The reason im writing this post is because recently at work I was told to remove or cover up my piercings! On Monday the 7th of July 2008 I got my fifth piercing, my lip. That same day I went to work and no one told me to remove it or cover it up and I had been working closely with supervisors and managers all day….well 4 hours. I worked, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and no one mentioned it to me or had a problem with it. It was only on Saturday when the HR Manager came to sign a piece of paper about working Monday, she told me to remove my piercing and that it’s against the company’s policy. I told her that I had recently had it done and that I could not remove the piercing, so she told me to cover it up. The next day she pulled me into her office and told me to remove ALL my piercings. I have 3 piercings on the top of my left ear (which u can’t really see because of my hair) and my right ear lobe! There are several other people at work who have facial and ear piercings who have not been told to remove theirs! Some of those people are even Supervisors!
I think that it is totally unfair to even ask us to remove or cover up our piercings! It is our bodies and should we not be able to do what we want with them without being discriminated by small minded people? To get tattoo’s or to get piercings?
Body piercings has been practiced by people all over the world and has been around for CENTURIES! In Book of Genesis of the Bible 24:22, Abraham’s servant gave a golden earring of half a shekel weight and ten bracelets to Rebekah, wife of his son Isaac. In Exodus 32, Aaron makes the golden calf from melted earrings. Deuteronomy 15:12–17 dictates ear piercing as a mark of slavery. Nose piercing has been common in India since the sixteenth century!
People get piercings for many reasons, such as; religion, spirituality, fashion, eroticism, conformism or sub cultural identification.
Why do people care about our appearances? Should the fact that we do our work to the best of our abilities not good enough for them? And why do they judge us on our appearance rather than personality?
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it states in Articles 18, 19, 30
· Article 18 – everyone has the right of freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance
· Article 19 – everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impact information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
· Article 30 – nothing in this declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Also in the European Convention on Human Rights it states in Article 10:
· Everyone has the right of freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.
· The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
Even though we have the right of freedom of expression we are still being discriminated on the way we look. Even though we are getting paid to do a job they are not allowed to tell us to remove our piercings or cover up our tattoos! This is in violation of our human rights! But once you walk into a private employer’s workplace, your rights are apparently limited! No one’s rights should be limited! I understand there are rules but we are talking about a person’s body and that body is a precious thing and no one should be able to tell you what you can and cannot do with it! People for years have been encouraged to be themselves and be true to who they are. But those same people don’t want that type of person working for them, or waiting on them in polite society. Most of us are just like you except we’re not afraid to express who we are and love the skin we’re in. You’re stuck in this skin for life why not beautify it like a great painting that you enjoy every day. How wonderful to love the skin you’re in. Embrace the skin you’re in and enjoy the art others share with you. It’s free art it doesn’t hurt to look. Ask about the story behind the tattoo or piercing you may find you have more in common with that person than you think.
Click here to sign this petition to stop people from being discriminated at work based on appearance! Make a difference!
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Pierce/
