Would you be turned off by a vet with tattoos/piercings?
- Thread starter AliciaD
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I voted I do not care. However, I think at some point, excessive/facial piercings/tattoos *might* be a turn off. If someone has a few stars tattooed on their cheek or neck and a slight gauge, it wouldn't bother me, but if their entire face was coated in tribal patterns and they had HUGE holes in their ears that dangled about, I might question their judgement. Especially working with animals, facial piercings can and do get torn out, often.
Yes, it would be a turn off. A highly visible tattoo or facial piercing says to me "At the time I cared more about standing out than the potential impact on my future career", which isn't what I'd want in a service professional.
Realistically though, I wouldn't know until I was in the room with the vet. It's not like there's a match.com for vets where I pick based on their picture! By the time I'm in the exam room, their mannerisms and knowledge are the important part, and if they were awesome I wouldn't stop going just because of a tattoo. I think subconsciously though, the more visible piercings/tattoos, the more you have to wow me with your knowledge to overcome the stereotypes going through my head. First impressions, like it or not, are a big deal.
I think the much harder part will be getting your first job if you have visible body changes. If I were interviewing 10 equally qualified new vet grads, I'd pick the one who I thought would make all my clients at ease.
Realistically though, I wouldn't know until I was in the room with the vet. It's not like there's a match.com for vets where I pick based on their picture! By the time I'm in the exam room, their mannerisms and knowledge are the important part, and if they were awesome I wouldn't stop going just because of a tattoo. I think subconsciously though, the more visible piercings/tattoos, the more you have to wow me with your knowledge to overcome the stereotypes going through my head. First impressions, like it or not, are a big deal.
I think the much harder part will be getting your first job if you have visible body changes. If I were interviewing 10 equally qualified new vet grads, I'd pick the one who I thought would make all my clients at ease.
There are as couple things that I would not want to see tattooed on my vet, but tattoos themselves are fine (and yes, my vet has several
) One of her best techs is heavily tatted and pierced.
The whole professional thing really bugs me. Yes, it is currently the "norm" but I think it should be rallied against and changed.
) One of her best techs is heavily tatted and pierced. The whole professional thing really bugs me. Yes, it is currently the "norm" but I think it should be rallied against and changed.
So should dress codes go out the window too? At my old office, there was a very strict outline for what was/wasn't acceptable. If you wore skirts, you had to wear hose, heels could only be between x and y inches, no open toed/open back shoes, no sleeveless shirts, no cleavage, etc. Honestly, I could have done my job 100% as well in jeans and a tshirt, but obviously that wasn't allowed (and I would argue it's not appropriate for a professional, client facing position).
I think dress codes (and with that, tattoo/piercing guidelines) convey to the customer/client that you take the position seriously. I could teach in a hoody and jeans (many teachers do), but I choose to wear heels and blouses each day. It commands respect, imo.
I'm sure Warren Buffet could still have the knowledge to be a gazillionaire in a tshirt, but you'll never see him without a tie. There's a reason for that.
opcorn:
I think dress codes (and with that, tattoo/piercing guidelines) convey to the customer/client that you take the position seriously. I could teach in a hoody and jeans (many teachers do), but I choose to wear heels and blouses each day. It commands respect, imo.
I'm sure Warren Buffet could still have the knowledge to be a gazillionaire in a tshirt, but you'll never see him without a tie. There's a reason for that.
opcorn:
Personally I don't care. Years of teaching teenagers has taught me to pay more attention to the words said and the actions done than the appearance.
However, in this town, you would have trouble getting people to respect you as a capable individual if you look "alternative". Is it right? Nope. And if you have the personality to handle that sort of adversity, I say go for it and set out to break down some stereotypes. However you won't lose my respect for conforming and trying to make your professional life easier
However, in this town, you would have trouble getting people to respect you as a capable individual if you look "alternative". Is it right? Nope. And if you have the personality to handle that sort of adversity, I say go for it and set out to break down some stereotypes. However you won't lose my respect for conforming and trying to make your professional life easier
Wouldn't care. And by the time I see the vet, I'm already in the appointment anyway, so at that point it's all about my pet and the care they receive. I'll go back to any vet that I like and feel is doing a good job, regardless of what they look like.
