Qian Yin's blog

24/11

Before they started designing their own tattoos, I gave them a short introduction to their project. One of them had previously done my survey on tattooing in relation to body image. I asked them if the placement of tattoos affected their own attitudes to it and those of others, which was one of the questions in the questionnaire. Their views on this are all ‘Maybe’. It is difficult to say the answer to this question is absolutely yes or absolutely no. They think that tattoos are a very personal thing. Everyone feels differently. If having a tattoo in a visible placement works better for your self-esteem, you just do it. If it has a bit of a secret little story, you hide it. You are tattooing for yourself and the key thing is how to make you feel more comfortable.

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The participant who designed the second tattoo shared her story. Since puberty she has been shorter than her peers. This became a worry that has always bothered her. Before she started high school, The doctor told her that her bones had stopped growing. The only chance for her to grow taller was to have her bones broken as an adult.she even consulted a doctor and took an x-ray. The doctor told her that her bones had stopped growing. The only chance for her to grow taller was to have a limb lengthening and reconstruction surgery which was very scary for her as a teenager. She stated that even though she is only 150cm, it doesn’t stop her from doing what she wants to do and achieving a lot. During her drawing process, she told us that she was influenced by Japanese animation culture and that she has always loved drawing. She studied biology in the US as an undergraduate, during which time she taught herself to draw and then completed her own portfolio and applied for an illustration course at Camberwell College of Arts.

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25/11

Tattoo Workshop on zoom

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The next day, I held another workshop on zoom and invited two participants. The first participant often draws illustrations of his daily life, such as going to work, going camping, getting vaccinated, etc. The main characters of her illustrations are her and her two cats. And she often makes derivative products from her paintings. The tattoo she designed for herself shows herself swimming freely. She says this is her attitude to life, free and unfettered. As far as her appearance is concerned, she feels that there is nothing to worry about. No one is perfect, just accepts yourself as you are and enjoys life as it is.

Throughout this workshop, she expressed her satisfaction with her tattoo and kept complimenting it on its cuteness. She said she created the illustrations and made them into derivative products to remind herself to enjoy life and love herself more. Tattoos are also a good choice. She said she would be making tattoo stickers as her new product. The workshop attracted her to try tattooing, which is one of the things that made this online workshop a success.

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The second participant will have some body anxiety. Because she was a sports player until college. Long-term training resulted in her calf muscles being well developed. She said that two pairs of knee-high boots she had recently purchased would not fit because her calves were too thick. This became a point that has always bothered her and in response to this, she created this tattoo.

After these two workshops, I spoke to my classmate about our project and I showed her the photos of my workshop and the tattoos they designed. She found the process very interesting and asked me why I didn’t invite her, she really wanted to participate. I said I could still invite her even after this project was over.

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Interviews with two participants after they had attended the workshop

 Reflection:  I find that the tattoo workshop can be an opportunity to talk about bad experiences and an agent that promotes a sense of intimacy between people. Tattooing is a form of self-expression and the process of tattooing may help them accept themselves, and shape a new self-identity. In addition, tattoos are eye-catching, and if someone asks where they came from, it may be an opportunity to talk about it and may give them the chance to build a connection with those around them. After this workshop, if they feel uncomfortable and find the negative emotions overwhelming, they can contact the counsellors. Fortunately, no one felt uncomfortable.

Evidence from this action research, together with literature and expert interviews on female tattoos and body image, leads us to conclude that raising self-esteem requires maintaining positive beliefs and accepting imperfection and uniqueness. Tattooing as a method has a solid inner strength for most people, which could help some young Asian women think about who they are and who can really control their bodies. Designing a tattoo can help young Asian women re-examine themselves and accept themselves, which contribute to improving self-esteem and body image. It shows that tattooing could be an alternative to problem-solving to help them find solace for some women. Although my study and intervention result shows that tattoos have a positive effect on self-esteem and body image for some women, my project is still an exploration of tattooing in relation to body image. Another avenue for future research needs to be more participants, evidence, and psychological perspectives. This study would be more comprehensive if more psychologists were more involved.

I made two posters for my tattoo studio and posted them on Instagram. I plan to invite two or three people to my offline workshop. Due to time differences, covid and venue restrictions, the number of participants could not be large. The rest of participants may still have to attend the meeting on zoom. The workshop is an invitation for girls to look at their imperfections, recall their own stories, design a tattoo for themselves and then draw the tattoo (a temporary, removable tattoo) as a process of reconnecting with themselves and sharing their stories with other women participants.

