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radioactive-rook
@radioactive-rook

professionalism

I recently deleted all social media except cohost and pinterest, which means instead of constantly encountering new bad opinions I've been thinking about ones I've previously encountered. And I remember I would keep getting recommended this person who would constantly brag about how they cover up their tattoos and how they aren't like the whiny people who complain about jobs making them cover up tattoos. Their basic message was "I like tattoos, but tattoos are not professional and you should cover them up for work, and if you complain about that then you're a snowflake" (paraphrased, this is all from memory, so I could absolutely be projecting a more negative tone than they actually had).

And obviously, I think they're being a prick. Not only were their videos condescending and rude, but I also think uniformly declaring all tattoos unprofessional is incredibly narrow minded. But it made me think more about the concept of professionalism.

Obviously, the concept of professionalism is heavily rooted in a lot of bigotry and is used to enforce that bigotry. So many people can't justify cashiers having to stand except for a weak "It's just not professional". When I used to work at a daycare, I got told talking about my same-sex crushes was 'unprofessional', while other employees could talk about their heterosexual crushes without comment. I live in America, so most examples that jump to mind are specifically anti-Black: natural hair is 'unprofessional', AAVE is 'unprofessional'. But, of course, it's not just Black people. I've heard stories of Indian people being told coming to work smelling like curry is unprofessional, or bringing their cultural food to eat on break. Speaking any language other than English is unprofessional because every white person will immediately assume you're talking shit. While this is a bit better now, Native American men having long hair was seen as unprofessional for a very long time. And, of course, that brings us back to tattoos.

To clarify, I haven't done any research on this topic, so if you have any knowledge at all please share. But even I- a white kid from the small town midwest- know that tattoos have a lot of significance for other cultures. Not to say that if you just got a tattoo because it's cool as fuck then it doesn't matter, but decrying all tattoos as 'unprofessional' isn't just shitty, its forcing an extremely strict hegemony onto anyone who wants a well-paying, stable job. Making people choose between work and their culture is cultural erasure, point blank. And it's telling that many white Americans who support tattoos will also completely agree that face/neck tattoos and hand tattoos are crossing the line, when many cultures ascribe extreme importance to those.

The other aspect of tattoo hatred I feel (again, I've done no research into this, this is just my rambling thoughts) relates to Americas hatred of people who used to be in prison and/or drug users. I don't know how common this is other places, but especially where I'm from (the meth capitol of the country,m although that constantly keeps changing), but when people bring up unprofessional tattoos, someone always makes a comment about "some meth head with his prison tats". This is just one example of the many ways Americans make life harder for anyone who wants to "pull themselves up by their bootstraps and re-enter society". We want you to get a job, but god forbid we have to look at you working, or even worse, work alongside you.

And if you're saying (hopefully not actually 'you', but this is a very common argument I hear) "Well, I'm not saying they can't have a job, just that they need to cover up their tattoos. And if they can't, that was their choice to get them", I would like to ask: Why? Why do they need to cover up their tattoos? Of course, some tattoos can be inappropriate or vulgar, but we don't ban shirts because someone can write "Fuck" on a shirt. Why is it so important to you to create a workplace where everyone either looks the same, or covers up the things that makes them different? It's almost like... all of these offices that pride themselves on diversity and put up rainbow flags and fall over themselves tokenizing their one non-white member... don't actually like diversity. I know, shock, we never could've seen it coming.

The only explanation I've been able to think of as to why tattoos are unprofessional aside from bigotry is because a lot of professionalism involves becoming a blank canvas (of course, what we consider a 'blank canvas' is also deeply steeped in bigotry, but lets ignore that for now). You're not supposed to be a person with agency and a past and a culture that differs from your stockholders culture, you're supposed to be Employee #298, charmingly distinct in a non-threatening way that doesn't actually make you distinct.

And I don't know, I guess that just feels like the equivalent of renting a home with a strict landlord. You can't paint the walls, change the doorknob, put up a shelf, or have a cat. You don't own anything enough to change it. Sure, put up your little decorations, but don't forget that your boss- sorry, landlord, owns your body- sorry, apartment. Never change it enough that your landlord can see, only get a pet if you can throw a blanket over the cage before they come in.

And this overall benefits the people who already conform. If you're like the tiktoker who sparked this post, and you either don't get tattoos or get ones that can easily be covered up, you don't see what the problem is. All this other people are whining and pitching a fit about nothing, you're happy to keep your apartment walls eggshell white (maybe hang up a few pictures and rub a bar of soap over the holes before you move out if you're feeling WILD). You don't understand what it feels like to have to cut off a piece of who you are every day six days a week until you die because you can't retire, because the pieces of you that you like aren't considered unprofessional, or are so periphery to who you are that it doesn't matter.

Wow, that post ended up way too long. Time to close the laptop and get ready for work :)