Ash O’Brien received an automated email and nothing else.
She is 25, has tattoos on her face, neck, and arms, and had submitted an application to work at TJ Maxx. Nobody called her. So she went to the store in person to ask for an explanation. According to her account, they told her she didn’t have enough experience and that other candidates had more. When she asked if the reason was her tattoos, they said no. She doesn’t believe them.
From her car, she recorded a video about three minutes long and uploaded it to TikTok, where almost 98,000 people follow her. “I hate that my tattoos are a deciding factor in getting a job; the fact that I have tattoos doesn’t mean I won’t be a good worker”, she said. She also wondered how young people are supposed to find jobs if stores are only looking for people with previous experience.
The video racked up millions of views, and the comments didn’t go the way she’d hoped. Many pointed out that the problem was the design and placement of the tattoos, and that face tattoos are an obstacle for any customer-facing job. Another creator responded that, as a recruiter, she would have seen the tone of the video as a red flag. TJ Maxx has not confirmed that the tattoos influenced its decision.
Was this a door closed because of her appearance, or simply because she lacked experience?