Abstract
Abstract This study aimed at identifying motivations, risk behavior and social practices, comparing tattooed and non-tattooed women. 316 women (50% tattooed) were surveyed online, answering questions on sociodemographic data, social practices, motivations, and risk behavior. Data collection strategies included snow-balling, social networks, personal contact, and visits to tattoo parlors. The main results indicate that the majority of women express satisfaction with their physical appearance after getting tattooed, and wouldn’t get the tattoo removed. Being tattooed correlated with risk behaviors such as casual sex with unknown people, alcohol and drug use, and psychopathology. The sample presented more similarities than differences between tattooed and non-tattooed groups, suggesting that growing popularization and social acceptance of tattooing has led to a decrease of the differences between the groups. Such results may inform future research and the production of informative materials aimed at demystifying negative stereotypes associated to tattoos.
Highlights
Today, tattooing is considered one of most prevalent practices of body modification worldwideDisponível em www.scielo.br (Atkinson, 2002)
The questionnaire was composed by 16 questions, divided in 4 sections, addressing the following topics: a) sociodemographic data (5 questions): age, marital status, religious beliefs, level of education, and number of tattoos; b) descriptive questions about social practices (4 questions): having tattoo(s) either acquired in tattoo parlors or elsewhere, visibility of tattoo, attractiveness, and prejudice; c) descriptive questions about motivations for acquiring or not a tattoo (2 questions); and d) descriptive questions about risk behaviors and psychological conditions (5 questions): sexual behavior, use of alcohol/other drugs, presence of psychopathology and suicidal ideation
This study examined the motivations for getting tattooed and its relations with risk behaviors and other social practices, comparing a sample of tattooed and non-tattooed Brazilian women
Summary
Today, tattooing is considered one of most prevalent practices of body modification worldwideDisponível em www.scielo.br (Atkinson, 2002). Tattooed and Non-Tattooed Women and labeled as a marker of transgression and deviant behavior. As a group it has endured intense social stigmatization for transgressing both social and gender norms - the “gendered body” (Atkinson, 2002). In a study on career-oriented women with tattoos (Armstrong, 1991), 70% of them reported having engaged in risk-seeking behavior. Degelman and Price (2002) found that tattooed women were rated as less attractive, honest, generous and intelligent than non-tattooed women. In a study by Seiter and Hatch (2005), tattooed women were rated as less credible but not less attractive. Swami and Furnham (2007) found that tattooed women were considered less attractive, more sexually promiscuous and more prone to engaging in risk behavior, such as alcohol abuse. In a study by Seiter and Hatch (2005), tattooed women were rated as less credible but not less attractive. Swami and Furnham (2007) found that tattooed women were considered less attractive, more sexually promiscuous and more prone to engaging in risk behavior, such as alcohol abuse. Wiseman (2010) assessed undergraduates’ perceptions of tattoos on a female college instructor; the presence of tattoos was associated with positive ratings in students’ motivation and how likely they were to recommend her as an instructor
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