Cover up the body art!
By John Putzier
Dear WOW:
I am a 25 year old with a business degree from a good school and am pretty sure I am being discriminated against when I apply for jobs. I know that I am good at interviews, but I never make it past the first one, and never get job offers.
I have even asked them why they weren't interested in hiring me, and a couple companies had the gall to tell me it's because of my body art. Lots of people my age are into tattoos and body piercings, and I think it's unfair to judge me on that basis. It's just a style thing. Maybe I don't like their style!
Can I sue them for denying me my constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression? If we don't put a stop to this kind of discrimination, where will it end?
Sincerely,
Body Art
Dear Body Art:
You have every right to paint and pierce yourself as much as you like. By the same token, I have every right to not hire you with a swastika on your neck and a bolt through your nose. Sorry!
The United States constitution was written to protect us from our government, not from our employers. As such, rights of privacy, from search and seizure, speech, etc., pretty much go out the window when you walk through the door of your employer. That's why your employer can monitor your email, inspect your locker, go into your desk, and even subject you to drug and alcohol tests.
Yes, there are laws protecting us from certain forms of discrimination (race, sex, national origin, handicap status, and others), but nothing that says if you booger up your body, that I have to hire you. You can't pick your race or sex (well, not naturally), your national origin, etc., but you can choose whether to adorn your body with pictures and piercings.
I don't know what types of jobs you have been applying for, but unless you plan to work at a coffee shop or an avant-garde ad agency, you limited your employment options when you decided to go under the knife and needle. When I was younger, I was of the same opinion as you. I'm an old hippie, and also somewhat of a rebel. I could never understand why the length of my hair had anything to do with the ability to do my job. It's not a battle we can win. Luckily, my hair length was reversible.
Believe it or not, your appearance can be job-related criteria, and there are different criteria for different organizations. For example, if you were working in a senior living facility (old folks home), and walked into a 90-year-old lady's room with a swastika on your neck and a bolt through your nose, she would probably keel over with a heart attack! But if you were working at an Apple Computer store or a Starbucks, you might be the top sales person, or even the manager.
But don't despair. There may be more hope in the future. Eventually Gen X, Y and even Z will have to take over positions of power once the baby boomers retire or die, and then you too can discriminate against those weirdos with boring, unblemished skin.
Artfully yours,
John Putzier
Wizard of Weirdness (WOW)
