I'm going to flee this topic before Erion skins me.

I find it threatening and generally don't think it looks very good either. Oh and young people especially find it threatening, that is why none of us wear suits in the office I work in.

just get a good deerhide toga with a pouch for nesicary things like flint and steel and such(just don't put them next to eachother), pretty much best piece of clothing ever.

EDIT: not trouser, toga

LoL what do you think I'm wearing right this moment, dear?

ah, good choice.

The problem I have isn't that I want to wear whatever to work, and have piercings and tattoos. My problem is that, if I'm not going to be able to have my various jewelry on for 8+ hours each day, it becomes too much of a hassle most days to bother with putting it off and on, and thus work has taken a serious toll on what I normally wear when I'm NOT at work. I'm going to have to let my eyebrow grow shut to take this job, then -maybe- get it back when I have a spare few months to get it repierced and heal again.

Get those cool magnetic rings!

I think a lot of you are missing the two biggest points.

1. The customer is ALWAYS right
2. It's a BUSINESS


Now, why are these things important?
1. A customer walks in and feels offended because someone has jewelry or doesn't like the way you're dressed outside of the "norms." They decide not to do business with you OR less business with you. Doesn't matter how many customers, even one affects the business.

2. Businesses seek to make money, if you screw with their bottom line (read profit) then you're not an asset to the company. Why do they want to hire a person that might cost them even one customer? They don't, see point 1.

So ultimately, all the arguements aside, perception is reality and the customer is king. Doesn't matter what YOU think about how you dress or how this forum thinks of how you dress... it's all about how the customer might react in said business situation. That's it. Nothing else.

That was what my original rant was about, the indoctrinated belief that piercings are satanic, ignorant creations, and that view being upheld by the christian right, and generally ignorant unaccepting social zealots and apathetic drone middlemen.

I'd also like to add Raezon, that "The customer is always right" is a myth imbedded cleverly into many customers heads, and that no actual sane business leadership ever believes that.

The customer has to think they're right, though.

No, you have to understand the connotations of the statement. The full phrasing might be, "The customer is always right in their own mind." You can't sit there and argue with a customer, "Hey sir, I know you're upset that our employee has an eyebrow piercing but you should shop with us anyways!" In this case, the customer is "right" in the sense that he's taking his business elsewhere and he can't be "wrong" because the first business isn't making any money off of him.

I'm all for individuality and what not, I have my ears pierced and a huge tattoo on the left side of my back. The tattoo can be covered and if I ever got a lick of concern about the earring stopping my upward progression, I'd pull it in a heartbeat. It'd be pretty sad if I put so much self-worth in a simple piece of jewelry that I let it affect my life in such a way.

I don't think it is about that at all. I refuse to change certain 'silly' (and some not so silly) parts of myself for the simple fact that I shouldn't have to. I can't shape the world to how I think it should be by being as it thinks I should be. True, I may miss out on some things, but hopefully my taking a stand on certain things makes it a little bit easier for the generation to come after me.

The christian right? I think you're looking a bit too far into this.

A lot of people just think they're icky or wierd. Not because they're satanic or evil, but because you've got a bunch of chunks of metal in your face.

I'm inclined to agree with this in addition to what Raezon said. Sure, it's self-expression, but if you really want to work you'll conform for the sake of making money for yourself (At least for the short amount of time you have to have it out). If you think about it though, will you even be able to wear it once you graduate college and work in your desired career?

Hrm, you hit on some good points that I missed.



1. You're right, the customer is right is not always -true- but they'll take thier business elsewhere. That statement comes from a need to conform to the needs and or wants of the customer, in order to provide better service and thereby make more money. If putting Celestians in my company scared away customers, I probably wouldn't hire Celestians. If tattoos scared people, I probably wouldn't hire Shikari.

And it's not nessecarily that the tattoos or piercings "scare" people, and you might be right, that they're old fashioned, and that it's leftover from whatever era that it's not as socially acceptable as some other things (but we're progressing, women can now wear pants!), but the customer is "right". The employer is only hiring you to make money. If you cannot make them as much money as someone else, they will not hire you (unless you're a cripple or mentally challenged, then that's a legal thing).



You don't have to change yourself for anyone, that's what we've all been told, and to a degree it's true. If someone walks up to you and offers you a high paying office job, if you dress nice and remove piercings, you don't have to take it! Actually, you're free to live on the streets, and not have a job! America is cool like that.

I think Raezon is right, why would you let something that silly affect your career? Your tongue ring, or nipple piercing, or eyebrow stud are not who -you- are, -you- are who you are.

But then, I'm going to get two or three people saying (like usual) "money is bad, why would you want to make money, you're a corporate worker, damn the man!"

I've decided I cannot argue with those statements. They're too stupid.

Blame MTV for people thinking its wierd, not any religious group.

Any style that is popular on MTV, old people are going to think its nuts and scary.

You can blame violent concerts in the 80s for that one.

I don't think MTV or violent concerts are the cause at at all, it's our society as a whole.

This thread has only impressed on me to an even greater extent why I love working for non-profits and loathe places you have to sell a product or service.

Darn that commerce. Those soviets had it right, communism is the way to go!