One of my favorite books is Le petit prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The little prince had come from Asteroid B-612. The asteroid had been discovered by a Turkish astronomer. He was not taken seriously when he first presented his discovery, because he was wearing Turkish clothing. He was not taken seriously until he made the presentation in Western clothing. He presented the same information. The only change was in his appearance. This reflected xenophobia and racism. We often judge whether or not we take seriously what people say based on their outward appearance. Often employers do not hire people who do not conform to a certain norm. There are prejudices against people with tattoos, piercings, unconventional hairstyles or hair colors, gender benders and other alternative lifestyles. Often in jobs where workers deal with the general public it is stated in employee handbooks that having an unconventional hairstyle could be grounds for being fired. "Business Appropriate Attire" is very narrowly defined. It is time to get rid of these norms. Nobody should be forced to the fringes of society because of their appearance or for living an "alternative" lifestyle that does not cause harm to anyone else.
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