But, I'm young and have friends with tattoos and piercings, and I tend to be drawn to "different" looking people. I know my 50 year old mother would not be as comfortable going to a vet that took these things to an extreme (and I would also draw the line if the tattoos were inappropriate).
But, I'm young and have friends with tattoos and piercings, and I tend to be drawn to "different" looking people. I know my 50 year old mother would not be as comfortable going to a vet that took these things to an extreme (and I would also draw the line if the tattoos were inappropriate).
Depends on the tattoo and you would have more to prove to me then a untatt'd pierced vet would. Same with a dr or pedi.
Connor was in the hospital and was asleep but this nurse needed to check something. She woke him up and he started screaming bloody murder and pulling away from her. Turned out she had some flaming zombie thing tattood on her arm and thats what he woke up to being flashed in his face. It set him back in his discharge and everything. He refused to sleep the rest of the time in the hospital everything.
She was a Pediatric hospital nurse. That tattoo was innappropriate for her profession IMO. To easy to scare the little kids you are trying to help.
Connor was in the hospital and was asleep but this nurse needed to check something. She woke him up and he started screaming bloody murder and pulling away from her. Turned out she had some flaming zombie thing tattood on her arm and thats what he woke up to being flashed in his face. It set him back in his discharge and everything. He refused to sleep the rest of the time in the hospital everything.
She was a Pediatric hospital nurse. That tattoo was innappropriate for her profession IMO. To easy to scare the little kids you are trying to help.
I don't know if I would care or not since I haven't been faced with a vet that had excessive body mods.
For me it's important to have someone I feel like I can relate to when it comes to doctors and such things. Like my doctor and Hannah's doctor is a young-ish female who has one child, a daughter around Hannah's age. Now of course I didn't know all that before I saw her but I felt I could really relate to her because we had a lot of surface things in common so I just instantly felt a little more comfortable with her.
Since I don't have time during appts to sit and chat and get a life story from these professionals, a lot of times appearances are all I have to go on. Now I don't really get uncomfortable with doctors and stuff so it's not a big deal but if I can relate to you I will be even more comfortable with you.
since appearances are all I have to go on I don't know that I would feel like I could relate to a person with extreme body mods. that's just the truth. on the surface I wouldn't feel like we could relate and since I don't get a chance to REALLY get to know them in person I have to go with what I've got. Is that wrong? maybe to you but it's just the way my mind and body work. If I can relate to you then I feel more comfortable with you.
But I agree that you may want to look into what employers rules and regulations are before doing anything extreme because like it or not we do live in a world where appearances matter. We can rebel and fight for justice and that's all well and good but realize that you may have to do that without a job until you change the world. not sayign it's going to be impossible to find a job but it would behoove you to look into that sort of thing before doing anything permanent so you aren't surprised if you are highly qualified but their guidelines say "no visible tattoos or piercings".
Also there will be SOME people who take exception to lots of tattoos and piercings so it's likely you will run into some people who don't want to see you as a vet just because of that. so you just need to decide if you are OK with that and if you think the office you work for would be ok with people requesting to change vets.
Now you may find a job in a place where none of this matters and you don't have anything to worry about but you should check around to make sure first. Fair or unfair it would suck to do all that schooling only to get the shaft from all the eligible places in your area just because of that.
For me it's important to have someone I feel like I can relate to when it comes to doctors and such things. Like my doctor and Hannah's doctor is a young-ish female who has one child, a daughter around Hannah's age. Now of course I didn't know all that before I saw her but I felt I could really relate to her because we had a lot of surface things in common so I just instantly felt a little more comfortable with her.
Since I don't have time during appts to sit and chat and get a life story from these professionals, a lot of times appearances are all I have to go on. Now I don't really get uncomfortable with doctors and stuff so it's not a big deal but if I can relate to you I will be even more comfortable with you.
since appearances are all I have to go on I don't know that I would feel like I could relate to a person with extreme body mods. that's just the truth. on the surface I wouldn't feel like we could relate and since I don't get a chance to REALLY get to know them in person I have to go with what I've got. Is that wrong? maybe to you but it's just the way my mind and body work. If I can relate to you then I feel more comfortable with you.
