February 4, 2025 • 25 mins
Ever wondered how your choice of tattoos or vibrant hair colors might tip the scales of your career? Join Bobbi Joy and Jane Burt as we challenge the conventions of professional appearance and personal expression. We unravel the often unspoken biases and societal judgments faced by individuals sporting body modifications. From tattoos and piercings to hair hues that defy the status quo, we question why these personal choices can sometimes close professional doors.
Expect a session laced with humor and genuine personal stories, delving into the generational shifts in accepting body art. We share anecdotes that shed light on the tug-of-war between self-expression and the need to conform to company images and it might just make you rethink what's truly 'acceptable' in the workplace.
email: boomerandgenxer@gmail.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome everyone to today's show.
A Boomer and Gen X-er.
Welcome to a Bar coming to youfrom the mobile rabbit hole
studio that we're going to callthe Rabbit Run Studio, where you
, as a listener, will experiencesome wit and wisdom, some smart
assery and a mother anddaughter questioning.
Are we even related?
My name is bobby joy and myco-host is my mom, jane burt,
(00:33):
and for the next uh 20 to 25minutes, we're here to entertain
you is that right?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
hey, you know, on our intro, every I'm always
wondering where the wit andwisdom comes in, because I mean
we're wise asses, I think, butwe don't have a whole lot of
wisdom going on here.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Well, I mean, I think we have our life experiences.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, that's probably all.
That's about all we got goingfor us.
So, um, you know what?
Today's topic?
I think uh came from a listener, didn't it bobby?
I believe that it did okay and,um, I think this topic is one
that kind of keeps showing up onsome reels on facebook and and
(01:26):
twitter and stuff and orsnapchat excuse me, I think
twitter's is it gone?
I don't know I don't know.
Well, it's called x now oh yeah,that's right and um, it has to
do with tattoos and our,basically our appearance uh in
in getting jobs, and how we'reperceived in the public eye and
(01:52):
um, so tattoos and hair color.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Just call it like body modifications okay is that
that includes piercings too okay.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So tattoos, piercings , hair colors, maybe even how
you dress, I don't really know,but this kind of came up because
some people were feeling thatthey were being, um, they
weren't given the opportunitiesas other people for jobs or for,
uh, raises or promotionsbecause of some of the life
(02:24):
choices I, I guess that they'vemade.
Is that about what you figuredout out of that?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
I think that, yeah, anybody who has any kind of body
modifications has at one pointor another experienced it,
whether they've been told.
You know to cover them up, orto you know, change your hair
color back to what it was, oryou know, take your piercings
(02:50):
out, those types of things.
I think that anybody with bodymodifications has, at one point
or another, experienced it inone degree or another.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So let's talk about tattoos first of all, because
it's my understanding thatthere's some tattoos out there
that have different meanings,right, Like gang signs, of
course, could keep you fromgetting a job at the church, I
mean you know all tattoos havemeaning.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
You know all tattoos have meaning.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
And, yeah, there are certain ones that you know, like
, for example, you know you gointo prison and you get like a
swastika tattooed on yourforehead, mr Charlie Manson, and
you're going to have a problem.
I wonder why I'm not gettinghired, and I read this somewhere
that the cobweb.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So the cobweb is actually.
It's more, it's a drug thing.
It's about being like amethamphetamine distributor or
seller in your area.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
OK, what's the tear on the face?
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Some places it's how many people you've killed, and
some places it's um for doinghard time.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yowch, I need to pay more attention to that and see
who I'm talking to on the on thebus.
Okay, I don't take the bus, butI talk to people in public all
the time.
I mean it's like I'm a magnetbecause people just come up and
start talking to me, no matterwhat, and I don't really care,
you know, I mean I don't, butsometimes I need to know.
(04:33):
You know, did you kill people?
Yeah, I killed my mama.
You know, it's like what?
I want to know what's going on.
So, anyway, the topic came upbecause some people were feeling
like they weren't getting hiredfor jobs because of tattoos,
and some of them are very, veryextreme, wouldn't you say?
(04:55):
I mean, when you cover yourwhole face with tattoos or you
know your entire body withtattoos, that's a little extreme
.
I mean I don't care what you dowith your body.
Really, I mean I don't care.
Whatever you choose to do,that's your choice.
But don't be surprised whenpeople are judgmental about what
you look like and how you arecoming across for their business
(05:19):
, how other people may perceiveyou.
You know, don't be surprised atthat.
You can't just go.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I think a lot of it has to do with context as well.
Like you know you're, you'renot going to be judged so
harshly.
You know, having roses on yourbody versus, um, you know, a
naked lady who's bound and tied,you know, or something,
something along that lines,because you know, and delving
(05:48):
into it.
You know there actually isn'tany kind of protection for
people with body modifications,like there is for other things.
So, yeah, it is.
It's completely up to thatemployer, um, and that business
and that company as to what theywant their you know
representatives of their companyto look like.
And so, you know, people arelike, well, I was discriminated
(06:11):
against.
Well, I mean, yeah, technicallyyou were, but there's no laws,
right?
No, there's no legalrepercussions, right?
No federal law banning tattoodiscrimination or anything like
that, right?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
and I looked that up because I wanted to know that
too.
