Facial piercings are an ongoing controversial topic, especially in the workforce. They can even raise some eyebrows in public places, like the park or grocery store, but they should not define how a people view others.

Some people think that piercings do not look professional or aesthetically pleasing and people can be afraid of things that they do not have experience with. In the work setting, people find piercings unprofessional and sometimes people can be declined from a job because their look does not fit the job.

It reminds me of a line that Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We ought to not jump to conclusions by a person’s outer features.

Many famous people had or currently have facial piercings like Christina Aguilera, Jordin Sparks, Pink, and many more. We idolize these celebrities yet the people who walk down the street with facial piercings get offensive looks.  We should praise everyone who has one; not just the ones in the spotlight.

Religious discrimination has come from facial piercings as well. Facial piercings have a major role in Hinduism. Women wear them on their wedding day and some even wear them during labor because it takes away some of the pain.

A female high school student in North Carolina was expelled from school in 2010 because she would not remove the stud from her nose. Students everywhere should be allowed to wear facial piercings in school without having to be penalized for it. It causes no harm to others and will not be a distraction because students should not care less about another student’s piercings.

Students continue to be deprived of their individuality because they can not express themselves when administrators tell them to take off their face piercings and put in a spacer. If they can be free to wear them outside school, it should be OK to wear them on display inside of the school building.

I would like to get a nose stud after high school because I think it would look cute. The decision was totally up to me to go and have it done. I can not wait to show it off to everyone and show who I am through it.