I totally understand. My girlfiend has been trying to find a job for over a year now, and the reactions from the managers doing the interviews to her appearance is downright discriminatory! She has tatts, a nose ring, a couple microdermals, and guages, but to them she may as well have horns and batwings Her and I are from different era's, but to us it does't matter. I don't know why people who claim to be moderate and accepting act like this. Hopefully, someday...

you're soooo gorgeous. just look 'em in the eye and say 'fuck off'!

Been there done that. I definitely understand.

You brought up a good point when you said, "Is the only jobs for our kind tattooing and piercing?" I've been hunting for a new career lately, specifically one where I can be pierced and tattooed and it's not a problem. What I've come to realize, at least where I live, is that I would be working low-paying jobs. =/ So, now I'm looking into what kind of a business I could create for myself.

Well said Fox.
Be happy!

What you said, is so true...

Hello,

I saw your blog on the FP and it really hit home so I wanted to comment. I encounter the same problems here in Cincinnati. I get a lot of compliments from people typically a lot younger than me, but I get a lot of evil stares and even get treated pretty badly by the rest of the segment of the population here. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree that employers should not be allowed to discriminate against those who take artistic liberties with thier appearance! People assume so much by appearances it's ridiculous.

I guess one of the reasons this especially hits home for me is because of the limitations having lots of tattoos, piercings & unnaturally colored hair has put on my career. Everyone says "go work at hot topic!" However, I've no sales experience and that's not my thing. I do, however, have over a decade of experience working for a top fortune 25 company as well as other notable companies, experience in PR, purchasing, and data analysis, and a degree in business with honors. Unfortunately noone can see past my appearance, so I've been reduced to looking for part time work on craigslist and trying to find something decent working from home. The best I've found so far is literally half per hour of what I used to make. But I'm just not ready to give up my monroe and crazy hair.

I want to open up a little restaurant/bar someday, and I've already vowed to specifically look for people with an alternative look to offer another avenue of employment for them. Appearances should not define skills or abilities. Can I join the revolution?

you said it fox. i feel the same way. if your you than thats a good thing. dont be someone your not for the mass appeal. you rock fox!!

Unfortunately, a lot of those people who say, "focus on reality" are the types who aren't fully connected with the "reality" of things. Fortunately, if you've played enough video games, which you seem to have done.... then you've already gotten a better grasp on a ton of life's ordeals than they ever will. Death, destruction, questionable actions of not just our military but of governments around the world, bigotry, racism and the narcissism that people hold themselves to seem to be the realities that most respectable *snicker* news agencies are focused on. Oh, and let's not forget the interwebs. I bet you're plenty more versed in how to work your way around the 'net then they are. Hell, I bet you know what it means to "not piss of 4chan." They don't. Who knows more about the realities of certain situations now?

Your reality is that you're trying to earn a paycheck while keeping to your druthers and not purposely bother anyone OR manipulate them so you end up on top without doing any work. So long as that works for you, then you've got a hand up on everyone else as you're actually adhering to that idea called, "common decency." Cheers for you.

I have a tattoo on my right forearm. It's in honor of the death of my sister's first child. It's a series of numbers - xx:xx:xx:xx. People never get what it means until I tell them and if they looked down on me before (as if I care if they do), they suddenly stop because I point out why I did it and because it was for a small child, then it's okay by them. I don't ever plan to hide it. Ever. Not for a job, not to appease someone who's "more important" than I am. Why would I do that? That'd be insulting an innocent child that died well before his time. So.... fuck what people say about tattoos, regardless of earthly region. Don't worry about what they say. You'll always have your individuality so long as YOU choose to. The end.

Also, you're a girl. People still expect females to be pure, clean and all that zazz. Fuck that. Get your tattoos and your piercings and hair color and be that unique individual that you want to be. I know that I find it pretty attractive when a girl has mind enough to be her own. You'll survive just fine, even if it gets tough at times. I know I have.

Okay, total rant-ish thing, I dunno. It just came out of nowhere. I clicked on "fox's blog" on the front page and saw this and felt I had to say something mildly encouraging.... because that's what I do. For random people.


Because I can.

Some folks judge because it makes them feel better about themselves. Others do so because they have their own insecurities. Then there are those who are jealousy. Finally there are those who just have strong opinions and are too blunt. Keep your head up, you know who you are and that takes some people many years to discover.

The front page brought me here.

It's weird how people's attitudes about things (like body modification, for example) can vary so widely based on the communities they live in. I've always been confused and fascinated by the role a person's particular geography plays in the way they view the world.

Seeing people make posts like this breaks my heart. I know I can't help you, but I'll just let you know that as an employer I'm more biased towards hiring people with mods as I know how hard it is for them to find jobs (and I'm one myself!). I don't work in tattooing/piercing either. I fully believe that someone that has the right qualifications, no matter their appearance, will work just as well... and it's just silly to believe otherwise, really.