You know, could I get fired,could I not get hired, could I
not get a promotion because ofthat?
absolutely you're absolutelyright.
I mean, the employer can refuseto hire you for any reason
except your race, sex, age, youknow which is really 40 plus now
used to be 50 plus, I don'tknow when that dropped Religion,
(06:47):
national origin or disability.
Not hiring someone for having atattoo or how you've modified
your body is perfectly legal,right, and so you know that's
called a condition of employmentand it, you know, the way I
look at jobs and I always saidthis to my employees because I
(07:08):
had to make that decision everyday is, you know, I make a
decision every day to eithertake it or leave it, and an
employer does too.
They're either going to takewhat you've got to offer and
what you know.
They don't have you therebecause you're a pretty face.
They have you there to maketheir business profitable.
That's why you're there, and ifthey feel that that's being
hindered, they've got a right tolet you go or not promote you
(07:32):
or or not give you, you know, orgive you the lower paying jobs
yeah, that is true.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That is true.
I don't agree with it, but thatis true I think, in in some
cases.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I think people do it for shock factor.
You know, when I see somebodywho's got tattoos all over their
face and or it's you know whatI would consider kind of a
disgusting topic on their body,I think they do it for shock
value.
Now again, I don't care if youdo it, you're not shocking me.
I don't have to live with you,so you know.
(08:03):
But let me ask you this Do youhave any tattoos, bob?
I already know the answer tothis one.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I have a lot of tattoos actually.
Yes, a lot of visible tattoos,a lot of covered tattoos.
Yeah, I've been getting tattoossince literally the day that I
turned 18 yes, you have, and, um, I have tattoos.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I don't have near as many as you and your sister have
, and I just want to make thisclear.
They're not disgustinglycovered with tattoos.
Do they have several tattoos?
Yeah, they got several.
She have any on her face andyou know, is or does she have
anything that's reallydisgusting?
Um, she's got one on her neckand one on the back of her neck,
(08:50):
but, um, I would say, ifsomebody said, hey, listen, you
know, uh, we need you to coverthose up.
Most of yours are on your arms,legs, wherever else you've got
tattoos right and so you couldvery easily say, yeah, I can
comply with that.
Um, I can cover them up now,when you get them on your hands,
yeah, and when you get them onyour hands, that's a little more
(09:13):
difficult, um, or your neck,that's a little more difficult
to cover up, but, um, I don't,you know, I guess I could cover
mine up.
Let's ask Dr Domain.
He's in the studio.
He doesn't have the sameviewpoint, I don't think, on
tattoos as we do, because do you?
Have any tattoos?
Dr Domain, and I already knowthe answer to this one, but I
(09:37):
don't think Bobby does.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
No, I do not.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
You do not you do not , and is it because you're just
totally against tattoos or it'sjust not something that you've?
I mean, what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
it's.
It's nothing that I would haveor had the inclination to do do
you look at people differentlywhen they because they have
tattoos?
Yeah, I think it's I, I think Ido you do.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Now, this is interesting that he answered
that way, because, for anybodywho doesn't know this, dr Domain
is my life partner and I havetattoos, and now I know that
you're looking at me differently.
Is that right?
Fall back, fall back, yeah,yeah.
(10:25):
In what way?
Like negatively?
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Well, no, not necessarily.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
No, I want you to answer this, and I want you to
answer it right now.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
I mean it's nothing new.
I mean I've had members of myfamily have tattoos.
My dad, had a tattoo.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
He got a tattoo when he was younger and my older
brother's got a tattoo and Idon't know.
There's probably others in thefamily I don't know about.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
But I just don't have the inclination or the desire
to spend the money on a tattoo.
I have nothing, there's nothingthat I can think of that I want
to permanently have on my body.
Really, so yeah, really okay,all right yeah, so what color is
the frame around the mona lisa?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
black no brown gold.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Why would you see?
You don't even know, becausethat's not the important part,
it's the painting.
So yeah why would I, why do I,why do I worry about that?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
oh, is that your way of getting out of it, so that
you you just said that you lookat me differently as your life
partner, since I have tattoos.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
But now I'm gonna put you on this piece of art oh my
goodness, oh my yeah, he wentthe other way with that, yeah he
could have.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
He could have dug himself out of the hole he's in
right now, but he didn't.
What about, um?
So, again, you know, peoplehave indicated that they're less
likely to get hired since theyhave tattoos, primarily on their
face, on their neck, that sortof thing, and that's probably
true.
They may be offered lower wagesor less desirable positions due
(11:59):
to tattoos.
An employer can definitely dothat legally, yeah, positions
due to tattoos an employer candefinitely do that legally.
Yeah, um, in some cases, arefusal to hire somebody solely
based on tattoos could beconsidered discrimination, but
that would be a really, reallyhard hard case to yeah, that
would be a yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
I find it entertaining when people go out
there and whine like I didn'tget the job or I got fired, and
guess what?
They're not looking after you.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, they're looking after them, the bottom line of
the business is the bottom line.
Right, it's not you.
Right, and it's alwaysentertaining when you hear that,
oh, I got fired for this orthat.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Well, you know you're hired and fired at will, Right.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
That's exactly right, so right.
