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- Apr 16, 2000
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I'm just curious to see what other people think about this topic. At least where I live, piercings and tattoos are relatively common; even more "extreme" forms of body modification like flesh tunnels (really stretched ear lobes) and scarification are not all that unusual.
I have met several pre-med students who have some form of body modification, ranging from small, easily concealed tattoos to the aforementioned flesh tunnels (which you can't really hide because even if you remove your jewelry, your ear lobes are still hangy and flappy if you stretched them to 0 gauge or beyond). I have talked to some of them who feel that this type of thing is becoming more accepted by society and soon won't be a big deal at all. I tend to agree with them that it is becoming more acceptable; when I pierced my nose 10 years ago (at age 14) I remember getting stares and comments, but now I see even "preppy" type teenagers (cheerleaders and the like) with lip, eyebrow, and other peircings, and nose rings aren't even looked at twice. But I doubt if it is really a good idea to bet on this type of change in social attitudes when getting permanent, visible things done, like facial/neck tattoos. I agree that it shouldn't really matter, but the fact remains that to a lot of people it still does; also, especially in the medical field, there is an expectation of "professionalism" that encompasses appearance and tends to look down on visible tattoos and piercings.
Personally, I have long since removed all piercings other than my nose ring (which I plan to take out for interviews), my earlobes are very slighly stretched (10 g, so not really noticeable if I remove the jewelry) and I have a tattoo which I can hide at interviews. I don't feel like it is sublimating my identity or anything to hide these things, and I have met several doctors/residents in my area who have their nose pierced or small visible tattoos, so I feel like once I am accepted it probably won't be a big deal if I choose to wear a nose ring or wear clothing that allows my tattoo to be seen (also I am planning on getting a much larger one, but on my back, once accepted). What is your opinion about doctors/medical students having tattoos and piercings--should it be acceptable, or do you agree with the prevailing social attitude that these things are unbecoming of a professional? Do you have any, and if so, will you hide/remove them at interviews? What about after you are accepted?
I have met several pre-med students who have some form of body modification, ranging from small, easily concealed tattoos to the aforementioned flesh tunnels (which you can't really hide because even if you remove your jewelry, your ear lobes are still hangy and flappy if you stretched them to 0 gauge or beyond). I have talked to some of them who feel that this type of thing is becoming more accepted by society and soon won't be a big deal at all. I tend to agree with them that it is becoming more acceptable; when I pierced my nose 10 years ago (at age 14) I remember getting stares and comments, but now I see even "preppy" type teenagers (cheerleaders and the like) with lip, eyebrow, and other peircings, and nose rings aren't even looked at twice. But I doubt if it is really a good idea to bet on this type of change in social attitudes when getting permanent, visible things done, like facial/neck tattoos. I agree that it shouldn't really matter, but the fact remains that to a lot of people it still does; also, especially in the medical field, there is an expectation of "professionalism" that encompasses appearance and tends to look down on visible tattoos and piercings.
Personally, I have long since removed all piercings other than my nose ring (which I plan to take out for interviews), my earlobes are very slighly stretched (10 g, so not really noticeable if I remove the jewelry) and I have a tattoo which I can hide at interviews. I don't feel like it is sublimating my identity or anything to hide these things, and I have met several doctors/residents in my area who have their nose pierced or small visible tattoos, so I feel like once I am accepted it probably won't be a big deal if I choose to wear a nose ring or wear clothing that allows my tattoo to be seen (also I am planning on getting a much larger one, but on my back, once accepted). What is your opinion about doctors/medical students having tattoos and piercings--should it be acceptable, or do you agree with the prevailing social attitude that these things are unbecoming of a professional? Do you have any, and if so, will you hide/remove them at interviews? What about after you are accepted?