Dumb Question I need to ask anyway

Hello everyone,

So I foolishly stretched my ears in high school past the point of no return. I've sized them down to about a 0g which is the smallest they can go without surgery. I am a sophomore in college now and beginning to look for internships and starting to build a network. I cannot afford surgery to get my ears sewn shut, so my question is what should I do to look professional when interviewing and networking? I usually where diamond plugs out every day. Should I wear clear plugs? Flesh colored plugs? Or just wear no plugs at all and explain the holes and how much I regret my decision?

Thanks for the advice; I know this is a stupid question but I would like to hear from all of you.

9 Comments
 

How much does surgery cost? It is probably worth the investment, even if you have to stretch your budget substantially. It will be impossible to get a front office job with stretched out earlobes.

Pigs get slaughtered.
 

Amen to this. Always cracks me up how short minded people can be about decisions to their appearances.

Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad. Thanks common sense.

OP - get the surgery or get a new goal, it won't fly.

"We're not lawyers, we're investment bankers. We call you for the paperwork. We didn't go to Harvard, we went to Wharton, and we saw you coming a mile away."
 

If you are a male don't have any piercing and shell out money for the surgery. Visible tattoos and piercings (for males) are not really accepted in finance yet.

 

Start a GoFundMe for the surgery. I'm in for $2.

"For I am a sinner in the hands of an angry God. Bloody Mary full of vodka, blessed are you among cocktails. Pray for me now and at the hour of my death, which I hope is soon. Amen."
 

I would go with the flesh colored plugs and then get a girl friend of yours to apply some cover up in order to blend it in so you can't even notice that you have the flesh colored plugs in at all either.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 

Thanks for the replies everyone; they're much appreciated. I know it's a really dumb question that I already knew the answer to, but I guess I just needed to hear it from a third party.

Stretching my lobes was the definition of "young and dumb". I had very liberal parents who let me get away with more than I should have aha. Guess I'm going to have to look into surgery.

Skinnayyy ironically my girlfriend suggested the exact same thing! For now that will have to do when the need arises. Ouch, my pride is hurting from the thought of applying make up.

 

Autem exercitationem consequatur sit vitae. A nihil omnis vitae illum. Delectus suscipit vel blanditiis autem sunt nulla dolores. Earum vel ad vel et consequatur voluptates non.

Sed et quis non possimus rerum natus. Voluptatum deserunt soluta amet quis reiciendis aut. Porro cupiditate in ut consequatur perspiciatis labore ex.

Est recusandae voluptas nobis et. Laboriosam quia aspernatur fugit enim enim dignissimos. Qui repellat aut eos consequatur quidem.

Dicta sunt enim vero et tempore ea est vero. Voluptatem ut et autem officiis omnis eos. Quisquam ex dicta optio. Ipsam sint quibusdam occaecati quae. Debitis inventore est fuga aperiam ad. Est consequuntur voluptatem ipsa quo aut ea.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”