So I I saw a reel with a guythat had hundreds of piercings
on his face.
Now he had them all over hisbody, but he had them all over
his face plus tattoos, and hehad indicated that he was
struggling to get a job.
And he I've got to be honestwith you, it was hard to look at
, it was hard to look at and forme and uh, he and maybe he's a
(13:03):
nice enough guy, I don't reallyknow but I think it throws
people off initially, you know,and there's probably some
stereotypes out there, but to meI question you when you put
hundreds on your face.
I'm going to question yourdecision-making, decision making
skills well, now I I've had alot of you look at people
(13:27):
differently with tattoos do Ilook at people differently?
Speaker 3 (13:31):
with tattoos.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, if they've got them that are disgusting all
over their face and stuff.
I question their decisionmaking skills objective, isn't
it?
Speaker 3 (13:39):
what's disgusting?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
yeah, it is subjective.
Yeah, absolutely.
I want to be clear.
I said different, I didn't saybad or good, I said skills,
subjective, isn't it?
What's disgusting?
Yeah, it is subjective.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Yeah, absolutely, I want to be clear.
I said different.
I didn't say bad or good, Isaid different, right and you
know?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
somebody would say you know, are you prejudging or
are you being biased?
Yeah, you know.
When I picked you as my partneryeah, when I picked you as my
partner, I was being prejudiced.
I said that's the one that Iwant for for my partner.
Yeah, you betcha, I'm going tojudge and you, betcha, I'm going
to.
I'm going to have a bias on itand a biased opinion and, um,
(14:10):
I'm not saying.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
I've, I've had piercings, you know this.
I've had a lot of piercings onmy face, um and other places,
and I don't think that I thinkthere's been maybe one or two
jobs where I actually didn't, Iwasn't required to remove those
piercings, and it was eitherbecause of a safety issue during
(14:34):
my job you know, if it was just, you couldn't even have
earrings or regular rings onyour finger because of safety or
it was, it was a literal imageyou know that they wanted to put
forth of their company, becausewhen you work for somebody,
you're the face of their company, right?
So when somebody walks to thedoor, you know, regardless if
(14:57):
you work at Starbucks or youwork at, you know, downtown CEO
office, if they walk through thedoor and yours is the face that
they see, you are the face ofthe company for those people.
Yes, and so, yeah, absolutelythat.
You know I've been asked toremove piercings.
I've been asked to covertattoos.
I've been asked to alter myhair because you know, there was
(15:22):
a time when I had a differentwild hair color every month and
it's it kind of comes down to.
I had the education, I had thetraining, I had the knowledge to
do the job and I did the jobwell and they wanted to give me
the opportunity to continue todo that job for them, knowing
(15:42):
that I did the job that well,versus fighting over.
You know, my hair being purpleRight, and at that point the
ball's in my court, you knowthey're giving me ways around it
.
They're giving me ways toresolve this so that I can
continue my job, or they'resaying I'm sorry we got to let
you go.
Do I think that it was fair?
No, because my purple hairdidn't determine the fact that I
(16:07):
could, you know, be a paralegaland walk into court.
But I'll be damned if I was incourt and needed a paralegal, if
I wanted somebody who hadpurple hair and piercings,
walking in an eight inch,stilettos and fishnet stockings.
You know, I mean, I'm notsaying that they weren't able to
do it and they weren't able todo it Well.
You just question it, that's.
I'm not saying that theyweren't able to do it and they
weren't able to do it well.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
You just question it.
That's all I'm saying.
Is I question your decisionmaking skills when something
like that happens.
Now, the reason you were askedto take your piercings off was
because remember that one timewhen you were magnetized to the,
to the pizza oven by yourtongue, that was, that was hard
to take Bobby, I mean that washard to take bobby, I mean that
was hard to watch, and so, um, Ithink that's why they told you
(16:51):
to remove that stuff.
So, um, again, you know hands,arms those are.
You know, hands are a littleharder to cover up.
I can cover up my arms.
I can cover up the rest of mybody.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Well, you're really gonna hate this, then what?
Um?
So got some news for you.
What your?
Uh?
Your your your granddaughter,who just turned 18 years old in
august um you know, she went andgot her first tattoo on her
18th birthday and that was onher arm.
Yes, memorial tattoo.
(17:23):
Uh, she went and got her secondtattoo last week, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Why is it no one tells me this at the time?
Why is it you guys show you ohyeah, you won't, because she
wants to see my face okay, sowhat is it you need to tell me
about that one?
Speaker 1 (17:40):
um, it's on her hand.
Okay, it's her entire hand.
Okay, it's her entire hand Okay.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
What the listeners don't know is okay, I was 18
years old and I got my firsttattoo.
I didn't tell my mother.
My mother did not have tattoosback then.
I did not tell my motherbecause, even at 18 years old
and I had been living out of thehouse for a while at that point
, you know, my mom scared thehell out of me.
Your mom sounds like a realwitch.
(18:15):
She's half my size, she's halfmy weight, but by God, I was
scared to death of her and Ijust happened to be trying on a
pair of jeans that she bought me.
