Body Modifications in Professional Contexts : Examining body modifications’ effects and implications for success in work environments

Abstract

The primary question this thesis aims to answer is how body modifications affect success in a professional context. This study was done with a focus on Western societies, and where applicable and relevant especially on Finland. In efforts to finding an answer to the research question, the reasons behind possible stigmatised views, as well as the positive and negative effects and implications of body modifications were examined from the viewpoints of both individuals and organisations. Moreover, based on the findings, suggestions on how to eliminate or minimise the harmful effects and implications were given. The topic was analysed with the help of multiple theories from different fields of social science, and the results indicated that the cultural background of the perceiver, placement and nature of the body modification(s), industry, occupation and position, as well as gender of the individual sporting body modifications were all significant factors in determining how positively or negatively body modifications were perceived. Furthermore it was found that body modifications often caused negative effects and impacts, which proved to be harmful for individuals and organisations alike. On the other hand, in specific cases body modifications had the potential to serve as significant assets. However the negative effects and implications significantly outweighed the positives. Thus, it was concluded that making conscious efforts towards minimising the harmful biased views and subsequent actions would be in the best interest of individuals, organisations and subsequently societies alike. Moreover, the responsibility over the bettering of the situation was argued to be mainly on the organisations opposed to individuals, and the subsequent recommendation was for organisations to pay attention as well as allocate sufficient resources and tools to managerial selection and work.