[Vision2020] Body Jewelery

[Fiat Lux]

Ms. Nance,

The reality of it is, most people do not have facial
piercings. Surely, when you chose to pierce your face
you realized that you would, forever more, be set
apart in a very obvious way.  It should come as no
surprise that facial piercings tend to be an obstacle
to employment in many fields.  Though I can think of
several fields of work and geographical locations
(Seattle) in which it would be more accepted and even
desirable.

As a youngster, I was captivated by the various
photographs of natives from around the world that
graced the pages of National Geographic magazine. 
There was just something so unusual and interesting
about those primitive people and their various
piercings, lip plates, neck rings and such.  Even at a
tender age, it was easy to appreciate their "body
modification" practices as religiously significant, as
a desirable and accepted standard of beauty or as a
rite of passage, respective to their different
cultures.   

Body piercing and related practices, as they are
manifested in non-primitive, western societies today,
admittedly have different significance.  Lip, nose,
tongue, eyebrow, and anything other than the standard
earlobe piercings, rightly or wrongly, have certain
connotations.  This "modern" piercing movement was
born decades ago as an expression of rebellion or
non-conformity and evolved to its current state. 
People have been known to pierce for "shock value" and
give a bad name to the practice.  Dennis Rodman comes
to mind.  There are also those who opt for more
intimate (easily concealable) peircings for the
purpose of heightening sexual pleasure.  I'm drawing a
blank here, but maybe someone else can think of a
name? 

Certainly, anyone has the feeedom to pierce their body
wherever they deem it necessary.  As a teen, I pierced
my own ears in several places using a 20 gauge
hypodermic needle.  These days, all those holes go
empty.  Go figure. 

It is important to remember though, that piercings are
not a protected right.   There is no law against a
business having a dress code that excludes facial
jewelery.  If you want to insist that body piercing is
your religion, then you may have the grounds for a
discrimination action.  But that angle has already
been unsuccessfully tried. 

Honestly though, do you really want to work for
someone who doesn't respect who you are as a person,
and how you choose to express it.  I know I wouldn't. 
Peace on Earth with one-world all inclusiveness is one
of the biggest myths out there.  In America, we do
enjoy certain feeedoms, with no guarantee that our
personal choices will be celebrated or embraced by
others who exercise their freedom by favoring  a
different choice.  Like I tell my son, no matter what
other people think of the choices you make, if you
believe in your heart they are right for you (and you
are not deliberately harming anyone else), that is
what matters.  

Perhaps you should consider opening your own studio or
gallery, or partnering with someone in such a venture.
 You can institute a policy of only hiring
non-surgically enhanced, non-smoking, non-meat eating,
facially-pierced employees.  Good luck!
   
You are what you make of yourself.

Fiat Lux


	
		
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