Question About Stretched Ears

sauconyrunner · May 9, 2012

Frankly speaking...All hospitals will not "like stretched ears" . They do not like people to wear skirts without Panty hose...and have many times statements on the types of underwear that is to be worn while at work. I do not know much about stretched ears, but if there was some way to return them to their original ear-ness, it would help you employment wise. You an always be an individual without them.

PrayToTheUnicorn · May 9, 2012

Thank you. Expressing an opinion doesn't equal "body snarking". It's just an opinion, and like some other body parts, everyone's got one.

It becomes that when you say it's "hideous." That does not further a constructive conversation and only serves to be hurtful and to project a stance of otherness being lesser. True we all have the right to an opinion but one can choose to inform someone's choices or thoughts on the forums in a powerful and respectful way rather than being rude. You chose the latter.

amoLucia · May 9, 2012

i work with several RNs that have stretched lobes, most of them wear clear glass or plastic plugs to work. none of them are stretched larger than 1.5 inch though. nasal piercings are common, many of my coworkers have a discreet nose stud and most of them have more like 3-5 earlobe piercings! policy says no artificial nails but fake fingernails abound. policy doesnt care about polish color only says "unchipped and no nail jewelry like rhinestones" so you see black, orange, flowers, all sorts of cute nail designs.

Just curious...did all those nurses do their 'body art/nail works' BEFORE or AFTER being hired. Inquiring minds want to know.

amoLucia · May 9, 2012

Another thought re: professional image...do lawyers (in school or in practice) question this? Do they sport the look when they're presenting a high profile case? Again just curious...

rn/writer, RN · May 9, 2012

Quote from VivaLasViejas

Thank you. Expressing an opinion doesn't equal "body snarking". It's

just

an opinion, and like some other body parts, everyone's got one.

It becomes that when you say it's "hideous." That does not further a constructive conversation and only serves to be hurtful and to project a stance of otherness being lesser. True we all have the right to an opinion but one can choose to inform someone's choices or thoughts on the forums in a powerful and respectful way rather than being rude. You chose the latter.

The OP asked for opinions. And it sounded like he/she wanted to know what kinds of reactions are out there. So now he/she knows. Some people think ear gauges look just awful and might not want to hire or be taken care of by someone who has them. That's something the OP might want to take into consideration.

As far as rudeness goes, there was no name-calling. The other member didn't say the OP was hideous. She just said that look really bothers her. That's fair game, and there's no need for hurt feelings.

Not everything needs to be expressed with kid gloves, especially when the OP asked what others thought.

mikeicurn, ASN, RN · May 9, 2012

It becomes that when you say it's "hideous." That does not further a constructive conversation and only serves to be hurtful and to project a stance of otherness being lesser. True we all have the right to an opinion but one can choose to inform someone's choices or thoughts on the forums in a powerful and respectful way rather than being rude. You chose the latter.

Viva didn't say the OP was hideous, she said that stretched ears looked hideous in her opinion. I happen to agree. As do, I would guess, the majority of people the OP runs across. Whether they say it or not. I don't think people stretch their ears, put huge spikes through their faces, put tattoos on their necks, or the multiple other ways they choose to show their otherness in order to further constructive conversation. I am quite sure they do it just for the shock value it elicits in people they come across. I am sure the OP has probably had a laugh more than once with her friends at the shocked look she got from some little old lady when out in public. Well, that little old lady is going to be her average patient at the hospital, and she is not going to want someone looking like that taking care of her.

Hospitals are businesses, and the powers in charge want happy patients. They are going to hire and promote people who project professionalism and the values the hospital represents. They are not going to hire people who are going to offend their patients. If a young person wants my advice on how to have a successful career in healthcare, or just about any other industry, then I would say maintain a professional looking appearance. Even if you get hired (we have a few nurses with tattoos but no stretched ears) you are not going to be promoted very far.

I worked LTC and one of my nurse aids had large pentagram tattoos on the inside of her wrists. She also wore a pentagram pendant all the time. She was a good aid, but she struggled because many of the residents were offended by her and didn't want her taking care of them. This meant that when she worked the assignments had to be juggled to accommodate the patients she couldn't care for. When the other aids needed help they had to track down the charge nurse because this aid couldn't go into the rooms to help them. This caused her coworkers to alienate her because she was making their lives harder. She finally quit in a big huff because of the way everyone treated her. She knew what she was doing, she could have covered her tattoos and taken off the pendant, but she refused, and she suffered for her choice.

grownuprosie · May 9, 2012

while they can't not hire you because of your stretched lobes, they don't have to hire you for a hundred other reasons.

You said this in the other thread about gauges. So, i guess i will repeat myself too. Having gauges does not make you a protected population. Thats like saying that having neon green hair makes you a protected population. It has nothing to do with age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc. If the interviewer perceives it as unprofessional, then they can choose not to hire you based on that. If i am wrong and you can cite a source that lists an american teen having gauged ears as a protected population, i will recant immediately.

OP, if employers really like you, they may tell you that if you ditch the jewelry as terms of your employment they will hire you. But, it will be easier to call the next applicant on the list.

PrayToTheUnicorn · May 9, 2012

Well MY opinion is that some of you come off as being very rude.

grownuprosie · May 9, 2012

Well MY opinion is that some of you come off as being very rude.

Agreed. OP is asking about job prospects, not whether or not people like her piercings. It is kind of sad that a bunch of adults are saying things like that to a high school student.

Shorty11, BSN, RN · May 9, 2012

I go to nursing school in Texas. Our program does not allow visible tattoos or piercings of any kind in clinicals. No facial piercings or earrings (not even small studs) of any kind are allowed while at clinicals. We are not allowed to wear jewelry at all in fact. The only things permitted are a watch and a small wedding band, smooth with no gems, if you are married. Tattoos must be on part of your body that is covered with your uniform/covered with band aids/ tattoo cover-up makeup/ long sleeves under your uniform, etc. Hair must be a natural hair color, be able to be pulled off the face into a ponytail, and cannot contain adornments. Ponytail holders must be small and match haircolor. My advice would be to go through the process of making your gauges smaller, whatever that process maybe. I would invest in some silicon flesh colored or clear plugs in the meantime. I would refrain from doing anything else as far as piercings, tattooed, etc. goes until after you secure a job after graduation. I hate to say this, but your stretched ears will make you stand out in nursing school, and not in the good way. Our instructors find tattooes, stretched ears, and piercings pretty repulsing from what I can tell. It implies that you are not ready to become a professional. As competitive as the job market is, you don't want to do things to yourself that make you stand out in a negative way. I don't know anything personally about stretched ears, but if it is possible I would work on "unstretching" them ASAP.

psu_213, BSN, RN · May 9, 2012

The OP does not deserve body snarking.

I tend to think the "coffee cup" comment was that person's honest opinion of what it looks like...not an attempt to be a smart a**. Someone else used the term 'freak.' I would not go that far to describe someone who has stretched ears, but I think it is fair to say that there are many people out there who hold this view and it would make many people uncomfortable. Sorry that this is the case, but that is how it is.

psu_213, BSN, RN · May 9, 2012

Well MY opinion is that some of you come off as being very rude.

I respect you opinion, but I totally disagree. People are expressing their view on stretched ears. Some others articulated how some other people might view the ears. People are telling it like it is. Those opinions might not be how you view them...they might not be what the OP wants to hear. However, I think we would be doing a great disservice to the OP if we just said "it's OK....go ahead and express yourself. Hospitals want you to do this rather than looking professional."