A Few Piercing Remarks
Body piercing has become a new “hot button” topic in the workplace. In a matter of two weeks, two law firm partners approached me and asked that I talk to their summer associates about body jewelry. If you feel uncomfortable having that conversation, just share this entry with them.
Throughout history, people have pierced various body parts for symbolic and other reasons. In the United States, up until about the 1990s, ears were most frequently pierced. Then, everything changed. Today, I frequently see people with studs or rings attached to their tongue, eyebrows, nostrils, belly buttons and lips. (I understand other body parts may also be pierced. Just thinking about that makes me squirm.)
Some have suggested that wearing multiple studs to the office is no different than propping multiple family photos on an office desk—it’s just a way of personalizing the workplace. This may be so, but I suspect the photos have never altered the clarity of someone’s speech as a tongue stud may.
In most office settings, young professionals should plan on wearing only one ear stud per ear. All other body jewelry should be left at home or discretely hidden.
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