nose piercings

[Giny]

I find little tiny stud/diamond to be acceptable.

 

[MaloreyAnimal]

I don't know a female teacher (At my highschool at least) without a nose piercing.

Edit -
I have no idea as to why I mentioned teaching with this, haha, it's early and I just woke up (so who knows if anything in this post will really make sense x__x), but I guess teaching seems like a job people may be against them (with younger children more so then highschool level), but still, all in all lets just say I don't think they are unprofessional, and it blows my mind how people could think it's unprofessional for people to get them just because of a job, but maybe it's because I know so many people with tattoos and piercings (and plan to get/have many myself) and am very acceptable of it all.

 

[Pam111]

No. Nose piercings seem to be ok in the professional world now. I know many lawyers with them. Many Indians seem to have them, too, so I think they are more acceptable in that way, rather than another piercing would be

 

[Buddy'sParents]

I think many people are stuck on the fact that people of certain professions need to look a certain way, according to them, of course.
I wouldn't bat an eye at a doctor or lawyer or teacher or... anything, really with tattoos or facial piercings, mostly because I'm in California and I don't know many people who do not have said piercings and tattoos.
A friend brought up a good point- she has numerous tattoos on her arms, back, etc... and she's an infant health mentalist. It doesn't change the fact that she is wicked smart and has her own business. She is what she is.
I tell people I have tattoos and they get this shocked expression and it is usually followed by "no way" or " I don't believe it!" lol Uhm, yes, yes, I do. I think people need to get the stereotypes out of their heads, times are changing!

 

[CaliTerp07]

I think many people are stuck on the fact that people of certain professions need to look a certain way, according to them, of course.
I wouldn't bat an eye at a doctor or lawyer or teacher or... anything, really with tattoos or facial piercings, mostly because I'm in California and I don't know many people who do not have said piercings and tattoos.
A friend brought up a good point- she has numerous tattoos on her arms, back, etc... and she's an infant health mentalist. It doesn't change the fact that she is wicked smart and has her own business. She is what she is.
I tell people I have tattoos and they get this shocked expression and it is usually followed by "no way" or " I don't believe it!" lol Uhm, yes, yes, I do. I think people need to get the stereotypes out of their heads, times are changing!

Absolutely true that her tattoos don't take away from her knowledge. However, by taking a professional job and having visible tattoos, she is accepting the risk that she may drive clients away (even if she doesn't agree with their reasons for going elsewhere). If she has an established reputation and client base, probably not that big of a deal. If she's young in her career and branching out on her own for the first time, it can be more of an issue.

In my opinion, it's the same as dressing up for work. Do heels and suits make people better lawyers? No, of course not. My lawyer friends spend their days in cubby holes doing tons of research and writing reports. They'd be just as productive in jeans. But the dress code sets a tone for the office. Jeans or facial piercings or visible tattoos would change that tone.

 

[xpaeanx]

I think out of the realm of piercings and tatoos, small nose studs are the most excepted
(after normal ear piercings of course). I love the small studs(diamond or purple or blue, as was mentioned no green or red). I find them exotic and facinating, and very sexy when paired with conservative dress.

I do not, however, like the huge in your face ones. they just gross me out.

 

[ACooper]

I think many people are stuck on the fact that people of certain professions need to look a certain way, according to them, of course.
I wouldn't bat an eye at a doctor or lawyer or teacher or... anything, really with tattoos or facial piercings, mostly because I'm in California and I don't know many people who do not have said piercings and tattoos.
A friend brought up a good point- she has numerous tattoos on her arms, back, etc... and she's an infant health mentalist. It doesn't change the fact that she is wicked smart and has her own business. She is what she is.
I tell people I have tattoos and they get this shocked expression and it is usually followed by "no way" or " I don't believe it!" lol Uhm, yes, yes, I do. I think people need to get the stereotypes out of their heads, times are changing!

