Unless you've been holidaying on a distant planet for the last decade, you'll have noticed the booming popularity of "body art". Yep, tattoos are no longer the exclusive province of bikers, gang members, and hard-livin' rock musicians; like Harleys, Hummers, and body piercing, they've gone mainstream. And the trend hasn't been confined to males - just as many women are now getting tattoos.
According to a 2006 article, tattooing has become one of America's fastest growing categories of retail business. There were an estimated 15,000 tattoo studios in operation, with at least one new studio opening daily. A recent Harris poll found that 14% of Americans had at least one tattoo.
True to the copy-cat mentality that characterizes so much of the human species, once a trend garners momentum, and is picked up by enough celebrities, it tends to spread like wildfire. Not that those who get tattoos would ever admit to being swayed by popular trends; in fact, many folks who get tattoos do so in the belief they are emphasizing their uniqueness and individuality[Anderson 1991][Greif et al 1999]. Yes indeed - them and the other squillion like-minded folks who have rushed out to get inked up. Any anthropologist will readily confirm that tattoos and body-piercing have a long history of use among primitive peoples, their primary purpose being to provide an ostentatious marker of tribal membership and reinforce group bonding. In other words, tattoos and body-piercing are about as non-conformist as a pin-striped suit.
Tattoo users may believe they are impressing others with a 'cool' declaration of independence, but what do people really think of tattooed folks?
Females with Tattoos: Unflattering Perceptions
A recent study examined the attitudes of 160 British undergraduate students (mean age 19 years, range 18-46) towards females with tattoos[Swami, Furnham 2007]. Lest you think this was a stuffy group with ingrained middle class prejudices against tattoo wearers, questioning by the researchers revealed that 14% of them had tattoos and 71% of the total sample would consider getting a tattoo in the future.
The researchers showed the participants a series of illustrations of blonde and brunette females wearing 1, 2 or 3 tattoos. The tattoo locations were arm, ankle and hips; the designs included a tribal band (arms, ankles) and a butterfly (hips).
The researchers asked the subjects to rate how physically attractive and sexually promiscuous they thought the illustrated women were. A 9-point scale was used, in which 1 = not at all physically attractive/sexually promiscuous and 9 = very physically attractive/sexually promiscuous.
The participants were also asked to estimate the number of alcohol units they believed the depicted women would consume on a typical night out.
The results showed the subjects rated tattooed women as less physically attractive, and this rating worsened as the number of tattoos increased.
The subjects also rated tattooed women as more sexually promiscuous and consuming more alcohol during a night out. Again, these negative perceptions became stronger as the number of tattoos increased.
What was really interesting about these findings is that subjects with tattoos were just as likely to negatively rate female tattoo wearers as those without. Gender, religion and ethnicity also had no effect on the ratings.
Blondes Have More Fun Misconceptions to Overcome
In this study, brunettes were rated as more attractive than blondes, and blondes were rated as more sexually promiscuous. Blonde women were also perceived as consuming more alcohol during a night out.
Perception is Reality
Tattoo wearers (and blondes) would no doubt protest these attitudes as unfair, and with good reason. I know of total scumbags who are tattoo-free, and I also know folks with tattoos who are high quality people. I've known blonde girls who were truly nice, decent folks, and plenty of brunette females that were, um...how do I put this nicely...extremely "liberal" and "indiscriminate" with both their affections and their alcohol intake.
Nevertheless, the reality is that people routinely judge a book by its cover. A previous survey of career-oriented US women found that their tattoos were often the subject of negative reactions and derogatory remarks from fathers, physicians, nurses and the general public[Anderson 1991]. Hawkes et al suggest that females with tattoos experience harsher reactions than tattoo-bearing males because getting tattooed is seen as a "masculine" behavior, and there are stronger societal expectations for women to stay within established gender boundaries[Hawkes et al 2004].
Personally, I think the current tattoo craze, like most fads, is a wank; a phenomenon that has more to do with people following and seeking acceptance from the herd. Embracing the latest fashion statement along with millions of other like-minded folks hardly makes one unique and distinctive.
You want to impress me with your "individuality"? Cool - then forget the tatts and start learning to think for yourself and eschewing the mindless, lard-assed, consumerist lifestyle so prevalent nowadays. An independent-thinking brain is much rarer and far more a true marker of uniqueness than a bunch of scrawls on your arm or ankles.
Sorry folks, but when it comes to new trends, if it doesn't make me bigger, faster, fitter, stronger, or smarter, then I'm not going to waste my money on it.
But that's me. You are the final arbiter of what you do with your body. If your motivation for getting tattooed is primarily external, i.e. a belief that your image and social status will be positively enhanced due to the impression your tattoos will make on others, it might pay to think the whole thing through a little more carefully.
You may indeed be making an impression upon others, but it might not be the one you were hoping for. If you're a famous punk rocker whose wealth and celebrity overrides any potential negative stereotypes about tattoos, or a girl who somehow enjoys being viewed as a heavy-drinking floozy, then knock yourself out.
But if you live in the real world. then, as the UK researchers postulated, any feelings of improved self-image or uniqueness may be mitigated by negative perceptions, and the consequences of those perceptions, emanating from others. As their study shows, even those with tattoos themselves are not above harboring negative stereotypical attitudes towards others with tattoos.
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References
Armstrong ML. Career-oriented Women with Tattoos. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Dec 1991; 23 (4): 215–220.
Greif J, et al. Tattooing and Body Piercing. Body Art Practices Among College Students. Clinical Nursing Research, Nov, 1999; 8 (4): 368-385.
Hawkes D, et al. Factors that influence attitudes toward women with tattoos. Sex Roles, May 1, 2004; 50: 593-604.
Swami V, Furnham A. Unattractive, promiscuous and heavy drinkers: Perceptions of women with tattoos. Body Image, Dec 2007; 4 (4): 343-352.
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