to see what they are/say (and sometimes admire them).10
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Very honest answer from an old fuddy-duddy type:paulduddy54 wrote: »I am training to become a PT next year and I have a double lip piercing on one side.
Now to me piercings and tattoos do not in any way impact how I view or judge somebody. However I am aware that some people would be put off by them (for example my mum says and I quote, "that's disgusting") now she says that in a way I know she doesn't judge me BUT I want to know what the majority of people think?...
My question is, would you be be put off/not approach someone for personal training if they had facial piercings?
I don't think I would judge you for having them, as such, but the piercings themselves might make me uncomfortable. (And when it came to choosing between a PT with whom I didn't have to worry about not showing that their piercings made me uncomfportable, and one with whom I did have to...)
It would depend on how big they were, how they were placed, what jewelry you had in them, etc. One small stud centered between lip and nose I could (almost) ignore, but one of those stretching labret lower-lip thingos in brightly colored glass would make it hard for me to even have a conversation with you without staring and being preoccupied.
Please understand that I think you should be free to get whatever piercings you want and wear whatever jewelry you want to in them. It's just that I may feel uncomfortable when I see them, which is not your problem - unless I'm deciding about hiring you for personal services like PT.
(And if there were a "right" way to feel about something like this, how I feel probably wouldn't be it.)
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As a PT in the business for quite some time, I don't have any piercings or tattoos, so I can only give you what I've observed over the time with different gyms. I train a lot of genres of people: young, old, overweight, fit, etc. So what really depends more is how you're training them and the results you're getting. BUT, realize that people make judgements on first impressions. I would say people under 50 may not care about your piercings, but anyone over probably may see it differently. Which makes it funny because I have the MOST clients over 50 amongst my peers. That's anecdotal though. I've also been turned away because someone felt I was too bulky and they assumed I would train them that way. So it may be that you have to experiment some. If you're getting a lot of good interaction, then it may be fine. If people are avoiding you, then you may want to take it out while you're on duty. Good luck!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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paulduddy54 wrote: »My question is, would you be be put off/not approach someone for personal training if they had facial piercings?
I don't think it would make a difference to me.
If you are concerned that it might put off some people can you not wear your jewelry during your working hours?
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While it wouldn't put me off, I might be a little nervous for safety reasons. Is there any concern that the piercings could get caught on equipment or clothing during the training sessions? I guess I just remember always being told to take out my earrings when working out or playing sports.4
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As a PT in the business for quite some time, I don't have any piercings or tattoos, so I can only give you what I've observed over the time with different gyms. I train a lot of genres of people: young, old, overweight, fit, etc. So what really depends more is how you're training them and the results you're getting. BUT, realize that people make judgements on first impressions. I would say people under 50 may not care about your piercings, but anyone over probably may see it differently. Which makes it funny because I have the MOST clients over 50 amongst my peers. That's anecdotal though. I've also been turned away because someone felt I was too bulky and they assumed I would train them that way. So it may be that you have to experiment some. If you're getting a lot of good interaction, then it may be fine. If people are avoiding you, then you may want to take it out while you're on duty. Good luck!
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I used to think that about the older generations but most of the compliments I get on my ink are from the older generations.
OP - To be fair tattoos and piercings are a whole lot less taboo than they used to be and as someone else already mentioned it will serve as an as* hole detector. I don't think it's going to make any major impact to your ability to drum up trade.3 -
I'm likely in your mom's demographic (middle aged woman) and it wouldn't bug me. My mom would probably notice and describe it in a whisper to me ("*He's such a nice young man. Do you know he has a *lip piercing! Two of them!*") but it wouldn't put her off having you as a trainer.
I'm sure it will vary widely though, same as with anything. I'm continually surprised at the things that people notice about others at work that I don't notice until people point them out to me and even then 90% of the time my response is "so what?"0 -
The THENX guy is a lot more extreme than lip piercings and he's the go to guy for calisthenics. Shown below without his ear gauges:
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I'm 56, so I'm probably the market that could be your mother. I would notice and it would not have a positive impact, although I'd prefer a GREAT PT with piercings as opposed to a meh PT without. I recognize the world is a vastly different place from my youth and it's my job to get used to it and judge people less for what amounts to current trends in the culture. My beautiful 20 year old daughter has too many tattoos (imo) and weird piercings in her ear and chest, but she's kind, responsible, and I love her to death. I've also had other reason to deal with what I consider pierced to the extreme people and came away thinking they knew their stuff and I got passed the visual. That being said, my preference is still people like me because it's more comfortable, it's easier, and I don't have to work to be accepting. I'm always super impressed at the gym when a really, REALLY tattooed and pierced person holds the door for me and it's those times that I remember the world doesn't wait for us, we have to catch up to the world. But everyone needs to be patient with the other. Because someone is not comfortable with what someone else chooses to do, does not make that person an a** hole.22
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Another middle-aged woman here, I 100% would not care about how many piercings a potential PT had.
