<p>I live in rural North Carolina, yet I manage (I’m seventeen and don’t have a driver’s liscense).</p>
<p>Wow–don’t know how you do it. I wouldn’t be able to get to grocery store, go to work, visit friends or really do anything without a car (or bumming rides from someone else).</p>
<p>Cars are necessary here too. I live outside the city limits so the public transportation is limited–I’d have to walk along a very dangerous road just to get a bus, and it would be about a half mile walk. Even in the city they’re planning on cutting the public transportation (hopefully not my park and ride lot that I like!)</p>
<p>However, I’d probably do the same thing with the car. I wouldn’t want any deformed monster bearing my last name out there in public. Once they took that earring out, they could leave, blame the redness on a popped zit if questioned, and be allowed to resume their everyday life. As for the earring, I’d try to re-sell it to a pawn shop or something. The cash would probably be enough to buy me lunch at Panera or something and that’s what would happen with it.</p>
<p>mkm and AFP: Why do you impose your fashion preferences on your kids? I mean, taking away the car keys??? Wow, God forbid if they ever did anything truly awful… And calling kids with facial piercings MONSTERS??? Such judgmental and narrow-minded bigotry reminds me of the backwards people in the 1960s who couldn’t handle guys with long hair. Never mind that Jesus had long hair. Never mind that it…is…HARMLESS FASHION. Sorry, but your attitude is disgusting. </p>
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<p>Well said, qwilde!</p>
<p>I don’t see piercings as a “fashion preference”. My kids chose their own “look” with clothing, hair cut, color, etc and believe me we went through some pretty unattractive (imo) phases. I just don’t believe piercings and tattoos are innocuous–there are reasons these procedures can’t be done on a person until they are of a “consent” age.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that when Jesus lived there was no such thing as a barber shop. Long hair really wouldn’t phase me much as long as it was kept neat (i.e. a neatly tied back ponytail or a well-groomed beard). However, I don’t like the revolts that happened in the 1960s and am very happy that my family never participated in it. We stayed true to our roots as conservatives and never swayed one bit. Hippies were traitors to us.</p>
<p>Piercings–you have to understand the fact that I come from a small family who doesn’t have much representative power. We pride ourselves on looking neat and not tacky. As I said, I would never want someone to put a hideous tattoo or piercing on their body if they had my last name. To me it would tarnish the name. As I said I could tolerate neatly groomed long hair (though I’d probably encourage the guy to visit the barber shop) but everyone in my family, myself included, would agree that piercings are not part of what our family likes.</p>
<p>mkm, thank you for explaining your reason. If your concern was for health, then I totally understand and retract my previous statement towards you. I apologize for mistakenly lumping you in with others who seemed against it just because they didn’t like how it looked.</p>
<p>No apology necessary!</p>
<p>AFP, as long as everyone in your family is in agreement, then go for it! But if someone in your family had a difference of opinion, then would you respect it? Doesn’t sound like it. Bottom line is, what you consider ‘neat’ vs ‘tacky’ is purely subjective. I don’t think anyone has the right to impose their personal tastes about something like clothing and hair style on someone else.</p>
<p>mkm, thanks. Hey, here is a question for you: do you feel the same way about ALL piercings, including ear piercings on girls?</p>
<p>edit: I’m just wondering whether you feel the same about ear piercings because they are more accepted. I personally would not have approved a tattoo when my son was a minor, simply because it is permanent and I think he needs to be old enough to be sure that’s what he wants. Now that he’s 18, I would totally respect his decision if he were to get one. He has not expressed any interest in tattoos, but I certainly wouldn’t care if he did, as long as he did some research regarding safety etc. Pierced ears are so commonplace. I got mine done at age 12 with nary a second thought. Here in Texas it is common for Hispanics to pierce the ears of newborn babies.</p>
<p>THAT, though cute, I don’t care for too much, but it’s a cultural thing. But far more offensive, imo, is the mutilation of baby boys that isn’t even given a second thought by many who would oppose body piercings.</p>
<p>“Keep in mind that when Jesus lived there was no such thing as a barber shop. Long hair really wouldn’t phase me much as long as it was kept neat (i.e. a neatly tied back ponytail or a well-groomed beard). However, I don’t like the revolts that happened in the 1960s and am very happy that my family never participated in it. We stayed true to our roots as conservatives and never swayed one bit. Hippies were traitors to us.”</p>
