Totally random aside: Not all Africans with facial tattoos/scarification are “from a tribal culture.” In many areas it’s a completely mainstream thing, that may or many not have any special significance. It wouldn’t be unusual to find a globe-trotting, internet-using, urban dwelling person with facial tattoos/scarification. “African” does not automatically equal “tribal.”
I just never have gotten tats. I am an older dude and where I grew up tattoos were associated with pimps and sailors. I know in theory it shouldn’t matter what people think but it does.
The tank top would have disqualified her. I may have missed out on a great employee, but I do expect staff to follow written and unwritten rules. I don’t need a interface design person who ignores corporate standards.
ETA: I’m thrilled she found a place where she fits in in a culture where she adds value.
Equally, this is probably why I’ve decided I’m personally happiest in university or small-workplace (largest non-university I’ve worked at had 65 employees) environments. I’m probably constraining my own career by not working at the bigger places, and I don’t even like tattoos. 
Which is why my sentence says “Africans from a tribal culture in which facial scarification,” not “Africans, who are all from a tribal culture…,” especially since the original counter-argument WAS about Africans from a tribal culture in which facial scarification is an expected rite of passage (at least, I took it to be that way, and not about all Africans everywhere).
Yep. Someone like her isn’t likely to be happy in the sort of environment I’m in. It really isn’t just all about ME and what I need, its also looking for a good fit. Bare shoulders in the workplace is against our rather loose by corporate standards dress code. Our culture is not overly conservative by corporate standards, but our employee base skewed fairly old.
(I can wear jeans. I can wear a t-shirt. I cannot bear my shoulders. If I wear a tank, it must be under a jacket and I must leave my jacket on.)
Too funny.
In my old job, most of us in the same job specification all wore tshirts and jeans to work even in the office. We never knew when we’d be called out to the field. The company I worked at before that one, my job was about 75% in the field, so most days I was sloppy and grimy as all get out. Especially in the winter when I’d have about 4 layers plus rain gear and Baffins on. (see Baffins here http://www.calibex.com/Baffin-Boots/zzcalibex2zB1z0--search-html?nxtg=218d0a1c0514-D0FA833E8886FB12, worlds UGLIEST, but warmest boots ever).
One night I’d stopped in the grocery store after work and was particularly wet and grimy having been out in the snow and tromping through the woods all day. I happened to meet an old schoolmate going into the store and she was dressed to the nines. We both laughed and said “just gettin’ off work”?
Then she said “different kind of jobs huh”?
But I’ve never heard of anyone complaining of sweatpants being TOO fancy. However, after this thread, I think I might have to go get some! Just to wear to Safeway. 
Well, are you talking about nostril piercings, or septums? I have a nostril. (Just a tiny little stud)
Riggght, did someone say it was? Again, my comments on jeans vs sweatpants were an observation, not a command of what people MUST do (or not do) when confronted with the horror of sweatpants.
I’ve never seen anyone be treated badly, kicked out of a grocery store, talked about in public, or become a social outcast for wearing sweatpants in public. Not even in fancypants Seattle. So I’m not getting where all this “not socially acceptable” stuff is coming from.
Another part of my being perplexed is the location. I mean, like I said in my first post, the supermarket? It’s the grocery store, not a social gathering. It’s not as if the grocery store is anything to get dressed up FOR in the first place, it’s maybe a step and a half up from a gas station, maybe two steps up from the feed store. A mundane, “doing chores kinda” place anyway, so who cares what anyone looks like when they’re there?
No, Diana seems pretty set on this “sweatpants show a lack of judgment now, tattoos could be a lack of judgment a long time ago thing.” If she feels that way, don’t hire anyone who shows up for the interview in sweatpants - don’t hire someone you know OWNS sweatpants if you find them that offensive. You don’t have to…neither sweatpants wearing or tattooing are protected classes where you need to overlook that characteristic.
(I wear sweatpants to the grocery store. And around the house. And on planes. Not to work though).
I read it as a joke. :dubious:
“The SDMB: Smartest folks on the net, zero sense of humor”
I don’t know about that. Any idiot knows that they can change their sweatpants, just as any idiot knows that tats don’t come off. Now, if you can find me an idiot that has sweatpants that are non-removable, and will be on them for life, I will put them in the same class as the ones that get tatoos on their face or neck.
Best wishes,
hh
I remember having this conversation with a convenience store clerk once. The way I remember it, he had full sleeves on both arms and he said he did regret them somewhat because he felt they would make it hard for him to get a better job. There’s still prejudice against tattoos, as some people have charmingly demonstrated in this thread, but it’s less than ever and there are plenty of businesses where it’s a non-issue.
I don’t know how much prejudice there is over generic tattoos. Who, in this day and age, doesn’t have a little butterfly on their ass, or an armband, or a Celtic knot or Japanese character on their ankle (ok, lots of people, but a LOT of people do - of my “suburban mom” friends, more have art than don’t.).
But there is prejudice over people knowing too much about you - not being able to “go generic” - whether that’s piercing or body art or hair color or the choices you make dressing when its not a good idea to show off too much of your charming personality. In some cases, almost any show of individualism is a little much (job interviews for corporate jobs), in same cases you have to be pretty out there (not fond of dog collars and leashes at the mall, myself. Too much information about a stranger).
My favorite “what the HELL were they thinking” was the “show off your thong” trend. And the “lets see your underwear because your pants don’t fit” thing with young men. But as was just said, at least you can revisit your decision to show off your thong and your sweatpants are not permanently applied..
There’s some. You can see it in any SDMB discussion of tattoos and that includes this one. But I admit there’s a difference between disapproving of all tattoos and just not liking some of them. My joke about neck tattoos is that they send the message “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in jail soon.” I’d never get one myself and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one I liked, but that’s the way it goes.
That’s more information than I want, too, but it does say as much about the person doing the judging as it does about the person with the tattoo.
Errrrg…sorry yes, went right over my little blonde head!
I’m finding the logic for being judgmental against tattooed people very circular.
One must be dumb to get a tattoo because people think tattooed people are dumb, therefor tattooed people are dumb.
And as for the “too much personality” argument, good forbid you have to live in a world where people are different. I’ve chilled with potheads, goths, some girl with overly enthusiastic interest in S&M, country bumpkin, city thug wannabe, hell I’ve even gone so far as to chill with conservatives and I wouldn’t touch any of those life styles with a ten foot pool. Don’t appeal to me, I guess I’m too vanilla, but I’m secure enough to be okay with those who aren’t. The ones who are different are the ones who can teach me to see things in a new way, which can have practical applications.
I’ll agree that there is some. But a LOT of folks have tats that are not seen unless the individual chooses to show them off. Including corporate attorneys and accountants and all sorts of very mainstream people.
Which in some ways doesn’t help those that feel the need for inking in a spot that is always visible. When you are sitting across the desk from someone who you’d never know has a ying yang on their ankle, or a celtic knot on their shoulderblade - unless they told you or showed you, they are looking at you thinking “gee…I made a very different decision in favor of discretion.”
I worked with the military '94 - '00, and most had no problem with my tattoo.
It’s a tattoo of the regimental crest of the 5th Cavalry Regiment, so that may have made a slight difference.
I know. I’m one of those people (or I would be if I cared to wear long sleeves.) 
That’s true. But you also often see this assumption that people who get more visible tattoos are doing it to get your attention, and then people get annoyed at the presumption or attention whoring. You can also see this attitude often on the SDMB.