Unable to find work due to self expression

Cocoabeans,I have to say your judgement is very faulty here. I have 3 tattoos plus 8 body piercings and I have had the same job for 3 years now. I have my nose, my belly button, and both my ears are pierced 3 times. Everyone at my work knows about my tattoos and it hasn't affect what they think of how I work. I work very hard. I go into bars and make friends with bartenders not because I am trying to get free drinks but because I am a friendly person by nature. I am in school working to get my degree in Early Childhood education. I have been into a preschool twice now and my instructor said leaving my nose ring would be fine and it was nothing was said about it. Just because someone has tattoos doesn't make them uneducated it makes them creative. I care about fitting in but I also like to do something that makes me happy.If that be getting ink so be it. Like I said I have 3 tattoos and plan on getting more soon.If you knew me you would see that my tattoos are not me not wanting to fit in they are me wanting to expresses myself. Plus one is in honor of my uncle who passed away. The other two are a dolphin on my right leg and two dolphins jumping out of the water with a sunset behind them on my lower back. All stayed covered at work. I also got offered an intership at Disney Land in Flordia and I would of took it had it not been for the money thing. It was a payed one even. Goes to show you that people with tattoos are not uneducated or not always trying to not fit in.

I am also going through the same phase.

I used to be very good with the public speech and the confidence stuff with talking to almost everyone. In college my confidence started to break down for some odd reason- blame my parents for some reason. I had trouble breaking campus interview. I had trouble finding the job. It literally breaked my confidence in such way that I got close to agoraphobia. I work as a freelancer now from home. My family started treating me like failure ever since i failed to get job via campus. I sucked that and still keeping up with it. I know its hard to gain confidence and get back on competing with others. I decides to give my life another direction in the way I want to from my own strength.

I can't give much suggestion on interview breaking because I am also badly beaten on that side. I can however suggest that if you can get into freelancing, at-least you will develop portfolio which has nothing to do with your physical appearance, age, tattoo etc.

At what point did I imply tattoos equal uneducated? I said OP is going for jobs that require no special skills or education, retail and bartending. Would you like fries with that? My reasoning may not always be perfect but, how about your reading comprehension?

3 tattoos is hardly the excessive quantity that would have an effect on getting a job. Heck, I have a tattoo.

Tattoos do not make someone creative. That's just silly.

OP needs to get some education, develop some marketable skills and perhaps then she can overcome her issues with self expression and boundaries.

People who can stock shelves and mix drinks are a dime a dozen. Clearly a woman with pictures of her mental health issues all over her body (excessive tattoos signal this and if she really is expressing herself through tattoos, they will reflect her mental illness) and no special skills is going to have a problem getting a job over any other unskilled labourer who presents herself well.

Out of curiosity, would those who seek acceptance of self expression, consider make up (facial, body, amounts, etc.) in the same class as tattoos?

The issue is and anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong, is some of your comments or opinions are bordering on personal attacks....so you should tone it down a little bit.

For example

and

Why do you feel any of that is appropriate?

I think it is more likely lack of make up on a female...makes them less likely to get a job than wearing make up. Because apparently wearing make up looks 'professional' I don't like the crap on me personally but I sometimes wonder if that has anything to do with why I couldn't find a job when I was looking....to be fair I really am in no position to work at least not now but I still wonder if that was a factor as well.

Okay.

Not personal attacks.

Well.... personally have no tattoos, but I would recommend you expand your search outside your "comfort" zone There are lots of places where you could belong and feel comfortable... maybe not in corporate world (unless you can hide your self expression)... Hugs and best wishes

Then what do you call those quotes of yours I pointed out? support? helpful advice? compliments?...looks like a lot of dis-validation, negative assumptions and bigotry to me. But what do I know. I mean if its not your intention I don't want to play the blame game, but I am not sure how else those comments can be seen.

stereotyped schemas

The reason you're not able to get a retail job and consequences of your choices in life.

What has that got to do with anything?

That's what my posts were. You posted that you are frustrated and I posted, of course but that's what you chose to do.

Maybe if you developed some skills that made you unique employers could look past your poor judgement (tattoos).

What is what your posts were? It's you who claimed having a mental illness is a reason for an employer not to hire one...the statement encourages discrimination against mentally ill people.

I don't even have tattoos I just see no reason to judge someones character on whether they have tattoos or not, that is like judging someones personality on wether they prefer coffee or tea. And what are you basing that I have poor judgement on? I was disagreeing with your bigoted posts towards the poster of this thread, people in general with tattoos and mentally ill people. It appears you're the one showing poor judgement here.

Generally speaking, people with mental illness are a riskier choice in hiring. People are not made equally.

I forgot who the OP is, not you? Not really paying attention.

Coffee and tea are much different than choosing to mark your body with tattoos. The prejudice about them exists and deciding to rebel does reflect a person's judgement and will have an impact on what employers think of a person. That's a simple fact, stomp your feet and moan about it if you like but, excessive tattoos close doors.

I'm bored of repeating myself now. Please refer to my earlier posts.

Well that's your opinion....and you've made it quite clear already. The point is its not helpful to anyone here for you to go on defending stigmas against people...this isn't called Stigmacentral.com.

Not helpful in your opinion.

Want to dance?