And she goes, turn around, pullthe shirt up so I can see it,
and my first tattoo I had gottenwas on my spine, going up my
back.
Me, being a dumb 18 year old,forgot that I got that tattoo
(18:37):
and I pull my shirt up so momcan see it.
And I turned around and I couldsee the look on her face
immediately.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I was looking for a razor to cut that thing off of
you.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's.
That's what happened.
Well, I mean, you know, wait aminute because let's back up a
second.
You were the same kid thatshaved your head.
Um came home with your headshaved in your senior year of
high school we were going to shehad won the Midwest art contest
(19:07):
.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
So yeah, so it was the Scholastic Art Competition.
I won the highest award, whichwas the Golden Key, which also
came with an optionalscholarship to New York City for
art school.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
And so there was this big awards banquet.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It was in a facility in downtown Des Moines, iowa,
and it was a big deal back it upbecause, because the week
before we left for ROTC, we werein competition for rifle and
drill team for that entire week,leading up to to this
revelation that my mother hadwhen I whatever whatever.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Anyway, I hadn't seen her the day of this event that
we were supposed to go and gether award, and we're all dressed
up and I'm ready to go, and shewalks in with her head shaved
and I didn't say a word.
I didn't say anything it wasn'tbald, bald, though it was pretty
darn close.
Oh no, you were, it was awfuland and I just I just looked at
(20:11):
her and I didn't say a word.
And I think she was moreshocked that I didn't say
anything because you know, I I'mpretty vocal and yeah, when I
want to say something, I'm gonnasay it.
Okay, and I, that's how I'vealways been said it and I just,
I just kind of looked at her andwalked away.
And about an hour later we gotready to go to the event and I
went out and got in my car andand she comes running out of the
(20:32):
house.
She goes, wait for me.
And I go no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you're driving yourself.
I said, life is all aboutchoices.
And you made a choice to shaveyour head.
Now that's your choice.
A choice to shave your head.
Now that's your choice.
You want to shave your head?
Go shave your head.
I think you look stupid, but goshave your head.
(20:52):
And I said but I'm going tomake a choice right now.
I don't have to appear with you, I don't have to be with you
and I don't have to sit with you, and that's a choice I'm making
.
And I got in my car and I wentto the event.
How she got there, I don't know, because she didn't even have a
car, but she was, she was there, she wasn't sitting with me, uh
, but anyway, let's keep movingon here, because I want to move
(21:12):
to hair color too.
And um, I just want to say realquick that back in the day, when
I was, you know when I was muchyounger, um, way back when, way
back when, uh, it was reallythe beginning of women starting
to wear their hair colors waydifferent than what we had seen
(21:35):
in the past, like if you wereblonde.
Now they're.
They're dying it black, whichwas really kind of shocking back
in those days.
And we had a gal at work thatshe had her hair dyed really
really bright white, except forthe very ends, which were all
black, and I'm not kidding you,at that time it was like and she
(21:59):
was the receptionist at thefront desk of our company and I
worked for a big big company andI'm not kidding you company, we
and I worked for a big bigcompany and I'm not kidding you,
you would have thought thatthat the gates of hell had
opened up and was ready toswallow everybody in because
they acted like somehow she hadmurdered people and buried them
under her desk and I justthought what the heck is the
(22:22):
problem here?
It's hair and it's not that biga deal.
And now I look at some kids, andnot just kids.
I saw a woman today.
She must've been 90 years oldand her hair was purple and pink
.
And I'm walking in the store,she's walking out, I said, hey,
I love your do.
She goes oh, thank you, did I?
No, I didn't, but it made herfeel good, right, I don't care
(22:43):
what you, I don't care what you,don't care what you do with
your hair.
So I think that I think thatyou know it's really kind of a
personal choice when it comesright down to it, but you have
to understand there'sconsequences based on your
decisions.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
I can say I agree with the consequences, but you
know it is what it is and youknow when you work for someone
else, you have to work for them.
And if that includes you knowyour body modifications are not
on that list, then they're noton the list.
If you want to look like howyou want to look like, you're
going to have to work foryourself.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
That's probably the best thing to do self that's.
That's probably the best thingto do.
And the other thing is is, ifyou've got that many tattoos all
over your body, you don't needa job because those things are
expensive and you've just spent,uh, your all your retirement
and everything, and your parentsretirement, on all of that okay
, but look at the look at itthis way.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I just sat for five and a half hours while someone
jabbed needles in me repeatedlyin the same areas.
I think that I could sitthrough a board meeting at any
company.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
That's probably true, bobby.
Well, with that, I think we'regoing to say so long for the day
.
We really appreciate you tuningin and we appreciate hearing
from you.
So thanks for bringing thistopic up.
I don't even remember who itwas, but thank you, uh, for
bringing these up and uh, we dolike talking about them.
And uh, if you have anypositive feedback, if you have
(24:18):
an idea that you want us to talkabout some topic, let us know.
Just drop us an email.
We're at boomer and gen xr dot.
We're at boomer and gen xr atgmailcom and we also have a
facebook page which is boomerand gen xr.
Uh, walk into a bar, official,correct, bobby?
