There’s a bit of a debate going on in a Facebook group at the moment about agencies asking for personal details like weight and height on application forms, and on our own Facebook page earlier in the week we posted a link to an article about a teaching assistant who was told to cover up her tattoos at school which got quite a reaction, so we’re wondering, why does appearance matter so much, and is it okay to ask these things?
Most parents will say they try to teach children not to judge people on their looks, and they’ll mean it. We all know that your height, which you don’t have any control over, is no indicator of anything other than the height of your parents! So we don’t go round judging people according to whether they’re tall or short. We also know that hair colour doesn’t affect how good someone is at their job, so we don’t tend to use that to make judgements. But people are often judged or stereotpyed for thir weight and expressions of their personality like hair dye, tattoos and piercings.
Apparently being over a certain number on the scales means you’re automatically unfit and unhealthy. You must have bad eating habits or be unable to run around after children. It’s understandable with all the concern around childhood obesity that parents want their nanny to be a good role model. The reality is that numbers don’t mean a lot, so that kind of information on an application form tells you nothing about someone’s lifestyle or their fitness levels. The only way to really find out is to interview them and ask alongside all the other questions, which is only fair since it gives them an equal chance.
Tattoos, hair dye and piercings are even more emotive. On the one hand we’re encouraging children to express themselves and ignore the boundaries society wants to impose, particularly regarding gender. On the other we’re telling nannies (and teachers, nursery workers and anyone else working with children) that they have to conform and hide their tattoos away and keep their hair a naturally occurring colour. There are some legitimate safety concerns about small hands and piercings, but just as sensible nannies avoid wearing large hoops or dangly earrings to work with children who are likely to grab them and pull, those with facial piercings will want to minimise any potential damage to themselves and wear small studs or bars to work.
So just like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a nanny by his or her appearance!