Reflection: First of all I have to give a brief introduction to my project with the participants. So one of the things I have to do is tell them why I associate tattooing with self-esteem and body image. This is the question that was asked during the previous presentation. I think I need to address such doubts of others.

I have divided my reasons for choosing tattoos as a way to improve my self-esteem and body image into two aspects. On the one hand I think tattooed women challenge the dominant beauty culture. Women can protect themselves from mainstream beauty culture with tattoos and they could feel that they were armoring themselves against the mainstream beauty culture. They will use it as an expression of a rebellious spirit and a way of confronting mainstream aesthetics. Additionally, they recast tattooing as alternative forms of beauty and self-expression.

On the other hand I think for some women, tattoos can be an alternative to problem solving to help them find solace. Tattoos are actually a way of remembering or memorialising, a personal hobby or a way of expressing oneself. By this way, tattoos can make women think about who controls our bodies.

But through my interviews with a number of people, it appears that human emotions and the purpose of doing things are very complex. Both of the reasons I have categorised above may be present in their heads. This means that she can express rebellious emotions and fight against mainstream aesthetics while also using the tattoo as a psychological comfort and using it as a reminder and a memento of herself.

Last week I did a survey about tattoo in relation to body image. As I delved more deeply into the project, I found more specific issues to examine. One of the things I’m trying to figure out is whether the placement of the tattoo affects people’s attitude. Some people get tattoos on hidden body parts for different reasons. I wonder if this means that they are not ready for the tattoo or that the tattoo will work for them and express them regardless of the placement. I have also translated this questionnaire into Chinese for some Chinese people to read easily.

Reflection: One drawback of this questionnaire is that it covers more people in East Asian, while women in other parts of Asia cannot be involved in. The first question shows that nearly 40% of the 33 people own tattoos. This survey also shows that there is a high level of acceptance of tattoos. Moreover, there is not a single person who cannot accept tattoos at all. The survey showed that people were not really sure whether the placement of the tattoo would make a difference to themselves or to others. This is justified that they had not previously thought about or studied this issue in particular. But they still have their own judgement on some views, especially as 40% of them have tattoos.

The survey showed that people were not sure whether the tattoo’s placement would make a difference to themselves or others. The more commonly agreed views were that tattoos are completely personal, placement and other people’s opinions don’t matter, and tattoos can be an alternative to problem solving for some women with scars and imperfects on their bodies to help them find solace.

07/11

Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoos

There’s been some sophisticated fiction about skin and ink. I am reminded of a book by Margot Mifflin called ‘Bodies of Subversion’. This book describes the secret history of women and tattoos and it was first published in 1997 but reissued now in a heavily updated and resplendently illustrated third edition. This book examines tattoos in the Western world from a female perspective. According to a 2012 Harris Poll, American women are more likely to be tattooed than men. Some 23 percent of women have tattoos; 19 percent of men do. They’re no longer rebel emblems, Ms. Mifflin notes. They’re a mainstream fashion choice. As for the history of Chinese tattooing it has been around for over a thousand years. According to the Chinese Tattooists Association, not long ago only 10% of the population tolerated tattoos, now this indicator has risen to 60%. Tattoos are particularly popular among women, and the vast majority of clients of tattoo studios are young women.

The writer of this book is an admirer of women’s tattoo culture. She declared that tattoos were ‘a symbol of empowerment in an era of feminist progress’. Bodies of Subversion is the first history of women’s tattoo art, providing a fascinating excursion to a subculture that dates back into the nineteenth-century and includes many never-before-seen photos of tattooed women from the last century. The book captures a series of stories of women and tattoos from breast cancer survivors in the 1990s who had their mastectomy scars tattooed as an alternative to reconstructive surgery or prosthetics, and the rise of tattooing and cosmetic surgery at the same time in the 1980s, when female tattoo artists became the soul doctors of a Britain plagued by body anxiety.

Mifflin notes that tattoos have the ‘ability to degrade as well as to enhance, to invoke the sacred and the inane.’ After reading this book, I think tattoos can make women think about who controls our bodies. Tattooing shifts the focus of women’s issues from society to the self. Tattooed women are empowered only in their minds. For some women, tattoos can be an alternative to problem solving to help them find solace.