(24:38):
Yes, okay, and so again, weappreciate y' and thanks for
hanging with us as we're on theroad.
We know that our audio isn'tthe best, but we're doing the
best we can.
So for now I will just say I'mJane Burt, I'm Bobbi Joy and
you're stuck with us.
(25:00):
Peace out Later.
Welcome everyone to today's show.
A Boomer and Gen X-er.
Welcome to a Bar coming to youfrom the mobile rabbit hole
studio that we're going to callthe Rabbit Run Studio, where you
, as a listener, will experiencesome wit and wisdom, some smart
assery and a mother anddaughter questioning.
Are we even related?
My name is bobby joy and myco-host is my mom, jane burt,
(00:33):
and for the next uh 20 to 25minutes, we're here to entertain
you is that right?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
hey, you know, on our intro, every I'm always
wondering where the wit andwisdom comes in, because I mean
we're wise asses, I think, butwe don't have a whole lot of
wisdom going on here.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Well, I mean, I think we have our life experiences.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, that's probably all.
That's about all we got goingfor us.
So, um, you know what?
Today's topic?
I think uh came from a listener, didn't it bobby?
I believe that it did okay and,um, I think this topic is one
that kind of keeps showing up onsome reels on facebook and and
(01:26):
twitter and stuff and orsnapchat excuse me, I think
twitter's is it gone?
I don't know I don't know.
Well, it's called x now oh yeah,that's right and um, it has to
do with tattoos and our,basically our appearance uh in
in getting jobs, and how we'reperceived in the public eye and
(01:52):
um, so tattoos and hair color.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Just call it like body modifications okay is that
that includes piercings too okay.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So tattoos, piercings , hair colors, maybe even how
you dress, I don't really know,but this kind of came up because
some people were feeling thatthey were being, um, they
weren't given the opportunitiesas other people for jobs or for,
uh, raises or promotionsbecause of some of the life
(02:24):
choices I, I guess that they'vemade.
Is that about what you figuredout out of that?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
I think that, yeah, anybody who has any kind of body
modifications has at one pointor another experienced it,
whether they've been told.
You know to cover them up, orto you know, change your hair
color back to what it was, oryou know, take your piercings
(02:50):
out, those types of things.
I think that anybody with bodymodifications has, at one point
or another, experienced it inone degree or another.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So let's talk about tattoos first of all, because
it's my understanding thatthere's some tattoos out there
that have different meanings,right, Like gang signs, of
course, could keep you fromgetting a job at the church, I
mean you know all tattoos havemeaning.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
You know all tattoos have meaning.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
And, yeah, there are certain ones that you know, like
, for example, you know you gointo prison and you get like a
swastika tattooed on yourforehead, mr Charlie Manson, and
you're going to have a problem.
I wonder why I'm not gettinghired, and I read this somewhere
that the cobweb.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So the cobweb is actually.
It's more, it's a drug thing.
It's about being like amethamphetamine distributor or
seller in your area.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
OK, what's the tear on the face?
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Some places it's how many people you've killed, and
some places it's um for doinghard time.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yowch, I need to pay more attention to that and see
who I'm talking to on the on thebus.
Okay, I don't take the bus, butI talk to people in public all
the time.
I mean it's like I'm a magnetbecause people just come up and
start talking to me, no matterwhat, and I don't really care,
you know, I mean I don't, butsometimes I need to know.
(04:33):
You know, did you kill people?
Yeah, I killed my mama.
You know, it's like what?
I want to know what's going on.
So, anyway, the topic came upbecause some people were feeling
like they weren't getting hiredfor jobs because of tattoos,
and some of them are very, veryextreme, wouldn't you say?
(04:55):
I mean, when you cover yourwhole face with tattoos or you
know your entire body withtattoos, that's a little extreme
.
I mean I don't care what you dowith your body.
Really, I mean I don't care.
Whatever you choose to do,that's your choice.
But don't be surprised whenpeople are judgmental about what
you look like and how you arecoming across for their business
(05:19):
, how other people may perceiveyou.
You know, don't be surprised atthat.
You can't just go.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I think a lot of it has to do with context as well.
Like you know you're, you'renot going to be judged so
harshly.
You know, having roses on yourbody versus, um, you know, a
naked lady who's bound and tied,you know, or something,
something along that lines,because you know, and delving
(05:48):
into it.
You know there actually isn'tany kind of protection for
people with body modifications,like there is for other things.
So, yeah, it is.
It's completely up to thatemployer, um, and that business
and that company as to what theywant their you know
representatives of their companyto look like.
And so, you know, people arelike, well, I was discriminated
(06:11):
against.
Well, I mean, yeah, technicallyyou were, but there's no laws,
right?
No, there's no legalrepercussions, right?
No federal law banning tattoodiscrimination or anything like
that, right?
Speaker 2 (06:24):
and I looked that up because I wanted to know that
too.
You know, could I get fired,could I not get hired, could I
not get a promotion because ofthat?
absolutely you're absolutelyright.
I mean, the employer can refuseto hire you for any reason
except your race, sex, age, youknow which is really 40 plus now
used to be 50 plus, I don'tknow when that dropped Religion,
(06:47):
national origin or disability.
