I Shouldn't Be Discriminated Against For My Body Art
I hope that body art won't be considered taboo and that someday, seeing a professional with tattoos in the workplace won't conjure up a second thought.
I've always wondered why tattoos were always considered a big deal in a career or why piercings were frowned upon. Growing up, my dad had tattoos everywhere. He was and is the nicest, smartest, and most qualified person for any job, but when I was young, he had to wear long sleeve turtlenecks to hide the art on his body.
To maintain his job, to support his family, he had to hide himself and fit into this tiny, discriminatory box that society forced him into because tattoos somehow made him less qualified to do your job. Eventually, my dad passed the "probation" period in his job where he started earning benefits and could no longer be fired without a serious cause. The ending of this "probation" period meant that my dad could wear short sleeve shirts, revealing the tattoos on his arms and neck.
Because my dad is a tall, bald, white male with tattoos, people instantly thought of him as a "skinhead," a racist, a biker, and any other related title you can think of. Although he is talented, smart, kind, and qualified, he would have never gotten his job if they knew he had tattoos. Or perhaps, maybe he would have gotten the job, but I whole-heartedly believe that they would have forced him to cover up from the very beginning.
I tell you this because I've always thought of tattoos as art, as a form of expression, as markings that show where you've been and the life you've lived. I knew from a young age that I wanted many tattoos and a few piercings. I didn't want to go overboard, but I wanted to be able to have them without the judgment of employers or the judgment of anyone for that matter. But as I got older, the reality of showing off tattoos began to dwindle as I chose a career.
Journalism made me happy. It's what I found happiness in. But going into broadcast journalism, I knew tattoos would delegitimize my experience, as well as my degree, my knowledge, and my capabilities altogether. It wouldn't matter how qualified I am for that job, because if I have visible ink littered on my skin, I wouldn't be a desirable candidate for that position.
I understand that employers wish to encourage and exploit professionalism within the workplace, and with that, proper clothing attire is necessary and excessive tattoos or piercings aren't sought after. I understand that there is a fine line between acceptable body art versus an unprofessional amount of body art, but I feel as though any signs of tattoos or piercings automatically disqualify you for a position.
For this reason, every tattoo that I have, I purposefully got them in places that you'd never see: a hip, foot, and rib tattoo. I've always wanted a tattoo on my shoulder and even a 'sleeve' tattoo on my arm, but those aren't possibilities for me. It's bothersome to me that I have to sacrifice those until I retire because that will be the only time my tattoos don't threaten my livelihood. Even during retirement, I'll be considered "too old" to have tattoos, so I'll be discriminated against no matter what.
I hope that as a society, we'll learn to become more progressive, more accepting, and less judgmental. I hope that body art won't be considered taboo and that someday, seeing a professional with tattoos in the workplace won't conjure up a second thought. Until then, I have to live in a society where my tattoos must be covered, and any more than an ear piercing is considered horrifying.
A Letter To SUTV: Thanks For The Memories
Working at Shippensburg's campus television station has taught me a lot through the years and has prepared me for my future career.
Ever since I was a kid, I had dreams of working in television. Specifically, I had a dream of working as a sports broadcaster. In order to forge a career in the industry, I knew I had to start by going to a school that would provide me with the best tools to prepare me to work in broadcasting.
I had several options to choose from when I was a senior in high school. I looked at attending Penn State University, Lock Haven University, and of course, Shippensburg University. Right away, Shippensburg was my number one choice because I knew I could get involved with student broadcast immediately as a freshman.
On August 25th, 2015, I showed up to my first SUTV production meeting. I remember sitting in the back of the room and feeling overwhelmed. I was barely at Shippensburg for a week, I hardly knew anybody at the meeting, and I had no clue how to properly work a camera.
By watching what the upper classmen were doing around the studio, I quickly started learning how write, shoot, and edit a story. Before I knew it, I was regularly providing content for SUTV News. I then turned my attention towards working SUTV live-productions of Shippensburg sports.
I spent my first SUTV broadcast of Ship football operating a camera, but I took notes on how I could become a commentator for the games. By my second semester at Ship, I had moved from behind the camera to in front of it as a sideline reporter.
My first interview as a sideline reporter was with Shippensburg's men's basketball coach, who stood at 6'10" (compared to my modest 5'7"). And to much of my friends' amusement, the students working graphics in the truck butchered my last name. After a rough first night as the sideline reporter, I continued to improve my on-air presence, going from stumbling over my words to having a more confident delivery. As the years rolled by, I moved my way up being the play-by-play commentator by my senior year.
As I come down to my final few weeks of working with SUTV, I look back knowing I made the right decision to get involved when I came to campus four years ago. The skills I learned at SUTV helped me land and succeed in three internships. I even worked at my dream internship covering high school football games with ABC 27 in Harrisburg.
Because of SUTV, I was able to work with really talented and hardworking people. Many of whom will be my lifelong friends. Together we put out a lot of quality content for shows over the years, including a basketball broadcast that brought a Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy home to Shippensburg.
As I go through the job searching process in the upcoming weeks and months, I'll gladly sing the praises of Shippensburg University and SUTV. I wouldn't be able to accomplish what I've done so far without it.
Thank you to all the university staff and students who helped make SUTV great and for giving me an outlet to pursue my career aspirations. It's going to be difficult for me walk away from it all, but I'll always carry the memories of working with SUTV forever.