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31/10

This Tuesday we did a short presentation to the Dragons. They listened to my presentation and recommended Professor Thompson, a specialist in my field of study. Then I read a book she wrote called Covered in Ink : Tattoos, Women and the Politics of the Body.

The book tells women with tattoos account for 20 percent of adults in the United States with tattoos. I also tried to find data on tattooed women in China. According to the Chinese Tattooists Association, in 2017 the indicator that residents can tolerate tattoos rose to 60%. Tattoos are particularly popular among women, and the vast majority of clients of tattoo studios are young women. It means that there is a growing acceptance of tattoos in China, a growing awareness that tattoos are actually a way of remembering or memorialising, a personal hobby or a way of expressing oneself.

Professor Thompson visited a number of tattoo parlours to talk to female tattoo artists and the women they tattooed, and she attended a tattoo convention and the Miss Tattoo pageant, where a large number of tattooed women gathered to share their common love of this art form. In this book, she talks about women’s love of ink, their personal choices about the art of tattooing, the meaning of tattooing in their lives, and their struggles with gender norms, employment discrimination and family rejection. Thompson(2015) points out that despite the stigma and social hostility associated with heavily tattooed women, many believe that tattoos empower them and create a place for self-expression, while also promoting good body image. 

Reflection: When it comes to stigma and social hostility, I am reminded of a study of tattoos on appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction, perceptions of uniqueness, and self-esteem. That study shows 82 British residents report significantly lower appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction immediately after obtaining a tattoo. Participants report significantly greater body appreciation, self-esteem, distinctive appearance investment, and self-ascribed uniqueness three weeks after obtaining a tattoo. Women reported greater social physique anxiety after three weeks, whereas men reported lower anxiety. This result shows that women bear more stigma and social hostility. So most women won’t choose to be heavily tattooed. So in my intervention, a removable temporary tattoo would be a good attempt for some women.

10.23

Reflection: After last week’s tutorial I realized that I should start organizing my blog. I have previously written all my content on a post. It’s hard for people who don’t know my project to understand what I’m doing. So I’ve split my content into three posts based on units.

After my conversation with the counsellor last week, I intend to change my intervention slightly. According to my interview with Dr. Wang, if someone in my workshop develops too much unbearable negative emotion, they will need more professional counseling. So after this workshop I will provide the contact details of several counsellors who are available for counselling for those with more serious psychological problems.

This week I found one new stakeholder whose name is Rachel. She is also an interpreter and tattooist. She is also very concerned about female self-esteem and rejects the male gaze. She took to her social media to share the stories of her tattoos and some of her thoughts on body image.

Interview with Rachel

Q:What do you think about appearance anxiety and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)?

A: I think that appearance anxiety is something that everyone experiences and there is no way to get rid of it completely. Because we can’t avoid thinking about it when we’re talking to people or buying clothes or whatever. But it’s okay! We have to accept that and it’s normal to be bothered by such physical appearance issues.

Q: Do you think tattoos (including the process of designing and drawing them) can have positive effects on women’s self-esteem and body image?

A: For tattooing, it has helped me become more confident. I believe it will also work for some women than for all of them. I think tattoos play a role to help. It can be an opportunity for you to get to know yourself again. But it also requires women to be aware of their own inner strength to become more confident and independent rather than just relying on tattoos.

After my interview with Rachel I realized that we treat tattoos like medicine. We can’t expect that getting a tattoo like a pill will immediately improve a woman’s self-esteem. Also tattoos are not guaranteed to work on every woman and improve their self-esteem. What tattoos can do is help some women rediscover themselves and accept their imperfections. It helps them to discover and accept theirselves. But it also requires them to think and grow on their own instead of trying to solve their low self-esteem and lack of confidence by just getting a tattoo like a drug dependency.

10.17

This week I tried to contact five psychologists and briefed them on my project. And a counsellor who is a professional counsellor and writer in China replied to me.

After my interview with her, I did some research on tattoos and psychological trauma. Crompton (2020) shows that tattooing does help people who have been traumatized to accept and even show their trauma, and it allows them to accept their physical and emotional scars with optimism.

There is a team of American and Israeli tattoo artists abroad called Healing Ink, which specializes in tattooing the scars of people who have suffered from war and terrorist attacks.

In a short documentary they made in 2016, a woman who had been injured in a bomb attack says, ‘I used to hate my body because I was covered in scars, but after the tattoo, I fell in love with my body all over again.’

