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I want to get the left side of my bottom lip pierced. I've been back and forth on the issue for months now, but I figure I can take it out if I don't like it.
My biggest concern is freelancing. With my long hair and pierced ears, I already get some wild looks when I meet potential clients, especially after coordinating with them via phone or e-mail first, as I'm very professional about what I do.. I just look super lazy
I don't want to look too wild and be judged by my appearance, especially prior to working with somebody. But I'm also a firm believer in being yourself, and I try to reflect that in my work.. which is also generally trendier and more up-beat, versus "suit-and-tie" websites.
Personally, I'm hiring an I.T. assistant right now, and I wouldn't hire someone with a lip ring. No offense to you, no offense to anyone with one, but if you are dealing with folks at desks in suits everyday it just won't work out at my workplace. Same deal goes for visible tattoos unless theyre very benign
Edit: If my workplace were different, I'd have NOO problem with it whatsoever.. but I know others there would disapprove. It all depends on what you do... but with freelancing I wouldn't reccomend it!
Last Edit: May 4, 2007 16:48:18 GMT -5 by wooz - Back to Top
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on May 4, 2007 17:22:01 GMT -5
wooz said:
What do you do?
Personally, I'm hiring an I.T. assistant right now, and I wouldn't hire someone with a lip ring. No offense to you, no offense to anyone with one, but if you are dealing with folks at desks in suits everyday it just won't work out at my workplace. Same deal goes for visible tattoos unless theyre very benign
Edit: If my workplace were different, I'd have NOO problem with it whatsoever.. but I know others there would disapprove. It all depends on what you do... but with freelancing I wouldn't reccomend it!
Agreed, you are your own billboard when you freelance, and first impressions are all you really get. Even i would be weary of hiring someone who looked like your saying, just because it may pass off like you dont take what you do very seriously. Just my thought on it.
Post by blazeaway54 on May 4, 2007 17:25:54 GMT -5
I'm abstaining from the vote because I've never been on either side of this debate. However, I can definitely see where potential customers/employers wouldn't be in to it. Plus, it's not like you're changing yourself for them, you're just avoiding potential trouble.
Post by HoodooOperator on May 4, 2007 17:44:05 GMT -5
It makes me sad that this stuff actually matters to people, you would think that by two thousand and f*cking seven, that society would be a little more accepting, when it comes to what people choose to look like. I hate that when I let my beard go crazy, or decide to let my hair grow out a bit longer, i have someone comment on it negatively everyday....and thats just hair!....tattoos and piercings are even more taboo....but oh well, it is what it is.....
And the sign says, "Long hair freaky people need not apply"
Post by oleander124 on May 4, 2007 17:55:08 GMT -5
I say go for it. ;D
You're a graphic designer, no? I am too, and I just got my nose pierced. Luckily, where I work, it doesn't matter. I even roll in there everyday with jeans and my bandana on.
People know designers are "weirder" than other people for the most part (not that I agree with that), so maybe they won't think anything of it. I could be wrong, however.
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on May 4, 2007 17:59:10 GMT -5
I also see you live in Alabama, from what i gather about the Houston Nutt situation, people there are crazy. It also seems more conservative to me, but i wouldnt really know. Oleander, do you freelance? Biiig difference on how you have to appear, but i agree that if you work for a company, as long as it doesnt violate their policys, its much more acceptable.
I had the left side of my bottom lip pierced! I really liked mine, but I took it out to get a job at TCBY. (I took it out before my interview, but my manager told me that she wouldn't have hired me if I had had it.) Of course, that's not a professional job. But, anyway, I would have to say it depends on whether (1) you think you will lose business from it and, if so, (2) whether you are willing to lose that business. So, I can't vote.
I prefer money over being pierced, I have taken stuff out or gotten a haircut on many occasions for a job. One day maybe I will own a company and allow whatever, but as long as someone else wants to pay me, I will look the way they like people to look. (within reason)
Oleander, do you freelance? Biiig difference on how you have to appear, but i agree that if you work for a company, as long as it doesnt violate their policys, its much more acceptable.
I have freelanced in the past, but I didn't have the nose ring then.
I'm just sayin' that if you really want to get one knowing that some people will judge you based on their preconceived notions, then go ahead. If you are worried about not getting a job, then don't do it.
No one can really tell you either way if you should/shouldn't. It's your decision!
(Logically, your work should speak for itself, but I know there are people out there that don't understand people with piercings and will think you're a freak.)
Post by melikecheese on May 5, 2007 13:39:07 GMT -5
Do you really want to provide work for some stuffy yuppie who is scared of a piercing? Work for people and companies who embrace individuality. My co-worker, a web developer, has nasty dreads and 3 lip piercings, in addition to many others.
Do what you want man. All I'm saying is there are companies out there who won't give you freelance work with a lip ring.. I'm sure there are plenty of companies who will, but with freelance work it may be a hurdle.
