You can have tattoos and be professional. You can be overweight and be professional. If your work attire requires you to sport a thong bikini, then hey, you can be a professional. Never working in an office does not mean you’ve never been professional. Most importantly, the Susan-type image of professionalism is often equated to having authority. Authority does not equal professionalism. being someone’s boss doesn’t immediately make you professional, and being someone’s subordinate doesn’t make you a non-professional. earning the title of professional isn’t about the role you’re in or how you look. it’s about how you act. tHIS is what it actually means to be professional: