A speech we had to deliver before our peers on a discrimination topic of our choosing.
This was mine.
Good morning everyone. The topic of my stand and deliver today is Discrimination Against Tattoos.
Now, what are tattoos? They are a form of body modification done by inserting ink into a layer of the skin to change its pigment.
I think tattoos are beautiful, even if it's the most basic and simple design. The pain it takes to get the tattoo shows me how important it was for the individual to have that piece of art on their body and I admire them for it.
I never thought about any implications that comes with having tattoos until I started working at an official store in a high-end departmental store where I went through strict interviews. I realised that on my application form, there was a box to declare whether I had tattoos.
I was taken aback by that because all these years, I never thought that the declaration of having a tattoo is necessary. I thought that once you get one, it becomes a part of you and why should a part of you be a necessary knowledge for other strangers or job interviewers?
So I asked my brother who has a full back, torso and arm of tattoos. "Dude, do you really have to declare your tattoos when you go to a job interview?" and he said, "Yes, especially in the service sector because they don't want tatted employees serving the customers. Gives them a bad impression."
Then he proceeds to tell that he was affected by it too when the aerospace company he worked for fired him for violating the no visible ink policy. His tattoo peeked through the collar of his coveralls and his supervisor saw it. The tattoos were said to be untidy looking and poses a negative image for the company as they see tattoos being associated to gangsterism.
And now that he has to declare his tattoos to potential employers, he struggles to find a company that would accept him due to that reason.
I feel that that is highly unfair because if someone can do a job, they should be equal with the next person with the same resume, just tattoo-free.
Imagine the loss of a suitable candidate just because he decided to have art on his body? With the younger generation now entering the workforce and with more than a few having tattoos, this outdated workplace policy of maintaining a clean, businesslike image will seriously lose out on talented individuals.
I believe that tattoos are an expression of someone's identity just as much as their beliefs or religion.
Some parts exaggerated for story-telling purposes.