<p>I’m English and recently moved to an ultra conservative, discriminatory, and officious part of the south. Everyone reminds me of a Bill O’Reilly Stepford wife: theoretically. I’ve derived great pleasure growing my long beard and hair to the disdain of many people. I was recently called a “■■■■■■” by someone like you actually, for having such an appearance. It merely reflects on how narrow minded some people genuinely are.</p>
<p>EDIT: Thanks, Lealdragon.</p>
<p>“THAT, though cute, I don’t care for too much, but it’s a cultural thing. But far more offensive, imo, is the mutilation of baby boys that isn’t even given a second thought by many who would oppose body piercings.”</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>So now we’re comparing circumcision to tattoo’s and facial piercings?</p>
<p>I think there is a lot of thought given to circumcision. At least they use anesthesia now. If you’ve ever had a baby boy, you would know that it’s not something that is done without some thought.</p>
<p>I have no problem with long hair with men or women as long as it doesn’t cover up their eyes and looks attractive. Hair in the eyes of men or women drives me up a wall.</p>
<p>Facial piercings are very distracting and off putting to me. A little stud, a couple of earrings aren’t too bad but anything else to me is screaming, “look at me - I’m different! (and can tolerate pain in strange places)”. My kids all have fear of needles so I’m not too worried about them getting facial piercings. </p>
<p>Small tattoos are okay but the big ones are weird and they are just so permanent. At least with piercings if you change your mind they can close up.</p>
<p>We told our D. when she was young (don’t remember exact age, but elementary age) that she couldn’t get ears pierced until she was old enough to give her own consent and at which point she would be old enough to take responsible care of herself. She later decided that she didn’t want pierced ears as she spent most of her time around horses and saw too many girls getting earrings ripped out (even studs) because they caught in a mane or whatever. Basically I just want the kids to be old enough to make the decision on their own and deal with any problem resulting from the choice on their own. I know of boys who got tattoos on lower arms that are now in their mid twenties and have to always wear long sleeve shirts to work because tattoos cannot show in their place of employment.</p>
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<p>I stayed at a nice hotel in center city Philadelphia on a hot weekend in September. The guys working the parking garage were neatly uniformed in shorts – and one had an ace bandage around his calf. Apparently covering a tattoo.</p>
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<p>That sounds reasonable. But, why the double standard? Why was your daughter allowed to make her own decision but not your son? Probably because your daughter was more mature. Girls usually are. Many people would let their daughters get their ears pierced but not their sons not because the daughters are more mature, but because they think ear piercings are feminine and unacceptable for boys. Fashions change.</p>
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<p>I was trying to make the point that many people think body piercings are unacceptable yet they do something even more invasive to their baby boys and they think that is acceptable. It seems to be a contradiction to me. It’s only been in recent years that anesthesia has been used. It was once necessary because primitive people didn’t have good hygiene, but doctors now say that there is no longer any advantage to it. Yet often parents base their decision on nothing more than a lame ‘well I want him to look like his daddy.’ If Daddy has a tattoo are they going to get the little kid a tattoo too?</p>
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<p>We all have our preferences. I can certainly understand that YOU would never have your hair in your eyes or a piercing or a tattoo, but why does it bother you so much what someone ELSE does with their own hair?</p>
<p>Sorry to be so persistent on this, but I guess I’m just trying to point out that being so down on the current fashion CAN be just another form of prejudice. I’m maybe a little sensitive to this issue because when my son went thru his heavy metal Goth phase, some people automatically assumed that he was a drugged-up gang member who was going to eat their children. It’s just ridiculous to have so much prejudice in a modern society.</p>
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<p>The kids have to know that if they want to make a fashion statement that is considered unacceptable in some jobs, then they either won’t have the option of getting that kind of job, or they’ll have to cover it up. I work in an office which prides itself on diversity (to a degree) and there are people with body piercings. Attractive girls who are dressed in business attire but they have facial piercings. It’s no big deal at this particular establishment.</p>
