Association between sexual orientations of individuals and perceptions of tattooed men

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present the results of the first study exploring whether perceptions of tattooed men may be influenced by sexual orientation. We asked heterosexual women (n = 2,436) and men (n = 230), and lesbian women (n = 50) and gay men (n = 60) to rate nine photos of male models with the provisos that at least one image had a digitally added tattoo and participants would not evaluate the same model in both tattooed and non-tattooed versions. Heterosexual men and women rated tattooed men as more masculine, dominant, and aggressive; however, only heterosexual men rated tattooed men as more attractive. While gay men perceived tattooed men as less attractive, more dominant, and more aggressive, no significant differences in perception were observed for lesbian women. We also explored whether sexual orientation moderated the relationship between attractiveness and tattooed men’s perceived masculinity, dominance, and aggression. Perceived aggression was related to lower perceived attractiveness among gay men, but higher perceived attractiveness among heterosexual women. This study demonstrates that the perception of tattooed men’s attractiveness is associated with the assessment of their masculinity, dominance, and aggression. These associations are influenced by both gender and sexual orientation of participants. Our results suggest that the sexual orientation of participants should be taken into account in studies investigating attractiveness perceptions.