Side note story: My sister was born at 6 months into the pregnancy. My mother nearly died, my sister came out 2lbs, 9oz and had a hole in one lung. This was over 30 years ago, nobody expected her to make it.

They were at the Cleveland Clinic (I believe that's the name) and they had a specialist on my sister's case. The staff raved about him to my mother before she got to meet him, said how wonderful he was, top in his field, high success rate, yadda yadda. When the meeting finally took place my mother was SHOCKED and asked for a different doctor ASAP. He hadn't 'screwed' anything up, as a matter of fact my sister was making better progress than anyone ever imagined..........so WHY did my mother want a different doctor?

This doctor was fairly young. He had LONG HAIR! He had an ear ring! He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, jeans with holes in the knees, and sandals along with his white coat. Keep in mind this was over 30 years ago Not the picture of confidence and being 'put together' a mother wants to see when her child's life is hanging by a thread, LOL

My mother calmed down, prayed on it, listened to the staff she did trust and let him remain. Of course it all turned out, my sister was a 'miracle' and probably due largely to prayer and this 'hippie doctor' I'm sure my mother wasn't his only client that bucked the idea of letting him around their children............he most likely had to work extra hard to prove himself due to his appearance.

So the question is, are you ready to work harder than other people who 'look the part' just to prove you are at or above standards with your job? Even after you've proven yourself, you still run the risk of not being accepted at a professional level. It's a harder road you pave and only you can decide if it's worth it or not. There's nothing wrong with tattoos and piercings if that's what you want, but there ARE expectations with certain positions, that's the world we live in. Times are changing, but change is slow.

 

[Renee750il]

Good points in a good post, Coop.

I have to wonder how many babies did NOT get the benefit of Dr. Gonzo's care because their parents couldn't look past his presentation?

That's something you have to ask yourself: how many are you willing to lose for the sake of your appearance?

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Absolutely true that her tattoos don't take away from her knowledge. However, by taking a professional job and having visible tattoos, she is accepting the risk that she may drive clients away (even if she doesn't agree with their reasons for going elsewhere). If she has an established reputation and client base, probably not that big of a deal. If she's young in her career and branching out on her own for the first time, it can be more of an issue.

But that's just it, it's not an issue. Maybe where you live it would be, but it's certainly not here for her.

So the question is, are you ready to work harder than other people who 'look the part' just to prove you are at or above standards with your job? Even after you've proven yourself, you still run the risk of not being accepted at a professional level. It's a harder road you pave and only you can decide if it's worth it or not. There's nothing wrong with tattoos and piercings if that's what you want, but there ARE expectations with certain positions, that's the world we live in. Times are changing, but change is slow.

I already work harder. But, I don't have to work harder to prove myself and I am confident in that. I also don't see the difference between holes in ears and an even smaller hole in someones nose. I don't see someone with a nose piercing and think, "oh my god, how unprofessional! I need to get away from them right away". BUT, I did ask for opinions, so thank you, everyone, for sharing yours.

I will say that you guys are making me really thankful that I live in California, where we don't seem to have the same stereotypes and rigid expectations for how people should look. California is a pretty messed up state, I'll give it that, but the freedom of personal expression is widely accepted.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

I will say that any piercings I have had or will have, were/would/will always be tasteful in nature. Nothing over the top, with hoops and wild colors or anything. The same as it would be if I had my ears pierced and wore earrings. I think it can be done elegantly and tastefully. I'm a teacher, I wear jeans and t-shirts to work.

 

[sparks19]

I am an early childhood teacher, so unless those toddlers are really all that impressionable and are going to go home demanding tattoos and piercings, I think I am safe.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I think I might get one and if it's a problem at work, I'll take it out. I have to wonder, though, what is the difference between having ears or a nose pierced? They are holes in a persons body, ones that they chose to put there. It doesn't have anything to do with anyone else. The same goes for my tattoos. As far as ears being pierced being the norm nowadays - I'm sure it wasn't considered that at one point!

