Dress Code- should I even ask?

[juliaghoulia]

Hi there! First time posting here. I will be a grad student and a ta starting in January (for a masters not a phd). I am probably an outlier here and may not get any responses, but I have tattoos and piercings and was wondering if it would be appropriate to inquire whether or not I should be covering them up for teaching. I will be meeting with the program head tomorrow to go over the assistantship and any questions I have. I currently work a full time job where I dress in long sleeve shirts and flip my septum into my nose while I am on the clock (which kind of sucks in the summer because it gets very hot where I live and leaving the office to go anywhere in a long sleeve shirt is a nightmare) . I completely understand it may be unprofessional to show these while teaching, but is it taboo to ask whether it is permitted? I don't want to make a bad impression for our first meeting about my assistantship.

Thanks!

[shadowclaw]

I don't think there's anything wrong with asking if you need to cover your tattoos or piercings. Generally speaking, if an employer has an issue with these things, they have the regulations specifically outlined in the dress code policy. I'm not sure if any TA positions come with a handbook that would have this information in it, so it would be perfectly appropriate to ask about dress code expectations. If you were getting any other job, I'm sure you would ask about the dress code before your first day if it wasn't specifically told to you... what makes a TA position any different? I also doubt that tattoos and piercings will really be an issue unless you have something highly offensive, but it probably depends on the program. I'm sure some fields are less friendly towards tattoos and piercings than others.

[TakeruK]

My opinion is that you should not have cover these up. It's not unprofessional to have tattoos or piercings at all. I think you should review any resources or materials you might have about expectations. If you are not sure you have read all the necessary materials, you could email the department and ask for the policies or guidelines (you might even specify dress code). I don't think you should have to ask about each tattoo or piercing individually.

If the materials or their response does not include tattoos or piercing limitations (again, I would be surprised if I saw a TA handbook that did not allow this, but maybe I've only been at very liberal places?) then you should just go ahead and be yourself. Do what you want. If someone asks you to change what you are wearing, then politely ask them to direct you to the policy on the dress code (if confronting authority is uncomfortable, you can do it in a non-challenging way, and frame it in a way like "Oh, I want to make sure I follow proper protocol---what is the policy so that I can ensure I do it correctly?"). 

If it's not too late, one way to can test this is to just dress the way you plan to teach when you are meeting with the program head tomorrow. If they say something about the way you are dressed, then you can ask the policy question right then and there. If they do not, then you would know it's okay.

This is just my opinion because I believe self-expression is extremely important and unless there is an official policy, I'm not going to change myself just to please someone. But if you are worried about upsetting someone with power over you (a very legitimate concern!!) then you can certainly go the more conservative route of hiding tattoos and piercings at first, see how people behave and then ask about your tattoos and piercings later, when they know you more. Just an alternative suggestion, if you prefer that

[fuzzylogician]

Here are a few relevant older threads for you to browse. Searching for "tattoos" and "piercings" will bring even more. 

 

 

[juliaghoulia]

Thanks everyone for the responses! I'm late replying because I didn't know anyone replied to my post. Here's an update- I brought up my tattoos in the meeting and my department head thought it was ludicrous anyone would make me cover them... I was completely shocked by how much personal expression and freedom they are allowing me with not only my dress, but also the cirriculum I will be teaching. Academia is great!

Thanks again!

[harry90]

There are different codes for different events. we dont know what you are asking about ? will you please clear

[Lisa_McCoy]

There is no harm in asking. I don't think asking questions about dress code will create a bad impression on your program head's mind. 

[Andrew77]

I dont think if you ask question about it , it will creat bad impression because everyone have their life and way of life who he want to live so go ahead