Pennerbaker (1988) points out that psychological trauma is actually easier to ignore than physical wounds. For people who are healthy but have experienced some trauma, expressing the trauma through writing and talking about it can provide a better understanding of the causes and effects of the trauma they have experienced and remove the need for them to suppress their feelings about it.

I find that tattooing is a similar way to writing and talking and tattooing is also a form of self-expression. If the tattoo is on an area of skin that can be exposed, the pattern on the body is a narrative of the traumatic experience and emotions without having to say or write it down. Tattoos help them to accept and even show imperfections. And the process of tattooing may shape a new self-identity.

In addition, a good tattoo is an agent that promotes a sense of intimacy between people. People can experience isolated feelings and are reluctant to talk about their bad experiences. But tattoos are eye-catching and if someone talks about how nice they look and asks where they came from, it may be an opportunity to talk about it and may give them the chance to build a connection with those around them.

Bibliography:

Crompton, L., Plotkin Amrami, G., Tsur, N., & Solomon, Z. ( 2020 ) . Tattoos in the wake of trauma: Transforming personal stories of suffering into public stories of coping. Deviant Behavior, 42 ( 10 ) , 1242-1255.

Mehta, V. ( 2021-06-29 ) . 5 Ways Tattoos Can Help People Heal. Psychology Today.

Pennebaker, J. W., Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., & Glaser, R. ( 1988 ) . Disclosure of traumas and immune function: Health implications for psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56 ( 2 ) , 239 – 245.

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10.10

Reflection：

After the first tutorial in Unit 3, I realized that I had several problems to solve. Firstly, I adjusted my question a little to how tattooing can boost young Asian women’s self-esteem and self-identity to reduce appearance anxiety. The most urgent thing I needed to address was to get myself involved in the tattoo. I will get a temporary tattoo myself to gain more authenticity to my project. I wanted to use this process of designing tattoos to share personal stories and getting temporary tattoos as a therapy. For my tattoo workshop, I could be the one to help them draw a temporary tattoo but I lack the knowledge in psychology. And with the reminder of my tutor David, I realized that the sensitive and vulnerable people among them might have too much negative emotion and anxiety when they recalled unpleasant personal experiences and personal shortcomings. What I have in mind for this is to try and contact a couple of psychotherapists. I will accompany them to get a temporary tattoo for this workshop and ask them about their mood state and once they feel uncomfortable with the process I will put them in touch with the psychotherapists I have found. Additionally, I need to interview with psychotherapists and psychologists about what they think of my project and what I need to improve.

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Intervention1: Getting a temporary tattoo

My first participant is a Chinese girl. She is also a tattoo artist and the tattoo she designed was a pine. It’s a Zen state of mind. In Chinese, ‘pine’ and ‘relax’ have the same pronunciation. It’s a psychological hint for her to relax herself. Here are several questions I prepared for my interview with him.

I think there’s a lot of pressure now, and appearance anxiety is part of it, but there’s also a lot of pressure from other aspects of life.

It’s cool and I think the patterns are very artistic. As a tattoo artist myself, I appreciate people who have tattoos. And I am happy to discover the stories of other people and tattoos, because most people don’t have a tattoo for no reason.

MENTAL STATE DURING TATTOO DESIGN

It’s been two years since I last got a tattoo. I am very exited to get a new tattoo.I hope this new tattoo will bring out a new and different version of myself.

2 WEEKS AFTER OBTAINING A TATTOO

I ask my friend to tattoo this design for me. As a tattoo artist myself I believe in the power of belief when it comes to tattoos. I feel that each design can represent a different person and a different story. I think this tattoo is what I’m looking forward to in my following state of life.

4 WEEKS AFTER OBTAINING A TATTOO

So far, I’m still happy with my tattoo. Summer is coming and I’m happy to show it off to others. And whenever something in my life makes me feel anxious or someone criticises me, I look at the tattoo and tell myself to relax and not to take them seriously.

9 WEEKS AFTER OBTAINING A TATTOO

Now I’m getting used to my tattoo and getting on well with it. I really like it. I feel like the process is like burying a belief in my heart. I gradually accept it and make a belief strong. Through this tattoo I keep telling myself to relax. Some of the anxieties around me gradually stopped bothering me so much.

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My second participant is a Korean girl. Her temporary tattoo is ‘Eat Pray & Love’. It’s a film and a book. The film with the message that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all. Eat Pray & Love is ultimately charming and inspirational. It will likely leave you pondering your life choices and forgiving your flaws. 

