Male pierced ears in the work place...

To all my fellow pierced Pagans...
Today I was asked by my boss to remove my eartings as the client contact said they didn't appear "professional." I pierced my ears this past June, and nothing was said then. I have both lobes pierced along with a rook, conche, and tragus. None of them are large gauge at all. Has anyone had a similar occurrance and fought this?

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Permalink Reply by Sagemoon on October 21, 2011 at 1:25pm

If you work in a food place, I have to agree with the client. If you do not, I'm on your side if they are not grossly gauged. Yes, an argument can be made that some gauge sizes are not professional for certain working environments. Then again, I am female and would probably be seen as weird if my ears were NOT pierced.

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Permalink Reply by Ada on October 21, 2011 at 8:16pm

I know a banquet hall (weddings and major bashes only) where the servers cannot wear any jewelry save a wedding band.

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Permalink Reply by Ravnfyr on October 21, 2011 at 1:58pm

It's possible a customer complained, which made it an issue for your boss. Depending on where you work, visible piercings may not appear "professional" on men, and anything but ears or a small nose stud are often not allowed for women, too. Several places I've worked at had dress codes like that, and there's really nothing you can do about it in most cases. As long as they apply the same rule to everyone, they're within the law.

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Permalink Reply by NegaNickthePessimistic on October 21, 2011 at 2:14pm

The only facial hair I'm permitted to grow is a mustache.
And since I'm also not aloud to grow the 'stache long and twirl it, I just shave my whole face.

Had to cut my long hair too.

Jobs can demand silly things like this. Especially where I'm at. Florida is a right to work state.

Ask your boss if it's cool that you remove them when you see this particular client. Be understanding of the position your boss is in.

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Permalink Reply by Magikalfatman on October 21, 2011 at 2:39pm

Is there a way you can use retainers in your piercings while at work?

If so that might be your only option in order too keep the piercings or lose them.

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Permalink Reply by Padraic Haroldson on October 21, 2011 at 3:59pm

Thank you all for your replies. I work in the mail room of a high rise office building in downtown Chicago. I deliver the mail and packages to the clients, along with the rest of my staff. I'm going to see if clear retainers will be acceptable. I just find it amusing that I have had them pierced for 4 months now and the NEW client contact saw them and talked to my boss about them. I can go into a rant about how unprofessional she is, but I will not.I agree with those who posted about working in a food service place, which I do not. Everything I've looked up about the issue points to one thing Firedawn said about what a man should look like and what a woman should look like. There is the "social norm" that is involved here.

I think my ears are not extremely pierced, I only have a small stud in my tragus and conche, and two small circular barbells in my lobes,and finally a small curved bent barbell in my rook. They are modest and a bit discreat. They don't STAND OUT like others out there (no offence to anyone with large piercings, etc.) This just urks me very much.

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Permalink Reply by Ritalin-Bunny on October 21, 2011 at 4:11pm

Shame. It's not like you're high profile if all you do is deliver mail and packages.

Still, if you take the pay cheque and the request isn't insane or sadistic you don't have a lot of maneuvering room till it's time to quit and seek greener pastures.

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Permalink Reply by Aurelia Pontia on October 21, 2011 at 6:52pm

Is the dress code different for women than for men? If women are allowed to wear earrings, so should you. If this one client doesn't like it, you can remove them when this one client is around, otherwise you shouldn't have to remove them for ALL the clients.

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Permalink Reply by Padraic Haroldson on October 21, 2011 at 11:30pm

The big problem here is I work for a contracted company who has thie own set of rules, but they work within other coprorations and office buildings where we have to adhere to THEIR polocies as well. I am complying with wearing ony studs in my lobes, but I will wear retainers in the rook, tragus, and conche.

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Permalink Reply by SupremeTacos on October 21, 2011 at 7:39pm

I personally think forcing people to look like 'Everyone else' (which is exactly what this is), is wrong, disgusting, and should be illegal. I under stand not having piercings and such if you work in a food place or somewhere where they can get caught on something or mess something up of they fall out. But fuck you if I work in an office and you tell me I have to look like everyone else. I am not Cindy two cubicles down and I am not Howard on the fifth floor.

Keri<3

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Permalink Reply by Aurelia Pontia on October 21, 2011 at 7:53pm

It's never going to be illegal. So long as people put a lot of confidence in appearance, it's never going to go away.

You don't have to abide by any employer's dress code to be sure, but they don't have to keep you employed either. Many companies are very image conscious and if they agree to employ you, the tacit agreement is that you agree to abide by their rules since you now represent them.

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Permalink Reply by SupremeTacos on October 22, 2011 at 6:35am

Which is the exact reason why this NAZI mentality is still allowed to keep happening. And you are right, it will keep going. I had had quite a few jobs before and all of them have had 'dress codes'. I broke every single one of them (even the loose ones. xD) My way of looking is not like everyone else's. I was never fired though. (Macy's LOVED my pink hair. But I was a make up artist, so they let me get away with it. If the woman in the china department had pink hair they would be pissed, which is sad 'cause that old woman would rock in some neon.)

And there is the option of "Don't work there" and usually I would agree on that. No one SAYS you have to work at the place. But not many employers look well upon an alternative visage. And this, as I have noticed, is not so much about impression but distraction. OTHER WORKERS get distracted working with some one who doesn't fit the cut out ideal of how we should look. And they start rumors and talk shit or love it and always want to talk about it and then they are flapping their gaps more than they are working. So, I think it is humans as a whole who are just part of the problem. A society (and species) who is so visually centered will not easily accept it. Which is fucking sad. I mean, I had a boss who had tattoos on her arms. And when her mother was in the hospital she would not let the nurse with tattoo's on HER arms care for her mother and then complained to the hospital and said she should be fired because she looks like she would rather put the IV in her own arm than her moms. Wtf.I don't give a shit WHAT the person looks like. If you can do you job like you are supposed to (or better than what we expected) then you are alright in my book.

Keri<3