I have 7 piercings in my ears and when I worked in fast food it was a rule that you could only have ONE pair in at any time and it had to be a plain stud (the stud was for safety reasons as hoops can get caught on things)

So it's really not different... lots of places have rules about ear piercings too.

But I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks they look like boogers lol.

I remember one time I had a waitress that had a jewel on one of her teeth... it looked like she had food stuck in her teeth. e verytime she smiled it was like "uhhh I think you have something in your teeth" lol I just thought that... didn't say it.

I don't have anything against nose piercings I just can't get over the fact that when I first see it it looks like they might need to wipe their nose

and Drmom... that is exactly how I feel about tongue rings. I just picture all the nastiness and bacteria and can't get past it lol. I dated a guy VERY briefly that had a tongue ring and I just could not bring myself to kiss him without almost gagging at the thought lol

 

[MandyPug]

I don't have anything against nose piercings I just can't get over the fact that when I first see it it looks like they might need to wipe their nose

I'd be wondering how a booger would get on the outside of my nostril... I've never seen a booger work it's way up there before.
If it's the screw part on the inside, you can get them cut fairly short... No one can see my screw in my actual nose unless they're right up in my business lol.








I just can't fathom a lot of people in society saying nose piercings are horrible when they completely condone ear piercings... it's all just pieces of metal in a hole in your body that wasn't there naturally. Perhaps we should ban ALL piercings from everywhere in case god forbid it offend someone! Or at least until all the really old people are gone and can't complain about "young whipper snappers mutilating their bodies".

 

[sparks19]

regardless of how a booger would get up there... it happens lol. and that's what it looks like to me lol I can't help it. plus I think about them screwing it in and having to stick their finger in their nose and just hope to God they washed their hands lol and unfortunately that's not something you can always trust someone has done.

Just like I'm not offended by tank tops... but I don't want someone leaning over my food while wearing a sleeveless top lol it's just some wierd hang ups I have. I also don't like people wearing shirts with buttons hanging over my food (I know... that's extremely strange lol)

I have worked jobs where there are rules about the number of earrings I may wear and if I want or need the job it's pretty easy to abide by their rules.

 

[MandyPug]

plus I think about them screwing it in and having to stick their finger in their nose and just hope to God they washed their hands lol and unfortunately that's not something you can always trust someone has done.

Lol to screw it in you don't have to stick your finger up your nose! There's no back on it, the metal is just shaped into a corkscrew so it doesn't fall out. You just twist it into place from the outside.

 

[-bogart-]

I just can't fathom a lot of people in society saying nose piercings are horrible when they completely condone ear piercings... it's all just pieces of metal in a hole in your body that wasn't there naturally. Perhaps we should ban ALL piercings from everywhere in case god forbid it offend someone! Or at least until all the really old people are gone and can't complain about "young whipper snappers mutilating their bodies".

um what? who said anything about banning piercings? and who said there age when they said they felt they where unprofessional.

now on to the topic , i feel they are unprofessional for a wide varity of reasons.
i also feel alot of jewerly is unprofessional also .

the way i look at things is , if a person is in the professional/office world then they should look the part. with nose/ unusual piercing my thought is they dont even care to present a professional apperance they probably wont even care how they service my needs. wrong way and sterotypical yes , but it is the way i feel.
and also on the subject of teachers having one , if any of my kids teachers had one i would so blow a gasket , there is a STRICT dress code for the school and i feel the teachers should abise by it , you know the whole goose/gander thing.

 

[MandyPug]

But who set the "what looks professional" standard?

It's all subjective... A tiny nose stud to me isn't unprofessional... Big awful earrings is a huge turn off to me but a lot of "professional" women still wear them and they're still acceptable as professional in most cases. Most people don't even notice i have my nose pierced unless they look really hard or i have a coloured stone in it. It's tiny and it's tasteful if it's kept small and classy (like a small diamond). It should be a personal choice to have anything pierced and as long as the jewelry is kept tasteful and classy i don't see an issue. If YOU don't want to go to someone for something because they have piercings and tattoos and you can't get over the stereotypes you have set in your mind so be it, but don't hinder others from expressing themselves through body modification.