I am actually an optimistic person in life. I do have some anxiety about appearance anxiety because of the times we live in. And I work in the fashion industry, and we do focus too much on appearance.

I love tattoos and I would love to know the background stories of other people’s tattoos.

MENTAL STATE DURING TATTOO DESIGN

These three words are important in my life. And eat pray & love is a book that I really like. I want to to be brave, face my inner voice and love myself.

1 WEEK AFTER OBTAINING A TEMPORARY TATTOO

I’m happy to have this tattoo and would love to show it to others. Although the tattoo is in an awkward place and I have to give others the middle finger. I look at it from time to time and it reminds me of the person I want to be and forget my flaws.

5 WEEK AFTER OBTAINING A TEMPORARY TATTOO

I’m still happy with my tattoo. I’m happy to have one of my favourite books and my views on life tattooed on my body.

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The third participant was a Chinese girl. The tattoo she designed was a Spanish phrase. It means live for yourself. This girl wanted to use it as her talisman.

I feel like there’s been super stressful since I’ve been involved in work. Looks anxiety is also a part of it, I guess, after all, good looking people reap more goodwill in society.

These tattoos are beautiful. I think girls look good with tattoos on their collarbones, backs or arms. They look very charming. And they are confident to show themselves and don’t care about observations of others.

MENTAL STATE DURING TATTOO DESIGN

This sentence is super meaningful to me. Because I am a person myself who thinks about others and cares about what they think. One time over drinks I told my friend that I don’t know how to love myself anymore.

2 WEEKS AFTER OBTAINING A TEMPORARY TATTOO

I’m still happy to have the tattoo. I don’t know if this statement is a protection or an inspiration for me. I hope that every decision I make in the future is for the sake of being a better version of myself before I make it.

6 WEEKS AFTER OBTAINING A TEMPORARY TATTOO

The tattoo reminds me not care too much about external comments and perspectives. I would like make it a real tattoo on my body. Because I can feel its strength that it gives me.

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The fourth participant is a Japanese girl. She cares a lot about what other people say, so she designed this tattoo to tell people that I am good and to please focus on yourselves.

I feel deeply about looks anxiety because ever since I was a child, I was not the good-looking girl everyone thought I was. There was a lot of supposedly well-meaning advice from all around me.

I love tattoos! I think it’s a way for others to express themselves. It can show an attitude of others.

MENTAL STATE DURING TATTOO DESIGN

Because I really care about what people say about me. I want to be cool around people saying ‘Sorry, I’m good.’

1 WEEK AFTER OBTAINING A TEMPORARY TATTOO

I am very happy with this pattern. Everyone around me says it’s interesting the person’s expression looks unruly. And I will tell them that’s me!

6 WEEK AFTER OBTAINING A TEMPORARY TATTOO

I still love this tattoo. But I’m not sure it has that much meaning for me. I got it at first just because it was fun.

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Intervention2: A new social account to gather feedback

I signed up for this new ins account to collect stories of women and their tattoos to see if tattooing is helpful in improving self-esteem.

At the same time I will keep sharing some of the women’s tattoos and the stories behind these tattoos. From the tattoos, some women gain strength and they use the tattoos as a reminder of their lives. They use it to gain the strength of belief and to help them improve their self-esteem.

I will continue to collect people’s views on these stories and how they see the connection between tattoos and self-esteem.

The second story about tattoo

The Flying Bird (on the right upper arm)

The Flying Bear (on the inner side of the left arm)

The second storyteller believes that everyone has many different images of themselves. She has a tattoo of a bird in flight on her right upper arm. It symbolises what the inner self aspires to be. What she pursuits is the desire to be free, to be uninhibited and to live for herself. What is slightly different from her pursuing self is her personality in life now. Her personality is very gentle and considerate of others. This means that she often has to compromise herself in order to accommodate others. She takes advice on even the smallest things in life such as dyeing her hair. The bear on her inner side of left arm represents herself. She added blue wings to the bear and herself. It implies that she should break her weak ego and not be overly concerned about others. At the same time, she happily shared with me her wish to discover her different self and have a zoo through tattooing on her hands.

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Intervention3: Tattoo workshop

Because of the first intervention on temporary tattoos, I communicated with the participants and collected feedback all online. And I think it was results-oriented too. A face-to-face interaction would be more direct, so I’m planning to run an offline tattoo workshop. I can keep communicating and exchanging ideas with them during this whole process.

