Creative compliance Dress code policies Not only can body art affect someone’s life on a daily basis, but now even dress codes are affected by body art. John S. Seiter and Andrea Sandry (2003) examined the effect of body piercings related to being hired. They studied the employers perceptions of the individual based on credibility, hire ability and attractiveness. According to Seiter and Sandry (2002) “dress codes are common indicators that organizational leaders believe employee appearance contributes to the image of the organization” (p. 288). During the hunt for employment “ when job candidates wanted to receive positive evaluations in interviews, their appearance and dress were more important than their interviewing skills” (Dale et al., 2009). Research conducted by Larry Dale et al. (2009) was aimed to explore if there “is a generation gap with respect to attire” (p. 70). When employees were faced with whether or not their place of employment had a dress code policy, “43% of respondents said there was no policy on piercings and tattoos, 37 % did not know if there was a policy and 20% of respondents reported that there was a policy on tattoos and body piercings at their work” (Dale, et al., 2009). Appearance is very important when seeking employment and interviewing for a position. From previous information stated, most people worry more about their physical appearance and spend more time becoming presentable, then focusing on their interviewing skills. In the study conducted by Dale et al. (2009), “74% indicated that they plan to cover their tattoos when going on a job interview” (p. 74). The final findings of Dale et al. (2009) discovered that “if the company had a policy against the use of tattoos and body adornment, the attitude toward
further by stating, “ people who obtain tattoos may be using those tattoos to help them convey a specific image to others, especially when others can see the tattoo” (Kosut, 2006). Doss & Hubbard (2009) “found that participants considered their tattoos to be communicative to some extent and that as the communicative value of the tattoo increased, the visibility of the tattoo increased” (p. 68). Many individuals use their body art, especially tattooed individuals as a way to get a message across or communicate with others. It can almost be compared to the way artists have meanings behind their art work. Hence the word, body art. Tattoos can be used to commemorate loved ones, show personal style and identify something about a person, like a favorite picture or culture. “ Even if the meaning of tattoos shift, and their present cultural currency declines or exhausts most tattooed bodies will bear this ironic fad for the course of a life cycle” (Kosut,2006). For some people “the permanence of tattoos contributes to their allure and cultural significance” (Kosut, 2006). The “decision to tattoo is typically premeditated and deliberate” (Doss & Hubbard ,2009). Research Gap With this increase and acceptance of body art in younger people, why does it have to be an issue? The problem is that there is no significant research, showing employers’ perceptions of different types of body art such as visible tattoos, and piercings including facial art and ear gauges. There is also research lacking in information on how this type of body art affects the potential of receiving employment from blue and white collar professions in the United States. Researchers have examined the perception of tattoos and piercings and found them to be negative. My research will expand on the work of many different scholars by examining these