For context, I've got several tattoos and a pierced nostril.2 -
If I'm hiring a personal trainer it's for Thier knowledge and skills not for what they look like
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I'm 63 and it wouldn't bother me. Piercings and tattoos are just the norm. If you look and smell clean and you are a good trainer, that would be what I care about. If you had a tongue stud, I would probably ask you about it - like did it hurt, and what does it feel like having that in your mouth all the time, but I wouldn't be judging; I really wonder about those things. Besides, I have pierced ears, so why should I judge someone else.4
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When I hire a personal trainer I'm more concerned with their knowledge and what they can do to help me. I'm not concerned with image. Walking the walk helps a good deal.
Also realize that MFP forum frequenters are not a good representation of the general population. Part of the draw to MFP is based on what works > image.11 -
I read an article on this topic by the owner of one of the top training centers in the country. His take, from 30+ years in the industry, you will have some people that are put off by facial piercing and/or elaborate tats no matter how good you are. This will lower your potential client base. If you're okay with that for *kitten* them reasons that's your choice.
If any type of piercing impacts the understand-ability of one's speech I'd get rid of it if I was trying to work in a field where verbal communication and the ability to be understood is important (especially where there is most likely a bunch of background sound).
Best of luck with the new career.5 -
Facial piercings have no bearing on someone's qualifications to do a job. Same with tattoos.0
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Really appreciate the feedback guys, extremely insightful!
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I personally wouldn't care. I think the majority of people wouldn't care either, but some would. That's just how the world is, I'm sure you knew that when you got your piercings.2
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First impressions matter. You may cause some people to look elsewhere and you may draw some people in. Not a fan of facial piercings myself, but that's just because I am 64 years old. But I have also learned in my many years that you should never judge a book by it's cover.6
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paulduddy54 wrote: »
My question is, would you be be put off/not approach someone for personal training if they had facial piercings?
Tattoos or facial piercings wouldn't bother me but it's likely it would put off some potential customers.
On the flip side it may be to your advantage with a certain (younger) demographic so may be a good selling point.
Just don't go all 6ix9ine though...2 -
TheRoadDog wrote: »First impressions matter. You may cause some people to look elsewhere and you may draw some people in. Not a fan of facial piercings myself, but that's just because I am 64 years old. But I have also learned in my many years that you should never judge a book by it's cover.
I know people in their 60s who are absolutely fine with facial piercings and I even know a handful of people in their 60s who have them. If you're not a fan, I don't think your age is the reason.
Some people generally have trouble accepting changes in trends, fashion, or social mores, but they can be found in all age groups.8 -
Situational... if i were looking for someone with a professional look (society standards) then I'd feel more comfortable with someone without facial piercings, but if i don't care about that at all then it wouldn't matter if my PT had facial piercings. I guess it really depends on your clientele. Will they be more old fashioned or more modern? Grandma and grandpa might have a different outlook on things compared to young adults or kids.
In the end what matters most is the PT knowledge and compatibility with said client.1 -
I will admit sometimes I see some piercings that look rather shocking but more in a painful way to me but that is my own hang up. I try to treat everyone as I want to be treated no matter if they have visible tattoos and piercings or not. Some of the nicest people I know have piercings and tattoos and some of the biggest jerks do not. If a person is a good PT or good person in general I really don't care how they look.1
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competeagain wrote: »I think it will serve more of an a**hole detector and keep away clients you don’t want to be around anyway.
This^^4 -
Over 50 here and it wouldn't bother me a bit. My hairdresser has more facial piercing, tattoos and wild hair colours than anyone I know and she is a sweet girl, who cuts my hair the way I like it. That is what I care about. (I do have a back of neck tattoo though so obviously I am not body modification averse in general)1
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