Customizing the Body (PDF file) - Print My Tattoo

50 Becoming and Being a Tattooed Person
Another interviewee described the decision-making process she
had gone through in choosing to acquire a small rose design on
her shoulder, emphasizing aesthetic issues and stigma control.
The only other place that I knew of that women got tattoos was
on the breast. I didn't want it on the front of my chest because
I figured if I was at work and had an open blouse or a scoop
neck. then half would show and half wouldn't. I wanted to be
able to control when I wanted it to show and when I didn·t. If I
go for a job interview I don't want a tattoo on my breast. I
didn't want it. like, on my thigh or on the lower part of my
stomach. I didn't like how they look there. I just thought it
would look pretty on my shoulder.... The main reason is that
I can cover it up if I want to.
Men, on the other hand. typically are less inclined than women
to define the tattoo primarily as a decorative and intimate addition
to the body. Instead. the male tattoo is an identity symbol-a
more public display of interests. associations. separation from the
normative constraints of conventional society, and, most generally,
masculinity. The designs chosen by men are usually larger
than those favored by women and, rather than employing the gentle
imagery of nature and mythology (flowers, birds, butterflies,
unicorns, and so forthl. they frequently symbolize more violent
impulses. Snakes. bloody daggers, skulls, dragons, grim reapers,
black panthers, and birds of prey are dominant images in the conventional
repertoire of tattoo designs chosen by men. Placement
of the image on the arm allows both casual public display and,
should the male tattooee anticipate a critical judgment from
someone whose negative reaction could have untoward consequences
(most commonly, an employerl, easy concealment with
clothing. One male interviewee spoke about the public meaning of
tattoos and expressed his understanding of the difference between
male and female tattoos as follows:
You fit into a style. People recognize you by your hair-style or by
your tattoo. People look at you in public and say, "Hey. they got
a tattoo. They must be a particular kind of person:' or. "He's
got his hair cropped short (sol he must be a different kind of