Journal Archives

Tattoo Blogs From April 2005

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Tattoos - What Women Want?

April 27 2005

Women are increasingly opting for large tattoos. 'New school' hearts, stars, roses and tribal tattoo designs on the lower back are increasingly being asked for by females. Women are definitely becoming more experimental in the shapes and sizes of their designs.

Stereotypes and the stigma associated with tattoos prevented women from feeling confident with a tattoo up until even a decade ago. They don't want to be told what they can and cannot do. 40 or 50 years ago 10 percent of people with tattoos were women. Now it's close to 65 percent.

A lot of tattooists report that when musicians, especially hip-hop artists get tattoos, there is usually an influx of clients wanting that particular tattoo.The popularity of lower back and stomach placement of tattoos suggests that most women still don't want their tattoos to be too noticeable and also a desire for a more sexual placement of the tattoo.

See Erotic Tattoos and Hip Hop and Rapper Tattoos

When it comes down to it, its what makes you feel good. Its going to be around for quite a while so you may as well choose a tattoo that has lasting appeal. There are so many good tattoo designs and custom pieces a tattoo artists can do nowadays so don't be tempted to get some cartoon character such as Betty Boop 'off the wall' which will date really fast and end up looking tacky.

Tattoos and Feminist Ideals

April 2 2005

A recent LiveJournal forum discusses tattoos from a feminist perspective based on a Women's Studies Department conference. One of the presenters at the conference read a paper that she'd written about the female tattooed body. She talked about some historical aspects of tattooing and how she believes that tattooing has been co-opted by mainstream culture and has therefore lost a lot of its spiritual meaning. She also commented on how because tattooing has traditionally been viewed as a male-only venture, women who do get tattoos feel compelled to:

a) get a 'traditional feminine tattoo' e.g. a flower or butterfly
b) get a tattoo that can be concealed, e.g. on the lower back, so as not to compromise femininity

While many women may not explicitly be choosing tattoos based on this reasoning, it seems like women, when considering tattoo designs and placement, have really been influenced by what society expects a woman's body to look like. Some of the women say that the choice of tattoo placement on their body is determined by factors such as employment, whether current or future. they don't want to limit the range of jobs & employment available to them and so choose areas of the body that are easily hidden by most work clothes. which, as someone pointed out before, leaves the majority of the body free for tattooing.

You can read the full thread at:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/feminist/1773117.html

Tattoos as Ads...What Next?

April 1 2005

It is impossible to escape advertisements and commercials nowadays. You see them on buses, trains, sports stadiums, and in a place that used to be a sanctuary from advertising — movie theater. If you think it can't possibly get any worse, think again. The latest craze in advertising is for ads to be tattooed on people's bodies.

More and more people are renting out their bodies. Many of them auction themselves off on eBay. One man got over $30,000 to put a temporary tattoo on his forehead advertising a business called "SnoreStop." He's not on a TV with this tattoo. He just walks around, using his head as a billboard. Most of the time, these slogans are temporary tattoos, but a California based restaurant has offered free food for life to anybody who will get a permanent tattoo advertising the restaurant. Tastless or what?