<p>otoh, I have a friend who INSISTED on wearing some really controversial jewelry to her job in a pharmacy, even though it was against company policy. I thought she was nuts. I told her, ‘Is it worth losing your job over? Why not just save that jewelry for when you go out in the evening and tone it down at work?’ Which is the sensible thing, imo. But no, she made her stand, and lost her job.</p>
<p>I think our society should be less fixated on external appearances, since they really mean very little. There have been plenty of clean-cut men in dress suits who were convicted of nasty crimes. You really can’t go by that. But, the reality is that companies do have the right to require a certain dress code, since it IS their place of business. There is a big difference between dressing for work vs dressing for personal off-time.</p>
<p>I am a senior attorney who has worked in-house for fairly traditional companies (although business casual dress). I have a tattoo on my forearm and one on my ankle. Doesn’t bother anyone. I will admit to wearing long sleeves to my job interviews, but you would do that anyway.</p>
<p>“So now we’re comparing circumcision to tattoo’s and facial piercings?”</p>
<p>It is an absolutely valid comparison. Especially, since the practice was founded upon the belief that circumcision would prevent boys from “exploring”, which was thought to be the cause of many ailments ranging from bed wetting to insanity. All “so called” medical advantages have been debunked as myths and cultural prejudices and America is the only western nation to practice it routinely. If anything a male should have more of a choice regarding circumcision than piercings, since the former can be disastrous if anything should go wrong. Also, in effect to your previous statement “and they are just so permanent”.</p>
<p>“I have no problem with long hair with men or women as long as it doesn’t cover up their eyes and looks attractive. Hair in the eyes of men or women drives me up a wall.”</p>
<p>Yes, Royal Highness. We should all bow down and subject ourselves to the whim of your taste.</p>
<p>“I know of boys who got tattoos on lower arms that are now in their mid twenties and have to always wear long sleeve shirts to work because tattoos cannot show in their place of employment.”</p>
<p>Due to social prejudices they have to resort to concealment. If the general populace were more accepting, then there wouldn’t be an issue because as far as I know tattoos do not detract from a person’s ability to perform his/her duties. If a person was working in a formal institution he/she would generally wear long sleeves anyway.</p>
<p>I can’t STAND those piercing at the bridge of the nose, you know like a bar between the eyes, one kids at our local store had them, and sometimes he wore pink, or brown or black balls studs or whatever, looked like giant moles…just a personal thing</p>
<p>What i have noticed in SF lately is a lot more punk style outfits and I mean the “hardcore” stuff- guess retro or whatever…but the clothes worn to create the outfits are brand new…kind of funny…its like, guess they are missing the point</p>
<p>I don’t really care what people look like, wear etc., but I am not the one doing the hiring etc. Sometimes, thought, its just too much and silly, and then when you look, you get the “why you looking at me” stare, though that is what they want…I love looking at the pictures of the kids in Tokyo…now they got some interesting fashions</p>
<p>But then I live in a special city, and we see it all…</p>
<p>I guess to me, I would hope my Ds, if they did something, wouldn’t do something that might limit possiblities nor would they be sorry for down the road, and anything permenant can do that…I mean a tattoo on the hip is different from one on the arm or shoulder…If I had a tatoo on my shoulder, knowing me I would try to match my outfits to it…</p>
<p>They show their style through clothes, shoes, hair, etc.</p>
<p>My D wanted to get her belly button done, fine with me, then she said that she wears tight dresses and didn’t like the idea of a thing sticking out there through the fabric…picture those sweater dresses…and a very flat stomach…just wish I had that problem…sigh</p>
<p>I was looking at a book on Africa yesterday and it was pictures of tribal rituals and ceremonies. What I noted was that many of the piercing, clothes, bindings, etc were to make freedom and movement difficult for women…so they couldn’t walk well, or run, even eat easily, or see for that matter…</p>
<p>The relationship between tattoing and circumsion (both male and female) is not to be just brushed aside…in many cultures they are linked, sad to say…female circumsion, no matter what the justification is cruel and inhumane and is only to subjegate the females of the community…</p>