One piercing that either manages to fly under the radar or winds up very "in your face" is the tongue piercing. And then it comes to body piercings and jobs, this is one of the more common piercings to cause conflict or require that a decision be made.

Part of what can make a tongue piercing rather discrete or not is placement and habits. In regards to placement, it's quite simple. Some people have their tongues pierced very far forward and some have it done further back, more towards the middle of the tongue. This can make it more visible or not when talking to others and can also contribute to whether or not your piercing randomly clicks against your teeth as you talk. For some workplaces, they are adamant that the appearance of a tongue piercing is inappropriate while for others they feel that the sounds aren't appropriate. And then there's the work environments that don't want either. Habit also plays to tongue piercings and professionalism. Simply put, some people have a habit of "playing" with their tongue piercings, whether they are aware of doing so or not, and this sort of behavior is often distracting in everyday life even outside of work.

If you are considering getting your tongue pierced and are looking for a job, don't get pierced until you actually find the new job and find out that having one will not interfere with any of your job duties or how you are supposed to present yourself while working.

If you have had a tongue piercing for some time and lose your job, think about how you can present yourself at job interviews so that your piercing is not a problem. Jewelry made entirely from bioplastic is an option to play down the physical appearance of the piercing but if you don't like plastic or if it gives you some sort of problem with your tongue, try and consider a metal barbell with plastic caps instead. Plastic is a good way to cut down on the random clicks while speaking and may make your dentist happier since it's easier on tooth enamel.

Another option for minimizing the appearance of a tongue piercing is to wear a barbell with clear glass balls on the ends. These often yellow less than plastic with age, so some people prefer their appearance over bioplastic. And by all means, if you have a habit of playing with your tongue piecing, especially if you find that you do it without realizing it, you will need to work really hard on learning to stop.