Male with ear piercing or studs

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torshi

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What is the view of a male medical student wearing ear piercing or studs? Looked down upon, or no one really notices/cares?
I was thinking of getting some studs, prob about two in the left ear, nothing flashy, they're quite small actually

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What is the view of a male medical student wearing ear piercing or studs? Looked down upon, or no one really notices/cares?
I was thinking of getting some studs, prob about two in the left ear, nothing flashy, they're quite small actually

Chances of getting a negative response from them on your interviews > chances of getting a positive response.
 
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What is the view of a male medical student wearing ear piercing or studs? Looked down upon, or no one really notices/cares?
I was thinking of getting some studs, prob about two in the left ear, nothing flashy, they're quite small actually

Don't be that guy.
 
trashy and unprofessional
 

Less culturally accepted (by old people) might be more appropriate. If everyone older than 30 died off tomorrow, I think we'd see a quick shift in attitudes within the professional world.
 
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Less culturally accepted (by old people) might be more appropriate. If everyone older than 30 died off tomorrow, I think we'd see a quick shift in attitudes within the professional world.

This. Cultural norms. Personally, I'd like to say I wouldnt think of it if I came across someone with studs, but there may be unconscious bias against him. I'd say definitely more chance of a negative rxn than positive. At best neutral from most older professionals.
 
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Earrings on guys are most definitely trashy. They go perfect with graphic tees or affliction shirts. They are less socially accepted than tattoos.
 
Earrings on guys are most definitely trashy. They go perfect with graphic tees or affliction shirts. They are less socially accepted than tattoos.

I think this is all personal opinion! Its not trashy...just because someone has a conservative opinion does not make something TRUE- it's just what you think. I do not think tattoos or piercings are trashy- to each their own
 
OP, I think you just need to be smart with it. If you want to get earrings, you are a grown man, so get them. I have earrings (studs) and they arent the largest but arent the smallest either...one in each ear lobe. When I say be smart with it, I mean I will be taking them out for my interviews this fall, I will wear them my first two years in medical school (not during professional events or clinical settings) and then I will not be wearing them during my clinical years.
 
Earrings on guys are most definitely trashy. They go perfect with graphic tees or affliction shirts. They are less socially accepted than tattoos.

I agree with AJgem. Looking at your name and picture I'm guessing you're from Iowa. I'm sure it doesn't go with the standard midwestern values (when I say midwestern I mean except for the following metropolitan areas: Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, etc.) in Iowa or Kansas, for example, but in most places it is acceptable.
 
I don't look down on them, but I can see how people would. Probably not a good idea for interviews or with patients.
 
What is the view of a male medical student wearing ear piercing or studs? Looked down upon, or no one really notices/cares?
I was thinking of getting some studs, prob about two in the left ear, nothing flashy, they're quite small actually

Regardless of what Adcoms think of them, which is probably nothing save for a few members, its just horrible fashion sense. It isn't 1997.
 
Pierce your nipple instead; it's a win-win - no one sees it and you still get your piercing.
 
If you don't already have earrings, then wait till you matriculate to get them. For those that already have them, I know you think you look weird without them, but trust me. When you first stop wearing them, you'll look in the mirror and feel like a part of you is missing. But after a few weeks, you realize that you look fine without the earrings. Then after another week or so, you ask yourself "Why did I wear those earrings for so long? Now that I think about it, they're so unprofessional!"

Speaking from personal experience :)
 
Any thoughts?
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Just wanted to say that it is possible to have piercings and still be accepted into med school. You should definitely be smart about when and how you choose to wear them and, like others have said, take them out for interviews and professional events. I also agree that they are more acceptable during m1 and m2 while your rotation sites will dictate what's acceptable in m3 and m4. And im saying this as someone who just got accepted into med school despite my many piercings, 3/4" gauged ears, and 6 year old dreadlocks.

Apparently my school likes trashy students!
 
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I have simple earlobe piercings but I take them out for interviews and have had a success. I always wear very simple studs and the only person that has ever reacted negatively to my face about them is my mother. I wear them regularly in the ED where I volunteer and get many compliments from staff and patients (of course I am sure there are still many who don't look at them fondly). I think it is a bit of an over reaction to say they are unprofessional and trashy if you wear simple studs. That said, I would recommend taking them out for interviews because you don't know the attitudes of your interviewers. I could also see leaving them out for several of the clerkships as well.

EDIT: In response to the magazine cover, gauged ears of that size certainly do stand out and I understand people's negative views of them, but I wouldn't say I would trust him any less as a provider or educator.
 
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Studs are tacky. Gauges are gross. I wouldn't want any of my colleagues sporting any of that. Definitely unprofessional. And social norms are based on majority of personal opinion or at least the opinion of important people.
 

It is important to be "culturally competent" insofar as this influences the way you interact with your patients. It is not antithetical to accept a particular trait among your patient population, but to not accept the same trait among colleagues and students. A physician could view your earrings as unprofessional during your interview, but not think anything of them when you wind up in a bed in their hospital.

And with regard to the picture, you don't have to exhibit a characteristic to be accepting of it or sensitive to it. I would judge a physician's cultural competence by how well they understand the influence that an individual's life experience have on their behavior and health, not by the number of holes they've poked in their own face or the grotesqueness of their own haircut.
 
Get them, take them out for an afternoon for an interview, put them back in. Not worth the possible negative reaction from a conservative interviewer. I take out my nose ring. This is not the time or place to make a statement about cultural norms. Also, ignore the people in this thread trying to tell you they're "tacky" or "gross." Do you.
 
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In order run earring game, you need to have hypermasculine facial features.


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otherwise you'll be looking like
Skrillex-648x364.jpg
 
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