Not hiring someone for having atattoo or how you've modified
your body is perfectly legal,right, and so you know that's
called a condition of employmentand it, you know, the way I
look at jobs and I always saidthis to my employees because I
(07:08):
had to make that decision everyday is, you know, I make a
decision every day to eithertake it or leave it, and an
employer does too.
They're either going to takewhat you've got to offer and
what you know.
They don't have you therebecause you're a pretty face.
They have you there to maketheir business profitable.
That's why you're there, and ifthey feel that that's being
hindered, they've got a right tolet you go or not promote you
(07:32):
or or not give you, you know, orgive you the lower paying jobs
yeah, that is true.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That is true.
I don't agree with it, but thatis true I think, in in some
cases.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I think people do it for shock factor.
You know, when I see somebodywho's got tattoos all over their
face and or it's you know whatI would consider kind of a
disgusting topic on their body,I think they do it for shock
value.
Now again, I don't care if youdo it, you're not shocking me.
I don't have to live with you,so you know.
(08:03):
But let me ask you this Do youhave any tattoos, bob?
I already know the answer tothis one.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
I have a lot of tattoos actually.
Yes, a lot of visible tattoos,a lot of covered tattoos.
Yeah, I've been getting tattoossince literally the day that I
turned 18 yes, you have, and, um, I have tattoos.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I don't have near as many as you and your sister have
, and I just want to make thisclear.
They're not disgustinglycovered with tattoos.
Do they have several tattoos?
Yeah, they got several.
She have any on her face andyou know, is or does she have
anything that's reallydisgusting?
Um, she's got one on her neckand one on the back of her neck,
(08:50):
but, um, I would say, ifsomebody said, hey, listen, you
know, uh, we need you to coverthose up.
Most of yours are on your arms,legs, wherever else you've got
tattoos right and so you couldvery easily say, yeah, I can
comply with that.
Um, I can cover them up now,when you get them on your hands,
yeah, and when you get them onyour hands, that's a little more
(09:13):
difficult, um, or your neck,that's a little more difficult
to cover up, but, um, I don't,you know, I guess I could cover
mine up.
Let's ask Dr Domain.
He's in the studio.
He doesn't have the sameviewpoint, I don't think, on
tattoos as we do, because do you?
Have any tattoos?
Dr Domain, and I already knowthe answer to this one, but I
(09:37):
don't think Bobby does.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
No, I do not.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
You do not you do not , and is it because you're just
totally against tattoos or it'sjust not something that you've?
I mean, what are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
it's.
It's nothing that I would haveor had the inclination to do do
you look at people differentlywhen they because they have
tattoos?
Yeah, I think it's I, I think Ido you do.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
Now, this is interesting that he answered
that way, because, for anybodywho doesn't know this, dr Domain
is my life partner and I havetattoos, and now I know that
you're looking at me differently.
Is that right?
Fall back, fall back, yeah,yeah.
(10:25):
In what way?
Like negatively?
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Well, no, not necessarily.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
No, I want you to answer this, and I want you to
answer it right now.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
I mean it's nothing new.
I mean I've had members of myfamily have tattoos.
My dad, had a tattoo.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
He got a tattoo when he was younger and my older
brother's got a tattoo and Idon't know.
There's probably others in thefamily I don't know about.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
But I just don't have the inclination or the desire
to spend the money on a tattoo.
I have nothing, there's nothingthat I can think of that I want
to permanently have on my body.
Really, so yeah, really okay,all right yeah, so what color is
the frame around the mona lisa?
Speaker 1 (11:05):
black no brown gold.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Why would you see?
You don't even know, becausethat's not the important part,
it's the painting.
So yeah why would I, why do I,why do I worry about that?
Speaker 2 (11:19):
oh, is that your way of getting out of it, so that
you you just said that you lookat me differently as your life
partner, since I have tattoos.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
But now I'm gonna put you on this piece of art oh my
goodness, oh my yeah, he wentthe other way with that, yeah he
could have.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
He could have dug himself out of the hole he's in
right now, but he didn't.
What about, um?
So, again, you know, peoplehave indicated that they're less
likely to get hired since theyhave tattoos, primarily on their
face, on their neck, that sortof thing, and that's probably
true.
They may be offered lower wagesor less desirable positions due
(11:59):
to tattoos.
An employer can definitely dothat legally, yeah, positions
due to tattoos an employer candefinitely do that legally.
Yeah, um, in some cases, arefusal to hire somebody solely
based on tattoos could beconsidered discrimination, but
that would be a really, reallyhard hard case to yeah, that
would be a yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
I find it entertaining when people go out
there and whine like I didn'tget the job or I got fired, and
guess what?
They're not looking after you.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Yeah, they're looking after them, the bottom line of
the business is the bottom line.
Right, it's not you.
Right, and it's alwaysentertaining when you hear that,
oh, I got fired for this orthat.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Well, you know you're hired and fired at will, Right.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
That's exactly right, so right.
So I I saw a reel with a guythat had hundreds of piercings
on his face.
Now he had them all over hisbody, but he had them all over
his face plus tattoos, and hehad indicated that he was
struggling to get a job.