But I agree that you may want to look into what employers rules and regulations are before doing anything extreme because like it or not we do live in a world where appearances matter. We can rebel and fight for justice and that's all well and good but realize that you may have to do that without a job until you change the world. not sayign it's going to be impossible to find a job but it would behoove you to look into that sort of thing before doing anything permanent so you aren't surprised if you are highly qualified but their guidelines say "no visible tattoos or piercings".
Also there will be SOME people who take exception to lots of tattoos and piercings so it's likely you will run into some people who don't want to see you as a vet just because of that. so you just need to decide if you are OK with that and if you think the office you work for would be ok with people requesting to change vets.
Now you may find a job in a place where none of this matters and you don't have anything to worry about but you should check around to make sure first. Fair or unfair it would suck to do all that schooling only to get the shaft from all the eligible places in your area just because of that.
my tattoos and piercings aren't to stand out.... they may make me look like I stand out, but that wasn't my intention when I got them done. My current tattoos are smaller though I'm going to be getting a full chest piece done and a full sleeve. I have my ears pierced (not gauged anymore though), my nostril, lip, tongue and septum. The septum piercing isn't one you see very often so that one occasionally turns heads, but I personally don't let it bother me. Why should it bother me? My thought on my tattoos (both present and future) is that it's my body, my choice and it's my way of displaying what is meaningful to me. Sure some people might say, why can't you just paint a picture? I do paint pictures... all the time in fact. Still... there's just something I enjoy about telling my story with art on my body that really means something personal to me. So... I may not be cut out for a top notch office job... or heck I may not even be cut out for a fast food job lol (depending on their personal rules)... but that's another reason why I'm currently working on starting my own photography business. I'll be able to have the freedom to express myself the way I feel comfortable instead of the way anyone else feels I need to. If I lose clients then so be it. I guess it just doesn't really bother me... maybe that's the rebel in me, I don't know. But... I can't tell you how many times I mention I'm getting a chest piece tattoo done only to have people tell me I wont be able to get a job with that kind of tattoo work.
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Living in the area I do, I don't know if I've seen a vet yet without some sort of tattoo.
I wouldn't mind, provided the tattoo was not of something vulgar. I would be very turned off to see a racist/homophobic/sexist tattoo on my vet. I would prefer that a tattoo with nudity be covered, for professional reasons, but I wouldn't be offended that the tattoos were there.
As far as body mods go, I wouldn't be offended, but I would worry about a piercing getting caught by a wayward paw or claw and getting ripped out!
I wouldn't mind, provided the tattoo was not of something vulgar. I would be very turned off to see a racist/homophobic/sexist tattoo on my vet. I would prefer that a tattoo with nudity be covered, for professional reasons, but I wouldn't be offended that the tattoos were there.
As far as body mods go, I wouldn't be offended, but I would worry about a piercing getting caught by a wayward paw or claw and getting ripped out!
Well, replace it with whatever the reason is. Someone mentioned appearance--"At the time, I cared more about what I thought looked good then about obtaining professional future employment". That conveys short-sightedness, to me. There are plenty of places on your body where you can get a tattoo or piercing that would not affect your career prospects.
B
I want a tattoo on my wrist to represent Blue, my late dog. I haven't decided exactly what yet. I don't want it because it looks good or because I want to stand out. I want it because it is very important to me. If getting a job means more than what is close to my heart then that job is not for me.
I have thought very hard on where I want my tattoo, and with the fact that I want to be a teacher in mind, it is something that I have not taken lightly.
This.
I have thought very hard on where I want my tattoo, and with the fact that I want to be a teacher in mind, it is something that I have not taken lightly.
This.
I couldn't care less if my vet had tattoos or piercings, I love mods (particularily piercings) and it annoys me to no end that I have to be more conservative with them than I'd like due to my job.
The job I have now most of my bosses are cool with what I have, one of them (also a pretty good friend) hates my septum and would send me home if I wore it out at work or got anything else visible. I plan on starting vet nursing next year and I have a feeling things won't change. I really want my cheeks done but I don't know if I'll ever get the oppurtunity.
The job I have now most of my bosses are cool with what I have, one of them (also a pretty good friend) hates my septum and would send me home if I wore it out at work or got anything else visible. I plan on starting vet nursing next year and I have a feeling things won't change. I really want my cheeks done but I don't know if I'll ever get the oppurtunity.