According to Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010), isms
are “the many forms of institutionalized prejudice and discrimination based on
social identities…” (p xii). People who hold isms are not always aware that
their behavior and interactions are governed by them. Additionally,
Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards assert that, “because we all have multiple
social identities, each of us contains a complex set of internalized privileges
and oppressions, with differing balances between the two” (p 27). Internalized
oppression occurs when the victim of the ism believes the information about
himself as a result of the treatment that he receives from others resulting in
psychological consequences. These consequences manifest in behaviors that include
denial of affiliation with one’s own culture, adoption of the dominant culture
out of a belief that the ways of the dominant culture are better, correct or
more acceptable. Rejection of one’s own name, native language, traditions and
values may also occur (p 26).
Most recently, I have experienced an ism in the form of
discrimination and bias due to my appearance. I have full tattooed sleeves on
my arms. At my former place of employment, my supervisor’s supervisor called me
into her office after she noticed my tattoos at an after-hours picnic.
Although my work associates were attending the picnic, I was not being paid to
attend the function and it was not held at our work site. Nothing was mentioned
at the picnic. However, the following Monday afternoon my supervisor’s supervisor
called me to her office and told me that she was disturbed by my tattoos. She
felt that, because I had tattoos, that I must be mentally ill, have a great
deal of self-hate (to mutilate myself in this way) or be an intravenous drug
addict who used her many tattoos to hide track marks. Additionally, the
executive stated that if I must not want to be in the field of early childhood
education if I had tattoos (It must be noted that this woman was not in the
field of early childhood education, but was a corporate executive whom I rarely
saw). At first, I was dumbstruck. I had never heard such a narrow minded rant
in my life! Not one of her allegations was even remotely true! I had always kept my tattoos covered at work,
not because there was an explicit policy preventing the staff from showing
tattoos, but because I wasn’t certain about the reaction that I would get from
parents, other staff and the executives of the company. Curiously enough, at
the picnic, many of the parents admired my tattoos, and the children were very
interested in “all of the pictures on [my] arm”. One little girl was so excited that she
screamed, “Oh Carey, I lub your tattoos!”. I could not understand from whence
the director’s supervisor’s reaction came. In the end, she made it clear that
she did not want to see the tattoos, but did not articulate a policy regarding
whether or not showing them was prohibited (many other staff showed their
tattoos without an adverse reaction) as a rule. It seemed that she did not like
my tattoos, but those of others were acceptable to her.
The effects of this episode of discrimination were many. I
became aware of the potentially negative thoughts that people might entertain
about my tattoos. I found myself apologizing if even a tiny bit of my tattoos
were visible. I also began to cover my tattoos in public in my off work hours
and revealing them in only certain company. During this time, the children who
had seen my tattoos at the picnic were very interested in seeing them again.
Both the children and parents asked why I did not show them off more often. I
found myself feeling somewhat ashamed of the reaction that I had gotten from
the executive regarding my tattoos. I felt very cognizant of how I appeared and
was even reluctant to pull my sleeves above my wrists when working with the
children in a messy activity. The children noticed this and asked questions. I
wonder if the shame that I felt about my tattooed arms sent an unintentional
message to the children that somehow tattoos are inappropriate or unacceptable.
Many of the parents are tattooed. What if the children carried my unintentional
message home to their parents?
Shortly after this incident, I regained my pride in my
tattoos. They are an important part of me and symbolize parts of my life that
have made me who I am today. They are beautiful pieces of art, but do not
solely comprise who I am. I am neither better nor worse than anyone else simply
because I am tattooed. I realized that I was the victim of bias and
discrimination in the workplace.
Derman-Sparks and Olsen Edwards (2010). Anti-Bias Education
for Young Children and Ourselves. NAEYC: Washington, DC.