And he I've got to be honestwith you, it was hard to look at
, it was hard to look at and forme and uh, he and maybe he's a
(13:03):
nice enough guy, I don't reallyknow but I think it throws
people off initially, you know,and there's probably some
stereotypes out there, but to meI question you when you put
hundreds on your face.
I'm going to question yourdecision-making, decision making
skills well, now I I've had alot of you look at people
(13:27):
differently with tattoos do Ilook at people differently?
Speaker 3 (13:31):
with tattoos.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Yeah, if they've got them that are disgusting all
over their face and stuff.
I question their decisionmaking skills objective, isn't
it?
Speaker 3 (13:39):
what's disgusting?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
yeah, it is subjective.
Yeah, absolutely.
I want to be clear.
I said different, I didn't saybad or good, I said skills,
subjective, isn't it?
What's disgusting?
Yeah, it is subjective.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Yeah, absolutely, I want to be clear.
I said different.
I didn't say bad or good, Isaid different, right and you
know?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
somebody would say you know, are you prejudging or
are you being biased?
Yeah, you know.
When I picked you as my partneryeah, when I picked you as my
partner, I was being prejudiced.
I said that's the one that Iwant for for my partner.
Yeah, you betcha, I'm going tojudge and you, betcha, I'm going
to.
I'm going to have a bias on itand a biased opinion and, um,
(14:10):
I'm not saying.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
I've, I've had piercings, you know this.
I've had a lot of piercings onmy face, um and other places,
and I don't think that I thinkthere's been maybe one or two
jobs where I actually didn't, Iwasn't required to remove those
piercings, and it was eitherbecause of a safety issue during
(14:34):
my job you know, if it was just, you couldn't even have
earrings or regular rings onyour finger because of safety or
it was, it was a literal imageyou know that they wanted to put
forth of their company, becausewhen you work for somebody,
you're the face of their company, right?
So when somebody walks to thedoor, you know, regardless if
(14:57):
you work at Starbucks or youwork at, you know, downtown CEO
office, if they walk through thedoor and yours is the face that
they see, you are the face ofthe company for those people.
Yes, and so, yeah, absolutelythat.
You know I've been asked toremove piercings.
I've been asked to covertattoos.
I've been asked to alter myhair because you know, there was
(15:22):
a time when I had a differentwild hair color every month and
it's it kind of comes down to.
I had the education, I had thetraining, I had the knowledge to
do the job and I did the jobwell and they wanted to give me
the opportunity to continue todo that job for them, knowing
(15:42):
that I did the job that well,versus fighting over.
You know, my hair being purpleRight, and at that point the
ball's in my court, you knowthey're giving me ways around it
.
They're giving me ways toresolve this so that I can
continue my job, or they'resaying I'm sorry we got to let
you go.
Do I think that it was fair?
No, because my purple hairdidn't determine the fact that I
(16:07):
could, you know, be a paralegaland walk into court.
But I'll be damned if I was incourt and needed a paralegal, if
I wanted somebody who hadpurple hair and piercings,
walking in an eight inch,stilettos and fishnet stockings.
You know, I mean, I'm notsaying that they weren't able to
do it and they weren't able todo it Well.
You just question it, that's.
I'm not saying that theyweren't able to do it and they
weren't able to do it well.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
You just question it.
That's all I'm saying.
Is I question your decisionmaking skills when something
like that happens.
Now, the reason you were askedto take your piercings off was
because remember that one timewhen you were magnetized to the,
to the pizza oven by yourtongue, that was, that was hard
to take Bobby, I mean that washard to take bobby, I mean that
was hard to watch, and so, um, Ithink that's why they told you
(16:51):
to remove that stuff.
So, um, again, you know hands,arms those are.
You know, hands are a littleharder to cover up.
I can cover up my arms.
I can cover up the rest of mybody.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Well, you're really gonna hate this, then what?
Um?
So got some news for you.
What your?
Uh?
Your your your granddaughter,who just turned 18 years old in
august um you know, she went andgot her first tattoo on her
18th birthday and that was onher arm.
Yes, memorial tattoo.
(17:23):
Uh, she went and got her secondtattoo last week, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Why is it no one tells me this at the time?
Why is it you guys show you ohyeah, you won't, because she
wants to see my face okay, sowhat is it you need to tell me
about that one?
Speaker 1 (17:40):
um, it's on her hand.
Okay, it's her entire hand.
Okay, it's her entire hand Okay.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
What the listeners don't know is okay, I was 18
years old and I got my firsttattoo.
I didn't tell my mother.
My mother did not have tattoosback then.
I did not tell my motherbecause, even at 18 years old
and I had been living out of thehouse for a while at that point
, you know, my mom scared thehell out of me.
Your mom sounds like a realwitch.
(18:15):
She's half my size, she's halfmy weight, but by God, I was
scared to death of her and Ijust happened to be trying on a
pair of jeans that she bought me.
And she goes, turn around, pullthe shirt up so I can see it,
and my first tattoo I had gottenwas on my spine, going up my
back.
Me, being a dumb 18 year old,forgot that I got that tattoo
(18:37):
and I pull my shirt up so momcan see it.
