Congratulations - Durham College and UOIT

CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle November 6, 2007 13
It’s either your job or piercing
Piercings
or great job
security?
By Amy Gohr
Chronicle Staff
To some, piercing is viewed
as melodramatic teen angst expressed
through body mutilation.
To others, it is a form of body modifi
cation and personal expression.
Regardless of the motive, many
youth are compelled to puncture
their fl esh with shiny, metal appendages.
Th ere comes a time, however,
when growing up and letting go
of the pincushion obsession is no
longer an option.
Body modifi cation usually refers
to the piercing of a part of the
human body for the purpose of
wearing jewelry in the opening
created.
In North America, common
piercings include the earlobe, ear
cartilage, eyebrow, tongue, lips,
nose, navel, nipples and genitals.
Yes, piercing hurts a little – I’ve
had eight done, myself. Of course,
having a one-inch titanium needle
being shoved through skin or cartilage
should be painful.
Typically, the pierced area will
swell and bleed slightly, but pain
disappears after one or two days.
After-care is important in ensuring
that the piercing does not begin to
drift (shift and heal in an unwanted
position), become infected or
rejected (forced out by the body
through painful healing).
According to a study conducted
by Leger Marketing, nearly two
out of 10 Canadians stated that
they had body piercings, excluding
traditional earrings.
Of those, 85 per cent stated that
their ears were pierced (i.e. cartilage)
23 indicated that their navel
had been pierced, and genital
piercings ranked last, accounting
for only one per cent.
It should be noted that none of
the respondents over the age of 55
said they had any piercings on any
part of the body other than their
ears, and that 48 per cent were opposed
to body piercing altogether.
Also, among Canadians who do
not have any body piercings, 30
per cent are against the practice –
53 per cent are not.
Cultural ideas infl uence the
types of piercing commonly done
in diff erent parts of the world. For
some, piercing is a religious, spiritual
or ethnic experience; others
choose to be pierced for ornamental,
sexual or rebellious reasons.
According to the American
Museum of Natural History, “Ear,
nose and lip ornaments as well as
pierced fi gurines have been found
in ancient burials of the Inca and
Moche of Peru, the Aztecs and
Maya of ancient Mexico and in
graves of central Asian and Mediterranean
peoples.”
In these societies, the act of
piercing is often part of a cere-
‘
You never have
a second chance
to make a fi rst impression.
Barbara Hubert
’
mony marking a coming of age, a
change in status or the accession
to offi ce.
Ornaments may be restricted
to certain people or worn only on
certain occasions.
Because the jewelry can be
made of precious and rare materials
such as ivory, gold, jade or diamonds,
they may signal privilege
and wealth. Not in modern North
America.
Love them or hate them, the
piercings have to go eventually.
Most businesses require personal
appearance to refl ect the company
and conform to the status quo.
Many people are ostracized if
they choose to keep piercings in
the workplace because they aren’t
in compliance with business standards.
Th ey want professional personal
presentation, and individuality
is generally stomped out in the
case of piercings, not to mention
hair colour and tattoos.
At what point do workplace restrictions
infringe upon personal
rights and freedoms?
“If you’re the kind of person
who sees working in an offi ce for
a faceless corporation as an aspiration,
you don’t deserve to have
piercings,” said Chris Dickey, a recent
graduate of Durham College’s
Multimedia Design program and
proud owner of eight piercings –
most of which are typically inappropriate
for work.
Dickey added that although
many employers will request removal
of piercings, this is less common
in artistic and newer-generation
fi elds such as new media and
the music industry. On the whole,
however, piercings and other body
modifi cations are frowned upon
in the workplace.
So where does this leave the
modern pincushion?
Piercings are not a fashion
trend or fad; they’ve been around
for a long time and are not going
anywhere soon.
For some, however, retiring a
piercing is inevitable. Whatever
the initial reason for piercing, most
people outgrow them – by choice
or request.
In a recent survey, career website
Vault found that more than
half of the business managers
surveyed would be less likely to
hire an applicant with visible body
piercings, and 10 per cent had disciplined
workers because of piercings.
A job applicant’s appearance
should be conservative, even at a
casual company, says Barbara Hubert,
director of career development
at Chapman University.
“You never have a second
chance to make a fi rst impression.
And interviews are serious events
and should be taken seriously.”
To be taken seriously in the
business world today, you need
to look the part. If you can’t distinguish
your face and ears from a
horrifi c torture scene in Saw III, it’s
no wonder you can’t fi nd a job.
Society and its norms will catch
up with you eventually, whether
you’re 20, 30 or 50. Lose the metal
and just conform – consider the
loss of your individuality an emotional
piercing for life.