I’m putting together a poster for a conference to illustrate the project and highlight any results so far. For this purpose, I’ve been considering some key themes which are coming out in the interviews.
One concept which all students are considering is the extent to which individuality should be expressed in the workplace. I commented on this briefly in my first post about the interviews, but it is gradually becoming a key theme. Each student has deliberated over the reasons behind self-expression through tattoos, piercings, hairstyles and clothes in general. They have also weighed up the importance of such means of expression over the importance of appearing ‘professional’ in a job. Furthermore, the question of whether tattoos, piercings or ‘extreme’ hairstyles actually matter in a twenty-first century workplace has been raised repeatedly.
Students from a science background seem to place less emphasis on individual expression at work. Perhaps this is due to the prospect of their clothing being hidden behind a white lab coat. Whether this is the case or not, a preference for eliminating aspects of individual expression at work has certainly surfaced. One student said “A lot of people, if they’ve got tattoos, they do it sensibly. They understand that other people might look at them differently if they’ve got them, so they can cover them up if they need to.” Similarly, one student emphasized the importance of “minimising” piercings, “or using clear ones”. The overall impression, therefore, from many students, is that tattoos and piercings are fine, but they should not be visible in a working environment.
However, the opposite view has also been expressed, albeit a little more tentatively. The idea that tattoos, piercings or certain hairstyles are unacceptable at work has been repeatedly described as outdated. For example, one student stated that “There’s an old-fashioned notion that people who have got blue hair are going to be a bad influence. That’s the old belief, but in modern society, it’s good because it promotes individuality. You don’t want everyone to be the same.” A further student emphasized a similar point, highlighting that, although tattoos may have been frowned on previously, “times have moved on a bit (…). So long as they’re not vulgar, like, rude or anything then I don’t see the problem with them anymore.” One student took the middle line, as they thought “the barriers are slowly being pushed a bit more” and “you can add a bit more personality to it than you probably could”.
Evidently, therefore, we have a mixed review on the import of certain aspects of self-presentation. In addition to individual means of expression in appearance, students have discussed the concept of ‘professionalism’. Certain individuals connected the term ‘professional’ to certain dress codes. One stated that “Professionalism is linked directly to being in a suit” and another simply defined the idea of being professional as “wearing something that’s ironed”. The emphasis here, as another student clarified, is on being “seen as professional”.
However, a further student described the idea of being professional as a behavioural concept: It’s not just what you look like, but how you act as well. They defined professionalism as “The way you hold yourself in a job, the way you speak to people” and went on to emphasize the importance of the way you speak about other people. Professionalism incorporates a range of factors for students, involving dress, inter-personal skills, and various behavioural elements.
In conclusion, I think two themes have surfaced here: 1) Individuality and 2) Professionalism. These themes have frequently been discussed in opposition of one another, in terms of whether one can be an individual and a professional. Whether one can have tattoos and still be seen as professional, for example, is a question many students have addressed, and few feel able to answer conclusively. Is this purely down to individual taste, or are there, in fact, some unspoken rules we need to know about?
#GraduateDressCode 