And I turned around and I couldsee the look on her face
immediately.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
I was looking for a razor to cut that thing off of
you.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's.
That's what happened.
Well, I mean, you know, wait aminute because let's back up a
second.
You were the same kid thatshaved your head.
Um came home with your headshaved in your senior year of
high school we were going to shehad won the Midwest art contest
(19:07):
.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
So yeah, so it was the Scholastic Art Competition.
I won the highest award, whichwas the Golden Key, which also
came with an optionalscholarship to New York City for
art school.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
And so there was this big awards banquet.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It was in a facility in downtown Des Moines, iowa,
and it was a big deal back it upbecause, because the week
before we left for ROTC, we werein competition for rifle and
drill team for that entire week,leading up to to this
revelation that my mother hadwhen I whatever whatever.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Anyway, I hadn't seen her the day of this event that
we were supposed to go and gether award, and we're all dressed
up and I'm ready to go, and shewalks in with her head shaved
and I didn't say a word.
I didn't say anything it wasn'tbald, bald, though it was pretty
darn close.
Oh no, you were, it was awfuland and I just I just looked at
(20:11):
her and I didn't say a word.
And I think she was moreshocked that I didn't say
anything because you know, I I'mpretty vocal and yeah, when I
want to say something, I'm gonnasay it.
Okay, and I, that's how I'vealways been said it and I just,
I just kind of looked at her andwalked away.
And about an hour later we gotready to go to the event and I
went out and got in my car andand she comes running out of the
(20:32):
house.
She goes, wait for me.
And I go no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you're driving yourself.
I said, life is all aboutchoices.
And you made a choice to shaveyour head.
Now that's your choice.
A choice to shave your head.
Now that's your choice.
You want to shave your head?
Go shave your head.
I think you look stupid, but goshave your head.
(20:52):
And I said but I'm going tomake a choice right now.
I don't have to appear with you, I don't have to be with you
and I don't have to sit with you, and that's a choice I'm making
.
And I got in my car and I wentto the event.
How she got there, I don't know, because she didn't even have a
car, but she was, she was there, she wasn't sitting with me, uh
, but anyway, let's keep movingon here, because I want to move
(21:12):
to hair color too.
And um, I just want to say realquick that back in the day, when
I was, you know when I was muchyounger, um, way back when, way
back when, uh, it was reallythe beginning of women starting
to wear their hair colors waydifferent than what we had seen
(21:35):
in the past, like if you wereblonde.
Now they're.
They're dying it black, whichwas really kind of shocking back
in those days.
And we had a gal at work thatshe had her hair dyed really
really bright white, except forthe very ends, which were all
black, and I'm not kidding you,at that time it was like and she
(21:59):
was the receptionist at thefront desk of our company and I
worked for a big big company andI'm not kidding you company, we
and I worked for a big bigcompany and I'm not kidding you,
you would have thought thatthat the gates of hell had
opened up and was ready toswallow everybody in because
they acted like somehow she hadmurdered people and buried them
under her desk and I justthought what the heck is the
(22:22):
problem here?
It's hair and it's not that biga deal.
And now I look at some kids, andnot just kids.
I saw a woman today.
She must've been 90 years oldand her hair was purple and pink
.
And I'm walking in the store,she's walking out, I said, hey,
I love your do.
She goes oh, thank you, did I?
No, I didn't, but it made herfeel good, right, I don't care
(22:43):
what you, I don't care what you,don't care what you do with
your hair.
So I think that I think thatyou know it's really kind of a
personal choice when it comesright down to it, but you have
to understand there'sconsequences based on your
decisions.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
I can say I agree with the consequences, but you
know it is what it is and youknow when you work for someone
else, you have to work for them.
And if that includes you knowyour body modifications are not
on that list, then they're noton the list.
If you want to look like howyou want to look like, you're
going to have to work foryourself.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
That's probably the best thing to do self that's.
That's probably the best thingto do.
And the other thing is is, ifyou've got that many tattoos all
over your body, you don't needa job because those things are
expensive and you've just spent,uh, your all your retirement
and everything, and your parentsretirement, on all of that okay
, but look at the look at itthis way.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I just sat for five and a half hours while someone
jabbed needles in me repeatedlyin the same areas.
I think that I could sitthrough a board meeting at any
company.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
That's probably true, bobby.
Well, with that, I think we'regoing to say so long for the day
.
We really appreciate you tuningin and we appreciate hearing
from you.
So thanks for bringing thistopic up.
I don't even remember who itwas, but thank you, uh, for
bringing these up and uh, we dolike talking about them.
And uh, if you have anypositive feedback, if you have
(24:18):
an idea that you want us to talkabout some topic, let us know.
Just drop us an email.
We're at boomer and gen xr dot.
We're at boomer and gen xr atgmailcom and we also have a
facebook page which is boomerand gen xr.
Uh, walk into a bar, official,correct, bobby?
(24:38):
Yes, okay, and so again, weappreciate y' and thanks for
hanging with us as we're on theroad.
We know that our audio isn'tthe best, but we're doing the
best we can.
So for now I will just say I'mJane Burt, I'm Bobbi Joy and
you're stuck with us.
(25:00):
Peace out Later.
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