Many would think that today, with so much information and dissemination channels, many companies would brandish the flag of inclusion and non-discrimination in their Human Resources processes and external actions, but the reality is that there are still many prejudices around professionals who have tattoos on their bodies.
For this reason Jessica Leonard, a native of the United States, decided to break with this “tradition” and show the prints she is holding in her arms in a business photo for her LinkedIn profile.
Jessica’s tattoos are varied, ranging from iconic symbols of Harry Potter to emotional figures in relation to her love and family life.
“I think everyone should go where they feel comfortable in their skin. They should not feel that they work in an environment where they are hampered as an individual. There are a lot of places you can work where you’re not going to feel that (…) I hope this resonates with or helps someone who has experienced judgment or prejudice in the past.There are leaders who are super inclusive and tolerant, and if you haven’t found them, know that they exist and that they are outside. I am happy to be able to inspire at least one person in my network”, sentenced.
Fight against tattoo prejudices
The story of LinkedIn It quickly went viral and generated the applause of hundreds of Internet users on the virtual platform focused on the labor sector, since some warned that it could have adverse results.
“As soon as it started going viral, I was like, ‘I know how this works. If I do expose myself and it’s controversial, I should be prepared,’” she says.
Nevertheless, Jessica Leonard he achieved his goal with two photos (one posing in a suit and the other exposing his tattoos) and managed to accumulate more than 30 thousand reactions and more than 3 thousand comments.
“I got some feedback where people felt like I needed to advise myself or others to continue to be careful with tattoos, because there are still opinions (…) And, certainly, you do not want to close any professional door by being too daring”, explained the accountant.
After several years of being marginalized for her tattoos, Jessica Leonard He was very afraid of showing his tattoos at work, despite the fact that the company did not have any type of restriction in this regard, so he needed to find new airs.
“I found it a bit surprising. I came in without a jacket on and that’s when the conversation changed. I thought: ‘This is rare. We just left a conference talking about women’s empowerment and now they tell me that I can’t be a leader because of my tattoos‘”, exposed the young woman in a conference for women.
It rains support and opinions
the woman from cleveland, Ohio, he was very afraid of closing doors for himself or tarnishing his reputation by the old and immovable requirements of the companies.
However, after showing the photograph, her boss contacted her and expressed his opinion in a way she did not expect, telling her to go “Strong and proud.”
“Then my husband got emotional about it too. It was such an impactful response to have that kind of inclusion from someone you work for and just general acceptance of who I am. I felt so moved”.
And it is that, after leaving his previous job, Jessica is now a partner at Evolution Capital Partners, a private firm focused on boosting small businesses in Cleveland, so when it came time to take your corporate photos, he had them do it with and without jackets to post both on LinkedIn.
“It is the content of one’s character that is most important to us, authenticity and transparency are the cornerstones of the culture we are working to create. We see Jess for who she is and we fully accept her because she shares our core values and is a tremendous talent. At the end of the day, that’s it,” said Jeffrey Kadlic, founding partner of the company.
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