Something that I feel strongly about is getting tattoos. I myself have one and want to get more. I work at Family Video, and when I was hired the manager told me that when I work I can't have it show, so it needs to be hidden. This is a controversy that I would like to address; businesses want to seem professional so even the smallest tattoo cannot be visible, or they will not hire you if you are full of tattoos. My personal beliefs/opinions differ greatly when it comes to what part of society feels and what businesses feel. This is where an intersectional approach helps in approaching this situation.
Intersectionality is a framework that proposes that multiple social categories intersect at the micro level of individual experience to reflect multiple interlocking systems of privilege and oppression at the macro level (TC, 114-115). This is saying that in order to understand how a person is being oppressed in society, you have to look at different factors of their life including race, working class, employment, gender, sexuality, and ability. By looking at these different aspects of a person's life, you are more able to understand how much more privilege you have compared to others, or how much you are being oppressed in society.
By looking specifically at the issue above about tattoos, using this intersectional approach, we are able to better understand other people's points of view, and not come to such biased conclusions. By putting this into action, we have to look at the employers' own thoughts on tattoos, statistics about customers and how they feel, which might lead them to find someplace else to go, and how many people that have tattoos can be associated with being thugs or rebels. We have to also look at the other positive aspects too including that the people who have tattoos are showing a sign of creativity that could also be shown in the workplace, and whether the person applying has the qualifications for the job, not being judged by appearance. By looking at all these different categories and how they intersect with each other and the main 'controversy' of not being able to wear tattoos in the workplace, we are able to see how it affects those with tattoos. People in this situation might feel they are not being treated fairly, but there are other factors they have to look at as well to make these decisions.
You point out a lot of different factors that a person would have to consider which is great. I feel like those factors are things that need to be addressed in a workplace. Some workplaces are more open to not covering up tattoos where some aren't. I agree that people in that situation also has to look at other factors as well to make decisions. I think that a huge part in the coverup of tattoos for work is about the audience which you do mention above.
ReplyDeleteHow do stereotypes about tattoos map on to the identity categories that we study in terms of privilege and oppression?
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