tatoos & piercings, part 2

[amoLucia]

There's another current thread right now about tats & piercings. And I've responded. But I had another thought.

Nursing is complaining about the lack of professional recognition. And altho I will probably get slammed, I can't help but ask - How professional is the picture of ourselves with extensive tattoos and body piercings present???

Thinking about it - none of my healthcare providers have any - not my PMP or his staff. Nor my dentists. Any priests, ministers, rabbis, etc? And any of the good Sisters?

I don't think lawyers showoff any - sheesh, they all seem to wear black clothes.

For as sleeveless as Michele Obama is, has anyone seen any tats? Any politicians with visible piercings other than maybe an earring? (And I'm talking about the females.) Caroline Kennedy, the newly appointed ambassador to Japan - anything?

Now I'm not talking about body art that's hidden under clothing. But when I watched the basketball playoffs, one player had such extensively tattooed arms that I thought he was wearing sleeves. Why is it that nursing schools and employers of nurses must now have dress code/policies that spell out visible body art?

Does med school, law school, divinity school?

I support individuality, but I think we may have crossed a line of decorum/good taste that reflects on the image we wish to impart.

Just my 2 pennies.

[thelema13]

People make judgments about your appearance, it's the nature of the beast. It's how you treat them and how you respond to them, that is what they remember.

I have 1" gauges in my ears and visible tattoos. Kill 'em with kindness.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Tattoos and multiple piercings are no longer as "shocking" as they were back in the day. Like anything else, they are part of a person's look.

I got multiple ear piercings as a teen, because I was rebelling and I thought the shock value was cool. Now, most of the body modifications and art that people have are decorative, meaningful, personal. And are not reflective on nursing skills or lack thereof.

Decorum and good taste are wildly subjective. Do you work with nurses that the only unprofessional ones are those with body art or piercings? And Michelle Obama may not have tattoos, however, in what good taste is it that a lot of her clothing cost more that what 1/2 the nation makes in a month? And is the basketball player with tattoos any less of a player because of them? For every conceivable "bad boy" in basketball (and/or other professional sports), there are many who spend numerous amounts of time for charitable causes beyond their job.

Professional recognition comes in acknowledging that a nurse has a professional contribution. And if we are basing professional recognition on how someone looks--that is a HUGE disconnect, and we are only hurting ourselves in the process. Part of being an effective nurse, in my opinion, is letting go of stereotyping our co-workers.

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

The one consistency with ALL these "tattoo/piercings" threads is that those who have them insist that they are perfectly fine. And those who don't are equally insistent that they are not.

Guess whoever posts the most wins?

[Rhi007]

Tattoos are regrets waiting to occur, IMHO....

Let's agree to disagree on that!!! I will never regret any of mine and I have 6. They are becoming socially acceptable

[A&Ox6, MSN, RN]

I was seen by an MD while in the hospital. Whenever he wore a white shirt, his very suggestive tattoo and piercings showed. I was a teenager, but I clearly remember feeling very uncomfortable.

It was odd because I'm sure that when he got it he was careful to have it in a place that would be covered. I'm sure he didn't get that it was very visible through his white shirt.

By the way, if someone has a tatoo or tattoos, that's their choice, but facilities are allowed to have dress codes. For example, a teacher must abide by the rules at his/her school. This is not discrimination, it's about your facility's policy. If you want to show it all, get a job that allows it.

[lub dub]

Let's agree to disagree on that!!! I will never regret any of mine and I have 6. They are becoming socially acceptable

The emphasis should be on the word becoming. Tats are becoming socially acceptable. We just aren't there yet...

[klone, MSN, RN]

Did anyone in this thread say anything about discrimination for facilities to have policies? Must have missed it.

[monkeybug]

Did anyone in this thread say anything about discrimination for facilities to have policies? Must have missed it.

But is it really? It's not like saying "You cannot have skin color darker than a "Flesh" Crayola Crayon" or saying "You cannot have a member." THAT would be discrimination.

[Amnesty]

I find judging someone by appearance, especially by presence or absence of tattoos, says more about the person doing the judging that the person being judged.

This. So much, exactly this. Why is it that people feel the need to make threads like this to share their painfully ignorant opinions on topics??

I'm going to assume OP is female for the sake of using just one set of pronouns. Clearly she's seen the other threads that have extensively covered this topic, and she knows that there are many, many people on AN who have tattoos and piercings and are proud of them and extremely competent and kind-hearted people. Now if only she could apply some reading comprehension and understand that this is none of her business and that it's not okay to start threads with a trollish intent to share a controversial opinion that's already been addressed multiple times on this forum.

If you don't think that tats and piercings are part of a professional image, move over. The world is changing. As someone else said, tats and piercings used to be part of a rebellious do-what-I-want lifestyle. Now, they're things that most people put a lot of thought behind and they have large amounts of meaning to most who get them. You are entitled to your opinion, but you should realize that it is ignorant and insulting to many very caring people who are completely professional in what they do. Just MY $.02!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I will not regret my tattoos in 20 years, or 50 years, and I'm getting my next one in December when I graduate

Ever hear the expression, "Famous last words"?

(And yes, my first tatt is older than more than half the people on this board. :) But you'll never see it unless you're my nurse.)

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

And for the record, I am an admirer of tattoos, just a big baby as far as actually getting one myself.

And my boatload of kids felt my ear piercings were toys...OUCH....so I am not multi-pierced (well, I have a few, just not as many).

My oldest, the social worker who looks like she just stepped out of the J Crew catalog, is a case manager. And has multiple tattoos. And one would be hard pressed to find someone as well mannered as she. So you can't always judge by appearance.

I do like to wear neon colored scrubs, though. Perhaps that is indicitive of me being stuck in the 80's?

[madelynsmom]

I have tattoos and used to have my eyebrow pierced. When I went in sales... I took out the eyebrow ring. I have tattoos that are able to be covered easily. I am currently in school (plus working) but if you want to be taken seriously in a professional (not sports people- REAL LIFE), you have to present yourself in a professional manner. How would you feel if you were a business and someone came to sell you a product to use and the seller came in torn jeans, a halter top, and stripper shoes? They can be very smart people but they obviously don't care enough about the sell or your business to look presentable. The same thing can be taken for tattoos and piercings.

I miss my eyebrow piercing but I love having a paycheck more... to get more tattoos in areas I can cover up for work.