It just bothers me the amount of people that are so against piercings and tattoos and think they mean the person is mean and dirty and in a gang... It's self expression, get over it.

 

[ACooper]

It just bothers me the amount of people that are so against piercings and tattoos and think they mean the person is mean and dirty and in a gang... It's self expression, get over it.

The question was "do you think it's unprofessional" not whether people are against piercings or tattoos.

What I think looks attractive and what I think looks professional are sometimes two different things. I have my ears pierced 3 times on one side, 2 times on the other, and one high cartilage piercing as well. I considered my nose at one time because I find a little diamond stud to be very cute (as stated earlier) but I don't think it's professional looking at all and opted NOT to wear tons of earrings in the office...........I could express myself on my own time, LOL

Self expression is a wonderful thing, and if you feel the need to express yourself over and above the need to be employed you have every right to do so, LOL But many people who've spent years and thousands of dollars getting higher education normally know what profession they are getting into and what is expected of them right down to attire. *shrugs* JMO

 

[Beanie]

Um, isn't it kind of ironic to say piercings are a form of self-expression so get over it, by which you mean people who are expressing themselves with words by saying "I think they are unprofessional" should NOT express themselves? Freedom of expression is supposed to go both ways. I know, I know, when people cry "FREEDOM OF SPEECH" they really only mean "FREEDOM OF MY SPEECH AND NOT YOURS!" but I'm still an idealist...

NOBODY in this thread has said they are AGAINST piercings. The question is "are the professional or unprofessional," not "do you hate them and want them to go away?!?" In fact a few people who've said they see them as unprofessional have multiple piercings and tattoos themselves.

Good to know that at 26 I'm considered "really old" though... unfortunately I have really great genes for living a long, healthy life so you'll have to wait approximately 70 years before I die...

 

[Izzy's Valkyrie]

I think in my area they are far more accepted in the professional arena because we do have a large number of Indian women working at corporate jobs. For those women, it is an ethnic norm to have a pierced nose with a small tasteful stud and it has opened up the door for those who wish to express themselves in a similar way.

That said, there have been plenty of people I've known who were professionals that had pierced noses. IF they are great at their job, the first thing you notice about them isn't their nostril adornments

 

[MandyPug]

Interesting. I think its partially cultural. Here (as in Ontario) I have seen at least one emerg Dr with a nose ring. I wouldn't think anything of it. I see tattoos on more and more proffesional people. I have seen largish nose rings on University profs. It doesn't seem to be a big deal in many European countries compared to the US. As well talking to people here it seems to be only a big deal with the over 55 crowd. I see enough future teachers in the con ed program here with tattoos and piercings so that future teachers at least will be more modified.

I was referring to this with the "older people" comment... I come across a TON of people in my area that are not only against piercings and tattoos of any kind in the work place but at all... I've had people with petitions here to get tattoo parlours and piercing shops banned from the town.




I can see not having piercings when they're potentially unsanitary like in the food industry because yes sometimes even the most well secured piercing falls out or gets caught on something.

But as long as it's tasteful and not a massive multi coloured in your face hoops or barbell that glows in the dark and blinds people if the sun hits it, i do not see how it's unprofessional... It should be the same for ANY jewelry, even necklaces, bracelets and normal earrings...

Face it, MOST "office" type places or schools that people are talking about here are run by people over 50. Who don't accept piercings or tattoos in general. My comment just meant that maybe when they all retire and younger people start running these places, it'll be more accepted (and hopefully it will... around here most people think if you have metal in your body at all you're an idiot that can't do anything and should be in jail no matter how many thousands you've spent to get where you are).