Post by amantesuena on May 5, 2007 15:21:26 GMT -5
personally, i like piercings, tattoos, pretty much anything that adds character to the unoriginal individual. but like the majority of these guys: if it is going to affect the amount of money that you make, dont do it. especially if youre comfortable living as is.
it sucks that we have to think so much about what others are going to think of us.
i voted for express yourself. but like everyone else has said, they wont hire you (depending where u work) i mean a lip ring is a little exccessive (because you cant hide it like a tatoo). just yesterday my mom told me i needed to get my haircut cause people wont hire me. which is ridiculous since my hair is only a little past my ears, not like to my shoulders or anything. i provided a good example of a friend of mine who works for an accounting firm, who has really long hair, but puts it in a pony tail. in the end its all up to you.
Post by oatmealschnappz on May 5, 2007 16:46:56 GMT -5
I think that you should definitely do what makes you happy. That's really all that matters. Just remember that, no matter how wrong it is, people do judge other people by their appearance.
Unfortunately no... As much as I think it's hot as f*ck on the ladies.. It just doesn't work... Actually, it would work 15%+ of the times for the ladies, but for the guys... they prob have about 2% chance of it working if they are a "professional."
The ladies can get away with MUCH more in the piercing dept than the guys. I have tatts on both shoulders and a nip ring (yeah, you can see it in my avatar on my "actual" left side), but none of them are visible. Even though I'm more of a punk guy at heart... Me, as well as a fair amount of "progressive" other employers think that ladies look f*cking HOT with piercings... but bottom line... to them, presentable, is a "clear" body.
Guys, you're s*it out of luck. Ladies, you're not totally s*it out of luck, but you can get away with a lot more than the guys. (At least it's like that here in the Philadelphia Area... it's kinda snobby around here)
Bah. Here in Beantown everyone has a piercing on their face. My buddy is a freelance web developer who thinks he's a punk. He has wild hair and piercings all in his face. And he gets more work thrown at him than he can deal with. He's ungodly talented and people know this.
Maybe it's the more liberal city, maybe it's because he's great at what he does, maybe both. Point being, if you're good at what you do finding work should never be a problem regardless of what other people think about how you look.
EDIT: Intresting to note when he's meeting with people for the first time, he does wear a suit. But the hair and piercings... the same. That's gotta take some people offguard.
if you want a lip ring, get one. what you look like really doesn't dictate how well you perform at your job. if a client likes your work, i doubt they'll drop you just because you've got a lip piercing.
but then again, i do live in LA and just about everyone and their mother has some sort of body mod. i don't know how it is in alabama.
I think everyone should be able to wear whatever you want. I'm just talking from personal experience... I've seen some people shunned because of their "alternative" appearance. I'm from the Philly area... Maybe it's just the snobbiness here.
That's what I love about my line of work - appearances are irrelevant. You'll get your chops busted about every little thing, but when it comes down to it all that matters is competence.
I've been gone all weekend, so I haven't had a chance to read / reply.
Firs off, thanks for all the feedback, both positive and negative on the issue Any input is helpful.
I think I'm going to go through with it. My reasoning? I do have a desk job now where I can get away with it. The only thing that would be said would be, "Damn, when did you do that?" And as far as freelancing, I don't think working with "yuppies" would be particularly favorable for me anyway, due to my trendier designs. Aaaand, I'm hoping to turn my freelance stuff in to a full-time gig over the next year or two, and keep the same "non-yuppy" approach
Worst come to worst, I can wear a retainer to interviews / 8-5s, if it's problematic. But my work should be of a high enough caliber that they won't mind my self-expression.
Post by psychedelic_heartbeat on May 8, 2007 12:13:13 GMT -5
Being from the "Deep South", I am faced with that negativity everyday. I feel like we should be able to express ourselves freely. Appearance does make a difference, but if you're good at your job, that shouldn't be taken into consideration. As a female, I get criticized for my piercings. The people in GA are so old-fashioned and scared of change and modernization. I work as a CPA for a self-employed agency in my small home town, so I am forced to remove all my eye-rings and tongue ring when I go to work. I wanted to get my lip pierced to, but my profession won't take to kindly to it. My boss (female) is much older but isn't offended by my piercings. If it weren't for the older generation, she wouldn't mind my expression. I say go for it. If I worked for myself, I would. Everyone is going to be judged for something no matter what. Appearance doesn't make or break your talent.
Post by ziggyandthemonkeys on May 8, 2007 15:53:58 GMT -5
Also, you shouldnt dry clean your suits often anyways, its bad for the fabric. If they're wrinkled, just get them steam pressed. So weak excuse for not suiting up!
Post by billypilgrim on May 8, 2007 18:46:49 GMT -5
Karma to Wooz for taking an unpopular position. There's no question that in most parts of this country you're going to find people who react negatively to lip piercing. If you're OK with having fewer opportunities, jobs, customers, projects, assignments, or whatever, do what you want. But many of us have had to clean up our appearances to support ourselves and our families. I'm not saying that's good. It's just the way the world is. People want to do business with people they perceive as being like them -- people who've made choices similar to the ones they've made.
Any input is helpful.
