Should I ask my Boss??????? 3

[casseopeia]

I have to preface this by saying that it is a serious question.

I have been asked by a reporter if I would like to participate, be interviewed and photographed for an article about belly dancing for a local magazine. As the process moves along, and I have to answer more personal questions about myself and what I do, I'm starting to feel a bit uneasy about how my employer might react.

Should I mention the article to my boss and ask if he has a problem with it?

Neither the place I work, nor the people I work with can be categorized as very conservative, however our client base is. I recently turned down a similar opportunity to be interviewed for an article on a different topic for another publication.

 

[MintJulep]

There aren't a whole lot of Sekrit Agendas in the "Life and Arts" section of the paper.

And not too many Bob Woodward's either.

I didn't say the guy had an agenda, I said that the article may not reflect what you actually said. I have been misquoted in various local papers more than once.

 

[sms]

If your belly is telling you that this is a problem, I would be inclined to trust that. Especially a well developed belly dancing belly.

I suggest that you back away from this as fast as possible...

 

[samv]

I think you should do it. I think women in 'non-traditional' fields are much too easily swayed to modify their after work behaviour to please their conservative male bosses (& even coworkers). (I'm sure the woman in this forum could come up with enough examples of this to start a new thread)

Go ahead do the article, and enjoy it. Use your dance name if you wish, but don't cancel the whole thing.

 

[PSE]

casseopeia,

Is this a magazine or a paper? If you were to pick up a copy or issue, what would you think of it in terms of publication quality after reading through it? Are there other articles that this reporter has done that you could review possibly to see how it might be spun.

Your occupation is one of your public personna's. So is your hobby of belly dancing. Disparate though they be, one can have effects on another. I think it wise that you had at least broached the subject with your boss and to have spent some time thinking about it.

For what it is worth, at a former employer, the company president was not fond of my hobby of auto racing. After an "emergency project" requiring my presence on what would have been race weekend for me (had paid the entry fee and booked accommodations). I needed to sit down and discuss his "concerns". We both came out with a better understanding of each other.

Regards,

 

[rerig]

Well, you talked to your Boss. Seems to be no problem. As previously stated, don't mention the Company name.

Do YOU want to do the interview, would you show it to your Father/Mother? Enjoy yourself.

We're not on this Earth for a long time...We're here for a Good Time. Party On.

Jeez...it's just Belly Dancing!

Forget my "Ol Fart" response previous. Some days I just act my age. (listen to HgTX)

 

[PEinc]

A similar story you may enjoy.......

The following is cut and pasted from a web site. This story also appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"Off with hard hat, on with ballet shoes": Jim Verzella is the man behind some of the biggest buildings in Philadelphia. He's vice president in charge of construction on the Comcast Center, a $465 million behemoth that will be Philadelphia's tallest building. The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts? That was his baby. Commerce Square in Center City and the Tweeter Center in Camden? Ditto. In fact, Verzella figures he's had a hand in most of the city's 'scraper skyline, not to mention several suburban notables. Now, building the bigs is no piece of cake, not with millions of dollars at stake and casts of thousands to steer. What does a guy like this do to clear the head, leave the hard hat behind? Play a few rounds of golf, perhaps? Play some poker with the guys?

Actually, how about dancing Swan Lake?

"It's a release. It relaxes me. It gets my mind away from the job," said Verzella, 52, whose official title is vice president of marketing for L.F. Driscoll Co. "When I walk in that stage house, my mind goes blank." Put it in the people-are-seldom-only-what-they-seem file: This weekend and next, this construction executive from Collingswood will play Wolfgang, the prince's tutor, in the Ballet NJ production of the Tchaikovsky classic.

 

[PEinc]

PS,
See ballet story and picture.

http://blog.constructionlawblog.net/archives/004207.html

 

[samv]

that's great PEinc!

Let me extend my previous comment to include repressed male employees also!

I bet if this guy was Casseopia's boss she wouldn't have thought twice about doing the article

 

[casseopeia]

OK, never one to shy away from a little research. The Publication looks like a 'City' Magazine wannabe a la San Francisco Magazine or Chicago Magazine. I can't tell if it's a stand-alone publication, or a once-a-month insert in the local paper. Their Mother Ship is the New York Times. Reprints of the WHOLE MAGAZINE costs $3. I'd say that kinda puts it in the special newspaper section category.

Cover stories for the past 6 months include 'Artistic Expression and Pottery', 'In the Movies', 'Got Milk...and Wine?' with subsection articles for 'Local Nightlife', 'Home Brewing' and 'Local Ballerinas Practice for the Nutcracker.' HgTX, I think you pegged this one right on the money.

I did not find an article written by this reporter in this publication for the last 6 months. I'm trying not to dwell too much on that little fact.

rerig, I did not think your first post fell into the Old Fart category. You actually picked up on a concern of mine that I have not stated outright, that I have some degree of vulnerability in my position where I work. I really should consider even the mildest effects, or be prepared for unhappy results.

MintJulep, Your warnings are equally well-founded. Your post reminded me to be cautious in what I say, no matter how innocuous the article may be.

PEinc, Great article and photo! I have to make one or two observations, however. Jim Vezella, the dancing contractor, needs to be more mindful of his form! He supinates (rolls to the outside) his feet, especially the left one. Columns work best when the forces are parallel to the major axis and so does your leg. He's forcing his lower body to fight off the lateral torsional buckling at his ankle. That can cause foot, leg hip and back problems. And he would do better to 'lift' his chest up out of his pelvis. You get better mobility and once again, it doesn't put as much stress on the lower back.

"If you are going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!"

 

[PEinc]

I can only imagine the abuse Jim Verzella got from the union construction workers when he went to the jobsite the day after the article appeared in the Philadelphia newspaper! For the record, Jim is a top notch construction professional for a major CM.

 

[haggis]

casseopeia

I’m coming into this late with nothing more to add really, but if you have done a little research on this publication and found that is reputable, I don’t see any concern as to things being distorted when it goes to press.

I understand your concerns but what is with the Freakmeister worrying about what his clients think if they see an article featuring you and the art in the Life section of the weekend paper. How conservative can these people be? I would imagine that most would find the article both interesting and enlightening.

As was said before, it’s belly dancing, an art form with cultural expression and a touch of eroticism which nobody with the slightest intellect would construe as being lewd in any way, shape or form. Anyone who did should search their own souls for underlying problems.

As to the origin of the dancing, I doubt that there many who see this as being a front for anything any more than they see from the members of the Scottish Rite wearing the Fez.
Heaven forbid that your dance troupe and the Shriners end up on a watch list after Saturday’s performance.

Got a laugh from your post where you analyzed Jim Verzella’s “columns” and noticed that you didn’t touch on the slenderness ratio. However, after looking at the picture, it is obvious that that number is adequate.

Going to the pub now to thank a few members, including yourself, for the posts of welcome. Keep us posted on the resolve of your dilemma.

Good luck,

Haggis