IN today’s society, it is easy to label people from the way they look or dress.

Sub-cultures such as goths and emos are famous for dressing differently and their choice of music.

And they are passionate about their lifestyle and follow it regardless of criticism or prejudice.

It is sad that Hayley O'Neil felt humiliated when a job centre worker at Blackburn Job Centre Plus told her she would only get a job in a tattoo parlour due to her 20 piercings and 30 tattoos.

In an ideal world, people who dress differently should not be treated any different from anyone else and deserve to be given an equal opportunity.

But in today’s economic situation, as the queue for jobs grows, it is inevitable that some employers will make decisions based on first impressions.

The advice from the Department for Work and Pensions may have seemed harsh but its official was trying to help her gain employment in the real world.

The saying ‘you can't judge a book by its cover’ should be true but when people are faced with large numbers of applicants, it is inevitable that they will make subjective decisions based on what they believe is smart and what isn’t.