~6/01/02-Untitled article by Veronica

            In any form of business, one must worry about their appearance. It’s common sense to be clean and functional in a business setting clothing wise, but should ones facial attributes be considered? Is it more distracting to have an out-of-place piece of metal implanted into a body part, or to know the public is discriminating against you? Prejudice is usually known as a racial hurt, being judged solely on the color of a skin; however, prejudice also means to be judged solely on appearance without any deepening to the character of the person, which occurs nearly every day by business owners.

            “Pointed criticism, if accurate, often gives the artist an inner sense of relief. The criticism that damages is that which disparages, dismisses, ridicules, or condemns (Henley)”. The only thing being shaped in a person’s life when an art-driven criticism takes place is the growth of despair and disappointment. No person who changes his or her body wants it to look bad, but rather add a piece of art to their body and show it off to the public in a less formal atmosphere than hanging their faces in some New York-style gallery. The proof of the thought beauty is evident in how many different piece of jewelry that can be bought and exchanged in the various holes.

            “Art is not living. It is a use of living. The artist has the ability to take that living and use it in a certain way, and produce art (Lorde)”. The artist who pierces, or gets pierced, usually has the mindset of making their body the canvas and transforming the needle into the paintbrush. As Van Gough once created such beautiful art which are on display in several galleries and homes all over the world, a regular “Joe” can create a piece of art on exhibit in appendages world-wide. One person’s idea for a piece of jewelry can easily become a trend by being copied by other persons and put on the market for all to take advantage of. A true artist can create a burning in the belly of desire, and thereby setting new limits to exhibiting their art.

The arguments against body art, one of which states visible piercings and tattoos are distracting to the customer, are completely unfair. The customer shouldn’t be so worried about who is selling a product or idea to them, so much as what the person is selling them. You cannot accurately judge a book by its cover, or its seller. More so than the customer’s actions towards the said individual, the business owner’s actions reflect more on the type of business run. One cannot expect to feel comfortable with who they are when the very person paying their bills doesn’t approve of their appearance. The owner should know better than to judge their employees by their appearances; an owner hires for skill, not for the face.

In addition to this specific art form being a distraction, it is also said to be offensive to any said outside party. Instead of one pleasing his or her self, they should cater to the needs and beliefs of everyone around them. No one has a face in the corporate world; no religion, political stance, or art choice is to be known. Each person’s stance in life is to be standard and not thought to be the least bit outstanding; even if the job is done extraordinarily well, no customer is let in on that secret in a normal situation. Business owners set out to make their atmospheres like a communism; no one is better than anyone else, except the person in rule. But we’re not communists; we’re democrats, republicans, independents, and every third-party ever known. We’re different.

“They'll talk about me showing cleavage and my belly, but they don't say anything about the artists who accept an award and can't even talk because they're so drugged out. After the awards show, I go home, drink my tea and go to bed (Spears)”. Due to an extreme case of ignorance and prejudice, because someone looks a certain way, one is turned into exactly as they are thought to be. A person who expresses their self through body art is, often times, thought to be a criminal and an indecent human being. However, more often than not, the first thought is often wrong. Someone with any number of piercings and/or tattoos can be whoever they want to be, whether it be an excellent mother, father, grandmother, sister, brother, nun or anything else they wish to be.

“All art requires courage (Tucker)”. Art is art, whether the person is reserved about theirs or extreme. In a business setting anything should go, as long as there is skill involved and the job is getting done to the fullest available extent. A cashier is able to sell a painting or sculpture done by an artist, and maybe even body art jewelry; a cook may not be as good as thought to be, and not as clean; a waitress may be rude to customers and get orders wrong; regardless, they’d get paid to the fullest extent if only their face is suitable to be shown in a public setting. Furthermore, the discrimination against artists is inexcusable and inappropriate; to take someone at face value doesn’t mean to take someone for the value of their face.