The Appearance and How We Judge It ' Piercing

Perception is everything. People should be able to do anything they feel happy and comfortable with, but they should clearly know that the society judges people depending on their appearances, as well as, their actions. Extreme individuality makes people judge one differently and act differently towards them in a great way. This holds them from opportunities and often much – deserved success. The image others have of us is portrayed by the way we carry ourselves around or how we appear. Therefore, anything extreme creates the first perception, and that in a great way influences the impression others have of us. Body piercing in a great way determines how people are judged and at times it hinders success and opportunities in an individual’s lives. In these times piercing has been associated with negative effects rather than its ancient role of beauty and religious spirituality.

An impression determines how others are comfortable or in acceptance with our image. In such situations, we are judged, not by our capabilities or skills, but the image portrayed. Body piercing is among the most extreme trends taken by the young generations. It includes nose, nipple, tongue, lips, and cheeks among other body parts. Despite it being a common trend in recent days body-piercing art has been in practice for centuries with ancient connections. It was carried out for various reasons including spirituality, eroticism, sub-cultural identification, fashion, as well as, religious reasons. Body piercing is among the most common type of body modification majority of people are comfortable with.

Body piercing is considered as a way of body decoration and fashionable. Some people argue that piercing and body is mostly about self-expression rather than decoration. The society has a perception of the body art professionals as a bad influence to the young generations. The society argues that these artists use juice talks and their highly convincing talks into luring young and the vulnerable youths into accepting the art, not clarifying on the implications they have on their lives. This creates a bad perception of this industry and the artists. The laws in most of the states does not recognize the body art profession to be legal this makes it hard for their works to be accepted among the elite class.

Obtaining a body art such piercing does not only change physical appearance, but it also determines the way people relate to you. People will judge you favorably or unfavorably depending on your appearance. Piercing as part of body modification affects one’s ability to get a job in crucial sector such as the executive public offices and armed forces. They determine whether you gain acceptance to groups you desire, as well as, whether you may get an opportunity to relate with the people you desire. First impression is crucial in ones lives. It is always said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This is true since people consider our appearances when they meet us and use the information they gather out of our appearances to form an opinion.

Although as people gets to know us they may form more detailed impressions of our true selves first impression is always the starting point. People will attach different meanings to body piercing art. Some will see the art as fashion and adventurous others will view it as a statement against the mainstream society thinking you prefer and have adopted an alternative life style. They view it as what sociologist may call deviance. Deviance behavior is recognized as behavioral violation of the expected rules and norms. It means one has departed from social expectations. Sociologists sometimes use their understanding of deviance to explain otherwise ordinary events such as tattoos and body piercing. Research has proven that people with body modifications such as tattoo and piercings are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, engage in risky sexual activities, as well as, behaviors. This is the mentality people have about people with body piercings the society judges them negatively not because they are bad but because the appearance they form is not impressive to the society.

People with body piercings were more likely to have engaged in risk taking behaviors while talking to professions about the interest of having a body modification such as tattoo and body piercing, they always raise a concern for your future career. Although piercing is becoming more common and acceptable in various career lines, they are a far cry from fitting into the American standard of business casual. At some instances, some employers will ask you to cover visible body modifications or to remove jewelry while at places of work. People with body arts will find their applications and testimonials at the bottom of employers list.

Every employer wants to make the best image of their businesses. Since body art such as piercing are regarded as poor image employers will rarely hire people with these arts in their businesses. Body art is still considered as undesirable trait in most professions, industries and prejudicial stereotyping abounds. Piercings and other arts rarely impress the employers. The only such people find employment is those plans where business code of ethics is uncertain such as bars and clubs.

Piercing does only have social and economic implication on lives of those with the body art. It puts them at high risks of infection, nerve damage, cross contamination from metallic elements, as well as, allergies. The main aim of body art is not to create bad perception to the society. However, due to the impression created by some of individual with the art has led to stereotyping of all those who possess the art. The society has used this stereotype to form an opinion of these individuals to an extent of infringing of their human rights.

They are highly discriminated against when it comes to employment prompting majority of them to seek self-employment, remain jobless or work in environments not matching their skills. In my view, the society has also played a great in shaping the lifestyle of the body piercing victims. The discrimination and bad perception of the society towards such individuals results to frustration prompting engagement into vices. The common linked behaviors linked to body piercing include, drug tracking and substance abuse, violence, sexual abuses among others.

It is however not evident that any body modifications have any effect on the person who has chosen to get them for his or her self. For instance there is no time that a previously intelligent person started showing signs of dumbness as a result of them getting any kind of body modifications.

It is also not true that any kind of modifications done on the body of an individual have directly made the subject's morals more immoral. For instance a person with a decent means of income cannot resort to stealing simply because they got a tatoo or a tounge piercing during the weekend.

This shows that the stereotypes which come with the body modifications are just that - stereotypes - and although it is true that the majority of the people with these kinds of modifications are conventional 'outlaws' there is also a significant minority who represent everything on the contrary.

Possession of any body modifications should not be used to judge the kind of a person one is. These kinds of judgments at most times prove to be erroneous and not only rids the individual what he/she deserves but also the company at hand looses a person who would have turned out to be a great asset to the firm.

The way we grow up is not the same in everybody's case and thus the diverse outcomes and perceptions. Body modifications to some people are considered sacred rites of passage and using this against them by denying those jobs or promotions at their places of work is not fair to say the least. However considering some of the modifications done to a person, a certain level of tollerance is good to be maintained. For example when an employee has tribal tatoos and modest, honest behaviours then it makes no sense in using his tatoos against him.

In conclusion, this can be avoided by society accepting them and forming an opinion of people based on their skills and ability to perform rather than the impression created out of appears. To end this stigmatization, the government should consider this area as professions like medicine, engineering, accounting among others and encourage better health practices to reduce complications resulting from poor health practices while body piercing. It is through acceptance and accommodation of these individuals into the society that we change the perception the society on piercing as a body art.