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.
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.