It will be interesting to see different participants to share their own stories with each other. People may gain some insights from other people’s experiences and tattoo stories and think about them in a way they haven’t before.

I organised a workshop for two people to test it. And she is willing to participate it again in October. My project has not yet looked at whether tattoos have different effects on different body parts. Next time I will invite this participant to have a temporary tattoo on a more visible body part in order to investigate whether tattooing on a more visible body part has a better effect on self-esteem.

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Reflection：From last month’s tutorial with Sasha, I realised the answers I get from the tattoo artists are too general. So I’ve had a further communication with one of the tattoo artists for more details. He thought that I also could have more in-depth conversations with people who have been interviewed before.

The tattoo artist kyokuto told me that he was subjected to school bullying in high school. He was over 183 cm tall in high school and he was very thin. (He is 187 cm now). So at that time his classmates would call him all sorts of nicknames behind his back, such as ‘Giant Monster’. Because in Japanese culture being tall is not something to be proud of, even if he is a boy. One day he was attracted to the tattoos and felt that each tattoo was different and so were the people. He felt that he should not be discriminated against for being tall. After that he got his first tattoo and started to try his job at modelling. He gained a lot of confidence, partly because of what the tattoos gave him and partly because he started to really think about his life. Now he is a tattoo artist and model.

Last time we talk about some people think tattoo is just an adornment on the body and a means of attracting attention for women, just like cosmetics. On this topic, we discussed it more this time. He feels it’s undeniable that some people will use this as a way to attract attention, but it’s a very small percentage of people. It costs a lot of time and money to get the tattoo removed. Apparently, people still use other ways to attract attention externally, like dressing up or hair colour.

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Since I signed up for my new Instagram account, a tattoo artist liked my post the next day. I have to say that adding hashtags to posts is really useful. I immediately got in touch with the tattoo artist. And he was happy to help me with my project.

Questions：

• 1.What does tattoo mean to you? Why did you get your first tattoo?
• 2. Some people think tattoo is just an adornment on the body and a means of attracting attention for women, just like cosmetics. What do you think about this?
• 3. Do you believe tattoo has the power of belief?
• 4. Do you think tattoo will affect body image and self-esteem?

His answers:

1. For me, tattoos are both fashion and determination.
   That determination is unacceptable to the general public, and includes discriminatory views.
   The first time I got a tattoo was influenced by my parents, seniors and artists.
2. I understand a variety of purposes, but in my opinion, tattoos are not just adornments on the body. Firstly it is not something that can be easily removed. So when you have a tattoo on your body, it definitely means something to you.
3. Tattoos have the power of belief.
   Just as you have the power to believe in God. If you think about it, the power is born there.
4. It affects both.
   On the first day everyone gets a tattoo, they feel like they’ve gotten stronger.
   This is something I feel I have changed in a good way.

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The second interview with tattoo artist Daniel

I also interviewed a very famous Korean tattoo artist. He has done tattoos for many famous rappers in Korea. I’ve summarised some of his points from my conversations with him.

He says he likes to draw. And tattoos are a way for him to express his art. He is very cautious about painting on other people’s bodies. He is interested in listening carefully to people’s stories to design tattoos instead of a customer taking a random drawing from the internet and having it tattooed. Because he understands the importance of tattoos. He wants tattoos to express something that is really inside people and to give them strength.

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For research purposes, two experts in youth education and psychology were invited by me for my interview. Each interview lasted approximately 30 minutes. According to the first respondent working in the field of youth education, low self-esteem mostly originates from the influence of the family and the early upbringing. Negative early experiences are very important for the cause of low self-esteem. As for the reason of low-esteem keep going, the other participating psychologist that points out that the reasons for the persistence of low self-esteem are related to thinking patterns. Additionally, a psychologist named Melanie Fennell(1997) believes that our negative beliefs about ourselves lead to low self-esteem and that the two are mutually reinforcing. A negative belief is a pattern of thinking. What we can do to improve it is to develop more hobbies and to think differently about life than our old negative thinking patterns. By thinking more about ourselves we will find ways to improve self-esteem and build confidence.

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23/05

According to feedback from my tutor Sasha, I need try to get to the root of the problem. And I need try to find out what is the source of our low self-esteem.

What causes low self-esteem?

Negative early experiences are very important for the development of low self-esteem. 

What keeps low self-esteem going?

