Tattoos, piercings becoming more acceptable in various work spaces

With more Americans getting inked and pierced, companies and employees are starting to rethink workplace policies and the impact tattoos and piercings have on job prospects.

In 2012, the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania surveyed human-resource managers and found that 61 percent said a tattoo would hinder a job applicant’s chances of being hired.

Debra McCullough, manager of student records at the Boston University School of Education, said while tattoos and piercings do not hinder a student’s chances of obtaining a work-study job at SED, they are not a commonplace among SED employees.

“In this school, not a lot of students have tattoos or piercings,” she said. “I have seen the occasional lip or eyebrows, but compared to other schools, it’s lesser in SED.”

McCullough said students should be aware of the way they present themselves in a work environment.

“Dress code is an unwritten rule. Wear what you would wear teaching,” she said. “I have no problem with tattoos and piercings as long as it’s not a big, gaping hole in your face. A visible tattoo is fine as long as it’s tasteful.”

According to a 2010 Pew Research Center poll, 23 percent of Americans have at least one tattoo. A poll conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal in May found that 40 percent of individuals have at least one person in their household with a tattoo, compared to 21 percent in 1999. A 2012 Harris Interactive study found that 49 percent of Americans have their ears pierced, 7 percent have a body piercing and 4 percent have a facial piercing.

But preferences and standards of tattoos and piercings vary from one industry to another. In some corporate settings, these body markings are not encouraged, but in certain retail stores, such as Urban Outfitters, they are almost a commonplace, said Jessie Wu, store manager at Brandy Melville on Newbury Street.

“I’d say definitely Urban Outfitters and Doc Martens are piercing-friendly,” Wu said. “[Brandy Melville] is lenient, but doesn’t advertise that…Vans, anything that appeals to a younger audience, usually in their teens and twenties. At Forever 21, most people who shop there are little girls, so you won’t see many employees with tattoos.”

But this is not to say that when hiring at certain piercing-and-tattoo-friendly locations, store managers actively seek those who are inked and pierced, she said. Wu, who has five piercings, said when hiring employees, she looks for personality and style above all else.

“They [Brandy Melville] will hire you, but they don’t just look for tattooed girls or boys,” she said.

Ultimately, the aesthetic varies from brand to brand and can play a role in altering an employee’s style preferences, Wu said.

“If your retail store is Gucci or Chanel and you have piercings on your face, they would not hire you. If that is your style, you should find a job that fits your style,” she said. “My boyfriend worked at [Urban Outfitters]. He would wear T-shirts and shorts, and you could see his tattoos. But now he works at Barbour [J. Barbour and Sons]. He still wears T-shirts, but his personal style has changed with the style [of the store], and he wears Barbour shirts or button-downs.”

In the fast food industry, appearance is even less restrictive. Jay Rivera, a cashier at McDonald’s, has a tattoo of a dream catcher on his right forearm. But it was not an issue during the hiring process, he said.

“They don’t really look for tattoos or anything,” he said. “You got to have your uniform tucked in and can’t have a beard. And you have to have a hat on. Basically, nothing about piercings or tattoos.”

Though being tattooed has never been a problem with Rivera at McDonald’s, he said tattoos and piercings are unfairly stigmatized.

“Basically, some jobs don’t allow tattoos or piercings because it is not professional, they say. But I don’t think so,” he said. “People not hiring others because they have tattoos is discrimination. What if the person who has a tattoo is the best banker in the world? You can’t judge a book by its cover. You don’t know what the story is. The person could be a genius, and piercings and tattoos are probably how they express themselves.”

Students seeking employment should still err on the conservative side, said Eleanor Cartelli, associate director of marketing and communications at the BU Center for Career Development.

“Regardless of an organization’s dress code policies and daily culture, interviews typically warrant a much more conservative appearance,” she said. “Generally, we recommend that students remove piercings, aside from modest earrings, and cover any tattoos.”

As an employee, one represents the company or organization, so it is important to remain within the bounds of what is accepted, Cartelli said.

“This is also a good approach for professional appearance on the job, unless such body art is explicitly welcomed,” she said. “As an intern or an employee, you represent the organization, even if only by affiliation.”

Vincent Varipapa, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said he hides his tattoo on his arm.

“Before I got my tattoos, I understood that it might affect my career. I don’t see having tattoos as something that will affect my career though,” he said. “I plan on wearing long sleeve shirts to work and don’t foresee any problems with not being hired because of my tattoos, especially because they aren’t on my hands, face and neck. I wear long sleeve shirts to formal events and do cover my tattoos when I feel it is appropriate.”

Like Varipapa, Emma Schectman, a CAS sophomore, said she considered the career implications before getting a tattoo on her right wrist.

“When I made the decision to get a tattoo, I sort of thought about the hiring practices. I know I may have to wear a long sleeve shirt to interviews, but I wasn’t about to let the fear of not getting hired stop me from doing something that is so personal and so not anyone else’s business, to be quite honest,” she said. “Also, I want to be a marine scientist, which is a pretty liberal field. I also would like to be a professor, but if the tattoo is an issue then, I will cross that bridge when I come to it.”

Kelsey Arnone, a CAS junior who worked at an ice cream shop this past summer, said she rarely hides her tattoo on her back or the piercing on her nose.

“I never hide my tattoos or my piercings, unless I am going to an interview,” she said. “Tattoos and piercings are a form of expression, and they should not be seen as something negative in the work place. Judging people by the fact that they have tattoos is like judging a person by the color of their skin. This being said, I think we have come a long way, and it is normal to see people with tattoos no matter where you go.”