Written by Emily Henderson.
Liberal women across the nation are discovering that their bold fashion statements—face tattoos and a multitude of piercings—aren’t quite the career boosters they imagined. It seems that, shockingly, employers aren’t scrambling to hire someone with a full sleeve on their face or a nose that rivals a pincushion. Who could have seen this coming?
In today’s world, where individuality is celebrated (or so we’re told), many young women have taken it upon themselves to express their inner creativity through various facial decorations. After all, why stop at hair dye when you can permanently etch a butterfly on your cheek? Or better yet, why not make your eyebrow look like it belongs on a porcupine? But while these women proudly showcase their artistic self-expression, the corporate world remains unmoved, still clinging to outdated notions like “professionalism” and “customer-friendly appearance.”
Despite their best efforts to convince potential employers that face tattoos are simply an extension of their unique personality, many liberal women are finding that the job market is far less forgiving. It turns out that “committed to excellence” is hard to believe when it’s written in gothic script across your forehead. And no matter how eloquent your cover letter may be, it’s difficult to convince a hiring manager that you’ll be a reliable asset when your tongue is pierced with what looks like a spare part from a hardware store.
The Corporate Conundrum: To Hire or Not to Hire?
Employers, for their part, are struggling with how to navigate this new terrain. On one hand, they don’t want to seem discriminatory—after all, isn’t modern society supposed to embrace diversity in all its forms? But on the other hand, they also need someone who won’t frighten customers or look like they just escaped from a punk rock concert. It’s a delicate balancing act, and many companies are erring on the side of caution by quietly passing on the heavily tattooed and pierced applicants.
For liberal women who were told that they could “be anything they wanted,” this reality check is as painful as their last septum piercing. Sure, that dragon tattoo across your face might be a conversation starter at a protest rally, but it’s less appealing when you’re trying to explain why you’re the best candidate for a sales position at a reputable company. The struggle to reconcile self-expression with employability has left many women frustrated and wondering if they were misled by the “you do you” mantra of the past decade.
Of course, this is all compounded by the fact that many of these women went into liberal arts programs, where they were told that their creativity would be valued in the workplace. But after four years of studying postmodernism and perfecting their abstract tattoos, they are left wondering why they can’t land that entry-level job at a Fortune 500 company. Perhaps it’s time for a new major: “Tattoo Removal and Career Counseling.”
Society’s Shifting Values: Are Employers Stuck in the Past?
Naturally, the debate rages on about whether society should adapt to these new forms of expression or whether these women should, perhaps, consider other ways to stand out that don’t involve permanent ink on their faces. Some argue that employers need to get with the times and embrace the changing definitions of professionalism. After all, shouldn’t we be hiring people for their skills and talents rather than their appearance? Yet others contend that there’s a difference between accepting diversity and ignoring basic standards of workplace decorum.
Interestingly, some companies have tried to be more inclusive by adopting policies that allow for “reasonable” tattoos and piercings. But even those policies tend to draw the line at facial tattoos that look like something out of a biker gang initiation. The debate over what constitutes “reasonable” is ongoing, but for now, it seems that most employers prefer to avoid the issue altogether by simply not hiring candidates who push the boundaries too far.
This clash of values has left many liberal women feeling disillusioned. They were promised that they could be both creative and successful, but the reality has proven far more complicated. It’s hard to feel like a trailblazer when you can’t even get past the interview stage. And while society may one day catch up to their vision of a tattooed utopia, for now, the job market remains frustratingly conservative.
Our Take
At the end of the day, we can all agree that people should have the right to express themselves. However, when your self-expression involves permanently altering your face to look like a Jackson Pollock painting, you might want to rethink your career goals. The unfortunate reality is that employers—those stodgy old gatekeepers of capitalism—still care about things like appearance, presentation, and not scaring customers. Who would have guessed?
While it’s admirable that these women are standing by their artistic choices, it’s also worth considering that some expressions are better left for weekends or art galleries, not the corporate world. Perhaps a compromise is in order: keep the face tattoos for personal life and invest in a nice turtleneck for interviews. After all, success is about knowing when to bend the rules—and when to cover them up with makeup.