If we can work out what keeps a problem going we can treat the problem by intervening to interrupt this maintenance cycle. A psychologist named Melanie Fennell believes that our negative beliefs about ourselves lead to low self-esteem and that the two are mutually reinforcing. The reason self-esteem persists is because of the ‘habit’ that your brain has of retrieving the very negative image.

SIX PILLARS OF SELF-ESTEEM

This week i read a book written by psychologist Nathaniel Branden. The book’s name is ‘Six pillars of self-esteem’ and it describes what Brandon sees as key factors in raising or lowering an individual’s self-esteem.

From this book, I know that we can divide people into two different types which are unconscious and present to the moment. It is clear that those who live consciously will have a higher self-esteem.

• The first pillar is ‘THE PRACTISE OF LIVING CONSCIOUSLY’

We should realise there’s the game we can’t win. So what we should do is practicing building self-esteem in the world we could do. Self-improvement can only follow self-acceptance. It means we should improve what we can change and learn to accept what we can’t.

• The second pillar is ‘THE PRACTISE OF SELF-ACCEPTANCE’.

We are all possibly in a bad condition. For your bad situation, if you were not taking care of yourself, people would be sympathise you. We should take the responsibility and not to play the victims.

• The third pillar is ‘THE PRACTISE OF SELF-RESPONSIBILITY’

We should know how to stay authentic to our true selves under the pressure and try to find something be value to our life. It means we could’t try to follow the so-called trend blindly. Instead, we should be grounded in what we believe in.

• The forth pillar is ‘THE PRACTISE OF SELF-ASSERTIVENESS’

In our lives, passionate entrepreneurs always have higher self-esteem, because they are the modern day warrior and has a strong sense of purpose and lives to conquer.

• The fifth pillar is ‘THE PRACTISE OF LIVING PURPOSEFULLY’

There are so many rules against we believe in which we would like to break. It won’t bother us or affect our self-esteem at all. If when we try to against what we believe in, our inner voice will tell us it’s worthless. We can’t have the voice in our heads and build self-esteem at the same time.

• The sixth pillar is ‘THE PRACTISE OF PERSONAL INTEGRITY’

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13/05

Reflection: From Richard’s feedback, I did more research on feminism, gender theory, and body image. Also, I read Judith Butler and Susan Bordo’s books about feminism and body image. Here is a speech about body image and feminism.

According to Lili Reinhart’s revealing speech about body image, it shows that young women are conditioned to feel ashamed or embarrassed about certain parts of themselves. And the world is not going to reform tomorrow. We can’t rely on those who profit from our perceived flaws to change their ways. One option leaves us is changing ourselves and show what we are with no shame. We should embrace that we are all unique imperfectly beautiful. In addition, we can be naturally beautiful with scars and acne.

08/05

Intervention：

To accomplish my project, it leads to so many interventions. The two interventions that I had in mind were using tattooing to improve young women’s self-identity and design a cosmetic brand that is all about natural beauty and does not hide women’s flaws, encouraging them to embrace their imperfections and let their true selves shine.

My first intervention is for participants to design and get a temporary tattoo.  (But it would have been better if they had been willing to get a real tattoo.) This intervention is design to find the positive effects of tattooing in relation to body image and self-esteem. The main aims of this intervention are to investigate whether tattooing does have any effects at all, and whether designing a tattoo has any beneficial effects upon the individuals. Additionally, if tattooing does have an effect, whether the individuals’ own portrayal of their self, their body image and their self-esteem are affected in particular.

The intervention is individual-centred. I will record the participants’ psychological changes in four stages. They are the psychological state of not having a tattoo at the beginning, interviewing them with a photographic elicitation element like women with tattoos, designing a tattoo of their own and the psychological state of the week after getting the temporary tattoos. 

The participants are 5 young  women who grow up in Asian culture. (3 Chinese, 1 Korean, 1 Japanese)

Here is the progress of my first intervention. It’s the one of my participants’ mental changes.

Reflection: From feedback from Richie, Some parts of my project are the domain of psychological professionals and require professional validation. So it required me to learn more about mental and body image and interview some psychologists. 

Reference:

Bordo, S. (2003) Unbearable weight: Feminism, western culture, and the body. Berkeley: University Of California Press.

Butler, J. (2006) Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge Classics.

Wykes, M. and Gunter, B. (2005) The media and body image: If looks could kill. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Youtube. (2021) Lili Reinhart’s Revealing Speech About Body Image. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Au62AcSDsw (Accessed: 13 May 2021).

Project 5

How to boost young women’s self-esteem and self-identity to overcome appearance anxiety？

As women, appearance anxiety is an unavoidable topic in today’s social environment. Women’s anxiety about their appearance is exacerbated by a variety of factors, both social and personal. A quite popular topic these days is effective and ineffective make-up. It means that not only are women’s physical appearance and even their personal preference for make-up being judged by the public as effective or not.

Through interviews with my friends I have found that despite having different life experiences and upbringings, we are still affected by appearance anxiety.We can accept different aesthetic standards but at heart we still want to conform to the so-called mainstream aesthetic of the moment.

According to a questionnaire of appearance anxiety (AAN) that inquired nearly 300 university students, sex differences in AAN were found, with women scoring higher than men on this measure.
Self-evaluation on one’s physical appearance and self-objectification are associated with higher appearance anxiety and lower self-esteem among women.

My Stakeholders:

Girls who are not confident in their appearance and has low self-esteem

Instagram Face

The Rise of the ‘Instagram Face’ has been unstoppable. It has inspired a new beauty aesthetic and makes young girls be crazy about this aesthetic and fit into this aesthetic.

Reflection: In the first tutorial of project 5, tutor Sasha suggested to talk to psychologists about how anxiety can be can be worked with outside therapy and let me also concern about male gaze. Then I did some research about male gaze and interviewed some women whether they care about what men think and see.

The Male gaze

Women are characterised by their “to-be-looked-at-ness” in cinema.
Woman is “spectacle”, and man is “the bearer of the look”.

Research by Calogero has shown that the male gaze can have detrimental effects on women’s self-esteem and self-objectification, leading to increased body shame and a worsened mental state. For most women, it is not a physical interaction with a man which causes such internalised feelings of self-objectification and negative mental states, but is simply anticipating being the subject of the male gaze. This has led to a rise in women’s demand for their own physical appearance. In order to fit the male aesthetic and attract the male gaze, women will try to change themselves to suit the male aesthetic.  It is not only a worsened mental state and self-objectification which is a potential effect of the male gaze, but also feelings of anxiety about physiques and body shape.

Reflection：In fact many mainstream media have taken steps to embrace aesthetic diversity and introduce some appearance anxiety by using unique models that do not fit the typical aesthetic. However, it is still up to women themselves to accept this, so it is important to value women’s inner strength and increase their self-esteem and self-satisfaction.

Marked for life

A prospective study of tattoos on appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction, perceptions of uniqueness, and self-esteem. The study subjects are 82 British residents. It measures state of appearance anxiety and self-dissatisfaction prior to and immediately after obtaining a tattoo. British residents report significantly lower appearance anxiety and dissatisfaction immediately after obtaining a tattoo. Participants report significantly greater body appreciation, self-esteem, distinctive appearance investment, and self-ascribed uniqueness three weeks after obtaining a tattoo.

So here’s one way that I thought of figuring out this issue. I decided to use design tattoos as a medium and held an event. This event is a way for participants to design a tattoo based on their self-portrait and their story and for the public to show their uniqueness. It is a process of self-discovery. Tattoos have the power of belief. Participants get to know themselves better by telling their own stories or designing tattoos by carving out a self-portrait. This process allows participants to better understand themselves, discover their uniqueness and thus improve their self-satisfaction and self-esteem to overcome appearance anxiety.

Bibliography

Adams, K., Tyler, J., Calogero, R. and Lee, J., 2017. Exploring the relationship between appearance-contingent self-worth and self-esteem: The roles of self-objectification and appearance anxiety. Body Image, 23, pp.176-182.

Calogero, Rachel M. (2004-03-01). “A Test of Objectification Theory: The Effect of the Male Gaze on Appearance Concerns in College Women”. Psychology of Women Quarterly. 28 (1): 16–21. 

Dion, K. L., Dion, K. K., & Keelan, J. P. (1990). Appearance anxiety as a dimension of social-evaluative anxiety: Exploring the ugly duckling syndrome. Contemporary Social Psychology, 14(4), 220–224.

The Conversation. 2021. Explainer: what does the ‘male gaze’ mean, and what about a female gaze?. [online] Available at: <https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486> [Accessed 11 April 2021].

The Unstoppable Rise of the ‘Instagram Face’.2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.saveface.co.uk/the-unstoppable-rise-of-the-instagram-face/> [Accessed 12 April 2021].